Monday, March 30, 2009

My Roomies Are Under Attack...!

Normally, I'm a pretty easy going guy!

I don't like trouble, and will go out of my way to avoid it. However, this last week a couple of incidents have happened that really makes me angry!

Those of you that have been reading here for a while know that the two "roomies" are Siamese kittens...well, cats now...that I got when they were very young. They are a constant source of amusement and a lot of company.

Now, the boys like to stay outside at night and , if the weather is nice, they spend a lot of the day outside as well. You have never seen two more people friendly cats than these two. Both seem to love being around people, and will keep me company while I'm outside. They also are really good about helping out the nephew, Cygnus, in his garden. In fact, the largest of the two (Smokey) seems to have adopted the nephew as a second owner.

Anyway, a couple of days ago Smokey came home with a bloody spot with a large knot on it located on his right flank. It was very similar to a gunshot wound. It had no exit point, just the knot. Some time in the next two days, Smokey opened the wound enough to get rid of whatever was causing the knot and had cleaned the wound very well. He would not let me help with it, and it started healing almost immediately.

Yesterday, the smaller of the two (C.B. , short for cry baby) came home with almost an identical wound located in the same spot as his brother! Same size and location, but this time there was no knot and the wound was still bleeding. I cleaned it and put medicine on it as much as he would allow. Because C.B. is a lot smaller than his brother, the wound had more of a negative affect on him and he favored that side when getting petted. However, the wound seems to be healing OK.

What bothers me the most about this whole thing, is the fact that both of the wounds appear to be some sort of hole caused by something like a pellet from an air gun. My thinking on this is re-enforced by the fact that both wounds are located in about the same spot on both cats. Almost as though an inexperienced shooter was sighting at them while they were walking and did not know enough to lead them. Good thing, or else the wounds would have been a lot worse, if not fatal!

Now, I know that both the roomies are lucky, as I suspect the number of handguns in this neighborhood, given the makeup of the population, is probably quite large! Don't believe me? Ask anyone that has ever been in a neighborhood like this one on the 4th of July, New Years Eve, or Cinco De Mayo...you'll understand what I mean very quickly!

Now, there are only a few things that can really set me off to the extent that I want to do bodily harm to someone on the spot! Some things should NOT have to be taken care of by the courts , but should be handled by the families or friends of the victims. That's just my opinion, and like it or not...that's just the way I feel! These two people loving animals are both my friends, and part of my family!

So, let this be fair warning to any and all of the folks in my area, or any other area for that matter...

Hurt a child, ANY child, out of meanness or for profit, physically or mentally... and YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!

Hurt a woman, ANY woman, out of meanness or for profit, physically or mentally...and YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!

Hurt an animal, ANY animal, out of meanness or for profit...and YOU WILL BE PUNISHED!

If I get to you first, then the punishment will be handled by yours truly! It will be done in such a way that you will be introduced to a level of pain that you cannot even imagine at this point of your life! Believe me!

If you are introduced to your Maker before I can get to you, I'm sure that you will be taken care of in a very satisfactory fashion as well ! If I were you, I would opt for this option, again... believe me!

Now, with all of that being said, I invite you to join me in a fresh, hot cup of coffee! Oh, and don't mind the cats, my friend! They just like being around people!

37 comments:

  1. That's a rather unsettling thing to have happened...what sort of person would do that? Has anyone else had their animals shot at? I'm so glad your cats got through it.

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  2. Hey Kitty...it is unsettling, but you have to remember this is Houston. Many sick folks are here as they are everywhere. I haven't heard of anyone having their pets shot, but I don't have a lot of my neighbors, except to wave and exchange pleasantries in passing.

    I am glad they were not injured any worse than they were, and I thank you for your comments and your visit.

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  3. Yep, sounds like a kid with a Daisy or Benjamin. We have four cats and they do OK in the country (2 are "barn cats). We lost another one when we moved to the country (to coyotes I think).
    Yeah, in Houston, cats are considered fair game for all sorts of meanness. It seems like no matter how close an eye you keep on them, they just disappear and you never really know what happened to them. Good Luck, keep em close.
    YeOldFurt

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  4. I was going to say...keep an eye on the local kids, but YeOldFurt beat me to it.
    Good luck finding em!

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  5. Hi Jim;
    I'm glad they did not die. I share your justice on all counts.

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  6. Hey OldFurt...thanks for the warning. I should know better than to trust anyone in this area to act like a civilized person.

    Oh well, paybak is a bitch! Thanks for coming by!


    Hey Sue...I appreciate you coming by and you can rest assured, I'm watching...


    Hey Tony...I appreciate that. Thanks for coming by this morning...

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  8. I'm really sorry to hear that Jim. One problem I've had with friendly cats is sometimes they're friendly/trusting of the wrong people. I had two friendly cats poisoned in my old neighborhood.
    After $1500.00 and much grief, they both died.
    Nothing pushes my buttons like cruelty to animals and children.
    If I caught anybody in the act, they would be lucky if I were to kill them on the spot. Otherwise, I would get much more....creative.
    I have two kitties who are scared of everyone but me, so Bob and Cleo have been with me a long time.
    Here's hoping the person who did that meets with justice, one way or another.
    Fill 'er up!

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  9. There are idiots everywhere!

    Do you remember me telling you the story about my next door neighbor shooting the pellet gun at my skunks while they were eating?

    It was dusk and heard the noise. Went outside to see what it was and got right in the middle of it.
    I almost wish the bastard would have shot me! Then I'd own 2 properties next door to each other, hahaha

    Well Jim, you keep an eye on your roomies. Maybe start keeping them in at night. What a shame that there are assholes like that everywhere.

    Sorry for the long note,
    but you got me worked up about it too.

    Thanks for the coffee!
    blondie

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  10. Hey Maitreya...I know what you mean about the justice part! It would be different if they were wild animals or something, but just two friendly cats...?

    Thanks for the comments and for dropping by today!


    Hey Blondie...sad, isn't it? Wonder what makes a person do things like this?

    The best thing for me is just get out of this city before I go off on one of these folks one of these days...and unfortunately, there are plenty of them around.

    I appreciate you dropping by, my friend!

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  11. First, I want to assure you that I am a cat lover, and am owned by 6 cats currently who have adopted us. When a neighbor moved away and left 20 cats with no home, several of them just moved our way and decided to stay. Because I'm asthmatic, they all live outside and we feed and share affection with them as their numbers grow and ebb.

    We have other neighbors with big dogs who just run loose all the time and we have lost chicks and full grown chickens, baby kittens and yard toys left unattended to their marauding.

    Secondly, I want to add a note of caution in the process here. Cats are preditors and naturally hunt. When they're out on the prowl, no matter how well they're fed, they hunt and kill all kinds of birds and small animals, and get into places they shouldn't, and others aren't so understanding or loving of your cats. They may be doing something outside at night that violates other's sensibilities and this is the retaliation.

    While I'd never shoot an animal, I can understand the frustration of having other unattended animals coming onto my property and hurting my animals. I echo other comments that maybe you should keep them inside at night to keep them from danger.

    One more comment. I'm glad you want to protect children, women and animals. I believe all living beings should be cared for gently. It would be great if we all felt like protecting men also, from hurt. Yeah, I'm a woman, but believe all life has worth.

    Normally I agree totally with everything you say, and love having coffee with you in the morning, and I agree with this one too, just moderated a little bit.

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  12. Hey Trails...I agree that letting both of them stay out if they want is maybe not a good idea. In spite of their natural instincts, right now it is not a problem as they are staying close to home.

    Hey, I appreciate you dropping by and thank you for your comments.

    Have a great day!

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  13. Jim,

    I have a real problem with people who are cruel to animals. Check this out:

    http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.11314

    It's a small GPS tracking unit that you can attach to your cat's collars. If something should happen to them, it will assist you in locating them. It will also help you determine where the dirtbag with the airgun possibly lives.

    Middle of the night visit with a cordless drill, screws for the door frames and windows sashes, and a can of gasoline makes for a fine Friday night.

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  14. I'm sorry to hear what's happening to the furrier members of your family.

    When I was a teenager, some of my neighbors thought it was fun to shoot my small terrier mix with BB's. My mom wasn't into direct confrontation, so she gave the dog to friends (after sending me to visit out-of-state family, then not informing me until I got back--but that's a whole other story!).

    Fast forward 15 years and I was living in the 'burbs, and had five indoor/outdoor cats. One disappeared and I figured "these things happen." Another (female, not a male roaming in search of love) disappeared, only to reappear outside my back door, half her previous weight, and with a small, fresh wound in her neck five weeks later. I had no way of knowing who or what had been responsible, but it's hard for me to believe a young, spayed female who would have stayed away on her own for that long. She's now eighteen years old, the last of the herd, and I've treasured every moment with her. ;-)

    Oh, and I kept all my cats inside after she initially disappeared

    If you know who they are and want to go after the perps, you have my blessing! Just do what you need to do to keep the vulnerable members of your family safe.

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  15. Hey Catman...it's a crazy world out there, alright! Just to show you how nuts it really is, A Houston policeman lives three doors down. That's his house...with the full grown, constantly barking dog chained in the front yard to a tree, with a 5 foot chain and no water bowl!

    Hey man, I appreciate you dropping by!

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  16. There really are nice people in our neighborhood, too.

    I am sorry about the "boys", but let's not trash the whole neighbood because of it. Love, Mom

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  17. I have to agree with Trailshome on this one. I think the shooter hit them in the butt just to get them out of his/her yard or garden. Since you mentioned they are staying closer to home it had the desired effect, at least for a while. We love our little dog but I'm sure the neighbors wouldn't if she barked all the time or we didn't clean up after her daily. Pet owners have a responsibility to make sure their pets don't impact the lives of their neighbors since their animals aren't aware of "unaccepted behavior".
    TJ

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  18. Hey TJ...appreciate the comments. I just hope the person that shot the roomies, doesn't decide that the kids playing ball in his yard or on his sidewalk are making too much noise!

    It just seems to me that a simple phone call or knock on the door would have been a lot more humane way to voice the displeasure of any visits of my cats, but then I grew up in a more civilized time. At least, it seemed more civilized at the time...

    Hey, thanks for coming by!

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  19. Hi Jim,
    Just got back a little while ago and wanted to catch up on you and then came up on today. How sad I feel so bad about your roomies. It was probably some coward or a dumb kid with an air gun and who's parentd are just as dumb or dumber. Glad they are healing ok.
    Will send some pictures later after down loading. Kiss the roomies for me
    JoJo

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  20. Hey JoJo...glad you made it back ok, and I'm looking forward to all the pics and tales of the camping adventure!

    I'll tell them you said hello as soon as they wake up from one of their power naps...

    Thanks for coming by!!

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  21. I'm like you in this way... I'm a very calm person, but if anyone hurts my family, even one of my non-human "children", their suffering will be great and their cries will serve as a warning to others. Let's not even talk about what happened when someone stole my friend's dog... I won't admit to anything. But the dog is back home, now.

    But this is one area where I'm all Druid and not one bit civil. So let me know if you need help with this.

    Hugs,
    Ashley

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  22. Hey Ashley...I appreciate the offer. I just can't wait to get to the country with the roomies...

    We'll take our chances with the four legged preditors over the two legged ones in the city anytime!

    Thanks for dropping by!

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  23. I am glad "the boys" were not any more seriously injured. How many times have you heard me say that our courts would be virtually case free,tax payers would save millions of dollars per year and people would MAYBE stop to think for a few seconds if offenders were legally punished by the very ones they offended. The episode of Dog the Bounty Hunter that deals with one charged with cruelty to animals should be interesting..airs here tonight. I don't wath Dog on a regular basis but I have watched enough to know that he loves his wife,children and dogs!

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  24. Aww Jim that's so sad, brought tears to my eyes. There are so many cruel people in this world, sometimes it makes no sense. What can you possibly get out of hurting a defenseless small animal like that? I'm really glad your roomies will be okay, and agree you should keep them in for awhile.

    lydia
    :(

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  25. HermitJim, I really hate to hear you and your roomies are having to go through all this. I am a friend of a woman in N. Carolina who told me about your post about the recent things going on with you and your roomies. She felt I would be interested because I too, live in Houston. I absolutely despise it here. I moved here when I received a job promotion but have since quit the promotion job and back doing the same thing I was when they promoted me. Why? Because I didn't relish having to drive in rush hour traffic at 6:00 a.m., taking an hour to go 14 miles to the office. Just the gas alone was eating doggone near everything extra I had earned in the upgrade of my salary. This was back last summer when gas was astronomical. Anyway, I am in a horrible neighborhood (Westpark and Hwy. 6 area) and the crime over here is scary to say the least. A gun was pulled on me at a red light back on Dec. 2, just because I had pissed off a Hispanic man by going too slow for his taste. My purse was stolen from Wal-Mart while shopping, a young man who was working on our yard last summer had his leaf blower stolen from his truck in broad daylight and every drop of gasoline was siphoned from my boyfriend's truck. This has all happened in the little over 11 months we have been here. The police did NOTHING with any of the above occurrences either. That's scary in itself. We are going back to the country as soon as we possibly can. Get the heck out of his hell hole. And that's what it is too....a hell hole. Filthy, just full of crime , hateful people....I could go on and on, but I will spare you and everyone else reading. This is simply NOT a good place to live and live peacefully. We have 4 animals we love dearly and like they were children...2 dogs and 2 cats, and I can't even imagine how you're feeling about your 2 buddies. That just breaks my heart to think of someone doing that to precious innocent animals. Get out of Houston HermitJim. It's no place for us or our babies!

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  26. Hey Sis...hurts my heart when something like this happens for sure. I like my cats better than some people I know, especially now.

    I'll try and watch Dog when it comes on...

    Thanks for the visit today.


    Hey Lydia...good to see you, my smiling friend! I and the boys appreciate your concern. I'm sure they will be alright, and I hope this doesn't make them afraid of people.

    I feel guilty about letting them run free, because they don't often go beyond the front yard and the patio and backyard.

    Hey, thanks for stopping by, my friend!

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  27. Hey Donna...so glad to have you drop by. I couldn't agree with you more about this crazy town. I am getting ready to leave pretty soon, but it can't be soon enough for me. I despise this town and only came back because of the closeness to the V.A. hospital.

    All this does is to hurry the decision to leave.

    Hey, don't be a stranger and come back often, Donna.

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  28. That some sadistic person would shoot at any pet for fun is mind blowing. I have two cats one indoor and 1 out. The outdoor cat is just like yours people friendly. I have been lucky so far and no one has treated her as a target. I hope there is no repeat of harm to them. I would keep them close for a while just in case. I hope the person who did this gets whats coming and soon. Mark

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  29. One thing I forgot about where I live. We have Bald Eagles, Golden eagles and numerous types of hawks always flying around the city. This is what I fear the most when my cat goes out. There are always posters about very small dogs and cats missing. I suspect the the Birds of prey are the culprits.

    Mark

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  30. Here's a little kitty love for the 'boys' HJ! (pet, pet, scratch from behind the ears all the way down the spine to the tail)

    I know that feeling HJ, I really do.

    Fill 'er up, I got an all nighter set!

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  31. HermitJim,
    I didn't realize the VA thing. GET AWAY ASAP!!!! That VA hospital killed my Dad through incompetence. Long story but because he was "obstinate" he ended up dead.
    Another thing, PLEASE folks, don't drop off your animals in the country thinking someone will look after them. They WILL end up dead. If not run over, then shot by a farmer or rancher. Packs of wild dogs will pull down calves and foals, chickens, etc. It's standing country etiquette to shoot loose dogs. Cats are considered lunch by coyotes.
    YeOldFurt

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  32. Hey Mark...beats me how some folks like to do things to hurt animals, but there are a lot of sick people in the world.

    Lucky that we don't have any birds of prey around here...except the mockingbirds and jays when the chicks are learning to fly. Then the birds will take on any cat around!

    Thanks for coming by!


    Hey Momma...sounds like something I would enjoy myself!

    Glad you could ome by! Always good to see ya!

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  33. Hey OldFurt...I mainly only deal with the V.A. by phone. Once a month I go for a blood test and then they call the next day with the results.

    I agree with the advice about not dumping animals in the copuntry. Maybe pets should be able to dump their owners!

    I appreciate you taking the time to come by, my friend!

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  34. I'm with you buddy, feel the same way. I had a cat about 10 years ago named Herman and some bastard shot him with a pellet gun too... he lived but he had a damn pellet stuck in his head. I can't stand people that abuse animals, hope there's a special place in hell just for them.

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  35. Hey Shiner...animal abusers, wife beaters, child preditors...all should have a special place and I'll be more than glad to help them get there!

    Hey, brother...the inside of the place is looking good!

    I appreciate you taking time to come by!

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  36. Behind Ya, Man!
    Thanks for the Smokey Plug!!!

    I likes Smoky Kitty...

    Cygnus

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  37. Sorry to hear about the kitties, hope all is well. And I'm with ya 100% on the punishment, I hate mean folks.

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