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Not on My Watch: To KoKo's Owners-You Lousy Piece of Shit!

I'm sick and tired of assholes dumping their “problem” cats upon innocent animal shelters, Vets, mom & pop rescue groups. They're all targets for COWARDS, who refuse to STEP UP and DO the RIGHT THING for their animals. Instead, under the cover of darkness, they sneak up to the door of these places, DUMP their dog or cat, then take off. Some times they leave a note. I bet it's to make them feel better for the shitty thing they're about to do. “Well, I'll leave a note so they'll be sure to know I'm DUMPING the cat, not that the cat got left her by some freak accident.”

This afternoon, I was contacted by our friend, Betsy at Henry County Care & Control in McDonough, GA. She had just finished crying. Betsy has been helping rescue animals from Henry County for decades. She's seen it all and more, yet she's still brokenhearted by people's cruelty to animals.

A cat named KoKo, was brought to Henry County via Animal Control. On Saturday, the cat was DUMPED at the doorstep of a local Vet. They weren't even OPEN so the cat sat there for a day in a crate in the blistering heat! Once the Vet found the cat, they called Animal Control and now the poor thing is on Death Row at HCACC. They are full up! They don't have room to add countless animals to their facility.

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KoKo is a brown tabby. Nothing exotic. Not a cute little kitten. Just another cat, whose owners are scum of the Earth. Now this cat has a few days left to live. She can compete for the very few available placements with a rescue or hope that some kind soul will adopt her and give her a DECENT home.

Why did the cat get dumped? Was she aggressive? NO! Was she...I don't know. I can't THINK of any reasons why I'd give up my CATS!!!! I would work with them to find out how to fix whatever behaviors they exhibit that bother me-even if they're doing what is natural to them. Sure, it's tough when the cat pees on the floor, or worse, on your clothes or bed, but when you figure out WHY, then it's better not only for you, but for the cat, too.

So KoKo had little cutesy-pie notes in her carrier. If you read them, your head will burn up and explode...okay, maybe not, but you'll certainly see the bullshit from a mile away and your blood pressure will go up for sure!

This so called “family” adopted KoKo when she was a kitten, since they know her birthday. Oh boy, they drove an entire hour and a half to get her, but apparently, when things didn't work out, they couldn't drive a few minutes to a f-ing VET!

Ahh, the good old “we can't afford the Vet” line-another classic. Did you try to TALK to your VET and work something out? I bet if you got off your lazy, selfish ass you might have found out that the Vet would have taken small payments over time or given you a break, but apparently, that long long, exhausting drive must have been the ONLY thing you did to make an effort for your cat. It's just TOO MUCH to ask that you, the caretaker of this animal, decide that the best thing to do is NOT ask ANY local rescue for help, NOT contact ANYONE, just tip toe up to the door of the Vet, like a common thief and dump your cat! SHAME ON YOU!

I love the way the note is written first hand, as though poor KoKo had written the plea for help, herself. Look at the charming little postscripts! How nice to tell the VICTIM (Vet) who found her that she had some shots. You're so (NOT) nice! Who wouldn't just LOVE the person who wrote this CRAP!!!

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What a faux-thoughtful letter. What nice handwriting. It must have taken hours of careful preparation to write this CRAP. You're not fooling anyone-COWARD!

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Poor KoKo. Scared and dumped in a cage. She has no idea what she did to deserve this fate.

If KoKo really HAD written the note, I think this is what she would have said:

Dear Vet,

I got adopted by real assholes. They feed me lousy food and pay me little attention. One of them kicks me if I do anything they don't like, so I'm not so sure I can trust people. I'm not very happy where I live, in fact, I hate it. I've been feeling sick for a long time and they ignore me. I tried to get their attention by pooping on the floor, but they just yelled and rubbed my nose in it. I started peeing, too, but that was because my bladder burns real bad and I can't hold it in. I wish they would feed me better food and take me to the cat doctor so I could feel good again.

When no one cared about me, I finally gave up and just pooped and peed everywhere I could. One of them said he would kill me, so the other one said she would “deal with me” whatever that means.

So here I am, at your doorstep. I guess I got away from those horrible people, but now I'm in a jam. I don't have a place to live and I heard if I don't have one, either I will slowly starve to death living outdoors or I will be put to death at those places where they keep all the animals people give up on. I wish I could talk. I would only tell you that if you could help me feel better, I would be such a good friend to you. I would give you kisses and sleep on your lap and tell you I love you, in my way, but something tells me, maybe it's too late for me...

...but at least I'm away from those assholes.

Sincerely yours,

KoKo

P.S. Please change my name so I can forget my awful past.

--------------------------------------------------------

But wait! There's more! One note was simply not enough! Betsy believes this one was probably written by the same person, but used the hand they don't normally write with so it looks like a kid wrote it. If a kid really DID write this, then their parents should be tossed in JAIL for abuse!

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The bullshit parade continues! Maybe if they spent the time it took to write these notes to CALL their VET and work something out, this would not have happened!

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“TO WHOEVER WROTE THIS:" YOU SUCK.

Betsy tells me that KoKo has PERFECT litter box habits. She's probably not sick and if she had a behavior issue with the other cats she lived with, that could have been resolved-IF ANYONE HAD BOTHERED TO GET OF THEIR LAZY ASS AND TRY TO HELP THIS CAT.

SO...

WE NEED TO FIND A RESCUE PLACEMENT OR ADOPTER FOR THIS POOR, 2 year old CAT. INFO ON HOW TO HELP HER IS BELOW. As always, go with your heart. If you can't help her out, then help get the word out to everyone you know. Let's show KoKo that not all people SUCK-just the ones she lived with.

PLEASE REFER TO THIS ID# 8/16-3406 when contacting HCC&C.

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Nice tabby “M” I see! Lovely girl!

We are very rescue friendly and are more than happy to work with any rescue group as long as the group has a valid Georgia Department of Agriculture license! Any rescue group, whether in or out of state, that takes pets from Georgia shelters, is required, by Georgia law, to have a rescue license issued by the Georgia Department of Agriculture's Animal Protection Division. Having tax exempt status is not the same as a license. For more information on obtaining a license, please call (404) 656-4914.

Contact:

mystiblu@bellsouth.net

Henry County Animal Care and Control

527 Hampton Street

McDonough, Georgia 30253

(770) 288-7401

http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/GA67.html

Our Hours:

Monday-Friday: 9 am-4:30 pm

Saturday: 9 am-1 pm

Sunday: Closed

County Observed Holidays: Closed

The shelter is located at 527 Hampton Street in McDonough. We are located south of Atlanta off I-75. Take exit 218 and head east on 20/81 toward McDonough. Our address is 527 Hwy 20/81 East.

For all other information regarding ordinances, county codes, and other functions of Henry County Animal Care and Control please visit www.hcacc.org

UPDATE: A number of good people have offered to provide donations to sponsor KoKo if she's given a good foster home or placement at a never-Kill shelter. If you're with a rescue group and can help her, contact me and I'll send donations your way. info@coveredincathair.com

Comments

I would do anything -- ANYTHING -- for my cat.

I don't understand how anyone could be so cold...if they loved her AT ALL the NEVER would have left her out in the heat for a whole day like that. I hope she survives this...I will pass it along and donate some money if needed for transport, etc.

I would take her if I could...but Rayne just isn't happy with other cats, and I need to take care of my darling first. :'(

This is just so terrible...I want to see her saved. She deserves to be LOVED!!!

You're right, Robin. There aren't enough words - expletives or otherwise - to properly describe the people who dumped poor Koko.

I volunteer for a local shelter, and recently took in an older cat who had belonged to the grandmother of one of the employees there. Sometimes, she pees or poops on the floor. It's nothing serious - she's just telling me that her litter box (she only likes using one) isn't up to her standards and I need to clean it. Do I get frustrated sometimes? Absolutely. Especially because sometimes, there's only one tiny little mess in "her" box. And especially when my other cats start imitating her behavior. But I have never, EVER thought of giving them up. I clean the litter boxes, break out the Nature's Miracle and the paper towels, and clean up the mess.

The notes just add insult to injury. How can you say that you care about the cat, when you just dump her outside on a hot summer day? The poor girl could have died from heat stroke.

She looks like such a sweetheart. I really hope that someone is able to find a place for her, and she gets the second chance at the long, happy life she deserves.

As i am reading this, I imagine that maybe there were kids in the home writing the notes because the asshole who dumped koko told the children she was going to new owners. I don't understand people. I do not have alot of money, I was laid off from my job, but that never, never stopped me from taking my cats to the vet. If this "person" even gave a damn about the cat, they would have taken measures to see why the cat was acting out. Robin, you are right, my niece's dog got very, very ill and she practically had nothing to give the vet, but they worked with her to take care of her beloved boy mick. They will not turn you or your pet away. I truly hope lil koko gets a chance to find a home where she will be loved and cared for. My Benny just came to me an gave me a huge head butt! He must have known I needed that....Good luck to you, koko

People like this are horrible. How can you want an animal and not care about it. What did they think would happen. I would do everything and anything in my power to take care of them. I'd sell my belongings get a second job, anything and everything to save them if they got sick. I will share this out to my facebook rescue group (Project Homes for Shelter Animals) hopefully we can get this darling a home. Fingers Crossed.

This is just terrible, This makes me sick to my stomach.
How can anyone do such a thing, these people are truly 1st class scum.
I hope Koko gets adopted to a loving, caring home and gets the treatment she really deserves.

These are very tough times for people...you sound very angry and I understand. However I used to work for a vet and would witness people come in with sick animals and little cash so they would be turned away. Writing that these people don't care isn't always the case.

I have also worked for vets (and still do) so I've experienced time and again the "my pet is sick but I don't have any money." However, I've never had someone dump a pet on our doorstep because they couldn't afford a visit. All have at least had the guts to call and ask us if they can work something out. When they do, we ask them to at least come up with the cost of an exam (about $45, which I'd bet anyone can come up with or borrow). After that we'll help them apply for Care Credit, refer them to the local Humane Society for help or to other organizations who help with vet bills, offer conservative treatment so they can save money that way, or in occasional cases let them make payments if they can put some money down. At both practices I've worked for, we've had animals signed over to us when the owner couldn't afford treatment (or didn't want to) and we've found homes for the animals. I understand that times are hard, and I want my paycheck too (so we can't treat your pet for free), but don't be a chickenshit and just abandon your pet--at least try to work something out.

I've heard of this happening too...but if they cared enough to try they could have found a diff vet or at least looked into a nokill shelter

...So let me get this straight. "Caring" is dumping the poor cat on the doorstep of the vet's office, where she had to wait over 24 hours in the heat without food or water?

How much time does she have at Henry County? What the hell is with Georgia? I know this happens everywhere but why the f do they have SO many unwanted cats (and probably dogs)? Thank God for the GOOD humans on this earth. I wish all the animal abusers, neglecters and assholes could be sent to another planet. They are missing something essential to being a complete, loving person.
My house is so full now and the guest room is inhabited by the rescued ibd cat who doesn't want to integrate into the rest of the house (she's a bit of a princess!) but she's under control now and seemingly happy and went from 4.8 lbs. Of bones to a healthy round 8.5.
What I'm saying is if I had a place to bring this Georgia girl I would, but it would have to be through you or some shelter. I need another room! Maybe I could split the garage in half??? I have this problem of wanting to help ALL of them.
Let me know if I can help. There's got to be a way.....

This is where I insert my GODF*CKINGDAMMIT! Animated GIF. People can be so awful! :-(

Wow, I shouldn't have read this before I had my first cup of coffee.

Couldnt have said it better myself. I have 20 cats ....all much loved and cared for....hell, cleaning up hair, poop, pee and hairballs is just part of the "love". Oh yeah...and the "oops mom I peed on your comforter" is always endearing !!! :>)

In Nh we are making great strides with dogs when it comes to population control and spay and neuter education/programs.But for some reason we still have a long way to go with cats. The level of ignorence you encounter when dealing with people not fixing their cats or vetting them is astounding.
Cats are looked at as "free" pets.When acting on the impulse to get a cat -it is obvious no thought is given to the cost of decent food for the cat or vetting and definately most people are ignorent to the fact that a cat needs to be part of your family,given attention and is a lifelong RESPONSIBILITY!
The insane "reasons" people give for wanting to adopt from me are mind boggling! From -"my kid wants a cat" to "It will match my furniture" - I am constantly surprised by the lack of understanding for another living being and the attitude that they are disposible.
To those of us that are responsible pet "parents" -continue to love and care for your pets, continue to help those that are not so fortunate to have experienced that kind of love and continue to educate through example and conversation those people not so enlightened. Be bold -talk to potential customers at pet stores, spread the word about spay and neuter programs in your area to those that breed litter after litter (google "spay and neuter clinics").Be angry and be active!

As the proud owner of 15 beautiful healthy cats and three dogs, and being of low income, I find anyones excuse that they don't have the money unacceptable. Over and over I have seen well fed, well dressed people with newer cars and cell phones for each of their teenage children ect..whining that they can't afford the care of the animal they CHOSE to take in.That pet is a RESPONSIBILTY! Over and over again, I have researched rescues and spay and neuter programs, supported by animal lovers so these self centered mental midgets can have their pets taken care of on someone elses dime. God love the people that put the needs of the animals over the needs to slap the shit outta an idiot!
For those that love and care for the 4 legged members of their families - continue to love, especially those animals that are disposed of.Continue to educate through example. Be angry and be bold! Talk to potential customers at pet stores, spread the word and support your local spay and neuter programs. Most people are not maliscious-just dumb as stumps. Report and be outraged at acts that are malicious.
Be educated! Be informed! Be angry! Be loud! Speak for those who can't!

Beautiful girl. Looks to me like the "kitten" wore off and they didn't want her anymore. People like that shouldn't REPRODUCE, let alone have pets.

One Friday morning I was about ready to leave for work (4am). I noticed Horus wasn't bugging me as usual. When I searched high and low, worried sick, I found him in the litter box. He scratched and scratched, whimpered, then came out. He went to his cat bed and squatted, whimpered, then rolled over and licked at his privates. Of course, the first thing I did was call work and tell them I couldn't be in immediately, even though I didn't have leave.

I took Ho to the vet ER (you know how expensive those places are!), and waited for him to be examined. He had full urinary blockage! It was getting to be critical at that point. He was admitted for the day with a catheter and IV fluids. He stayed overnight because my regular vet wouldn't be open all weekend. I went to work several hours late then rushed back to the ER to visit.

I was financially strapped at the time. However, I worked out a plan with them and the almost $800 bill was paid off after numerous months. But, my Horus got better and we watch his diet and water intake.

Another cat that I lost before Horus came along, Tabby Sue, she had undetected HCM we found out. She screamed out one morning and when I rushed to her, she was coughing and limp. I tried my best to do CPR, but she passed away in my arms. This was at 4am as well. I called the vet's office (was living elsewhere on 1/2 the income I had at the time of Horus' problem) and left a page for the vet. She said to be there at 8 when they opened. I drove an hour from my place into downtown Philadelphia on a FRIDAY MORNING and sat on their doorstep until they opened (I only waited about 15 minutes). They were so comforting. They set up to have her cremated, but I wanted to know what happened to her to make sure it wasn't contagious (she was an extremely healthy cat and had been playing fine, enjoying treats, and acted normal 4 hours before she died). They said a necropsy would be $300 or more. I didn't have that kind of money, but I had to know. I again set up a payment plan because I had other cats and needed to know what happened. That's when they found the HCM.

Sorry to have babbled forever, but no matter how financially strapped you are, you 1) consider that before you acquire a pet, 2) go to any lengths to set up a payment plan with the vet should something happen, and 3) do whatever you can for your pets to ensure their safety, health, and happiness. Although, I can't say I'm surprised. After 3 years of volunteering at a shelter, I heard some doozies. The worst one to date: "We adopted this kitty a week ago, but she just clashes with our furniture. Can we give her back and get one that will better complement our house?" It was at that point that I gave up on humanity.

Yes I agree! A few months back I noticed Rayne couldn't pee. Her eyes begged me to help her so I rushed her to the kitty ER. She had a uti, and I had to drop 400 bucks. I would do it again in a heartbeat if I had to.

This is why I hate most people. I read this last night and just lost it - which is why I had to wait to post until today. I wish I could take her - even temporarily, but our ladycat is stressed by our newest additions (one a young female), and has to be separated - another female would send her over the edge. This is why I want to do what you do someday - rescuse animals like this who deserve to live. And can I just add that I would NEVER consider getting rid of any cat - even our current problem child, who started peeing on the bed about a month after the newbies moved in - I just did what is best for her and gave her a room of her own (she does come out too, but she has her sanctuary). If that meant she would be peeing all over the room, so be it (lucky for us she now uses the box since she is separate - and she is much calmer too!) Our cat Barney was abandoned in a box at our vets office at about 4 weeks old - and so was a girl cat that is probably is sister (2 weeks later), and I really really hate that he went through that, and I hate that any animal would go through that. I posted on my blog about it - I really hope it helps her. I am just so angry about this!

I adopted a cat from a shelter back at the beginning of 2009. He'd been waiting for a family for six months, thankfully at a nearby vet's office. He had behavior issues aplenty. He pooped in his carrier on the way home, and when we got home, he attacked all of our other cats. We had to confine him when we went to bed or when we weren't home for his safety and the safety of our other cats. Over the next two weeks, we worked hard with him, talking to the behavior specialist at the shelter as well as our vet, and using Feliway, care, and lots of love. Eventually, we were able to introduce him to one of the other cats - the most calm of the group - without incident. After a couple of months, he was able to be given free run of the house. A couple of months after that, he started peeing in places other than his litter box. Despite FIVE trips to the vet and many tests, no health issue could be found. We've tried everything we know to do - even used that special $40 litter that's supposed to attract cats to the box - nothing.

It's now been a year and a half since we adopted him and a year since the litter box issues began. And guess what? He's still here, with us, loved and cared for. He pees in two corners of the house, and occasionally on the couch, and we just deal with it. We can't imagine our lives without him and wouldn't give him up for any reason. I am saying all of this to try to explain how difficult it is for me to understand how KoKo's owners could do this to her. A pet is a lifetime commitment - you take care of that animal unless you absolutely cannot anymore due to something like a terminal illness or losing your home. And then, you STILL care for the animal by MAKING SURE THE ANIMAL IS GOING TO A HOME OR RESCUE THAT WILL CARE FOR IT AND LOVE IT AS YOU HAVE. This disgusts me, and the most disgusting part is that this is not uncommon. This happens far too often now. I cannot have much hope for the fate of humanity if this is how we treat the creatures God asked us to care for.

Obviously you and your family know the meaning of committment. I hope someday, loving your cat won't involve as much hard work as it does now, but meanwhile I hope God stows as many blessings on your family as you are spending love and patience on your cat!

People leave their unwanted cats on the shelves of Petsmart so that the rescue groups will have to deal with them. I also see the elderly abandoned or kept alive even with a living will so that someone can collect the social security check. It seems we have evolved into an incredibly selfish species, and the next time Mother Nature decides to experiment with creating a species with "intelligence" it sure as hell wont be a primate....

People leave their unwanted cats on the shelves of Petsmart so that the rescue groups will have to deal with them. I also see the elderly abandoned or kept alive even with a living will so that someone can collect the social security check. It seems we have evolved into an incredibly selfish species, and the next time Mother Nature decides to experiment with creating a species with "intelligence" it sure as hell wont be a primate....

The vulgarity in this post is difficult to get around. If you want to be taken seriously, write like a adult. That kitty is so cute and deserves to live.

Oh, I think the writer was fairly restrained in expressing her disgust with this situation. Although, I will say, while the dumpers did make an effort to secure the safety of the cat, they took a sleazy-easy way out to do so.

Vulgar language is not the problem here. If that's the worst you've heard from an adult, much less a younger person, then you are living a very sheltered life. Irresponsible people are the problem. Don't let's cloud the issue.

Freedom of expression is something we here in the US are very proud of. If you don't like what is being said it's your right to not read it. No one has the right to dictate how anyone else expresses themelves especially on their own blog. Your sanctimonius comment benefits no one.

Oh the poor baby! I'd love to find her former owners and rip them a new one because obviously they've neglected her. I'd take her myself if our dog wasn't such a diva and rejected new animals in the house, and I know my parents would if they hadn't just rescued a little siamese/american shorthair cross.

I'm going to plug this in a few places and hope somebody adopts this sweet little cat.

i live in washington state and i cant adopt her so somebody PLEASE help her. she doesnt deserve to die!

If there are TV or newspapers around close, contact them. Most local TV news love cutesy human interest stories. You get a fifteen second sound bite and one or two pictures on the evening news, and Koko will be the most sought-after kittie in the state, at least for a few days.

But calm down a bit first. Yelling and screaming and calling names can be therapeutic, but it doesn't do much to help Koko. Take a breath.

PS: I posted something about Koko on Catster's Rescue, Adoption & Happy Endings forum. Might help. But Catster wouldn't let me include a link directly to this post -- language problems. ;-)

The shelter I volunteer at put up security cameras just for this very reason. Our vet office has them too, more for the fact that a few years ago some little bastards broke in trying to get drugs. They couldn't because they aren't just lying around like they thought. They have had a couple of litters of kittens dumped there but did not call animal contol (because they knew it was a possible death sentence) instead they worked with their customers and found foster homes until they were old enough to be adopted. The videos of the vehicles and people dumping the cats helped to catch one of these dumbshits and they were prosicuted for their asshole behavior. I'll share Koko's story and hope that someone in our sphere can help her.

This makes me SOOO angry I could spit fire!!! I am at my limit with kitties in my household so I am doing what I can to spread the word about this poor little girl. No animal deserves this!! THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DISPOSABLE PET!!! Why can't humans understand this?? If you adopt an animal, you are signing on as their caretaker FOR LIFE!!!

Praying for good news for Koko,
Cory (Nico, Simon & JayJay)

I have 4 cats and I live in Florida or I would adopt Ms Koko. I just took in a cat that was thrown away because she pooped everywhere and it was OUTSIDE. The person that threw her away claimed she was a stray but I doubted that the moment I saw this cat try to reach up and hug her when the women put her in a carrier. Her problem was worms. At my house I saw her laying on her side trying horribly not to poop and she could not help it, it just happened. One vet visit under $80 fixed it and she is a proud litter box gal. I will love this thrown away cat for the rest of her life. I so hope Koko finds a new home and a brand new name.

I've been in rescue nearly 40 years. Pretty much seen it all, so I am not going to take the easy way out and jump into the mob scene crucifying these people. If they were the assholes everyone thinks they were, they would not have dropped their kitty off at the shelter, they'd have driven her out to the woods and thrown her out of the car. Or off a bridge.

Obviously this situation is far from ideal. I'm fairly sure that the vets there are no different from the ones out here, and none of them take payments; you must come up with all the money at the time of service. Any exceptions are as rare as hen's teeth. So just throwing mud at KoKo's erstwhile owners is too simple; we need to fight a system and a culture in which everything is all about money; lots and lots of money. These people felt they had nowhere to turn with this cat, and they no doubt knew that if they brought her in themselves, they'd be attacked, judged, and made to feel even worse than they already did.

We as rescuers need to do better. We need to inspire confidence in the pet-owning public and make it easier for people to own pets and be successful at it. Making it harder, with onerous anti-pet legislation, Limit Laws (which affect us rescuers and our foster networks too!), and that obnoxious, self-righteous, put-upon, I-Walk-On-Water-and-am-a-saint attitude just drives people further away. They don't turn to us so we can help their families and pets succeed in their relationship. They are afraid of us.

And they dump off darling little kitties in carriers at shelters in the middle of the night. I know that it's easier to just be pissed off at these people, and that no one wants to hear this, but the truth is that we are creating a lot of these situations ourselves with our air of entitlement and unapproachability.

I can't TELL you how many homes our rescue and our national rescue secretaries have SAVED simply by being available, friendly, and nonjudgmental, but it is easily in the hundreds. This is not rocket science. Take off the mantle of sainthood and rage and reach out to help these families KEEP their pets. Stop scolding. Stop finger wagging and name-calling. Be a source of information, comfort, and counsel to pet owner so those families stay happy, healthy, informed and intact.

And only if a home situation absolutely cannot be saved, then take the animal in without rage, sanctimoniousness, or disapproval. Be grateful that you can provide that service to that animal and yes, to his family...because this is a sacred calling in so many ways, and one we should feel honored to perform. A surrendered animal is simply one who hasn't found his/her real home yet, and there is an owner waiting for that animal. What a blessing to be the agent of that change!

This is a BEAUTIFUL little cat whom I would love to have in my home and who would be cherished and protected for the rest of her life, as are my own two spoiled rotten cats and two dogs. I am on the Board of our 501c3 rescue here in California. One of my cats was recycled here from a situation where too many other pets stressed him to the point of him acting out and inappropriately urinating. Cats will let you know when they aren't happy...and my cats are in a peaceful, clean, quiet home. And they are happy, and use their litterboxes.

Sadly, the Georgia rescue/shelter regs make it impossible for anyone without their special state license to do a damn thing to help. We've been through this before with dogs down there, and even a longtime, 501c3, reputable rescuer IN Georgia wasn't allowed to assist a dog on death row because of these idiotic rules.

Seems Georgia can't seem to make up its mind whether it wants to help animals, or just break all our hearts with these stories and pictures, then kill the animals.

I recommend directing some of this energy towards fixing that situation, and sooner rather than later. An entire nation is standing by, wanting to help...and we can't.

And it just kills us.

As I said earlier, in the vet business I've seen plenty of people with sick pets who are short on money. They are NOT attacked, they may be judged but only in our minds and only depending on the situation. We care more about getting their pet treated than attacking the owners, and we will do our best(within reason) to work with them. People should be more ashamed of dumping their pet than of going to the vet and telling them they can't afford much treatment.
We are all trying to fix the situation in our own ways, but that doesn't mean we can't feel anger at people who don't have the guts to at least try and do the right thing. There's nothing wrong with expressing that anger, getting over it, and getting to work to help make things better.

These people obviously should not have adopted ANY animal. At least they didn't boot outside or throw it in the nearest lake - I know that's not much, but at least the poor guy still has a chance at adoption. Cute little bugger!!!

My lifepartner and I have 9 cats, and a puppy. (What the hell, always room for one more at the chow bowls, right?) All were animals that were "tossed away" as unwanted. The puppy (border terrier) and the most recent cat (black and white DSH) were found "bumming it" together in a local high school's parking lot. If a feral dog and a feral cat can become the best of pals so they could both survive, how is it possile to not reward that friendship with a permanent home?? Besides, I have not a clue how anyone could not care for an animal they made the decision to adopt. What, it was wanted ten minutes ago, but now its not? How does that work, exactly? Even if Koko was having behavioral issues, thats the "joy" of parenting! You figure out how to adjust the behavior triggers so the cat and you can both live with the situation. You don't throw the cat out! Its a miracle Koko has survived at all, frankly. Wish we lived closer (we're on the west coast), so we could help, maybe. Surely, there's SOMEONE who will give Koko the home she desperately needs. Come on, people! Time to step up to the plate, and be a real human being!

I'm sad, almost teary eyed. A part me feels that this decision was made by the parents, not the children. Koko looks handsome and cute, hell look at the name, cute too! My fear is that the parents MADE the children write those notes, perhaps as a means to divide the guilt the PARENTS had and wanted to place on the children. If that is the case, it is a form of child abuse, and can only hope that something is done about it. I hope the children can overcome the actions of the parents, as I'm sure it will be tough, if not, we can only imagine what negative effects it will have on them.

I don't think of it too much as finger pointing, or being totally pissed off and sad, I think it's the truth. The ones who suffer from this situation are the children AND Koko, as mentioned who is incapable of speaking for himself.

I look at the pictures and cant help be cry out, what has this cat done to be thrown out like that? And with that comes the very cold reality... this is just but one lone case pointed out... there are thousands, probably more, that are just like this.

I wish Koko the best, in the hopes that he will get a new home and loving family. If he doesn't then I'm sure we can be thankful that he doesn't have to put up with such a pathetic world.

If anyone lives near the shelter, quit boo-hooing and get down and bail her little furry butt out. Then place an ad on Craigslist.com (free) and get her a good home.

I'm just sayin'.

When you give away a cat free on Craigslist, you're possibly putting her back into the same horrible kind of situation she came out of. If people can't adopt a cat and PAY for it then they shouldn't have one. NEVER GIVE A CAT AWAY FOR FREE!!!

putting a cat on craigs list is just another bad situation

I agree with wendy--we are in a relatively poor state, but it is common to see souped-up SUV's out in the driveway, designer clothes on the whole family, and a dog on a chain in the back yard. We are in a sad situation when "things" take precedence over a living creature. I believe what goes around, comes around....and that KoKo's "pet" dumpers have some hard times ahead. It's not hard to imagine what their kids will do in 50 years when mom and dad are incontinent and inconvenient....children learn by example.

If you are reading this, please do what you can to help educate people about the reality of pet ownership, **before** they adopt or buy a pet!!!!

Do you think people would be outraged if the letter read like this?
___________________
Hi,
My name is Ernest. I was born on January 18th, 1926. I had a great family growing up.

I might be sick. I have been urinating and pooping in my pants off an on for the last few weeks. My family doesn't have the money to take me to a doctor.

Please help me. I am a sweet, loving person, but I can be nervous around new people. I don't eat much either. My family hopes that someone here can check me out and hopefully take care of me.

This has been a very sad decision for my family and I am scared. I just need love and attention.

Please help me. My family is praying for a good person to love me and protect me.

Love, Ernest

Well, koko sounds like one patient and very cool cat. I am sure she is better off without the note lady and her poor kids (if, that really was a child.. and I think it most likely was a real note..from her kids that is.. sigh). Number one, not very good parenting showing them how to just dump a cat and leave. What horrible parenting skills, let alone the fact that she has no clue what happens to her baby cat. I agree with the general consensus of the above comments.. the previous owner just took the easy sleazy way out. Too bad we don't have video and can show it on the news, as a sort of example for people NOT to handle it this way. Happens at veterinary offices daily. Sadly.

Brutus is our huge watch cat. He's a great pal. He's a tuxedo shorthair inside cat. We also have Persian named Lulu. Lulu is delicate and dainty. She's a little spitty with Brutus but he plays too rough for her. They snuggle together. We also have 13 year old Magic the collie and 5 year old Lucy the Japanese chin. We've got a big house and nobody seems to step over anybody. We brought Magic with us from Norway, as we did Lulu. It was expensive to fly them here, but of course. What else would a person do? They're family members. Oh, Lulu is erm 8 years old now. She's gorgeous!

One night Brutus was acting funny. It was a Saturday. He was looking at me funny and sort of moaning. He went to his cat box, tried to scratch around a bit, and walked out, rolling on the floor upside down and looking at me with kind of sad eyes. I ran him over to the emergency vet, thinking he had something wrong, terribly wrong. They took him and put him in this room where I wasn't with. They wouldnt' let me go in there with him, the vet tech just took him. Guess that's their practice, although I didn't like it. It was 11 PM by the way. This little tiny vet came out and introduced herself. She told me Brutus was constipated. I said, 'wow I'm embarrassed I didn't know it was just that'.. and I was kind of laughing.. but .. she said, "nope, you don't need to be embarrassed.. (but I was!). She said it's better to have brought him in, as they have something called cat blockage, (here is where I learned about something pretty important).. and described what he could have had. I suppose somewhere in my subconscious I had read about cat blockages and maybe thats why I raced him over there.. but Brutus was given some medicine, (which he HATED taking).. and he was fine. My husband teased me and teased me whenever I coo coo'd baby talked him.. with things like "honey, Brutus has a funny expression on, lets go spend a thousand at the ER vet again, that was fun". But you know, so what. I tell him, 'Hey big daddy, if you were crouching and couldn't go potty and were howling, I'd take you to ER too'. So there!

The thing that bothers me about koko's previous family, is that they have two other cats, and children they are teaching to be like them. Wish I could take them by the hand and show them what kind of fate cats get when they are dumped. The euthanasia room at the kill shelters are a very sad place.

Good on you for saving and posting Koko. Hopefully she is on to a better future. Thanks for bringing some much needed light on the dumping situation. Going to go feed my cats some salmon and hug them ..

I just wanted to add to one of my previous comments. A phone call to the vet (very cheap) could have kept this cat in her home. It costs virtually nothing to call the vet's office and say "This is what's going on with my cat, can you suggest anything?" Using my hospital as an example, we would have asked if they were keeping the litterbox clean, if they'd changed litters, were there enough boxes for 3 cats, had they tried confining Koko to a room with a box to re-train her, etc. These scumbags couldn't even be bothered to make a simple phone call.
I'm glad Koko is in better hands and going to her new home.

Poor Koko! I'm surprised these people didn't simply dump her out on the street somewhere. How can people be so cruel? It's too bad we can't lock these people in a large plastic crate they can't open, with no food or water, so they can sit in the heat and see how it feels.

I have adopted 7 kitties, most of whom were dumped on the streets and left to fend for themselves. Luckily, they were rescued by TNR groups and I got them from the rescuers (and one from a shelter). Each one has thier issues, and some have health problems, but I do, and always will do, everything possible to help them live the best, healthiest life possible. I just can't imagine doing anything else.

Humans like to think we're better than other animals...Well, we brought these animals into domestication, which makes us responsible for taking good care of them and giving them long, happy lives. Anyone who does less, should be ashamed of themselves.

I hope Koko finds a good home with humans who will work with her. I wish I lived close enough to adopt her :(

Looks like Koko found a home. Per petfinder http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/17185361 in case you want to check it out.

Yes, she was adopted by one of my readers! I wrote about it yesterday. See here: http://www.coveredincathair.com/content/not-my-watch-dear-koko

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