Yes. Birds in “captivity” require more attention than cats or dogs. Fragile at best, and they rely on us humans to make sure they are well taken care of.
Right. And few people really know how to take care of them well.
We’ve had several birds. All of them that lived with us until the end of their lives, save one*, lived longer than normal lifespans so I assume we’re doing something right. Our current flock has two that have exceeded normal life expectancy for their species and are still doing well. But we’ve done a lot of research and I know we still don’t always get things right.
- She was killed by another bird in the household.
I just had to share a tangential story…
I just put up our Christmas tree (way back when) and let Sheeba our parakeet out to spread her wings for awhile.
Meanwhile my faithful goofy dog was sitting on the couch next to me.
Well Sheeba was sitting on the branches of the pine tree and decided to fly directly to Goober, who opened his mouth and I was sure my cherished bird was now in his stomach.
But to my amazement, he didn’t even chomp down. I retrieved Sheeba from his mouth without injury.
Methinks he didn’t know what to do with a bird flying into his mouth.
ASanders, we have heard your confession.
Five "Hail Mary"s, and $200 donation to your local animal shelter.
The Hail Marys are optional.
Ego Te Absolvo.
ASanders, I’m sorry for the loss of Kitty. I’m sure you and your children are devastated and have learned a very valuable lesson.
I’m surprised the OP’s kids have survived long enough to be teenagers. Good thing they’re not locked in a cage and forgotten.
ASanders, I don’t quite know what to say. “I’m sorry” doesn’t seem quite right in the circumstances; nevertheless it’s the best I can do right now. I’m sorry this happened. I’m sorry your family learned a horrible lesson at the expense of an innocent pet. I’m sorry Kitty Perry met such a cruel and underserved fate. I don’t feel you need me to join in the chorus of criticism - if you were the kind of person who needed to be told how terrible their actions were, then you wouldn’t be posting about your guilt and sorrow. Why not try to make some good out of the bad and make a generous donation to an animal rescue organisation?
I have to say, this thread had far fewer Monty Python references than I expected.
It did have about the number of “living being” references *I *expected, though.
You could get a goldfish. They don’t get thirsty.
That’s good of you to be so open about your behaviour and admit your faults, and I guess it really goes without saying that pets might not be the best thing for you and your family. How about novelty gifts instead? You can’t kill a gift, and gifts live forever. Something cheap and cheerful will do. Look hereand fill your boots.
RIP Kitty Perry (great name btw).
Is there a massive difference between roasting a puppy alive and slowly starving it to death? Both sound like torture to me, at least the burning is over relatively quick.
I suspect the kids will get over it pretty quickly. They didn’t give a damn about it in the first place and I suspect the busy household will continue to be busy and introspection will be minimal.
For a bird, being completely isolated from social interaction, which is what sounds like the situation, is also torture.
Also, this was not done out of active malice. Not that neglect is good, it isn’t, but even in human interactions intent is a factor when it comes to guilt and punishment. In my mind, deliberate cruelty is worse.
Yes: it is difficult to do the first by mistake. Had you done the first by mistake, it would be equally bad. If you starved or roasted a puppy to death on purpose, yes, you would be more bad than if it was an accident. We’re talking relative levels here.
I appreciate all of both the brickbats and sympathy. This has been a serious experience for the family; we are not just blithely continuing on with no thought to our behavior.
If I didn’t think it was a big deal worth reflection I wouldn’t have posted here. Lessons have been learned that I’m sure my eventual grandchildren will hear about.
For myself, I’d not make that assumption. I’ve typically never been a forgetful person, but since my husband has been terminal, I’ve done all sorts of things I never thought I would. I’ve got so much going on with just surviving day-to-day care, that I’m astonished at the amount of stuff that falls through the cracks. Now, I realize my situation is not equivalent here, but because of it, I’m beginning to understand that lots of circumstances can cloud our daily activity. I don’t think ASanders’ family did this on purpose and, going off the information we have here, they doing remorseful. To me, it sounds like they’re not taking it lightly, nor will they repeat their behavior. So, I’m sorry everyone went through this and I don’t think that adding my voice to the chorus of admonitions is going to make them any more likely to do (or not) what it seems is already being accomplished. Just MHO.
Or…maybe it was murder! Murder most fowl.
We’re on to a second page and nobody wonders if the poor bird was just ‘pining for the fjords’? A major Doper let down.
The OP has been around for 4 years and is a paying member - I’m sure he knew exactly how much recreational outrage this post would garner.
I like the suggestion of donating to a local animal shelter, though rather than money I think the family should donate some time. Not just the kids, but the entire family unit.
When I was a little kid, I let a turtle starve to death. It was just in a room I didn’t go in often, and neither did my family.
I still horrible about it, it’s hard to type, but none of us are perfect people. Sometimes we do bad things, and we regret them, and we learn. Sometimes life is really painful, even for innocent things.
You can’t go back in time, ASanders, so find a way to let that aspect go. Some of the atonement suggestions here are pretty good.