[ARCHIVED THREAD] - This (Page 1 of 4)
Posted: 5/5/2007 8:08:28 AM EDT
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Definitely!! Or even play dumb. "Your cat?" "No, I haven't seen it"  This way you avoid the retribution attack from one of the kids 10 years or more from now who is so traumatized they vow to exact a pound of flesh when you least expect it. |
Big +1 to the second part. I wouldn't feel guilty about it but telling them a coyote got it would keep things friendly between you and your neighbor. Still, you shouldn't need to keep an eye out for their pet. |
Playing dumb is how I'd do it. Just get rid of the mess before they spot it. |
If you don't tell them you will always have to cover your lie of omission. It might be weird to help the kids and parents look for the cat, put up posters etc.. If you don't tell them and they later find out(you did put it on the internet) it will be twice as bad. I'd tell the parents. But it is a sucky situation
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Who the fuck goes looking for lost cats and put up posters? It's a cat, they disappear and they just show up. |
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Tell the parents the truth, offer to buy them a new kitten. It was an accident, I'm sure that since you've taken care of the cat in the past that they will understand that it wasn't something malicious. (Hell, if anything, and if they cause you serious grief over it, you could sue them for having their cat on your property and causing damage to your equipment, right?) Anyway, let them decide what to tell their kids, and in how much detail. They'll probably just say Fluffy was in an accident and is in heaven now. We all have to deal with the pain of a dead pet sooner or later in life, right? This'll be their learning experience. And then there'll be a closed casket backyard funeral.  
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My Dad grew up in very rural WVA. On the far end of our place is the next door neighbors place, with their barn down in the hollow below our house. He and Dad grew up together, Kyle is just like family, and salt of the earth. As Dad got older he stopped going back. Health, trip, memories, etc., he hasnt been back in a long time. I was down there once in the late 80's or early 90's, and we were chewing the fat down at his barn when Kyle started to tear up. "Cav, Ive gotta tell you, I killed your Grandmothers dog." My Grandmother died when I was 3 or 4. I tried to chuckle it off, but he was not having that... "See we had a cow that the dog wouldnt leave alone, and we were afraid it was going to lose the calf, all these years its ate at me, and I just wanted you to tell your Dad I had no choice and I was sorry." "When did this happen Kyle?" "Id say back in the 30's or 40's."  "Kyle you have nothing to be sorry for. The damn dog needed shot if he wouldnt leave the cow alone. It wasnt Dads dog it was Grandmas, and she has been gone most of my life. If I had been there I would have shot the damn thing Kyle. Dogs are dogs, cows are cows and dogs should leave cows alone." He finally broke a smile. I dont know anybody with common sense that could think that dog shouldnt have been shot, Im sure my Dad would have agreed. I think it just bothered Kyle. I think it bothered him all those years.  If you can forget it and move on, thats the best option. You cant bring Fluffly back, and the damn cat should have been where he belonged, not in your brush and under your bushog. If you think its going to chew on you for years and years like it did in the real life story above, by all means tell them. They may get mad, cuss, scream, rant & rave, hell they may sue your ass in court, but tell them if you cant get peace from this. I saw the pain on his face from it, I have never known anyone to carry something like that for that many years, especially something that wasnt wrong to do in the first place. Kyle is indeed a special person. Good luck. |
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If it was my cat I'd be upset but I wouldn't blame you for it. But thats just me. You've got to accept that if you aren't keeping watch 24x7 then it could be injured inside your house. You've got to accept that if you aren't keeping it in the house 24x7 then it could be injured outside around the neighborhood. You've got to accept that if you aren't keeping your cat in the neighborhood 24x7 then it could be eaten by sharks with fricken laserbeams on their heads. -Foxxz |
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If you think they're reasonable people and won't make a huge stink about it (given that it was in no way your fault), then I'd go ahead and tell them. A lost pet can break a little kid's heart for a long time. Better to give the parents an opportunity to deal with the situation. This might be the first time the whole death issue has come up, and it can be touchy. |
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In this case,bury the cat or get it way off of your property and shut up. Nothing good will come of it ,and hard feelings will be kept if you tell them. Darn coyotes! Tell us about your Gravely! Got any pics? Is it an old model with the oval head Gravely built engine? In the 70's during high school i worked at a cemetery that had four of them tough SOB's. They were so overbuilt that they would run forever! Much to the operator's dismay,the Gravely walk behind would mow all day everyday without trouble. Around here people keep & use them for their lifetime,until sold at their estate auction. A true indicator of the Gravely longevity! |
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Knock on their door and show them the guts and ask them if they can ID their cat. Other then that, suicide by brush hog is a bit harsh so I'd probably tell the dad alone, explain what happened and that you never saw ol "blood and guts" until it ran into the cutter. Apologise, but truth is, it's THEIR fault for letting it run loose and you should not feel responsible in any way. You don't let pets run loose unless you learn that death will become a very common occurance with them. If you are friends and they are halfway decent he'll understand it was an accident. |
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Just watch what you say, if the VCSI (Veterinary CSI) shows up in a chopper, with ground-penetrating radar, FLIR. etc. Especially that orange-haired guy from Miami, who likes to make absurd yet assured insinuations, like "If there's evidence, we'll find it". You know the one. |
of course you should tell them, there is no other "right" answer.[ARCHIVED THREAD] - This (Page 1 of 4)
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