"Rally" <Rally_Round@mail.removethis.newsfeeds.com> wrote in message
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"Denis Loubet" <dloubet@io.com> wrote in message
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"stoney" <stoney@localhost.localdomain> wrote in message
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http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/37d14975c

The Caledonian-Record Online Edition 7 Saturday July 24,

www.caledonianrecord.com
Web Contact:
Ron Fontaine, Webmaster
190 Federal Street, PO Box 8
St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819
fontainer@caledonian-record.com
Phone: 802-748-8121

Small Kitten Doing Better After Being Shot Twice With BB Gun

Why am I more angry over a kitten than a human? It doesn't make

Perhaps because we relate to animals similarly to the way we

to our own young. I know you said human, but if it were a human

then I am sure your anger would be greater.
I think that people who are animal lovers/pet owners allow
themselves to feel that these pets need us just as an infant would,

often call them our 'babies'). Thus the anger.
Just my two cents.

You're probably right.

But allow me to rationalize for a moment. Humans created the domestic

We selectively bred existing species into a perpetually adolescent

that served our needs. They were bred to trust us. As their creators,

responsible for them, and to betray that trust is a crime against

entire species as well as our own.

I think it's the betrayal of trust that enrages me more than the

itself.

I presume I would feel the say way about a child.

But allow me to rationalize for a moment. Humans created the domestic cat.
We selectively bred existing species into a perpetually adolescent animal
that served our needs. They were bred to trust us. As their creators, we are
responsible for them, and to betray that trust is a crime against their
entire species as well as our own.
I think it's the betrayal of trust that enrages me more than the suffering
itself.
I presume I would feel the say way about a child.

"Rally" <Rally_Round@mail.removethis.newsfeeds.com> wrote in message
news:<4106a736$1_2@127.0.0.1>...

"Denis Loubet" <dloubet@io.com> wrote in message
news:BoadnXxa1YTAPZvcRVn-tA@io.com...

Small Kitten Doing Better After Being Shot Twice With BB Gun

Why am I more angry over a kitten than a human? It doesn't make sense.

Perhaps because we relate to animals similarly to the way we relate
to our own young. I know you said human, but if it were a human infant,
then I am sure your anger would be greater.
I think that people who are animal lovers/pet owners allow
themselves to feel that these pets need us just as an infant would, (We
often call them our 'babies'). Thus the anger.
Just my two cents.

I suspect that's a large part of it. I'd suggest two other factors:

1) A kitten is, quite literally, defenseless. This ties into the
infantilization but where considering animals to be like infants is
emotive, this is an objective observation. The kitten could not
defend itself. In this respect, I suspect that he'd have a similar
reaction to a quadraplegic being shot at with a BB.

2) The damage that a BB does to small animal is much worse than the
damage that would have been done to a person. The cat needed to be
hospitalized. Again, I think that his sympathy for a person shot with
a .22 would be proportionate if not greater. Especially if that
person were also defenseless.

On the whole, what strikes me about this is the sadism for the person
or persons who did this. That mind-set, whether or not it's being
directed at an animal, is callous and dangerous. We should be angry,
and concerned, that such people are walking around. I can only hope
that it's some dumbassed teenager who will, hopefully, grow out of it.

In article <pan.2004.07.28.23.16.14.441282@localhost.localdomain>,
"stoney" <stoney@localhost.localdomain> wrote:

On Tue, 27 Jul 2004 23:09:13 -0700, johac wrote:

In article <pan.2004.07.26.00.36.05.885003@localhost.localdomain>,
"stoney" <stoney@localhost.localdomain> wrote:

http://www.caledonianrecord.com/pages/top_news/story/37d14975c

The Caledonian-Record Online Edition · Saturday July 24, 2004
www.caledonianrecord.com
Web Contact:
Ron Fontaine, Webmaster
190 Federal Street, PO Box 8
St. Johnsbury, Vermont 05819
fontainer@caledonian-record.com
Phone: 802-748-8121

Small Kitten Doing Better After Being Shot Twice With BB Gun

Rescuer May Adopt Cat

By GARY E. LINDSLEY, Staff Writer

ST. JOHNSBURY, VT - A 10-week-old kitten shot twice
with a BB gun is alive due to the efforts of a
good Samaritan out for an early morning walk, Wednesday.

It was the pitiful cries of a wounded kitten which
drew the attention of Jennifer Samperi.

[]

"We are going to call her special kitty because
she lived despite a loss of blood," Samperi said.

St. Johnsbury Police Sgt. Clem Houde said he will
be investigating who shot the kitten and
threw it into the dumpster.

"If someone just blatantly shot it, it is
cruelty to animals," Houde said. He thinks any
charge would be a misdemeanor charge. He said
there haven't been any recent similar cases.

Houde is urging people with any information about
the shooting to contact him at 748-2314 or
Crime Stoppers at 748-2222.

SAD-SAC is sponsored by The Caledonian-Record
on behalf of its readers.


The Caledonian-Record is a daily newspaper serving
Northern Vermont and Northern New Hampshire.
Visit our website updated daily at
www.caledonianrecord.com

Normally, I'm not in favor of physical punishment, but in this case,
if they catch the scum who did it...

/cue the picture of the kitten in the window peering through
a rifle scope.

And a hundred people in the background chanting softly: "Shoot. Shoot"