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Sad Event

by HeySal
18 replies
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We have the cutest little ground squirrels where I live. They come and eat clover out of the yard. Sometimes I throw out some pumpkin or sunflower seeds for them to eat. They're not too afraid of me being around, but don't come real close. They will come out while I'm sitting on the lawn and run around at a "safe" distance, though. I love these little guys.

Today I saw a cat with one in its mouth. It wasn't a starving cat or I'd not have intervened. This was a well cared for pet cat that was allowed to run even though there's a quite busy highway around 200 feet down the road. So I shooed the cat away and put the little squirrel in a soft towel. I wasn't in time. My only hope that in its last breaths it recognized a rescue attempt made on its behalf. I tried for a few minutes to revive it as I didn't see any deep bites. It must have snapped the backbone or just died of fright. I know animal's systems shut down when they are eaten - it save the animal the pain of being devoured.

It's been several hours now and I've only seen one or two other squirrels out. They're still in hiding here. I walked around a bit to see if there were other casualties that might still be able to be saved but I think this little guy was the only one.

It's sad to me. Had the cat needed to eat, I'd at least be okay with it - but to see a pampered well taken care of animal kill to kill - it just made me sad. These little guys are special to me since I don't have a pet to pour some love into and it was very sad that the first one I got to hold was just to give comfort to as it died.

I don't hate the cat - it's their nature, but I wonder what the hell is wrong with a person that will let their cat run right by a highway where the cars are going by at 60 mph. I held a wild animal while it died and it was emotionally harrowing. How are they going to feel when it's their pet they are holding and watching take its last breaths because they were too stupid to take care of it - or worse, finding it died without solace all alone.
  • Profile picture of the author Kay King
    Many people see pets as expendable - and wildlife, too. The cat was only doing what nature intended. You can't argue with instinct and we can't save them all. Sometimes the shock of an attack will kill a small animal even without serious wounds inflicted.

    I watch my cat when she's in the back yard. She's tracking and hunting squirrels and birds....she slinks, she hides, she runs, she pounces, she misses every time. Without me and Purina - she would starve.
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    • Profile picture of the author Creativologist
      we had a squirrel family living in our attic for a while. It took a while to figure that out as everytime I opened our upstairs deck door one of the squirrels would jump away from the day and kept scaring me to death

      Long story short, we have them humanely trapped and set free in the wild.
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  • Profile picture of the author sbucciarel
    Banned
    Sorry to hear it Sal. Too bad it couldn't be saved. I think they pretty die of fright and shock. I've seen it before where they didn't have a scratch on them, but didn't make it. You did what you could. I have two cats and we live in the country. There are no highways near, but they are NEVER allowed out of the house. We don't want them eating the birds and that's the first thing they go for when they've gotten past us a couple of times. We put feed out to attract birds and have lovely skinks that crawl up the side of our brick house on the front side of it. Cats are very destructive to wildlife, so mine just have to satisfy themselves by sitting in windows and wishing they were out.
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  • Profile picture of the author ForumGuru
    Banned
    Sorry to hear you had to see that, Sal! For sure way too many people let their cats run outside... We have had cats for the past 20 or so years and we NEVER allow them run loose outside.

    Not only do I love cats, but I also love all types of squirrels red, grey etc. as well as chipmunks and ground squirrels too. I literally have thousands of pictures of squirrels (and thousands of pictures of cats too). We had several of these little guys at our previous house --> and while they can be destructive we enjoyed having them around. They loved to eat sunflower seeds, grapes and lemon drops --> but they sure could wake you up bright and early in the mornings with their strategic positioning on a concrete stoop unleashing their piercing calls!

    This one we called Chippy...but then again we called most all of them Chippy!



    Cheers!

    -don
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  • Profile picture of the author yukon
    Banned
    My inlaws have 3 dogs, today one of the dogs brought home half a rabbit (nasty). These are small dogs, one is part chihuahua, yorkshire terrier & 3rd is a stray dog they found. They said that's the 3rd rabbit they've brought home. They're all very easy going dogs, not sure why they've started huntin wabbits all of a sudden.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Like I said - I don't hate the cat. I know animal nature. Had it been starving, I would have turned the other way and let it eat. Everything deserves to eat and it's not our faults that we landed on a planet that eating means killing. I was upset that I couldn't save the little innocent creature that died for no cause -- and I am furious to see a pet running near a busy highway.

    I see animals kill all the time out in the wilds. It's sad - but it's a fact of life on earth. I would never take a meal from a wild animal even if I valued and liked the animal being eaten more than the one that was doing the eating. Ecosystems take care of themselves when we don't interfere.

    I guess I'm just upset because I couldn't save the little guy. I just didn't get there soon enough. Since I first wrote the post, though, I've seen a few other little guys finally come out to eat so feel a little better seeing that only one died. I was worried about how many might have gotten taken out.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author Jacqueline Smith
    "...just to give comfort to as it died."

    Sal, giving comfort to a dying animal is not something small. Most people would have ignored the entire scene....I think there are very few of us who would have held the little guy while he died.

    You did good! And think of it this way......Ricky has someone else to play with now.
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  • Profile picture of the author barbling
    So good that you were able to give some comfort; so many people would just have ignored the whole situation.

    I have two northern breeds whose natures are supposed to chase birds. I also have a flock of Twitter Budgies. Whenever one steers off the path and ends up crashing into The Kingly Moose (a malamute), he looks very aggrieved and stalks off (the birdie just flies back).

    Hope your chipmunks come back soon!
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Thanks guys.

    Yeah the little guys are coming back again. They aren't chipmunks - they're ground squirrels. They look like miniature prairie dogs. The one I was real worried about I have watched since he was just old enough that only his head would show when he was in the lawn. He's getting bigger, but he's a lot braver with me than the others. He'll come up and munch clover just out of arm's reach. If I don't move too fast he doesn't run if I get up and go in - that's pretty tame for one of these little guys. He also knows that I'm where the pumpkin seeds come from. I've taken some out to eat while I'm reading in the sun and he'll just chatter his face off for some of them...and always gets some. I think he'd eat them right out of my hand but I don't want to touch him because I don't want him to learn to trust people. Someone might hurt him. I think it was him that screamed just before I saw the cat. Anyhow, I watch over these kids as I can while still leaving them intact as wild.

    I've only heard a little animal like this scream once before. It was a chipmunk and I was at a lake with my Rottie, Blitz, who was a bizarrely gentle animal. I heard this just blood curdling little scream and turned around and saw the chipmunk on his back with Blitz's nose almost poking him. I took Blitz's collar and pulled him back a few feet. That chipmunk looked surprised and grateful as anything I'd ever seen to be okay. He sat up, shaking like a vibrating machine for a minute, then calmed down and ran off. I felt kinda sorry for the scare he had, but he was a baby so I figure it was a lesson that might have saved his life sometime later.

    There's a few little lizards that live here, too, and sit in the sun with me and listen to me talk to them.

    God I love all the little sillies - no matter how big or small they are.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    Today I was a cat with one in its mouth.
    Um, you have a BIG type here. Too funny, Sal.
    Apart from that, I am sorry you had to experience that. Animals deserve to live in safety.
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    • Profile picture of the author HeySal
      Originally Posted by laurencewins View Post

      Um, you have a BIG type here. Too funny, Sal.
      Apart from that, I am sorry you had to experience that. Animals deserve to live in safety.
      Family insanity. Intermittent Dyslexia. I almost never type the word dog without having to go back and turn the d and g around. Serious. Could be partly fruedian in that example , but I transpose letters more than you'd know. I usually catch it.

      Could be just the fact that I have absolutely no semblance of coordination in my fingers, too.
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      Sal
      When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
      Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author laurencewins
    I type too fast for my brain sometimes as well so I know the feeling.
    I just wanted to cheer you up a bit with a little laughter.
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    Cheers, Laurence.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Thanks - no need of cheering though. It was sad but I'm okay with it generally. It was just sad. Had it been my dog, I'd be a mess for a long time.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
    Yes, it is sad to see such things - even though it is nature.

    I know somebody who leash trained his cats and always walked them
    when they wanted outside. His main reason was so they would not get
    taken by birds of prey.

    Also, there is a man in my neighborhood who walks his pet cat everyday.
    It is off leash and follows about twenty feet behind the man.
    It does wander a little and investigate things, but I've never seen it run
    after any critter.
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    • Profile picture of the author msdobe
      Sorry to hear about your encounter, Sal.

      I live in a very rural area and love the wildlife. Have a little bit of everything here. One time after I first moved here I was out on the back porch reading and happened to look down... there was a raccoon with his front paws up on the deck looking at me. Startled the s*** out of me and I screamed (just wasn't expecting to see a raccoon staring at me!). Pour thing... I scared him and he took off. I see the pair almost every day now.

      How wonderful is Nature!!
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Nature is wonderful - not always friendly, though.

    Out here seeing a cat on a leash is not unusual.

    When I lived in S. ID, a woman I know had a couple of those real little dogs - size of guinea pigs. I think they were called Yorkies (?). She let them out her back door one night to go potty and one got about 10 feet from the door and an owl swooped down and got one of em. That messed her up bad. That area is very near a birds of prey sanctuary so she should have known better, but still. I can't imagine how horrible that was for her.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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