.
.
From commentor Mrs. D.Ranged:
I am asking your help with my two cats, Snow Shooz and Cry Baby (and no, I didn’t choose those names, shelter names that stuck).
Over the last 5 months my daughter’s and boyfriend’s asthma worsened until I had to ban the cats from the bedrooms in our tiny two bedroom apartment and even that hasn’t worked to lessen the problem. Even I’ve started having really bad reactions to them when they approach me for affection. At the same time my life became extremely busy with a new job and increased time with my daughter. So the cats were restricted to a very small area (they never go outside) and I just can’t give them any attention. As a result they have become very unhappy and it is affecting their behavior. You know how cats get when they are mad at someone. Well, they’ve never acted like that before and I feel horrible about it. And things aren’t going to get better in the foreseeable future. I need to find a new home for them and I can’t bear the thought of giving them back to the Humane Shelter where we adopted them as two sickly kittens.
They are both approximately 2 1/2 years old. Snow Shooz, the male, is a “tuxedo” cat, but with dark gray fur instead of black. He has beautiful eyes. He’s very playful, smart, and affectionate. Back in happier days he would talk to me, saying “Mama”.
Cry Baby, the female, is an incredibly sweet and passive calico. She is so sweet that she tolerates a lot of crap from my two year old and the worst thing she has ever done was run away from him. They’re awesome cats but they are unhappy and they deserve better.
Thanks to the generosity of some BJ April Fools, both cats have just been checked by a vet, and are up to date on their shots. Both are fixed but have their claws.
I am looking for someone in Arizona to take them, but am willing to drive them to someone in adjacent states (CA, NM, NV). Ideally, finding a home for both of them would be great. But if not, separate homes is fine too. I have a kitty condo for them that can go with one of them and a scratching post to go with the other.
If you are interested, or have a lead, contact me at annelaurie (at) verizon.net — click on my name in the right-hand column — and I’ll put you in touch with Mrs. D.
MazeDancer
So glad these beautiful kitties could get a clean bill of health.
Which means they qualify for the paperwork to fly anywhere. So anyone who has room for more love in their home, bet there are April Fools and April Smarties, alike, who would consider creating some transport funding.
Dee Loralei
Oh, what good looking kitties, I hope you find them a loving forever home.
Angela
All of these cat posts make me wish Mr Angela was not allergic to cats! I hope they find their new home quickly,
Belafon (formerly anonevent)
She might check on the pet food. If our dogs eat Beneful, my youngest will break out in a rash if he touches them. Hasn’t happened with other dog foods.
srv
When did it become Anne Laurie?
Someone should start a BJ splinter club.
LT
OH MY GOD WHAT HAPPENED TO THE REST OF THAT CAT’S BODY???
Swear to god I almost gagged when I saw that second shot. Half expected that cat to hobble onto a skateboard and ask me for some rupees.
/wrong
dance around in your bones
Those are two beautiful cats. I wish I could take them. Can’t in my current situation. Sigh.
a hip hop artist from Idaho (fka Bella Q)
I wish I could take them, but I cannot. What a wonderful use of April Fool funds. Thanks Anne Laurie, for all your pet rescue blegs, and other interesting posts.
suzanne
Oh, they’re so lovely. I’m in AZ. I’ll work on Mr. Suzanne.
Anne Laurie
@srv:
Umm, if you’re asking what I think you’re asking, Mrs.D sent me her email just before Cole announced the accidental April bonus. The funds went from you guys to Cole to Arizona, I’m just the admin-asst putting up the post.
@suzanne: Don’t forget Facebook & Twitter, either, please?
Three-nineteen
I just got a cat from one of my friends who had to move and couldn’t take her cats with her. I couldn’t take them both, because one did not get along with my cat. But I kept 13-year-old Siamese Symphony. She likes treats, gazing out the window, and being left the hell alone, thankyouverymuch.
clayton
That money went to this?
The pit is probably dead by now.
There should be a license process for people to have cats and then mooch some money off people to get rid of them.
Your decorator cats inconvenient? Get BJ to pay!
clayton
@Three-nineteen: You ARE a good person.
dance around in your bones
@clayton: Jeebus, fucken de fucken de off.
clayton
@dance around in your bones: do you think AL would post that the pit girlie was dead?
Hell, I’d have taken her if I didn’t have one pup with a tumor and another so bet shit that she mops the floors with her tongue every night.
But you think it was a good way to spend money to get shot for cats whose only problem is human?
Run with that, dude.
Lavocat
Holy shit! Half a cat! I’ve never seen one before. It seems to have the balance thing down perfectly.
dance around in your bones
@clayton: Shit happens. Chill, man.
I’m glad money was spent for pets in need. For whatever reason.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Probably, because the pit’s problem wasn’t going to be solved by money. It was a space and availability problem, not a money problem.
Not every problem can be solved by throwing money at it, much as we Americans like to pretend it can.
MikeJ
@Mnemosyne: And if it was going to be solved, the day before the axe drops is not the time to start looking for answers.
clayton
@Mnemosyne: @MikeJ:
Pit is dead and these people who have had cats and family get money from BJ types.
I clearly know it wasn’t about money with the pit, but this is and that was my point.
MikeJ
@clayton: You want us to dig up the dog? What do you want? What will make you happy?
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (IrishGirl)
@clayton: You don’t know me and you don’t have any clue about my situation. I could have written a novel in my email about why the cats can’t stay. It must be nice to sit up on high and judge other people from your position of purity. Thanks for making me feel like piece of shit. My wish for you is that you get as good as you give.
Alison
@clayton: But…what’s the point of your point? If you know money wouldn’t have helped, what’s the point of saying “these people got money”?
Alison
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (IrishGirl): Please try to pay clayton no mind. You should NOT feel like shit, at all. You’re doing what you need to and trying to do your best by these little buddies.
dance around in your bones
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (IrishGirl):
Please do not feel bad because of what clayton said. I’m sure you are doing the best you can to provide for the kitties future lives. They are beautiful cats and I just know someone will step up and take them on. I wish it could be me.
I’m glad the BJ April Fool’s thing was able to help you this far. That’s what is so awesome about this place.
Anne Laurie
@clayton:
No, Lucy “the pit” is still at the shelter, but somebody has stepped up as a potential foster, assuming all goes well & Lucy gets along with the dog they’ve already rescued. I (we) hope to have good news to post about soon, okay?
As for Mrs. D, she rescued two cats who might not have survived, but now it’s a choice between her kid and those cats. Believe me, it is a lot easier to re-home the cats!
Alison
@clayton: You need to shut the fuck up. You have no way of knowing someone’s personal situation, health-wise, money-wise, etc. Passing judgment on people based on bullshit you made up is really awful.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@clayton:
I see you as a horrible asshole. Go fuck yourself.
clayton
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Are you really that gullible?
clayton
@Alison: That’s my point exactly. John said he had cash from the April Fool’s types and presto, someone whose handle is unfamiliar gets cash from that pot of money — for two cats that look very healthy.
Seriously?
It is Arizona after all.
dance around in your bones
@clayton: Jeez, you sound like one of those ‘makers and takers’ people.
Really, someone would try to get dinero out of some scam with fake pictures of healthy cats? Are you nuts?
eta: I have seen her handle before. She is not unknown around here.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
It’s weird, but most child services departments frown on two-year-olds living by themselves. Silly of them, I know, but they do tend to think of it as neglect.
Ms. D Ranged is a long-time poster under a different name and has mentioned before that she was having trouble keeping the cats both financially and medically.
But, hey, you keep mourning a dog that isn’t dead so you can make someone with financial troubles feel like shit for having to give up her pets.
clayton
@Anne Laurie: Just an FYI, I have one pit huddling under the desk as I type. He’s afraid of all the thunder and lightning.
Alison
@clayton: What does the cats looking “healthy” have to do with it? She said they got checkups and shots. You do those things for all animals, not just sickly and dying ones. And she did it so that finding them a new home would be easier.
What, do you think she made up this whole story just to get a couple hundred bucks? You want her to post the fucking vet receipt or something?
Jeez. How miserable do you have to be to act like such a shit?
clayton
@Mnemosyne: A two year old has a boyfriend? Is that what you took from what you read?
Oh, I see. The reason this commenter got the money so fast is because s/he is a long timer under another name and shut up that’s why.
Got it.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@clayton: and that excuses your horrible behaviour how?
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
No, dumbfuck. What I took from what I read is that Ms. D Ranged has a boyfriend. You know, when a man and a woman love each other very, very much, sometimes they move in together? Is this concept familiar to you?
Uh, yeah, pretty much. What did you think, there was a grant-writing process? A B-J board of regents that awarded the money? We were all supposed to play “Queen for a Day” and decide who had the soppiest sob story?
Note above that Ms. D Ranged has added her old handle to her current one to hopefully shut up any other assholes like you who try to insist you’ve never heard of her. Dumbfuck.
ETA: If you or anyone else wants your fucking money back because it only went to help a couple of stupid cats, I’m sure Cole will be happy to oblige you.
The prophet Nostradumbass
Someone seems to be taking Thomas Friedman’s advice about holes: “The first rule of holes is when you’re in one, stop digging. When you’re in three, bring a lot of shovels.”
clayton
@The prophet Nostradumbass: I have not used another handle pretending to be someone else. I have not asked for money from BJ for cats that supposedly caused my family problems. I haven’t asked for anyone to give me money for my cancer ridden chow chow.
I’m bad why?
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ (IrishGirl)
@clayton: You are truly a horrible little troll. You realize that by hijacking this thread you’ve made the likelihood of my finding new homes for these wonderful cats that much harder. Thanks for making my life and their lives that much more difficult. I’m sure that just makes you happier since that’s your objective. Again, I hope you get as good as you give.
clayton
@The prophet Nostradumbass: That’s just not right at all.
dance around in your bones
@clayton:
Which is exactly what she is doing. Why are you being such a dick about this? OMG someone might be grifting! NOT.
clayton
@Mnemosyne: You are the one who inserted the two year old, not me. You clearly have more information than I do.
It’s the clique again.
If you are not in it you are not in it.
I thought that was all over with here at BJ.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Then ask Cole for your money back and shut your fucking piehole.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@clayton: You’re being a dick for the sake of it, under the pretense of skepticism. Actually, your faux skepticism reminds me an awful lot of that twit Special Timmeh’s own brand of trolling.
clayton
@dance around in your bones: Nice clip you did of what I typed there.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Oh, FFS. Yes, the problem here is the clique, not that you came storming in wailing about how Lucy was probably dead even though she isn’t and bitching about how John Cole chose to use the money you voluntarily gave him and insisting that because you didn’t recognize the nym, it must be someone conning Cole to get money out of him.
It’s not your fucking money. Cole can cash it in for $100 bills to use as cigar lighters if he wants. You sound like those assholes who complain because someone dares to use food stamps to buy a birthday cake for their kid — that’s not what my money should be used for!
clayton
@The prophet Nostradumbass: Shaming in the wrong direction.
Why would an insider get money for perfectly healthy looking cats?
An admitted insider, at that.
It stinks to me.
It smells like Anne Laurie.
I wonder if JC even knows about it, much less DougJ.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Mnemosyne: The Balloon Juice Cool Kids Club! The last refuge of eejits who are backed into a corner. Derf uses it, Timmeh uses it, now clayton uses it. NIce company, there.
Alison
I swear, sometimes I wish Al Gore had never invented the Internet.
Clayton, seriously. Take a step back. Ask yourself what fucking good you are doing or getting out of this. If this is how you amuse yourself, you have got one truly pathetic life, and I pity anyone around you.
Someone needed financial assistance to make sure her animals could be in the best situation possible for all involved. They asked and received. Nothing unseemly or terrible or tricksy happened here, except in the fever dreams of your sad bastard imagination. Live that way if you want, but don’t inflict your nastiness on the rest of us.
dance around in your bones
@clayton: Dude, you said it.
The other sentences were just your twisted view.
Like Ms. D. Ranged said, way to hijack her thread and derail her attempt to re-home her cats. Good job, man.
clayton
@Mnemosyne:
Are you kidding? If you know so much, oh, nevermind.
I didn’t give Cole a dime.
Alison
@clayton: OMG again with the “healthy looking”. The cats were causing health issues for other people. That does not make the CATS THEMSELVES look ill. They got checkups and shots. Jesus CHRIST.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
It’s a good thing perfectly healthy cats never need health certificates or vaccinations prior to being adopted out, or you’d really look like an asshole right now.
clayton
@dance around in your bones: If Ms. D. Ranged is such a regular commenter, let’s hear her out.
Otherwise my job is done.
Ms. D. Ranged has got her money. Let her solve her allergy problems with her two year old boyfriend herself, no?
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Then what is your motherfucking problem? Seriously. You’re all upset because Cole is spending money that you didn’t contribute on things you disagree with?
clayton
@Mnemosyne: Okay already, you know more than anyone else. Feel special now? Did you get a kickback?
jenn
Wow, Mrs D, they’re gorgeous! May they find a new home soon! (And please don’t let the comments of one asshole make you lose sight of the fact you’re doing what’s best for your family, human and feline.)
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
By the way, if this is all a scam, how do you know that Lucy and her pathetic story really exist? That story came via a regular commenter, but he was passing along someone else’s story.
So how do you know if Lucy is real, or that the people who say they’re trying to help her really are trying to help? It would be easy to go onto the animal shelter’s website, find a pathetic-looking case, and claim you’re trying to help her while pocketing the money.
clayton
@Mnemosyne: You got that money, didn’t you?
The money could have gone to some dog or cat that could have really used it.
I’m not kidding. This inside deal is just not kosher.
Seyv
I haven’t seen this level of dipshit,dumbshit,dickwad trollery since the early 2000;s.
Christ, what an asshole.
clayton
@Mnemosyne: Your are reaching at this point. You should stop.
You and your friends got the money. Be happy.
dance around in your bones
@clayton:
She has a two year old kid.
You are being a dick. I am done talking with you. I hope Ms. D. Ranged gets someone nice to adopt her cats.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Don’t forget geg6 and her new dog. Obviously, that entire thing was staged by insiders to scam commenters out of money. I bet geg6 doesn’t own any dogs and found those pictures on the internet, amirite?
The prophet Nostradumbass
clayton is the new Timmeh. Derailing threads to make them all about him.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Hey, I’m not the one accusing Anne Laurie of embezzling money from the commenters by posting pathetic animal stories. You are.
John is pretty laid-back about banning people, but I have a feeling he may not take that accusation too kindly.
Yutsano
@clayton: Not your money. Not your blog. But feel free to continue to express your disappoint. Hoser.
@jenn: I sowwy. I behave now.
jenn
PLEASE ignore the troll.
Mnemosyne
Also, too, on topic there’s a slight chance that I may have a lead, but I won’t know anything until Saturday at the earliest and may not be able to talk the person into it, so don’t hold up any other potential adopters waiting for me.
jenn
@Yutsano: ::snort:: By the way, thanks for the Kathi Goertzen link the other day (week?). I hadn’t known about all that crap that rained down on her. She dealt with it with remarkable grace.
clayton
It seems clear that an insider got to the money that was supposed to go to a shelter. I have little sympathy for people taking advantage of their privilege here as a commenter. And to obscure that privilege by using another name is just wrong.
Spaghetti Lee
Can someone explain to me what fuckass up there is even complaining about? He thinks someone’s running a scam with money that’s not his involving cats he doesn’t want to adopt? Seems like a pretty batshit theory to me, and certainly not one to ruin a whole thread over.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Spaghetti Lee: At this point, it looks like garden-variety attention-whoring and contrarian trolling.
jenn
@Spaghetti Lee: If I am remembering pseudonyms correctly, he’s the troll that’s devoted to derailing Anne Laurie threads. Mrs D and her cats just got in the line of fire.
clayton
@Mnemosyne:
Feel confident enough to threaten.
That’s nice.
Mnemosyne
@dance around in your bones:
You have to love how the secret insider information I obtained by being part of the clique is cleverly concealed inside the original post.
clayton
@Mnemosyne: Feel confident enough to joke.
Anne Laurie
@clayton:
Well, if I’m the “issue” for you, maybe this will help:
I sent Cole an email asking if he thought using part of the April Fool Rescue Bonus for these cats was acceptable.
He said it was, and sent the requested $107 (which is about half what it cost me, here in Boston, to get one cat up to date last year) directly to Mrs.D.
The money never came anywhere near me, nor even my pixels.
I edited Mrs. D’s original email to mention that part of the AFRB was used to make the cats’ re-homing easier, because I assumed that would please the original donors.
I’m truly sorry your chow chow is so ill (really! I love chows!) but your suspicions about my motives are unrelated to the other people posting on this thread, okay?
The only reason my name is on the pet posts, mostly, is that I’ve got more time on my hands than Cole to set them up, and a lot fewer emails to wade through.
MikeJ
@jenn:
Take off and nuke the thread from orbit. It;s the only way to be sure.
Seriously. If I were AL, I’d just delete every comment on this thread,
includingespecially the ones I was stupid enough to make.Mnemosyne
@jenn:
I have a feeling Cole is going to be posting this picture again sometime tomorrow.
@clayton:
Dude, how the hell is that a “threat”? If the weatherman tells you that it’s going to rain tomorrow, did he just issue a personal threat against you?
“Prediction” is the word you’re grasping for.
dance around in your bones
@Mnemosyne: We’re in the clique! We’re in the clique!
Just by virtue of actually reading the post.
The prophet Nostradumbass
@Anne Laurie: That clown didn’t deserve a serious response.
jenn
@Mnemosyne: That’s hilarious! How have I never seen that pic before?!
@MikeJ: One of the most useful movie lines ever penned!
Alison
@Mnemosyne: Oh man, if only all of us could be in the super special group of BJ commenters who RTFP.
Spaghetti Lee
@clayton:
Ah, there’s that old troll classic. “I’m being threeeeeeatened! You’re trying to siiiiiilence meeee!” Always so attractive. Keep it up!
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
It’s not a joke. The information that you keep insisting only the “insiders” know is actually in the original post, plain as day.
I’m guessing that reading comprehension was never your strong point in school since you seem to be very confused about how we know multiple facts that are actually spelled out in the post.
Mnemosyne
@jenn:
You must not be in the clique. ;-) Cole has actually used it on the front page at least once that I know of.
jenn
I realize this question betrays my typical lurker status, but when did the bug with the paragraphs get fixed? I didn’t put my usual underscores between paras, but it worked all the same!
clayton
@Mnemosyne: Seriously this insider shit has to go.
The prophet Nostradumbass
You know what bugs me? that I’m sitting here, defending the clique, and I don’t even get the secret emails! someone sign me up, ASAP!
Anne Laurie
New Open Thread up top, for anyone interested.
jenn
@Mnemosyne: All is explained! If I’ve seen the picture but not in one of Cole’s posts, does that mean I’m in the clique next to the clique?
clayton
@jenn: Idiot. You probably think DougJ is an original front pager here.
dance around in your bones
@clayton:
I’m On The Outside Lookin’ In
¡ay, pobrecito!
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Ahh, the truth comes out. Is the problem that all of us damn kids need to get off your lawn while you explain to us about the good ol’ days before Uncle Cole became a liberal? Because I will admit, I never hung out here until the 2008 primaries so I never saw Cole in his wingnut days or DougJ in his pre-front-pager days.
scav
???
Well, I guess we can now fully appreciate why clayton wears his shit proudly smeared all over his face, he thinks it better out than in and a badge of superiority. At least we’ll recognize his outsider non-clique clickish-whoring status, except he’s now apparently trying to pull the superior I have a longer memory of the site than you cliquish insiders ploy. Rather exactly the T&H I’m the bestish of Cole’s friends and painters gambit. They’ve really got such a limited playbook.
clayton
@dance around in your bones: Not really. One of my pups is dying, but I am not going to ask for money to get rid of her.
But your friends are more than happy to throw money at people who are inconvenienced.
Yutsano
@jenn: She actually had cameras on her up until a couple days before she died. They’re naming the new addition to the Communications school after her, which I find fitting. Meeting her was a thrill!
clayton
@Mnemosyne: please, you admitted to a clique already.
You know where the money went.
The prophet Nostradumbass
There’s a tell in this comment.
jenn
@Yutsano: Brave lady. Go Cougs!
dance around in your bones
@clayton: I’m very sorry to hear that one of your pups is dying.
But you are still being a dick.
Mnemosyne
@clayton:
Yes, I do know where the money went because, again, that information was cleverly concealed in the original post, though Anne Laurie did respond to you in comments with more specifics since you were confused about the dollar amount.
The only reason I seem to know more than you do is that I understand things when I read them. Like, when someone refers to her “daughter” in one line and “my two-year-old” in another, that means that her daughter is two years old.
I mean, I feel sorry for you with your dog and all, but that’s no excuse for you to shit all over someone else who can’t keep her cats because her two-year-old child is allergic to them. What’s she supposed to do, put her child up for adoption and keep the cats?
Yutsano
@jenn: I think we outnumber the Purple and Piss contingent here. I know of at least two though one was originally a tree.
@Mnemosyne: Mon Dieu today is just your day for trolls isn’t it? Maybe I’ll dig up some of my anti-troll spray.
Mnemosyne
@Yutsano:
It tends to happen when I’m already in a pissy mood — I think they can smell it.
ETA: Speaking of which, it’s bedtime for kittehs and moi so as to hopefully be less pissy tomorrow.
TriassicSands
Mrs. D. Ranged: I’m sorry, I’m not in a position to help you or your beautiful cats. I’m a long way from AZ and I’m struggling with my own cat problems. But I do hope you are successful. Perhaps, if nothing comes of this thread, Anne, can repeat the bleg again in a few days. Then, maybe, all the commenters can either help or be quiet.
When I first saw this bleg and that it had over 100 comments, I thought “Great, maybe there is some hope these cats will find a new home (or homes).” But when I started reading and discovered that the whole thread had been hijacked by a disgruntled commenter, which did nothing whatever to help the cats or Mrs. D. Ranged, I was bummed and angry.
BJ’s pet blegs are small rays of light for a tiny number of animals who need help out of the countless ones who will end up being euthanized or worse. Using a pet bleg to do anything other than offer adoption help, financial assistance, or some friendly encouragement is very, very wrong. There is simply no reason to air grievances or attempt in any way to steer the conversation away from the subject at hand — cats or dogs (and people) in need of help.
This may be a cautionary tale — sometimes it may be best to just ignore trolls/trouble makers. I understand the impulse to respond when someone is being a dick, but without anyone to argue with the troll/trouble maker will most likely just disappear, which would be the right thing.
Anne, I understand letting comments go where they will, but perhaps you could discuss this with John and figure out a way to prevent this kind of thread-jacking in future pet blegs. Whether that is simply to temporarily ban the offending party (or parties) or some other action is up to you.
I found it upsetting to read Mrs. D. Ranged’s concern that her chances of finding new homes for her cats had been diminished by all the bickering.
Using a pet bleg to do anything other than offer help or encouragement is grotesque and incredibly selfish. BJ should make an effort to prevent this from happening again. Individual commenters can’t do the “policing,” because their involvement simply perpetuates the unpleasantness.
Patricia Kayden
I really hope that everything works out well for those beautiful kitties. I love cats. Unfortunately, with two big dogs (boxer and boxer mix), as well as a parrot and two budgies, my house is already full of pets.
Good luck to Ms. D. Ranged.
JPL
@TriassicSands: This. Like you I saw the number of comments and thought it was good news for the kitties.
Sandy M
@Alison: Very well put, Alison! As a longtime BJ lurker and occasional commenter, I am appalled at Clayton’s comments. Gratified by many commenters reading him the proverbial riot act! These kitties are beautiful; I can’t contribute right now, but I can hope for a good outcome for them.
My two cents to Clayton – if you don’t like how contributed money is used….don’t contribute! See – isn’t that easy? Ooh, and Clayton, how about a nice big dose of STFU also?
My two cents – The gray tuxedo looks like mine – a ‘back door’ kitty that we took in a year ago – at the age of 13. He had a frayed collar and a home at one time, but cried at my back door Super Bowl Weekend 2012 – we looked after him on our deck for a few weeks, then when he was surrounded by a couple of angry tomcats (which we hadn’t seen before or since), we took him in. Turned out he was microchipped – but owners could no longer be found – and when we learned he was 13 years old, we knew that our 10 year old brown (girl) tabby was going to get a brother. We knew that taking a 13 year old kitty to a shelter would be a death sentence and we couldn’t do that. It was challenging, but he is part of our family now. They largely co-exist with the occasional tiff (hard for our girl kitty, who had always been our only kitty), but our gray tuxedo is truly our little miracle. A miracle that he found our back deck, a miracle that he loved us from minute one, a miracle that we were home when the tomcats posed a threat to him – so we could see it and intervene to bring him inside. Our kitties bring us such joy.
Hoping and praying for a good outcome here.
Ash Can
@TriassicSands: THIS THIS THIS. I’m all for the hands-off approach that John et al. take to this joint, but a pet bleg (or its ilk) is a special situation and should be treated as such. Bashing each other around, throwing bar stools through the front window, etc. is all part of the charm of Balloon Juice. But when innocent pets and people are getting caught in the crossfire, in a thread that’s supposed to be having a specific practIcal function, that’s a whole other story. And, as TS says, when we other commenters assume the role of thread cop, boom, the thread is hijacked. This shouldn’t happen, not to the pets or to the people trying to help them.
debit
So now that we’ve established that Clayton is full of shit, which he then smeared all over this thread, how about a ban?
Cassidy
@clayton:
And who the fuck are you?
Fucking useless, drive by, piece of shit motherfuckers sucking up all the good oxygen. Do everyone a favor and bury yourself with the puppy. It’s the right thing to do.
ETA: The puppy hates you. It’s dying just to get away from you.
Cassidy
@debit: Hell, we can’t get a ban for some dickhole trying to make raping children and unconcious women sound like a good thing. This clayton sized pile of dogshit isn’t even close to the worst.
NCSteve
@Alison:
It is. And yet we have an entire political party, complete with its own alternate reality media machine, dedicated to doing just that.
MazeDancer
@TriassicSands:
So well said.
When I saw the comment numbers, knew it was a hijack. The pet blegs Always get hijacked. Not usually by trolls. But often people treat the blegs like open threads. Or jump in to talk about their pets. Or ask pet advice. All of which takes focus from the pets needing rescue.
Special Pet Bleg Rules would be most welcome. At least something like trolling a pet bleg gets your comments deleted. Except that will probably be troll nip. And make more work for the already valiant Anne Laurie (and continued cheers for her pet rescue efforts).
Hope these kitties get another chance with a new bleg. Where we don’t feed the trolls.
jenn
@Cassidy: Please don’t be meaning the last 3 sentences of this post. Honestly that’s awful. Cussing the guy out for being a shitheel is a-ok, but please don’t bring his dying dog into it.
Marcelo
I’m originally from AZ, so I’m spreading this link around. My mom and brother are already full on with animals, but maybe someone they know….
Mnemosyne
@MazeDancer:
I think I disagree with you here — I don’t see any reason why pet rescue blegs should be kept free of other pet-related discussions. IMO, it keeps the thread alive and gets more people to read it and often seems to get people who are primarily lurkers to participate in the conversation.
They probably should not be completely open threads, but I think other pet discussions should be fine.
Persia
Mrs. D, if you’re reading this far down, I recommend AllerPet until you get these dudes a new home. It’s been proven in double-blind studies to reduce dander. I wipe down my cats before family gatherings (and vaccum well!) and my (extremely allergic) nephew does fine. It’s not a permanent solution but it might help your daughter and boyfriend be a little less miserable until adoption day. IIRC, a bottle was only about ten bucks.
TriassicSands
@MazeDancer:
I agree with you, but you will not get agreement from some. Unfortunately, there are commenters who thrive on confrontation, argument, and discord and don’t want anyone to place any limitations on them.
Out of respect for the purpose of the bleg, I think it would be appropriate for people to stick close to the subject at hand. As someone who once had a bleg posted for me on behalf of a stray cat, I know my only interest was in reading responses that could help deal with the situation. I was gratified by the generous offers of help. I’d like to think that BJ is a community in which individuals can set aside their own personal preferences for the benefit of those in real need. There are scores of threads for people to disagree, fight, argue, and even try to hijack; pet rescue blegs ought to be a special category.
In all likelihood, if no one had responded to the original disagreeable commentary, that would have been the end of it. I really appreciate Anne’s efforts on behalf of critters in need (and those who love them), but I think she or another BJ front pager has to be the one to deal with the hijacking of pet blegs. When ordinary commenters get involved, no matter how noble their intentions, it becomes all about them and the bleg is lost in the uproar.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@suzanne: Thank you!
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@Mnemosyne: I appreciate any help you can give.
kc
Those are beautiful cats, Mrs D. I live on the East Coast, otherwise I’d be all over this.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@Persia: That’s a good idea! I’ll check it out.
Jebediah
@MikeJ:
Lucy is not dead.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@Marcelo: Thanks for looking, I appreciate the help.
MazeDancer
@kc:
You can be all over this! The kitties can fly to you.
There is a happy BJ track record of long distance adoptions. With BJ folks footing the travel bill. So please, if these are your new kitties, contact Anne Laurie.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@kc: Thanks. We got them back in 2010 from the Humane Society when they were really young but both were sickly. I had my own house then, a new husband and a baby on the way. We didn’t think Cry Baby, the calico, would live. But we nursed them both through it and she turned out to be a very big, healthy thing. Snow Shooz is such a personality and very healthy too. They’ve been great. It’s my life that sucks and is now affecting them. My son was a difficult and expensive delivery. I got divorced, lost my house, went through bankruptcy and was forced to move into a really tiny apartment. For the last year or two I couldn’t afford to take them to the Vet (Hell, I can’t afford my own healthcare much less the cats–have no health insurance and can’t afford $500 a month that it would cost for me and my son anyway). My daughter, who is 9, has severe asthma. She has coverage under her father but when she’s with me, if she has a real bad attack, I still have to take her to the Hospital and pay uncovered costs. Now, all cramped together in such a small space, the people are constantly sick, the cats are going stir crazy and everyone is miserable.
I love them dearly and it makes me sick that I have to let them go. I’ve lost so much in recent years it hurts to lose them too. But I feel, just like John did with Zsa Zsa, that they are really unhappy and stressed and there’s nothing I can do in order to make life better for them except find them another home.
I hope someone out there will be interested.
kc
@MazeDancer:
That is a thought. If no one closer takes them I’ll look into it.
Btw, JC could take lessons from Mrs. D. on cat photography. ;)
Mnemosyne
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ:
OMG, now clayton has proof that it’s all a fake because I incorrectly thought your daughter was your two-year-old when she’s actually the nine-year-old! ;-p
Like I said, there’s a slim chance that I may have a lead, but don’t wait for me if someone else steps forward first.
MazeDancer
@kc:
That’s great you’re considering! (And they are nice pics.) And kitties whose excellent personalities are already known is such a nice thing. And two who love each other is such low maintenance and allows you to do things, travel, without worry.
I’ve flown two cats in one big carrier, in cargo, across country myself. Did they love it? No. Was everything fine? Absolutely. They had each other. They had water. It was over faster than days on the road driving, which I’ve also done.
Have also flown cats in cabin, in the little travel carrier that fits under the seat. Which was the same, not something they – or I – loved, but also was fine.
Having a happy home is so worth a few hours of less than fun for kitties. So if these beauties feel like yours, go for it. (And we’ll all want pics chronicling the story. High quality snaps not required.)
ETA:
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ:
Just saw your post. May better times be yours very soon. And, yes, caring for everyone means you’re doing the right thing.
lojasmo
@clayton:
Shut the fuck up.
I wish I could take them, but we are downsizing pets by attrition due to an upcoming cross-country move.
Just sent $19.97 to replenish the B-J pet bleg fund.
Persia
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ: Mrs. D, good luck. They seem like nice kitties, if I didn’t have two (and divorce-related difficulties of my own) I’d think about it.
That thing about the hospital bills is some bullshit. WTF.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@kc: You’re a mensch!
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@Persia: Thanks. In re: hospital, I have to pay whatever costs up front that his insurance doesn’t pay and then the ex reimburses me 50% afterward. Plus when bills come in later that are not covered by insurance (which they always do), I have to pay 50% of that. Suffice it to say, I didn’t have an attorney when we got divorced and the settlement was just crap.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@Mnemosyne: LOL my original email wasn’t that all that clear, I think. My two year old is the one least affected by the cats. He actually loves them but he doesn’t yet know how to always play nice with them. Snow Shooz is assertive enough to let him know when my son isn’t being gentle enough. Cry Baby is so passive that she just issues a pitiful little “meh” and tries to runs away. Unfortunately, chasing a cat around in a 400 sq ft area doesn’t leave the kitties with very good hiding places.
gnomedad
Thinking with portals, that one.
clayton
@Ms. D. Ranged in AZ: Looks like you made a very bad decision — or several.
You are lucky to have such champions online.
I wonder how you haven’t been hit by a bus, but I wonder that about a lot a folks, especially since I have known people who were much better at life decisions than you who have been hit by a bus.
Good luck to you. You should probably never adopt pets again and should seriously consider not bringing any other lives into the world.
I’m probably not telling you anything your family hasn’t.
scav
sniffle
more like a giggle-snort.
opie_jeanne
@clayton:What a terrible collection of things to say to a person.
TooManyJens
@clayton: Go take your “every bad thing that happens in your life is a result of your own personal failures” philosophy to someplace they’ll appreciate it. I hear Galt’s Gulch has some openings.
Ms. D. Ranged in AZ
@clayton: What a pathetic and ugly existence your life must be that you take pleasure in being such a dick to strangers online. I actually feel sorry for you.