And now for something completely different

That’s okay aaronfire…I knew it was the winged angle you were excited about.  It just came right on the heels of Serene passing.  Her human companion had died last year and Serene and Owl had been confined to a bedroom since then.  The son, actually a kind but not having a clue what to do with kitties fellow was actually going to take them to he shelter(pound) when we were contacted.  He cried when he dropped off the kitties and gave a donation without being asked.  Did all the right things except keep the kitties in the only home they knew.These two kitties so freaked out,  not wanting to be here or anywhere but home.  Serene had fip and the stress just kicked it all in.  So when the drowning came up in the article all I could think about was one of the local shelters that made a practice of drowning feral cats in the trap cage in a 55 gallon barrel out back.  Friends held a press conference, the national Humane Society showed up, and thook and I were in charge of the demonstration…we brought a 55 gallon drum and a very star born(he really was a ham for the cameras) kitty and put the trap with the kitty in the barrel sans water of course…thook and I thinking how horrible it must have been for all the hundreds of kitties, opossums, raccoons, puppies etc that had been drown in such a way.  Someone counted down the seconds that it takes to drown and everyone in attendance got to see just how long it takes to die that way.  All I could think of was this stupid drunk in Russia throwing the bag in…stupid *******idiot…and to the sheer amazement that this kitty had WINGS…but here is a bit of a lighter note I just found on one of my forums…lighter yes, but all the answering machine menu is actually based on things WE HAVE ALL HEARD…and that is no exaggeration…

Hello, You have reached 123-4567, Tender Hearts Rescue. Due to the high
volume of calls we have been receiving, please listen closely to the
following options and choose the one that best describes you or your
situation:

Press 1 if you think we are veterinarians and want free medical advice.

Press 2 if you know we are a rescue organization but want to save money
and have us give you free, untrained medical advice anyway.

Press 3 if you make $200,000 a year but still want us to pay to spay the
"stray" in your yard (house).

Press 4 if you have a 10-year-old dog and your 15-year-old son has
suddenly become allergic and you need to find the dog a new home right
away.

Press 5 if you have three dogs, had a baby and want to get rid of your
dogs because you are the only person in the world to have a baby and dogs
at the same time.

Press 6 if your dog is sick and needs a vet but you need the money for
your vacation.

Press 7 if you just got a brand new puppy and your old dog is having
problems adjusting so you want to get rid of the old one right away.

Press 8 if your little puppy has grown up and is no longer small and
cute and you want to trade it in for a new model.

Press 9 if you are elderly and want to adopt a cute puppy who is not
active and is going to outlive you.

Press 10 if your relative has died and you don't want to care for their
elderly dog because it doesn't fit your lifestyle.

Press 11 if you are moving today and need to immediately place your 150
pound, 8-year-old, unneutured, aggressive dog.

Press 12 if you want an unpaid volunteer to come to your home today and
pick up the dog you no longer want.

Press 13 if you have been feeding and caring for a "stray" for the last
three years, are moving and suddenly determine it's not your dog.

Press 14 if you are calling at 6 a.m. to make sure you wake me up before
I have to go to work so you can drop a dog off on your way to work.

Press 15 to leave us an anonymous garbled message, letting us know you
have left a dog in our yard in the middle of January, which is in fact,
better than just leaving the dog with no message.

Press 16 if you are going to get angry because we are not going to take
your dog that you have had for fifteen years, because it is not our
responsibility.

Press 17 if you are going to threaten to take your ten year old dog to
be euthanized because we can't get to your house in the next hour.

Press 18 if you're going to get angry because the volunteers had the
audacity to go on vacation and leave the dogs in care of a trusted
volunteer who is not authorized to take your personal pet.

Press 19 if you want one of our perfectly trained, housebroken, kid and
cat friendly purebred tiny dogs that we have an abundance of.

Press 20 if you want us to take your dog that has a slight aggression
problem, i.e. has only bitten a few people and killed your neighbor's
cats.

Press 21 if you have already called once and been told we don't take
personal surrenders but thought you would get a different person this
time with a different answer.

Press 22 if you want us to use space that would go to a stray to board
your personal dog while you are on vacation, free of charge, of course.

Press 23 if it is Christmas Eve or Easter morning and you want me to
deliver an eight week old puppy to your house by 6:30 am before your kids
wake up.

Press 24 if you have bought your children a duckling, chick or baby
bunny for Easter and it is now Christmas and no longer cute.

Press 25 if you want us to take your female dog who has already had ten
litters, but we can't spay her because she is pregnant again and it is
against your religion.

Press 26 if you're lying to make one of our younger volunteers feel bad
and take your personal pet off your hands.

Press 27 if your cat is biting and not using the litter box because it
is declawed, but are not willing to accept the responsibility that the cat's
behavior is altered because of your nice furniture.

Press 28 if your two year old male dog is marking all over your house
but you just haven't gotten around to having him neutered.

Press 29 if you previously had an outdoor only dog and are calling
because she is suddenly pregnant.

Press 30 if you have done "everything" to housebreak your dog and have
had no success but you don't want to crate the dog because it is cruel.

Press 31 if you didn't listen to the message asking for an evening phone
number and you left your work number when all volunteers are also working
and you are angry because no one called you back.

Press 32 if you need a puppy immediately and cannot wait because today
is your daughter's birthday and you forgot when she was born.

Press 33 if your dog's coat doesn't match your new furniture and you
need a different color or breed.

Press 34 if your new love doesn't like your dog and you are too stupid
to get rid of the new friend (who will dump you in the next month anyway)
instead of the dog.

Press 35 if you went through all these 'presses' and didn't hear enough.
This press will connect you to the sounds of tears being shed by one of
our volunteers who is holding a discarded old dog while the vet mercifully
frees him from of the grief of missing his family.

WE SALUTE YOU RESCUERS, VOLUNTEERS and SUPPORTERS!!!

edit...I too have told an animal being it is okay to go and had them leave right then...let's you know how much they try to be here for us even when they are so ready to leave.  thank you for sharing your kitty stories...it touched my heart deeply.