Regular readers will know of Ashbutt, our farm kitten that we adopted back in 2016.
He would have celebrated his tenth birthday in the second half of this year . . . but sadly, that won't happen any more.
We have a couple staying with us, along with their two cats, which we've segregated in a room behind a closed door, because Ashbutt is very territorial and possessive. Last night, it got much worse than that. He was trying to open the door to the guest cats' room, yowling loudly, and behaving very aggressively when we tried to stop him. Finally, when one of our guests came out of the spare bedroom too close to him for his comfort, he must have been startled, because he attacked her, biting and clawing, drawing blood. When I ran over and tried to shoo him away from her and the closed door, he tried to attack me! He's never behaved that way to us before, but once was more than enough. (Last weekend we had a family staying with us, including an eighteen-month-old infant. We segregated our cats to avoid issues with small children, but even so, what if Ashbutt had got out? The thought of what a big, aggressive cat could do to a toddler is just too scary for words . . . )
With my wife's help, Ashbutt was shut in the garage for the night. She and I talked about it, but it was obvious what had to be done. We simply can't risk the injuries he might inflict on our next guest, or even on us, if this sudden violent, aggressive streak continues. With great sorrow, I took him to the vet this morning and arranged for euthanasia. His body will be sent for rabies testing (which is apparently a legal requirement in cases like this), and his ashes will then be returned to us.
I absolutely hated having to say goodbye to Ashbutt. He's always been a "daddy's boy", as opposed to our older cat, Kili, who's definitely my wife's cat. He would jump on my lap at every opportunity and snuggle for a while. That won't happen any more, and I know I'll miss him very much . . . but . . . there's the "but" for you. When an animal turns aggressive towards you, you absolutely cannot take the risk that he'll do the same towards others. The injury aspect is only part of the problem: there are legal exposures involved when it comes to damages, reimbursement, etc. Tolerating that sort of behavior could cost a whole lot of money down the road. (Our current guests have been very gracious in assuring us they understand, so that won't be a problem in this case; but that doesn't prevent possible future recurrences.)
Goodbye, Ashbutt. We'll miss you very much.
Peter
31 comments:
Farewell, Ashbutt. I hope you have all the lizards to chase across the rainbow bridge.
My deepest condolences. It is always hard to have to euthanize them when they are old and miserable but to have to do it for this kind of situation is just heart breaking. We do kind of forget that, for all that we live with cats, they are far less domesticated than other animals we live with, and can slip back into their more natural state. And cat bites, even without threat of rabies, are bad news and best treated medically except in the most minor of nips where the skin wasn't broken.
You did him wrong, bringing in other cats to create aggression and territoriality in him (and never letting him meet the other cats, making it even worse) and then expecting him to behave as normal, and then killing him for it.
You should never get another pet. You don't deserve one.
Sorry to read this, but having had a cat that went psycho, I thoroughly understand where you are coming from.
As a kid, we took in a neighboring farmer's dog. He was moving into a retirement home that didn't allow pets. After some time went by the dog started roaming and turning feral, so we had to put him down. It's a sad time, so more prayers for you.
I'm sorry for your loss, but you made the correct decision.
I am so sorry. What a heartbreak.
I'm sorry for your loss, Peter. You did the right thing, even though it hurts.
Well,bringing in other cats and strangers seems to have been the problem in my opinion.
Sorry this happened and wish I was around,would have given Ash a home without competition.
I like having other critters around as feel they keep each other company but would also if needed run solo.
RIP Ash,look up Warchild,he will give ya a tour in the next chapter and then if you wish leave you alone.
Hard circumstance. Hard decision. I hope it won't stop you from giving another cat a home one day.
Condolences and God's blessings to you all.
I agree completely. It can take months for a cat to accept another cat. I am sorry for Ashbutt.
Sorry for your loss and farewell to Ashbutt. You've done the only responsible thing you could do.
I wanted to ad while a tough situation/decision that hope others never have to make will say any folks who I even thought might sue me due to a cat scratch/bite are only not ever welcome in me home but folks I would go out of way to avoid.
Any who would possibly hurt me four footed friends/family would be at best fertilizers for a tree.
With that said,many of me friends(bless them)feel I am insane at times.....,am good with that and feel they are as they know I would show them the same loyalty.
Damn,this is just freaking depressing and wish the best to all involved,especially Ash.
You don't know the years of background that led up to this, nor are you familiar with Ashbutt or his behavior patterns. There are many details I haven't included here, for lack of space and time. I suggest that unless and until you know them, it might be better to withhold judgment.
Then why'd you post the story? Looking for absolution?
To put a cat in that situation and then expect him to know better is wrong.
If there were other reason to put him down then you should have posted them, or not told the story at all. I based my statement on the story you gave us.
So sorry you had to do that, but it was the right thing.
It's unfortunate (for Ashbutt) that you didn't think the situation through a little more. He was probably in a crisis because of your guests and their cats (intruders, to him) in his territory. He probably would've been fine if you'd kept him in the garage a few days until after your guests had left.
Good caretakers (owners) understand their companion animals (pets) and try to keep them out of problematic situations. In his case, it'd mean not directly subjecting him to intruders in his space. It might also mean putting him in the garage anytime you had babies/toddlers in your house.
So he's nipped you or scratched you a few times over the years? You fought in South Africa, surely you could handle a few cat scratches every now and then... And surely you could've come up with a solution that stopped short of euthanizing the little guy!
RIP Ashbutt
He was telling his audience exactly what happened to Ashbutt. So please be considerate to the host
Anon 6:53 is a troll, plain and simple, and is, as such, lacking in empathy and humanity. Dialogue is wasted on such. Peter, I am sorry, these things happen, you did the responsible, hard course of action. I am sorry for your loss.
It is a bad situation, but personal accountability means to do what should be done.
We will light a candle in the window tonight to help guide him across the Rainbow Bridge. Losing a pet is always rough and you have our sympathy.
Geez dude, wake up. At the end of the day a pet is an animal, not a human. If you place higher importance on the welfare of animals than humans, perhaps you should reflect on how you got to that point.
Condolences to you and Dot
I faced the same choice with a cat that was urinating in the house. No medical reason, had to be behavioral. Very difficult decision but that behavior could not be allowed to continue. I adore cats but there has to be a limit...Diane
Troll.
I had to put down a beautiful Siberian Husky that would not accept my wife as being higher in the pack order then he was. When he bit her, that was the last straw. Tough decisions, but necessary.
Sorry to gear about this, Peter. You guys did the best thing in the end, hard as it was. There will always be trolling, or posts from an emotional thinker with either a life experience gap, an inability to consider 2nd/3rd order effects, or misplaced moral values.
You sound like one of those people who blames the child for a pitbull eating it's face. 'He didn't kill you, toughen up! You were in his home, and he was just feeling defensive. He's only ever bitten one child's face off before today, how could I know he'd do this? He just bites me in the face when he's feeling insecure, like a few times; he never actually eats my face.'
Always tough to put 'em down old age or behavior. All our condolences.
Sadly we have no way to know what is going on in an animal's head, nor ways to prevent behavioral changes, so we do the best we can. I hope the grief soon passes and you can look back fondly on her memory.
I have been a cat person most of my life, and one observed aspect of them is they can change personalities at any age, exhibiting minor or major problems that seem to defy attempts to understand them, let alone correct them.
My first landlord had several 20+ lb cats that lived with her. They were aggressive, and I quickly learned to grab a heavy broom to keep them off me. They were much too wild for house cats (and too big), but she had raised them from kittens. One night I heard quite a commotion, and she was quickly knocking at our connecting door. I don't know which cats might have been involved, but her lower legs had bare bone exposed at multiple locations. She was just shredded. I drove her a couple blocks to a doctor who had an office at home, and he put her back together. I called my father (he had rented there before me) to pass along the problem to her boys, and they were there within the day to remove all the cats. I suspect the term "extreme prejudice" could be applied to the situation!
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