Is it inhuman to kill a seriously mained/dying animal?

[makedadproud]

Two days ago if you wouldve asked me that question I wouldve said, "Absolutely not, if the animal is in pain and dying it is the humane thing to do what you must and take it's life."

Well yesterday I was presented with that situation. I was driving on a busy street and this SUV a few vehicles up slammed on her brakes and the driver got out and fished out a kitten (8 wks at oldest) out from underneath her vehicle. It was howling and lashing out in pain and it's legs and tail were completely limp. She set it on a sidewalk and left. I saw a few community college thug types standing nearby on smoke break from their class and I yelled out to them, "Have a heart guys, you need to break it's neck to end the pain." They said, "YOU do it."
I don't even remember much between that moment and driving away with my wife, but what I do remember is praying for it and how it took three attempts (in a very short time) to actually do it. My wife was less than 20 feet away and saw it. I "knew" that I was doing the right thing. One of the students nearby, i remember him saying how I was gonna go "Straight to hell" and ... i dunno. I was shaking, and my wife was crying. My mind says I did the right thing. I can't really hear what my heart is saying cause it hurts so much at what I had to do. I've never done something like that before and I've been wanting to have a farm of my own for a long time but I know now that I can't have a farm with animals that I kill for food. That will never be a reality for me after this experience. I had to do it with my bare hands....

So did I do the right thing? If so, what should I do to absolve myself of the guilt of killing a baby cat?

 

[tokinafaty420]

Yes, mercy is a good quality in a human. You are willing to scar your own soul so another living thing does not have to suffer. The animal would have died in a few hours and would have gone through a lot of suffering during that time.

Just be thankful you are experiencing the emotions you are. Many people grow numb to the emotions and that can cause far more harm than feeling guilty.

 

[blizz]

it was the right thing to do as much as it mighta sucked .beater then letting the poor little guy suffer

 

[eddie.saw]

I think anyone having heart a heart that has been put through that same feeling after doing what needed to be done. As much as it made feel bad for taking it's life in your mind you still know that stopped it from suffering.

you did the right thing bro, i've shot animals that were suffering and felt that way but i don't know if i could what you have done. As much as i hope i could if i'm ever presenting with a situation like that.

 

[weedobix]

I found a fairly large seagull in my garden a few weeks ago, it's wings were all broken up and it was and had been in some distress for a while, I think next doors cat had attacked it possibly. The thing is a killing machine.

The poor thing was screwed and would of just starved to death slowly..... ugh, so i decided the best thing to do was kill it, pretty gruesome but I ended up staving it's head in with a brick. It wasn't easy to do at all, but I knew it was for the best. Sucks though doesn't it.

 

[Smoke Buddy]

So sorry to hear about that. You did the best thing for the kitten. The heroic thing. The hard thing. The right thing. Now I hope you can realize you were showing love and compassion. Peace to you bro.

 

[An Old Friend]

Strong man, good heart... worry not my compassionate friend!

 

[SmilinBob]

It's absolutely a hard thing to do. If the animal is suffering and is going to die anyway.. It is the right thing to do, as long as it's fast and doesn't warrant more suffering. Don't feel guilty about what you did because it takes a strong person to actually help an animal in a situation like this.

I'm sure it's controversial, but I believe in these situations it is the humane thing to do.

 

[supermanlives]

i once had to cut a baby cats head off with a shovel after it was mangled by a big dog. its face was half torn off. ruined my week and i aint really a cat fan. it was definately the right thing to do

 

[ibjamming]

A quick and painless death is good for all...including humans. How civilized are we? We euthanize a dog but won't a man? Better to suffer for days...weeks...months...? I don't think so.

 

[Cheerful]

Yes, mercy is a good quality in a human. You are willing to scar your own soul so another living thing does not have to suffer. The animal would have died in a few hours and would have gone through a lot of suffering during that time.

Just be thankful you are experiencing the emotions you are. Many people grow numb to the emotions and that can cause far more harm than feeling guilty.

Well put. You were incredibly courageous to bear the burden and responsibility of ending the suffering which you had NO PART in creating.

I just wish that your wife hadn't watched... I suppose the shock of it all coulda made her forget that she could turn away.

And as to the college age punks...what else is there to say? They are College Age Punks, no impulse control, no well-developed sense of self, fronting around their peers, spouting all kinds of stupid shit just to hear the sound of their own voice, trying to be cooool. At that age, half the stuff that comes out of their mouths is unrelated to any *actual* thoughts or opinions.

Some say that "guilt" is "anger turned inwards", or something like that. Try to channel it back towards anger, where it belongs: at the people who created the situation that You dealt with on Their behalf! They are the ones who should feel guilty, not you!

You absolutely did the right thing.

 

[MoldyFrogToe]

you shoulda ran it over with your car and squashed its brains out, head first, instead of prolonging it by trying to crack its neck

 

[FreezerBoy]

Doing the right thing is rarely easy. I like to think if someone found my pets in that condition, they'd do the same.

 

[makedadproud]

Thanks guys. I don't know what else to say. I was actually afraid that people on here would ream me for it. Not that I have low opinions of you guys, I was just questioning my judgement so hard. Thanks for all the kind words of wisdom, it has helped me out a lot by just reading them.

 

[SilverSage]

Interesting how when we see a death or kill someone or something ourselves we have more emotion, than if we are indirectly responsible.

We kill a fly or mosquito and don't think twice. We use mouth wash and kill millions of bacteria and it never crosses our mind what we just destroyed.

We fry an egg for breakfast or have a steak or bacon, and we never think that our choice of food is killing millions of animals.

We support abortion or wars in foreign lands with our taxes, but we don't think about the lives our contribution has taken. Or the families that are destroyed and left neglected.

We pour hundreds of millions of gallons of oil in the water and destroy a huge eco system and millions of fish and wildlife. But we aren't there to see it.

Are you telling me that you are feeling guilt about that little putty tat?

Good for you.

 

[Justa6655321]

You did the right thing!

But... I had the same fucking thing happen to me, driving home and i found a cat that was just hit by a car, covered in blood with her face smashed in, i was just about to put her out of her misery when she gave me this look....I couldnt do it! I put her in my car, drove her to the vet ER and...She LIVED. She cant use one of her legs and she is blind in one eye, but she is the most loving creature i have ever had. I gave her to my mom and named her Lucky - Sometimes, life is sooo fucking strange....

 

[medmaker420]

I wouldn't doubt myself.

It was in pain, it was dying, you fixed that situation.

As far as the farm thing with animals. You might still do that BUT simply have someone who hunts come over and show you how to correctly go about things. It is harder when you have to do it with your bare hands BUT what else were you going to do?

If it is suffering, put it out of its misery. I think it would have been inhumane to simply set it on the sidewalk and leave OR to sit around looking at it doing NOTHING.

you did the right thing and the moral of the story is MOST people would have walked on by and simply doing the out of sight out of mind bullshit because they don't have the humanity to put that lil guy out of its misery.

 

[Fuzz420]

should have bit its head off, now that would have been impressive

 

[SilverSage]

should have bit its head off, now that would have been impressive

 

[Cookie monster]

So did I do the right thing? If so, what should I do to absolve myself of the guilt of killing a baby cat?

Dont feel guilty , you did'nt kill the ktten you ended it's suffering.

It's never an easy thing to do and it's something you will never forget.
No matter how bad your feeling try to imagine how you would feel if you had of done nothing and left the poor cat to writhe in agony on the pavement until it succumbed to it's injurys.

You did the right thing