# Did I do the right thing? (kinda TMI) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 10, 2003, 10:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819 "2003-06-10T10:03:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Qazzz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/aeb1de/32.png) [@Qazzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qazzz)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/21 "2003-06-10T14:02:23Z")
Yeah, life goes on… Except for that baby bird! Heheheheh, sorry… Your story almost made me cry… I found myself wondering what the hell I’d do in that circumstance. I’d hate to think I wouldn’t have the courage and guts to do what you did. But I’m glad you did it, as horrible as it must have been… How awful. ☹ Poor birdy. ☹ Why do living things have to suffer like that? I hate ants! And mosquitoes! ---
**Author:** ![PatriotX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c4cdca/32.png) [@PatriotX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PatriotX)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/22 "2003-06-10T14:19:53Z")
As someone who has farmed my own chickens for meat, let me assure you that th eneck wringing thing isn’t always as bloodless as it may seem in theory. Bird’s skin is apparently fairly thin and fragile. **Biblio** , I don’t know about your physical particulars, but you probably oculd’ve just crunched it’s head under your heel. Everyone who eats meat should come to grips with killing animals. The best and surest way to do this is to kill something and eat it yourself. YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Durinsbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@Durinsbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Durinsbane)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/23 "2003-06-10T14:26:38Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bibliovore \* > \*\*Last night I had a rather unsettling and disturbing experience, so naturally I thought I’d share it with you. > > Just before going to bed, I was taking out the garbage when something caught my eye. There, on the ground in front of our garage, was what appeared to be a lump of meat. It was covered in ants and looked pretty gross, but I assumed that it was just a scrap that had fallen out of one of the bins or been scavenged by some of our local wildlife (we get foxes and badgers around here), so I just shrugged and carried on with what I was doing. > > However, as I turned, I noticed that the lump was _moving_. No it wasn’t a trick of the light, and no it wasn’t just the movement of the ants, that horrid little scrap of flesh was _moving_. Now I wouldn’t call myself particularly squeamish, but my heart started to thud, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and the bile began to rise in my throat. I did _not_ want to know what the hell that freaky little abomination was, but I somehow found my gaze inexorably drawn towards it…\*\* I got this far thinkng that this had something to do with this other [rather unsettling and disturbing experience.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=177712) Sounds like you did indeed do the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Siemsi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b19c9b/32.png) [@Siemsi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siemsi)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/24 "2003-06-10T14:51:42Z")
Oh (((((((Hugs))))))) I would have had my hubby do the same thing…I can’t bear to see living things suffer or die a slow death. Gosh that must of been so hard. I think you did the right thing. ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/25 "2003-06-10T14:55:20Z")
Ah yes, the _cooler of death_, how could I forget! I was hiding under a table the day the evil was released, so I’m glad that nothing much came of it. Except that I now have this rather worrying tendency to babble in ancient tongues and glow in the dark. Most disconcerting… ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/26 "2003-06-10T15:08:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bibliovore \* > \*\*a baby bird that that had somehow fallen out of its nest, or had probably been kidnapped by on of our cats. \*\* > [@](#): > > _Originally posted by jjimm_ **One day last summer, over the course of three hours, I felt obliged to smash the heads of five mice that my cat was repeatedly bringing in half-dead and distressed.** Quit letting your damn cats roam free. They kill local wildlife, catch and spread disease, and do property damage. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/27 "2003-06-10T15:08:58Z")
Oh **Bibliovore** you did the right thing, but oh so hard! I hope you’re feeling better about it now, and not dwelling on the particulars. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/28 "2003-06-10T15:12:51Z")
Oh, **Bibliovore** , I know exactly how you feel! A few years back, when I was in high school my brother and I found a baby squirrel that was covered in fire ants - still alive. It was about as big as the palm of my hand, and it was _screaming_. We picked it up with a towel and pulled all the ants off, one by one, getting bit in the process. We tried rinsing it off in the sink. We really didn’t know what to do. The poor thing was still alive and we didn’t know how to help it, so we drove to a nearby emergency veterinarian and dropped it off. I doubt the poor thing survived the ordeal, and I wish I’d had the stomach to do what you did. I can still hear how that thing screamed and cried. ::shivers:: ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/29 "2003-06-10T16:28:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*Quit letting your damn cats roam free. They kill local wildlife, catch and spread disease, and do property damage. \*\* Mine can’t kill birds (bell on the collar), but does kill vermin, is fully inoculated, and doesn’t damage anything - sticks to our yard almost exclusively. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/30 "2003-06-10T17:00:01Z")
**jjimm** , if that is the case, I think you will surely admit that your’s is the exception to the rule. (as an aside, belled cats quickly learn to move without ringing) ---
**Author:** ![whatami](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/85f322/32.png) [@whatami](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whatami)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/31 "2003-06-10T17:31:45Z")
I let my cat roam free. He’s had his shots, is nuetered and collared (no bell). I don’t mind if he takes out the occasional shrew or mouse. I’d like him to head down to the garden area (I’m on just over an acre) and scare the crows away, but he rarely makes it that far. ---
**Author:** ![DeVena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/dec6dc/32.png) [@DeVena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeVena)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/32 "2003-06-10T17:40:46Z")
You did the right thing, the best thing for all. It’s sad that it happened but it’s good that you could help relieve the pain of this creature. And concerning squirrels, I was 12 when I tried to save a squirrel that was being tortured by 2 boys. I ran it to save the day, picked up the badly injured squirrel and was immediatly bitten through my finger. And all was for naught, because the doctors didn’t know if the squirrel had rabies, and it had to be put down for testing. So that I didn’t have to go through multiple painful shots for being bitten by a strange, angry animal. ---
**Author:** ![Velma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/85e7bf/32.png) [@Velma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velma)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2003, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/33 "2003-06-10T18:35:50Z")
The Cooler is indeed evil, but thus far has not brought harm on, or produced, any baby birds. Unfortunately, the husband is gone on a fishing trip again and is returning today, possibly bringing new horror home. * * * You did the right thing. I would have been squeamish too, but I can’t watch living things suffer. I didn’t know ants would eat things that are still alive. ---
**Author:** ![plain\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@plain\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plain_jane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/34 "2003-06-11T04:05:03Z")
Yeah, you did the right thing. I’m still bothered by something that happened here four years ago. Outside my window, some birds had set up camp. I got used to hearing them chirp all day long. One day there was a lot of chirping, and in passing I wondered if something was wrong, but didn’t really think anything more about it. I was home all day long. Eventually I ended up outside to enjoy the weather, and found a dead baby bird on the ground. It had fallen from the nest and died slowly while I listened. I still feel guilty. ---
**Author:** ![Durinsbane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@Durinsbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Durinsbane)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/35 "2003-06-11T04:18:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NurseCarmen \* > \*\*Quit letting your damn cats roam free. They kill local wildlife, catch and spread disease, and do property damage. \*\* [QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Velma \* \*\*The Cooler is indeed evil, but thus far has not brought harm on, or produced, any baby birds. Unfortunately, the husband is gone on a fishing trip again and is returning today, possibly bringing new horror home. 😃 Quit letting your darn husband roam free (I doubt a bell on the collar would solve the problem) He kills local wildlife and catches and spreads Evil!!! ---
**Author:** ![ragez0r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/3da27b/32.png) [@ragez0r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ragez0r)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/36 "2003-06-11T04:52:42Z")
YOU MONSTER… HOW DARE YOU !!! kidding… to do something like that, youd have to have alot of cojones (sp?)… ---
**Author:** ![Bibliovore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Bibliovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bibliovore)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/37 "2003-06-11T10:12:24Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ragez0r \* > \*\*YOU MONSTER… HOW DARE YOU !!! kidding… to do something like that, youd have to have alot of cojones (sp?)… \*\* That’s me - proud owner of a big old set of man-sized cojones! 😃 Best compliment I’ve had all week! Thanks all for your support, guys (and I’m not even going to comment on the cat thing). ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/38 "2003-06-11T12:12:16Z")
Good job, **Bibliovore**. One of the worst things I’ve ever had to do was put a newborn kitten out of its misery. Its mother had chewed off its hind legs. (Apparently she got a little overenthusiastic cleaning off the placenta.) I filled the bathroom sink…OK, well, you get it. Something I will never get over. ---
**Author:** ![cowgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@cowgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cowgirl)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/39 "2003-06-11T14:10:18Z")
Once I had a mouse in my bedroom that got caught by a mousetrap and didn’t die … it ran around with its front legs, bent in half with the trap attached around its middle … I spoke to my agnostic God that night, at three A.M, as I pondered what to do. I had nightmares for weeks. Biblio, you did the right thing, and you have my deep respect for it. ---
**Author:** ![ace22](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@ace22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ace22)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819/40 "2003-06-11T15:40:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cowgirl \* > **Once I had a mouse in my bedroom that got caught by a mousetrap and didn’t die … it ran around with its front legs, bent in half with the trap attached around its middle …** When we had a basement, we would often have a mouse problem at certain times of the year. So we set up traps. And once a mouse got caught in one, had its back broken, and did not die. My brother took it out into the backyard and killed it with a BB-gun. And nobody gave it a second thought. Now, the one that he put into the freezer after it died, that’s another story. But its eyes turned red, which was pretty cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-i-do-the-right-thing-kinda-tmi/180819.md?page=3)