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ihfzgmwrmxyciqyswell, hi admin adn people nice forum indeed. how's life? hope it's introduce branch ;)

To the person who lost the pet: We are so sorry for your loss. We would be devistated if our cat went missing.

To the person who left the note: You would have brought comfort to us. Our greatest fear is our precious pet would die alone.

My cat used to go outside, but since he is such a lover anytime he interacted with the neighbor cats he would get beat up and after the second bad bout...vet bills included...I decided it was best to keep him in and living on a busy street like Market Street and now Fauntleroy I really want him indoors.
Your personally responsible for your pet and their safety is priority one for me. Sometimes you have to make sacrifices they may not be happy with. You really have to look at every situation differently. What might be best for some isn't for all.
Also, vets will even tell you indoor cats live longer.

Sarah E/Ben,

I'm not going to criticize you for letting your cats out, as it sounds like you have taken responsible steps to make sure they are identified (I assume they're spayed or neutered) but please don't spread the myth that indoor cats are "imprisoned" or "tortured." Indoor cats lead longer, healthier lives and the majority of rescue organizations promote having indoor-only cats (http://www.aspca.org/site/PageServer?pagename=p...). Shelters are full of homeless cats who, I assure you, would be far happier to be indoor-only cats than euthanized cats. Many people without outdoor access are great cat owners - it's unfair to deny both parties the benefits of the cat/owner relationship just because they live in an apartment or condo. If you want to talk about torture, how about declawing? If a declawed cat is allowed outside, they lack their natural defenses and are at the mercy of predators. Since you state that "every cat is different," please allow the possibility that an indoor-only environment is best for some. Oh, and adopt, spay & neuter, everyone!

Completely ignoring boardbrown's wise advice to leave my two cents and not return......

I didn't want to say it in my OP, but Josh may be right about the disposal of the body if rescuer did not take Benjamin to a vet or shelter. For several years, I did kitty foster work. Mostly very small, bottle babies. In spite of my best efforts, the hard fact is that there is a high mortality rate with these little orphans. From time to time, someone would ask me what I did with the ones that died.... don't ask and don't judge when you get the answer.

I'm w/ elle. Alot of these subjects turn into battle grounds for commenters who insist on having the last word. I learned this lesson a long time ago...put your 2 cents in, and don't come back. You'll probably live longer.

The note is not creepy at all. It waws very considerate of them to take care of a stray cat and give it a comfortable place to die.

What is creepy is that you are threatening these poor nice people by calling them creepy and making some kind of insinuation that they did something bad.

They took care of a dying unmarked cat, and probably did what most people would do, double bagged the carcass and put it in the trash. They probably felt bad to learn that it was someones pet but didn't want you to yell at them because they didn't pay for a full funeral service for a stray.

The nerve of some people who live around here!

FIGHT FIGHT!

myballard gives people unending fodder to bitch at each other about.

why doesnt everyone accept each other's differences and lay off.. none of you supply the "perfect" animal life for your pets. its impossible. be open to other people's views and they will be open to yours.

My cats are indoors only and have no interest in going outdoors. They're no dummies. Indoor cats live longer - no cars to hit them, no cats to fight over territory and no diseases to catch. They are fed high quality food and sleep on the best furniture with the finest fabrics. I take them to the vet for check ups and make sure they're at a healthy weight. Yeah, I'm so selfish.

I did look at the link and, yeah, I guess I'm stupid. What's the point? You want cats to stay indoors, so that urban mice, birds, and reptiles can thrive? Because they're threatened by urban development and pesticides? Puh-leeze! Now, not only are polar bears threatened and need to be saved, but now we're supposed to protect mice and birds? By keeping our cats indoors? That's crazy talk.

Sarah E - Unless you looked at the link I sent, you completely missed my point.

It IS "believable" BlueDog. Every cat is different. I'm glad you think your cats enjoy being indoors. I'm really happy for you and your cat family. However, if you had MY cat in your house and tried to keep it inside, you would have a HUGE problem on your hands. Keeping a cat inprisoned is cruel and extremely selfish. You're serving your own needs, not your cat's. As a reasonable, well-educated, mature adult, I don't need to read anything from the abcbirds.org. I can think for myself- thank you.

As an expert on the subject (just what does "dakkat" mean anyways?), I have to say that if anything, the indoor cats around here are overstimulated with attention and activity. They've been indoor cats their entire lives and "outdoors" is a really overwhelming concept. I'd much rather have them be fat, happy and bored than eaten, squished, infected, or the myriad others ways a cat can die a horrible death.

And as someone who just lost a cat, the thought of them dying injured, lost and alone is gutwrenching.

But on the original topic, yes, get a chip, and yes, a phone call might have been more appropriate.

The note left by Benjamin's rescuer doesn't seem like a ransom note to me. It strikes me as quite thoughtful.

Why didn't the owner put a 'thank you' in their response? For me, the terse, 'give back the body' demand would not inspire me to call them and make me thankful I'd left the information as a note. Why would the rescuer keep a cat corpse? They probably took it to the animal shelter or a vet for proper disposal.

In the city, cats need to be licensed (around 10% are), but they don't have to wear it. My cat acts like he is being tortured if I put a collar on him. I should have started him out very young with the collar, but didn't. He goes outside during the day, if I am home, but stays quite close to home and I live on a dead end. Once again, he acts as if he is being tortured if he is not let out.

Reason # 830 to 100's of millions not to let your cat outside:

http://www.abcbirds.org/abcprograms/policy/cats/

Sorry it's "torture" for your cat to be in a warm dry house with food and companionship.

Unbelievable!!!!!

Yes, Ben, I too think it's a form of torture. My cat absolutely loves going outside (about 1/2 the day- every day). He doesn't roam, so he always sticks close to home and comes to my call when I need him to come inside. He needs the stimuli of being outdoors. He is soooo happy when he can run and jump-up on fences and climb the trees- and the telephone poles (not more than 6' off the ground). I would never dream of keeping him inside 24/7. I know I run the risk of losing him some day, but I would rather have a happy cat, than one that mopes around and stares out the window. BTW- he’s also very proud of the mice he brings back from his romp through the bushes at night. It's hilarious.

Personally I think it is almost a form of torture to not let your cats out.

That said, I agree with Sarah E. I know the people that found the cat meant well, but they probably should have brought the cat to the vet incase the health issue could have been resolved in a manner that did not involve death.

Reason # 829 I don't let my cats outside.

And it is creepy that they left another note instead of calling the owner.

As a cat owner, I have to chime-in on this one...

I didn't find the response to the missing cat poster to be creepy at all. If it were my cat, I think I would have felt much better after reading the note. However, I think it would have been better for the caregivers to have contacted the cat owner in person, but they were probably trying to avoid a very awkward conversation. People can get very emotional over their pets.

As I’m sure most of you know, the reason people don't put tags on their cats is because of the risk of strangling. If cats get their collars stuck on a tree branch, and if it's not a breakaway collar, they can choke to death.

I have a chip in my cat and my Seattle pet license is cross-referenced to it, thereby allowing my cat to play outside collar free. Also, I’ve had several breakaway collars in the past (at $10 a pop) and they just don’t stay on for very long. The best bet is to get the chip and run the minimal risk of cancer (the research is shaky on this anyway). When you register your cat/dog with the City, you can provide them with the chip’s serial nr. and you will always be contacted if your pet lands up in jail.

Please don’t assume that a cat without a collar is not licensed. It’s highly likely that they are. Report all suspected strays to Animal Control (or the nearest vet), so they can locate the owner.

"Whatever, that's Seattle for ya..."

Seriously?!?

Most humans actually AREN'T interested in that sort of exchange. They're not friends or family, they're total and complete strangers, and 'Leave It To Beaver' was only a TV show.

I'll not define the word "ransom" here, but know that it's far from the type of note that was left behind.

Cat was unmarked...cat ran away...cat was taken in...cat died...end.

Let them get closure at the nearest animal shelter and do it right this time. Whatever, that's reality for ya.....

I dont think the note is creepy at all. What is creepy is that the person didn't call or tell the owner in person, but decided to write a ransom type note instead. Most humans would probably call or want to meet with that sort of info. Whatever, that's seattle for ya...

The poor rescuer may be afraid of getting screamed at if they call. They did something compassionate and kind and that will probably come back to haunt them. Also, I'd be more creeped out if they still had the dead cat's body. It IS the law for cats to be licensed and a tag is only a few bucks at Petco - either one could have solved the whole problem.

You know, this "creepy" factor is 100% associated with poor communication. The first party posted the note, and the second party would have been wiser to pick up the phone and call the first party and explain the situation. Leaving notes is a bad way to handle this all around.

"Please know that he was held and comforted in the most tender way, and did not die alone. We are very sorry for your loss."

I think the people who found Benjamin did their compassionate best and the note was meant to comfort. Its heartbreaking to lose a pet, but the best any of us (human or animal) can hope for is to be held and comforted as we pass...

Above lesson repeated: tag your pet with identification!!!

What sounds creepier to me is that they want his body back.

It sounds like the people who found the cat did what they could, considering the irresponsible cat owners didn't have him tagged or chipped.

Using the excuse "he hardly ever goes outside" is lame...my cat NEVER goes outside and he's tagged...you never know.

I'm sorry their cat died, but atleast someone was taking care of him in his last moments and he wasn't left suffering in a ditch.

I don't understand why the owner is creeped out, or why the slog seems to think the note is creepy at all. The whole story seems a bit tragic but I think the note is meant to be comforting, and doesn't come across as sinister at all. Also, this should certainly be a lesson to everyone--make sure your cats have some kind of identifying information! Isn't it the law in Seattle to register your pets and have them wear tags anyway? As for microchips, I hear that, unfortunately, they've found that there is an extremely high incidence of cancerous tumors associated with implanted microchips. Since all they really have is a serial number, I would think a collar tag would be sufficient until they come up with safer chips.