# Starving Kitten: AKA...What the Hell Is Wrong With People? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 21, 2010, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457 "2010-07-21T13:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/21 "2010-07-21T18:52:57Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > Yeah and that’s why I get a new kitten every three months or so but I don’t take them back to the pound because that is mean. I just toss them into random peoples yards and then it’s their problem. Aaaaand… [/thread] ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Goliath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bcef8e/32.png) [@Rex\_Goliath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Goliath)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/22 "2010-07-21T18:53:52Z")
I can’t blame someone for not wanting to feed stray cats (even cute widdle kittens). Stray cats carry disease and a food bowl intended for one cat rarely remains so. I’ve taken a lot of kittens to the pound to be euthanized, and never felt guilty about it. Kittens are cute, but they are a nuisance on the environment and should be taken to the pound. Letting it mew and starve in your own backyard without even taking it to the pound seems needlessly cruel, though. It’s not like there’s a real cost in properly disposing of it. ---
**Author:** ![lazybratsche](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ba8739/32.png) [@lazybratsche](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lazybratsche)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/23 "2010-07-21T19:12:37Z")
I can’t summon much hate for someone who decides not to feed a feral cat. There are always starving cute furry things around. You can’t feed all of 'em… when was the last time you ACTUALLY DID SOMETHING to make sure the local raccoon pups or skunk kits were taken care of? How about the mouse pups that will starve because you cleaned up your pantry? If you’re that worried about the kitten, take it to a local shelter. It’ll be well fed and taken care of, and most likely adopted out in short order. And even if they end up euthanizing it because nobody adopts it, the kitten still will be better off than if starved in someone’s backyard. All you have to do is drive to your bosses’ house, get the kitten, and drop it off at a shelter. Are you willing to spend an hour of your time and a few bucks worth of gas to do something productive? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2010, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/24 "2010-07-21T19:17:22Z")
Won’t somebody please think of the kittenless children? ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/25 "2010-07-22T03:09:24Z")
Are you **sure** you can’t add one more cat to your household? Initially, you said you couldn’t support even one cat, but you have two now. Perfectly understandable if you really can’t, but are you **sure** you can’t? ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/26 "2010-07-22T03:23:22Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > Seriously, the woman doesnt want a kitten to the point of starving it to death, yet your bosses threat to her is to TAKE THE KITTEN AWAY!!! Wut??? Current Boss Man wasn’t _threatening_ to take the kitten from Former Manager Lady, he was _promising_; feed it once tonight, and I’ll then take the problem off your hands. But he was lying. ---
**Author:** ![Brunhilda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/cdc98d/32.png) [@Brunhilda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brunhilda)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/27 "2010-07-22T04:53:25Z")
Poor kitty. If you were in the greater new york area, I’d be pm-ing you with some great groups’ info. ---
**Author:** ![Mosier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ea924/32.png) [@Mosier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mosier)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/28 "2010-07-22T09:10:26Z")
It’s a cat! It’s not even HER cat! How can you summon such hate for someone who refuses to feed a stray cat? It’s not her responsibility to feed it any more than it is yours. If you care so much about it, go feed it yourself. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 11:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/29 "2010-07-22T11:28:39Z")
I get sad too, but a lot of people just don’t care about animals. This lady doesn’t have any more obligation to stray cats on her property than you do. I will never, ever put food outside for strays - food meant for one means more resources for others to continue to reproduce. Of course, I do care about animals, and if a stray animal is friendly, I will ask my friends if they are interested; then take it to a shelter. If this is bothering you so much I think you should pick this kitty up yourself and take it to the shelter of your choice. Cute baby kittens usually get adopted fast. If not like you said a quick death is better than a slow one. > [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Spay and neuter your pets, people. Eh. In 15 years of pet ownership including that of many intact animals I’ve never had a problem keeping my pets from reproducing. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/30 "2010-07-22T12:16:00Z")
> [@Mosier](#): > > It’s a cat! It’s not even HER cat! How can you summon such hate for someone who refuses to feed a stray cat? It’s not her responsibility to feed it any more than it is yours. If you care so much about it, go feed it yourself. Already covered in the OP. It’s on someone else’s property, so it would mean trespassing or taking the kitten home, which she says she can’t do. That’s why all the intelligent people in the thread are trying to tell her to take it to someone who can take care of it. And I would be upset too if I knew there was someone just refusing to feed an animal. Sure, you don’t want to help it breed, but you can at least do something other than just watching it shrivel up and die. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/31 "2010-07-22T15:17:27Z")
> [@rhubarbarin](#): > > Eh. In 15 years of pet ownership including that of many intact animals I’ve never had a problem keeping my pets from reproducing. Even if your animals are all kept indoors, all it takes is \*one \*escape at the right time for them to either impregnate a stray or be impregnated by one. That’s a hell of a glib attitude to have. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/32 "2010-07-22T15:34:38Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Baby animals evoke sympathy, of course. But nature is red in tooth and claw. Important enough to be said twice. In a row. Before folding one’s arms and settling back into one’s buffalo hide armchair on the bear rug under the mounted 18 point buck’s head with the feeling of sublime oneness with the natural world that comes from superior firepower and the love of using it. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/33 "2010-07-22T15:37:14Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Even if your animals are all kept indoors, all it takes is \*one \*escape at the right time for them to either impregnate a stray or be impregnated by one. That’s a hell of a glib attitude to have. It really is. Both of my cats were spayed as kittens, and kept as indoor cats until we had a yard to fence properly, but they were both escape artists, as most cats are. There is no doubt in my mind that had they been intact, there would have been litters, in spite of my best efforts. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/34 "2010-07-22T15:46:00Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > Before folding one’s arms and settling back into one’s buffalo hide armchair on the bear rug under the mounted 18 point buck’s head with the feeling of sublime oneness with the natural world that comes from superior firepower and the love of using it. It was funnier the first way. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/35 "2010-07-22T16:21:24Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > It really is. Both of my cats were spayed as kittens, and kept as indoor cats until we had a yard to fence properly, but they were both escape artists, as most cats are. There is no doubt in my mind that had they been intact, there would have been litters, in spite of my best efforts. I’ve had basically the same experience. Female cats might normally have absolutely no interest in leaving their domain…until they go into season. And for the cats who do like to get out and explore forbidden territory, then they become even more motivated. I had a kitten who was about 6 or 7 months old, and SHE got pregnant during an unauthorized excursion. She had five kittens of her own (this was before I knew that cats could be spayed during early pregnancy). So, I spay and neuter as soon as the vet is OK with it. Also, a cat in heat is miserable. Don’t know about dogs, but a queen in heat is desperate for some hot cat-on-cat action. Or human-on-cat action. Or inanimate object-on-cat action. She wants RELIEF. And intact male cats have a nasty habit of spraying. So…I get my pet cats desexed, for their sake and my own. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/36 "2010-07-22T16:41:26Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > It was funnier the first way. You mean when the chair was sealskin? Maybe. But you don’t shoot seals. You harpoon them. Or club them. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/37 "2010-07-22T16:46:03Z")
> [@Beware\_of\_Doug](#): > > You mean when the chair was sealskin? Maybe. But you don’t shoot seals. You harpoon them. Or club them. No, when it was just a studded leather chair, and stopped there. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/38 "2010-07-22T17:29:59Z")
I’m so sick of hearing this outpouring of support for cute things when those same people don’t give a damn about ugly things. It’s not the disparity that kills me, though. It’s the refusal to recognize that it’s subjectivity at work. No, no. It’s like these people swear that it’s an objective fact that kittens should be saved but baby crows are dispensable. Just toss the critter in the creek or something. Too bad you’re not in DC. I’ve got a hammer I’m not using and a paper towel you can have. Maybe you can just drop a brick on it. Seriously, there are about a million ways to resolve this problem. Pick one and be done with it. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/39 "2010-07-22T18:28:39Z")
Don’t try to be cute. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457/40 "2010-07-22T18:43:08Z")
> [@Chessic\_Sense](#): > > I’m so sick of hearing this outpouring of support for cute things when those same people don’t give a damn about ugly things. It’s not the disparity that kills me, though. It’s the refusal to recognize that it’s subjectivity at work. No, no. It’s like these people swear that it’s an objective fact that kittens should be saved but baby crows are dispensable. > > Just toss the critter in the creek or something. Too bad you’re not in DC. I’ve got a hammer I’m not using and a paper towel you can have. Maybe you can just drop a brick on it. > > Seriously, there are about a million ways to resolve this problem. Pick one and be done with it. I like baby crows. I like almost all baby animals … well, except humans, they smell funny. I’m going to ignore the rest of what you said. I think that’s for the best. To the OP. Go get kitten, take it to a shelter. Even if it’s euthanized, it’s better than starving to death or some of the other suggestions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/starving-kitten-aka-what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-people/547457.md?page=3)