# Feeling guilty....please help me not feel so bad. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 1, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399 "2003-05-01T15:50:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 13
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/241 "2003-05-05T22:40:12Z")
I can’t get you out of my head. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/242 "2003-05-06T00:11:09Z")
> [@](#): > > LISTER > How can you justify killing another living being? > > EPIDEME > How about that chicken you _biriani’d_ last night? How can you justify > killing that?? > > LISTER > Me and the chicken… it was different. > > EPIDEME > How’s that, David…? > > LISTER > Well, I’m a person, it was a curry. > > EPIDEME > He died so _you_ could go on living; is that so different from what I’m > doing? > > LISTER > Of course it is! Totally! I’m a human being, I have certain qualities > that elevate me above poultry! I can think; I can play the guitar – > > CAT > Better than a chicken? Are you crazy? Red Dwarf, _Epideme_ ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/243 "2003-05-06T00:11:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DocCathode \* > \*\*You want bizarre? > > I just realized how easily you can rewrite the lyrics to No Doubt’s Hey Baby to be all about you-EG change > > “Hey Baby, hey baby, hey” > > to > > ``` > "Jarbaby, Jarbabyj" > > ``` > > I expect for the next week or so, I’ll be suddenly woken up by more lyrics as they occur to me. Eventually, I’ll sit up at 3 am and start singing the whole song. > > Somehow, this is your fault. I’m not sure just how exactly. But, I’ll figure that out too. > > Blast you Jarbaby! \*\* Hmmm. [interesting thought](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=118925&highlight=jarbabyj). ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/244 "2003-05-06T02:11:54Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weirddave \* > \*\*interesting thought. \*\* Ah, so I’m not the only one. Maybe my other mental afflictions aren’t so odd either. Does anybody else sometimes suffer panic attacks due to fear that Fenris will one day snap and commit a series of Justice League themed killings? Do any other Dopers feel the burning desire to rewrite a Jewish classic as _Polycarp In The Bathtub_? Is it just me or do you often wonder if Biotop’s will leaves everything to the first person to solve a final puzzle? Do you stay up nights training for the event? Finally, am I the only one who has the recurring erotic dream in which Kylie Minogue and Bjork reveal that they are two of the last remaining elves and tell you that engaging in a wlid menage a trois with them is the only way to prove you _really_ believe in fairies? ---
**Author:** ![green\_dragon\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/13edae/32.png) [@green\_dragon\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_dragon_1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/245 "2003-05-06T02:52:02Z")
There have been numerous fuckwits wandering round the board lately, inspiring me to stop lurking and start berating them for well, being fuckwits. I’m just amazed that this thread is still going and attracting abuse from the claw-club. **TVAA**! Be opposed to de-clawing all you fuckin want but if you’re going to make any kind of attempt to convince the world to turn into little ‘ethical clones’ of yourself, you’re not going to get anywhere with the kind of lame-assed reasoning you’re throwing into the mix here. I’m not a big fan of de-clawing personally, but frankly I rather enjoy posts like the ones you’ve been excreting out because they make me laugh. I mean come on? **PREDATION**? You who stand up so passionately for the good treatment of our cuddly feline friends? You do realise that any shreds of credibility you were hanging on to there just evaporated right? As for the OP (I have been lurking since the first post:)), it’s a tough situation, one thinkfully I’ve never been around for despite having had many many cats grace my home (one of whom famously got lodged in the **chimney** ), including an unspayed female at one point who was a veriatable kitten-factory…don’t feel guilty, you’re doing what you feel must be done and I’m sure that the amount of love you show your cat will be the true test of just how good a pet owner you are (and from the sounds of it, you’re a damn good pet owner). BUGGER OFF anyone who feels the need to piss off the population at large. That will be all. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/246 "2003-05-06T04:38:54Z")
I like songbirds, too… but should I stop a cat from killing them, especially if I know it’s going to eat it? Treating animals well requires respecting their natures, and that includes the negative aspects as well as the good. Predation, accidents, and starvation are the natural controls on animal populations. Why do you think cats and dogs have so many offspring at a time? ---
**Author:** ![green\_dragon\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/13edae/32.png) [@green\_dragon\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/green_dragon_1)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 10:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/247 "2003-05-06T10:21:24Z")
One might also argue that the homeless amongst us are in fact living in the proud tradition of the ‘nature’ of the great apes; living off the land as best they can, braving the elements and of course, if they die from starvation, disease or exposure, that’s ok because they were living naturally. Wonder how many of the homeless would go on record as saying ‘hey! I actually rather like this lifestyle, so you can take your offer of a home and family, regular food and drink and clean clothes and shove em up your ass!’? Not that many I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/248 "2003-05-06T11:48:21Z")
Um, **TVAA** , cats and dogs are naturally predators, not prey. Why on earth should you expect other animals preying on them to be a good form of population control? Time to lay down the pipe, son. ---
**Author:** ![mske](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ccd318/32.png) [@mske](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mske)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/249 "2003-05-06T13:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*Fourthly: Predation. You know, death by predators. Bobcats, wolves, etc. > > Take away the predation and you can severely damage a species. Haven’t you ever heard of “wolves and caribou”? \*\* So in rural areas, this would work. In urban areas, we will need to rely on cars and sadistic kids to do it? ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/250 "2003-05-06T13:31:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > > And why is it that you associate a position you (obviously!) don’t understand with ignorance? The irony in this statement boggles the mind. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/251 "2003-05-06T13:51:48Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*I like songbirds, too… but should I stop a cat from killing them, especially if I know it’s going to eat it? > > \*\* Yes, you should stop it if you can. Many native songbird populations are endangered because they are being killed by non-native cats. Feed the cat some kibble and keep it inside if it is going to be killing birds. Take it to a shelter if it doesn’t have an owner. ---
**Author:** ![Lady\_Venom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@Lady\_Venom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lady_Venom)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/252 "2003-05-06T14:16:16Z")
Update… Just so you all know, Aries is doing wonderfully. I couldn’t pick her up until yesterday because of some family issues, but I went to see her Saturday, the day after her surgeries. She went through it with flying colours and everyone there fell in love with her. She was her old self when we picked her up. Lots of snuggles and kisses for me. Obviously she wasn’t too mad at me. When we got her home, she followed me around, and wouldn’t leave my side. She even slept on my pillow all night last night. Her belly is healing nicely, barely a scar visible already. Lasers are wonderful things. She is walking well, a little stiff after a nap. She is using her paws like she always has. There is no need for a post-op visit. Everything is dissolvable. Just to clarify… Our cat room is a spare 8ftx8ft room that we’ve converted into a little kitty sanctuary. It has 2 windows with hammocks so she can bird and squirrel watch, a cat spa, litter, dry food (soft food is served in the kitchen) toys, etc. Yea, I’m so mean to her. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/253 "2003-05-06T14:31:44Z")
You’re obviously an evil, evil person, **Lady Venoma** , and you don’t deserve to have a cat. Please put the cat outside; I’ll send a wolf over shortly to dispose of it. ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/254 "2003-05-06T14:33:17Z")
**Lady Venom** , you unbelievable bitch. Why couldn’t that be _my_ room? 😉 Glad to hear she’s doing well. **TVAA** , I really cannot fucking believe you’re advocating turning dogs and cats loose in the wild. I didn’t see this point addressed, so what about the inevitable packs of feral dogs running around, not having been immunized to rabies? Would you like those to come upon your kids? Good thinking, jackass. ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/255 "2003-05-06T14:33:36Z")
but first, give it a nose job ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/256 "2003-05-06T15:17:16Z")
Who said anything about turning them loose in the wild? [shakes head] ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/257 "2003-05-06T15:24:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > \*\*Who said anything about turning them loose in the wild? > > [shakes head] \*\* So you’re suggesting that, say, an animal shelter keep a few bobcats and wolves on hand, and then just throw the occasional dog or cat in the pen with them to be slaughtered? I bet we could sell tickets! Your real name wouldn’t be Caligula, would it? Seriously, I think you should stop posting to this thread. You’re not doing your position (whatever it may be) a bit of good here. ---
**Author:** ![TVAA](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c57346/32.png) [@TVAA](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TVAA)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/258 "2003-05-06T15:36:57Z")
I can’t tell if you people just don’t have enough imagination, or if you’re just really, really dumb. There’re enough strawmen in this thread to make a practice range out of. Shall we return to criticizing **Lady Venom** now? ---
**Author:** ![tiny\_ham](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a183cd/32.png) [@tiny\_ham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiny_ham)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/259 "2003-05-06T15:38:42Z")
Not really, because she’s a normal human being who humanely cared for her pets. You are the one who suggested dealing with unwanted pet populations through predation. If you’re also against releasing them into the wild, what WOULD you do with the thousands of kittens and puppies that will result from no spaying or neutering, which you are ALSO opposed to? ---
**Author:** ![carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de0a6/32.png) [@carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrot)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2003, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399/260 "2003-05-06T15:40:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TVAA \* > **Who said anything about turning them loose in the wild?** Oh, _I_ see now. You mean for them to be killed by predators in the comfort of their own homes. That clears it all up. On preview: Strawmen? You were the one suggesting ‘predation’. So how’s about you just tell us exactly what the fuck you meant? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399.md?page=12) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/feeling-guilty-please-help-me-not-feel-so-bad/172399.md?page=14)