HAWK, drops guinea pig in someone's yard

[x0PiggyPerson0x]

Seriously coolman, that is really wrong. Put yourself in the owner's shoes. Say for some reason guinea pigs decided to switch around the food chain and they were predators and cats were prey. If one of your own, innocent mind you, wandered into a yard where people had cats and they pulled out a bb gun and shot it how would you feel?? Your pig had done nothing wrong yet it got wounded because it wanted to wander around a little.

[GuineaPigs4Life]

once a cat was eye balling my pig, and I thought the cat was going to try to get my pig. I got up and tried to scar the cat away. It worked.

[Fab_Cavy]

I think the entire indoor/outdoor debate with cats is about the same as with guinea pigs, except at least guinea pig owners' pets are contained so they are less likely to spread disease, get hit by a car, or injure or kill another animal.

I have 3 cats. One was an "outdoor" cat who was filthy, covered in ticks, and nearly starved to death when the rescue got a hold of him. He is quite happy in here now. He will never get feline luekemia or FIV, tortured by some sicko, or hit by a car. He will never get in a fight with a neighbor's cat or a dog, kill someone's small pet, poop in our neighbor's garden, or kill the local wildlife.

The few times my cats have been out (supervised on harness) they were usually quite anxious to get back inside. If they wanted to be out, we'd find ways to have them there undersupervision like building a cat kennel. However, they are very happy and entertained in here. They have windows, the TV, lots of toys and a few nice cat trees and scratchers. They also play a lot with each other and our dogs. They are not neurotic or fat like the stereotypes. They are active, healthy and happy.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not totally against people keeping their cats outdoors, but I've seen very few cases where it's good for neighborly relations, local wildlife, and the cats themselves.

[Cavykid]

Originally Posted by ILovePiggies

~Ooooo are there really! I think thatd be awesome to see a wild guinea pig where ever they live?!! Mind you, you probably wouldn't see one because they run away, cute =)

Still off topic but I belive they are in South America or Ireland, i think they are because they eat them there. Sad how some one could eat something so cute.

[Cavykid]

Originally Posted by coolman

WELL HEAR THIS!
My mum and dad had some guins a couple of years ago, one day they were playing in the yard you know what guins do! And then my dad herd something in the bushes (the guins were in outdoor floortime pen) a cat just in a blink of an eye! took one of the guins. Got over the fence before dad could of done something to save it. On the fence was red pore marks the guin you could here wheeking in pain from a mile away! From that day I never leave my guin outside. When ever I see a cat in our backyard I get my bb gun and shoot it in the head.

It might sound cruel! But people shouldn't leave there cat's outside.

Sounds cruel?It is cruel. I have two cats who have to live outdoors because they can not be litter trained, and yes sadly they have caught birds(Which I am not happy about!) but they're cats!Cats were big in Egypt because they hunted rodents.Its in there nature and you shouldn't try to cripple or kill them for that.How would you like it if your mum shot you in the head for eating a sandwhich?People like you cunfuse me.

[SuzieQ33]

Loose and roaming cats shouldn't be shot, only caged and taken to the animal shelter. I have never understood how a pet owner could be so unresponsilble as to put their pet in harms way like that. And it is harmful for any pet to be roaming loose outside.

[Cavykid]

My cats spend the day in the patio in the backyard. They seem to like it and dont usally leave the patio.

[WritingLife]

Just so you know: Domestic house cats are the leading predators of songbirds in suburban areas. This has put severe pressure on populations of the less common songbirds in many areas. That's just information. It may or may not mean anything to you.

When I was a kid we had cats, and they were always allowed outdoors. One had multiple litters of kittens until my parents finally got her fixed (I don't know why they didn't earlier), one died of an infected bite from some other animal, one nearly died of a bite but got to the vet in time, and one was eaten by coyotes.

My two kitties have been indoor kitties since we adopted them. There are already too many cats roaming our neighborhood and getting into yowling cat fights under our windows at night (terrified my son once when he was younger -- he thought a baby was getting tortured). There's an absolutely psychotic cat that lives next door that fights anything that crosses its path, including humans. There are racoons that wander through our yard, and a month or so ago I spotted a skunk in the back alley. The street close to our house connects two main arteries, and all the teenagers in their hot cars think it's fun to use the street to go rocketing from one main artery to the other, squealing their tires as they go (when police set up on one corner, they pick the kids off like popcorn).

Our two are fine indoors, and they get to go outdoors on a harness and leash for a treat and so they know the area in case they happen to sneak outdoors.

When mild weather comes again, I want to make an enclosure to let my piggies have a run on the lawn in the shade. But I'll make sure there's a secure top on the enclosure, and I'm not going to let them play unattended for even a moment, no more than I would let an infant roam around unsupervised. That's a pet owner's responsibility. I already know there are predators, including hawks and other cats, in my neighborhood, so I know it's my responsibility to make sure that my piggies are in a safe enclosure and are properly supervised.

And if anyone takes a shot at my pets with a BB gun for no good reason, I hope he's got a good laywer.

[pigsngrass]

What a lucky Pig!! i hate the hawk!

[CavySpirit]

Well, after having Lucky at Cavy Spirit for over a year, I FINALLY found a totally awesome family to which I was willing to adopt Lucky and his girlfriend, Reeba.

Here's their update from an email. Thought I would share it, since his story is public.

Hi Teresa,

Here's an update on the progresses of Lucky and Reeba:

When we first put them in their cage, they were afraid and spend the rest of the day and evening under their wooden house you gave us. Sometimes Lucky would quickly come out and hide under their cozy cover.

First thing in the morning they get breakfast, before anyone else does :-) The kids sit down, criss cross applesauce, next to the cage and very quietly give the guinea pigs some fruit and vegetables by hand. Reeba and Lucky slowly and shyly came out at first, but now they're already pretty much used to that routine.

Whenever the kids sit down next to their cage they come out and ask for some more treats. It's so cute!!! Lucky is adapting amazingly well: he might be less social than Reeba, but he's a very peaceful guy. We can already slowly and gently pet him in the cage and he's cool with that. Reeba is still quite nervous, she probably needs some more time to settle down. We changed their cage for the first time yesterday. When I carried Reeba and then Lucky, I could feel Reeba being more nervous than Lucky. Lucky never had these big eyes saying "Uh, what's happening? :-)" , but at first Reeba did. She became more comfortable after I carried and comforted her for 5 minutes and kept her face a bit covered like you showed all of us last Saturday with the new scared guinea pigs dropped at a school.

Well, to sum up, it will take a few weeks before they're completely comfortable ((like you said, trust the expert!), but things are improving a lot. We enjoy so much having them and they're really fun to watch. We thank you so much for giving us the opportunity to care for Lucky and Reeba. We'll send you some updates some time.

Keep in touch,
Laurence

[Slap Maxwell]

How excellent you found them a great home!

[The Magic Taco]

Teresa's like that lady I was on ACA who fosters babies until they're older and stronger if they're sick or hurt and finds them parents.
Yay, Teresa!

[HowietheGreat]

Shooting any animal is cruel. The cat is using his natural instincts. What you are doing his far worse then a cat doing what it was created to do. You should be trying to locate the owners so that you can file a complaint. I hope someone calls the ASPCA on you.

[LilSweety]

Originally Posted by coolman

WELL HEAR THIS!
My mum and dad had some guins a couple of years ago, one day they were playing in the yard you know what guins do! And then my dad herd something in the bushes (the guins were in outdoor floortime pen) a cat just in a blink of an eye! took one of the guins. Got over the fence before dad could of done something to save it. On the fence was red pore marks the guin you could here wheeking in pain from a mile away! From that day I never leave my guin outside. When ever I see a cat in our backyard I get my bb gun and shoot it in the head.

It might sound cruel! But people shouldn't leave there cat's outside.

I really don't care of this is old or not, I need to voice my opinion on this.

I am completely shcoked at this statement. Being an owner of 3 Cats (2 are outside!) this completely makes me angry. Do you have any idea how SICK you are???? You dont deserve to be a pet owner if you are going to go around shooting cats in the head (which probably kills them!!!). you are SICKSICKSICK! You ANIMAL MURDERER!

[TipiDancer]

Originally Posted by StasiaJ26

In my area (Michigan, US) this is perfectly legal. Infact if an animal wild or domestic harms our herd (I breed piggies & rabbits) we can shoot them and sue the owner for the replacement costs of the animals, property destroyed and any money we lost. So far I've been lucky.~Stasia

That is disgusting. I do not believe in breeding guinea pigs or any otehr pets. This is putting a sheltered animal to near death everytime someone buys a bred guinea pig over a sheltered animal. If things like this continue, the population will be almost as bad (probably twice as bad) as the average rabbit.

And why do you think the cat is eating your pigs?? WE eat pigs, cows any other animal. Is some Chuubicabra going to come up to us and shoot us in the head? I think not!! It's instinct!

[bromers]

When ever I see a cat in our backyard I get my bb gun and shoot it in the head.

You may be not causing your guinea POSSABLE pain because you do not know it will attack but you are still causing an other animal pain. If I knew of someone shotting my animal in the head I would make sure I do it back to them. It is not fair to inflict pain on a animal just because it came into the garden.