someone's annoying me... with their improper petcare!

[Little Leaf]

Well, I have a friend named Danielle who has a younger brother, Justin. They have a cat that they share, but I don't think they are taking good care of it, and that annoys me a TON! I'll list the reasons...

1. Justin threw something at the cat and made it hiss wildly (can't remember the "something")

2. Danielle held the cat improperly, she held it almost so that it falls!

3. I saw Danielle drop her cat on purpose! PURPOSE!!

4. the cat always hisses at Danielle and Justin. I can tell they are taking bad care of it...

so... does anyone know what to do to help the cat? I can't stand watching a animal being improperly cared for! it makes me sad. animals have feelings, too...

[LittleBettaFish]

Well it depends on whether they are deliberately and consistently being abusive towards the cat or not.

Case in point, I throw stuff at our cats all the time if they are doing something naughty. The other day I smacked our cat with the dusting glove because she was deliberately stirring up the dogs. She ran upstairs and sulked for a while and that was it.

I hold our cats every which way when I'm playing around with them. One of our cats I carry around nearly upside down and he doesn't care. I also drop them on the ground from my arms as they nine times out of ten land on their feet. I don't hold them above my head and throw them onto the ground but there have been times when I've given someone the odd toss through a door.

Our old female cat used to hiss at you all the time. She'd run up to the door and hiss and scratch at you. Our old male cat growls if you pick him up or brush him. Both of those cats were/are extremely well-loved and cared for.

So I wouldn't base your opinions of neglect or poor pet ownership on a couple of observations. Now if you had seen them doing something like kicking the cat hard enough to injure it or the cat was starving because they weren't feeding it, then I would say that the cat was not being properly cared for.

[Little Leaf]

Originally Posted by LittleBettaFish

Well it depends on whether they are deliberately and consistently being abusive towards the cat or not.

Case in point, I throw stuff at our cats all the time if they are doing something naughty. The other day I smacked our cat with the dusting glove because she was deliberately stirring up the dogs. She ran upstairs and sulked for a while and that was it.

I hold our cats every which way when I'm playing around with them. One of our cats I carry around nearly upside down and he doesn't care. I also drop them on the ground from my arms as they nine times out of ten land on their feet. I don't hold them above my head and throw them onto the ground but there have been times when I've given someone the odd toss through a door.

Our old female cat used to hiss at you all the time. She'd run up to the door and hiss and scratch at you. Our old male cat growls if you pick him up or brush him. Both of those cats were/are extremely well-loved and cared for.

So I wouldn't base your opinions of neglect or poor pet ownership on a couple of observations. Now if you had seen them doing something like kicking the cat hard enough to injure it or the cat was starving because they weren't feeding it, then I would say that the cat was not being properly cared for.

But sometimes their cat never did anything bad and they try to hurt it... :I

EDIT: and they do it really really hard :(

[LittleBettaFish]

Why don't you talk to their parents then? They must pay in part for the cat, so may like to know that their kids are mistreating it.

Otherwise there is really nothing much you can do. If it's getting fed and provided with water and is in otherwise good health, you probably aren't going to get much help from any humane societies in regards to them being rough with it.

I could not be friends with someone who is deliberately cruel to animals. Those people tend not to change and it is hard to have to sit and watch.

[PaulO]

I had a kid in my class who would brag about how mean he was to his cat. From what he said the poor thing would always sleep on his bed with him and in the morning he would always throw it off his bed. Needless to say I hated him because of that and he was a complete jerk to anyone who wasn't "popular."
You can usually judge a person on how he treats other people by how he acts and treats animals. Case in point jerks will be jerks but society will eventually "teach them".

[Little Leaf]

mmm... okay.

[registereduser]

You are 10 years old and you can't even get your own parents to treat YOUR pets right. You have no control. Sorry.

Perhaps when you get older you can become an animal police person. Like on Animal Planet.

[LaLaLeyla]

^ This

Little Leaf you're not exactly in the best position to tell someone they are not taking care of their pets. Sorry to say.

[Little Leaf]

... I'm just gonna go treat my fish then.

[LaLaLeyla]

Doesn't one of your female bettas live in a 5 gallon tank with 8 other fish?
I think you need to get that sorted out before you try to help other's pets...