I'M So Angry!! Ringo has been shot with a BB Gun

On 24 Mar, 10:41, "Helen Miles" wrote:
"sheelagh" wrote in message

ups.com

Words fail me....
Last night I went outside to call Ringo in & when there was no
response, I knew in my gut that there was something Very Wrong Because
Ringo is always here for dinner time....////

Many purrs for a full recovery for Ringo.

I went through this last July with HRFL Tiger and Miss Lily Whiskers. In
the space of about 2 days approximately 14 cats were shot with a BB gun
in the area I live. The RSPCA fortunately nailed the b*stard who did it
with the police because someone had seen him do it, and all he got was
community service and a slap on the wrist. Then my brother caught up
with the perp. Miss Lily Whiskers is his cat.

Fortunately both made a full recovery, and we are sending purrs that
Ringo does the same.

Helen M

--
Posted via Mailgate.ORG Server -http://www.Mailgate.ORG

what did your brother do? i hope he dished out some decent justice,
you really cannot depend onthe authorities to do it anymore. Do they
not realise that these people who do this to animals have no respect
for nay life and are highly like to go onto do simillar to human
beings? the police etc obviously think that humans are so much more
important than animals and pets, even the little *******s like those
who shoot at cats who in my opinion do not deserve to have the
protection of the police or any human rights at all, so you would
think that that argument might push them into doing something. rarely
does though which is a shame

please tell me your brother gave the guy a good kicking, it is just
what i would do, sod the repercussions

bookie

On 23 Mar, 17:44, Lynne wrote:
on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:36:21 GMT, "sheelagh"

wrote:
It
seems really wrong that they get away with it. You hardly ever hear of
anyone getting as far as court when things like this happen..

We are seeing a turn to that tide here in the US. I hear more and more of
stiff punishments for people who abuse animals. I hope England will come
along on that front, too.

Poor Ringo... this is so heartbreaking.

--
Lynne

Wow, I never realised that so many people would respond. I would love
to answer each post individually, but that would take me the rest of
the day at the rate that I type. so, what I will do is tell the you
the latest news that we have & take a snatch of postings out of here &
there of particular postings that stood out too.

Ringo had a fair night, but his blood count is looking a bit
miserable, & they are fairly worride about a post op infection, sited
around his left eye.
They tried to explain what they meant, but it is all too much to take
in at the moment. They gave me a slip of paper that has some names and
figure on it, but I can't make head nor tail of it. All I wanted to
know, was the bottom line, & apparently that means that they suspect
that he has a post op infection around the site of his left eye, which
might or might not mean that he has to go back to theater to have his
left eye removed.
It makes me sick to even think about it;o(

They tried to explain that his white count level has risen since
yesterday & that they are now treating him with a second antibiotic
that is more specific to the bug that he has. His level rose from 5600
pre op, to 9000 today They mentioned names like RBC, Hb, Hcv & PVC,
WBC,Granlocytes, Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, nongranulocytes,
limphocytes, & monocytes. Also, Htc MPV, & thrombocytes. I don't have
a clue what they are, but they tell me that it won't take very long to
find out what will happen, because he is receiving the drug
intravenously (& hydration fluids too), so they will know whether or
not they are working quite shortly.
If not, then he goes back to theater, as I have already signed the
consent forms in case they do need to it tonight.
I honestly feel physically ill even considering it...

We have just had a visit from both the police and the RSPCA. The
police arrived first to take a statement from Ross (because he is just
under 16, we have to be with him whilst he gives a statement to them)
The police told us that they were also going to see another family
who's house back onto the meadow, because they believe that they saw
the lads involved & heard the pellet gun being fired too. We are
hoping that they will be able to help the police to catch these sick
individuals. And the police think they have a fair idea of who it
might be too. ( I hope so!!)

The police had already been to the surgery to pick up the pellets from
them, so that if they can catch them, they will be able to match the
pellets to the gun..It sounds like a murder case..I had no idea that
they could match pellets to the gun that shot them, but they can, so I
hope they do!!

In total there were 5 separate cats shot in our village yesterday.
I was hoping to find it on the police site to show you all, but they
haven't put it on line yet, but when they do, I will post the link to
our incident. This is one other incident that happened yesterday,
which goes to show that it is not an isolated incident, but one of
many done by base born animals. Our cats have more brain power than
they do...
We have spoken to a couple of the families affected in the same way as
we were, & one of them has lost their beloved cat, because one of the
*FIVE* pellets penetrated her heart & she was found dead. I really do
feel for them. She was an only cat too, which must have made it all
the harder to bare. the other family got away fairly lightly with only
one pellet penetrating his hind right leg...

I can't help but wonder how many of the strays were shot
http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/news/1761.html

i am so angry too, whoever it was who did needs to have the living
crap beaten out of them and fast. It may have been kids 'playing' in
which case if they are let out and thinks it is ok top shoot at
innocent creatures them they need to be punished for it, very severely
as they obviously have not let learnt to respect life and their
parents have obviously not bothered to teach them that kind of
behaviour is utterly wrong.
Bookie

I have a feeling that is exactly what will happen if the lads find out
who it was. Our boys are incensed by what has happened to Ringo.
(they are nearly 13, nearly 16 & nearly 18)

They might give off the notion that they couldn't care less about the
cats, but we all know that Ringo is Ross's buddy... they eat together,
sleep together, & they purr together too. He shares tummy tickles with
Ross & he is devoted to his slave. It is a very mutual relationship
they have.

Last night, Ross was baying for blood. I have never seen him so angry
as I did then. If I had allowed him out, I know that he would have
gone searching & not been content until he found the right person to
wrap his baseball bat around their head, which doesn't help,. because
he would end up in more trouble than the moron who precipitated the
incidents

but then i would not wait about for them to do
anything, I would just start hanging out in the meadow myself with a
large cricket bat and a few big mates and dish out some justice of my
own, my anger would not allow me to stay away.

That is exactly what they have done. Between about 5 lads, they have
been swapping shifts to see if anyone remotely similar or suspicious
turns up.. but this is a small village, & word gets round fairly fast,
& I would imagine the sick idiot has covered up his BB gun for another
day. I am hoping that the family who back up on the meadow might have
something to add to the pot in this instance.
I am more than certain that if they do find out who it is, they will
be waiting for him down a nice dark alleyway, however long it takes.
Time means nothing to them. If they have to wait, they will- I can't
say that I condone it, but I will do nothing to stop them either!



Sheelagh, don't blame yourself. Things are different in England and
it's
customary for cats to be indoor/outdoor. However, in light of what
has
happened to Ringo, I think you should start keeping them all in.
Perhaps
you can build a large outdoor cat run for them.
Lynne.

I think you are right there.
It is my fault that I let him out, but, as there is nothing I can gain
out of guilt, I will do something practical about it instead.

We are thinking of getting a company that we have considered before,
to put some anti cat escaping mesh around the garden. It is put on the
top of your existing fence @ a 45degree angle so that non e of the
cats can get out of the garden. That way they get the chance to be as
free as I can allow them to be without getting hurt by anything like
this ever again..

I went through this last July with HRFL Tiger and Miss Lily Whiskers.
In
the space of about 2 days approximately 14 cats were shot with a BB
gun
in the area I live. The RSPCA fortunately nailed the b*stard who did
it
with the police because someone had seen him do it, and all he got
was
community service and a slap on the wrist. Then my brother caught up
with the perp. Miss Lily Whiskers is his cat.
Helen

I am so glad that you puss cat was fine after recovery

I have every confidence that even if the perpetrators are not caught
by law or the RSPCA, that they will certainly get caught by the lads
instead.
People like these idiots tend to boast about the things they get away
with, but in this instance, they will never suspect what is
coming...They have never done anything like this before, but having
said that, they will never forget this & allow anyone to get away with
it either..

We want to thank all of you for the soothing purrs & words of sympathy
too. We have conveyed them to "O fat one", as he is affectionately
called from time to time, & I will post more news as we get it.

It is good to know that he is in the best hands possible, & that we
can call night or day & get an update on how everything is going.
They call us too if there is any news that we should know as well,
which is wonderful after some of our recent experiences.
We are optimistic regarding Ringo, but feel terrible that he might
loose the sight in one eye. I will find this one very hard to forgive
indeed
More news as we get it....
S;o)

"sheelagh" wrote in message
ups.com...

Oh I do hope Ringo is okay--maybe the second antibiotic will do the trick.
It's good he's where he can be monitored closely. The WBC's are white blood
cells and they increase with bacterial infections. Neutrophils are a type
of WBC's and typically are the type of WBC that is elevated with a bacterial
infection. Eosinophils, lymphocytes,, monocytes and basophils are other
types of WBC's. The RBC's are red blood cells, HCT is the hematocrit--it's
the volume of red blood cells in blood (also called packed cell volume or
PCV). HGB is hemoglobin, If these values are low among other things it
could indicate anemia. Thrombocytes are platelets which aid in clotting.
An infection can throw many of these values off. More than you cared to
know, I'm sure!

It sounds like the police are taking this fairly seriously if they are
asking for pellets--I hope there are really serious consequences for these
crimes. It is so sad that at least one of the cats died. If they catch the
kid(s) involved I wonder if there is anyway to get compensation for your vet
bills, either from the parents who should be legally liable for any damage
their kids cause or make the kid work (what a concept) to pay you back. Not
that it would make it better but at least you wouldn't be stuck with the
considerable cost. My heart goes out to you and your family, especially
Ross.

The cat fencing sounds like a great idea--I've never tried it but I have
heard other people who really liked it.

Take care,

Bonnie

On 24 Mar, 20:24, "22brix" wrote:
"sheelagh" wrote in message

ups.com...

Oh I do hope Ringo is okay--maybe the second antibiotic will do the trick.
It's good he's where he can be monitored closely. The WBC's are white blood
cells and they increase with bacterial infections. Neutrophils are a type
of WBC's and typically are the type of WBC that is elevated with a bacterial
infection. Eosinophils, lymphocytes,, monocytes and basophils are other
types of WBC's. The RBC's are red blood cells, HCT is the hematocrit--it's
the volume of red blood cells in blood (also called packed cell volume or
PCV). HGB is hemoglobin, If these values are low among other things it
could indicate anemia. Thrombocytes are platelets which aid in clotting.
An infection can throw many of these values off. More than you cared to
know, I'm sure

Thank you Bonnie, I do appreciate your explanation, & having you
explained it on here allows me the time to write it all down, until it
is fixed in my mind, or I can refer back to when they are trying to
explain what they are doing with him. & the regular bloods and gas's
too, which they seem to do quite regularly for him...

Our latest report is that the infection is starting to respond with
the heavy cocktail of antibiotics that they are giving him
intravenously. His last count showed that his WBC has gone down this
time to 7500. It isn't a huge jump, but it is certainly in the right
direction.

And, having some faith in your Vet makes a huge difference too.
He takes the time to explain anything that you want to know, or you
don't understand.
He did offer to try and explain what the letters meant, but to be
perfectly honest, I just couldn't @t swallow it all @ the time, so I
just asked him to give me a print out, so that I could look @ it
later.. so not his fault, more mine when you look at it. It was
gobbledy goop @ the time, & all I wanted to know was what the bottom
line was.

It is the vets opinion that Ringo has probably lost the sight in the
left eye already, so loosing the eye would simply be unsightly, rather
than a great loss of vision.
It still makes me sick to think that there is a maniac out there,
trying to cover his tracks

It sounds like the police are taking this fairly seriously if they
are
asking for pellets--I hope there are really serious consequences for these
crimes.
I agree. I have always thought in the past that they don't seem to
take this sort of offense seriously enough. But if they have already
been to the surgery to collect the pellets, then they obviously mean
business.
Perhaps if it had only been just Ringo, then they would have let it
go...However, with 5 separate incidences, I don't think they can
ignore it, or call it a domestic as they used to a few years back....

It is so sad that at least one of the cats died. If they catch the
kid(s) involved I wonder if there is anyway to get compensation for your vet
bills, either from the parents who should be legally liable for any damage
their kids cause or make the kid work (what a concept) to pay you back. Not
that it would make it better but at least you wouldn't be stuck with the
considerable cost. My heart goes out to you and your family, especially
Ross.

Same here. Ross.. he is livid, tearful(most unusual!!) devastated &
has accompanied me on every single visit we have made to go & see him
so far too. He is gutted too.
He told me that he simply couldn't sleep last night, because his furry
hot water bottle wasn't there to share his pillow with...
Tilly, the youngest one is also broken hearted too...
And I feel even more for the family that lost their cat altogether.
It must feel so terribly empty for them.... Poor family!!

We have been down to see him this evening, & he was slightly more
alert than yesterday ,or even this morning.. mind you he was sedated,
to try & keep him still & allow the stitches to heal.
I was told that they were going to fit him with of one of those
lampshade collars tomorrow, so that he can't nibble away on those
stitches when he gets out of the Big Boy's room..( a very possitive
remark there ;o)

I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a
portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget
it, unless we happen to get a remorse filled parent (highly improbable
though.)
"Life sucks, then you die", someone once told me..I am beginning to
think they saw my future there..?
I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a
penny of it

I asked earlier today for them to give me a rough estimate of what the
bill will be, & the answer I got is, "how long is a a bit of sting"!!
- but as a rough guide, they think around the £500 mark ($1000)...
(OUCH!).
I do have a bit of help from the PDSA, which is a charity that helps
out people such as myself,& also a bit of a hand from the RSPCA
too..Any help is better than no help at all...

The cat fencing sounds like a great idea--I've never tried it but I have
heard other people who really liked it.

Take care,

Bonnie
I think that as long as I can find some testimonials to make sure that
it does indeed work, then it is worth investing in. I do have cat
pens, but it is not the same as being able to open the patio doors, so
that we get some fresh air in the summer, & allow the cats out there,
to roam the garden if they would like to..

(What am I talking about..? I already know that they would LOVE TO!!)

It also gives me peace of mind & cuts out the trips to the meadow
too.
I always believed that to be one of the safest place to allow them off
their harnesses & let them roam for a while under supervision..
I will never trust the place again though..
I can't help thinking that the idiot must live quite nearby because
most of the cats that have been shot, were off the same estate; all
of them Barr one!!

We have been throufh a really rough time with the cats, but I guess
the more that you have, the greater the chance that something will go
wrong. I just never epected it all kick off @ the same time, or even
one after another....

It has to be safer to keep him in the garden & home too~ Cyber was
right, I should never allowed him out at all...
He hates the pens, so we have to find another answer quite fast...
I also don't even like to think what would have happened to him if he
hadn't knocked on the door at Xmas.. no one wouold have missed him &
these sh*t He*ds would have got another way cat..
It makes me sick to think about it..
More as we hear it BTW,
S;o)

"sheelagh" wrote in message
oups.com...


Our latest report is that the infection is starting to respond with
the heavy cocktail of antibiotics that they are giving him
intravenously. His last count showed that his WBC has gone down this
time to 7500. It isn't a huge jump, but it is certainly in the right
direction.

And, having some faith in your Vet makes a huge difference too.
He takes the time to explain anything that you want to know, or you
don't understand.
He did offer to try and explain what the letters meant, but to be
perfectly honest, I just couldn't @t swallow it all @ the time, so I
just asked him to give me a print out, so that I could look @ it
later.. so not his fault, more mine when you look at it. It was
gobbledy goop @ the time, & all I wanted to know was what the bottom
line was.

It is the vets opinion that Ringo has probably lost the sight in the
left eye already, so loosing the eye would simply be unsightly, rather
than a great loss of vision.
It still makes me sick to think that there is a maniac out there,
trying to cover his tracks
----------
Sheelagh, I couldn't sleep all night. I am grateful that Ringo is going to
survive, and I feel enraged that he will have lost sight in his left eye
because of these animals. Who gave these animals the right to go out and
harm a poor helpless creature, especially one as sweet and loving and
trusting as Ringo? I have been crying on and off all day. I told my husband
that if I had a BB gun and the animals who did this were standing in front
of me, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot them, right in the leg and the face as
they did to poor Ringo. I hope your sons find the guys who did it and beat
the cr*p out of them. I am glad to hear that Ringo is responding to the
antibiotics, and I'm sending along purrs and good wishes for his continued
recovery.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a
portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget
it, unless we happen to get a remorse filled parent (highly improbable
though.)
"Life sucks, then you die", someone once told me..I am beginning to
think they saw my future there..?
I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a
penny of it

so when you do find out who it is and 'if' you get no compensation sue
the ****s, small claims court or something, you shoudl not have to
foot the bill for their acts of violence. there is a victim
compensation fund for things such as assault and suchlike, talk to the
police about it, DO NOT THIS ONE SLIP, make sure someone else pays for
this, why the hell shoudl you have to pay as you are hard up as it is,
make these vicious ****s pay for the vets bills

little ****s

on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh"
wrote:

More as we hear it BTW,

Sheelagh, thank you for keeping us updated on Ringo. Please know that he,
you, and your children are all in my thoughts. I just wish like hell that
there was something I could do to help. All I can manage is to shed tears
every time I think about him--which is quite often.

When I think of Ringo, I think of the bold, handsome boy who came knocking
on your door one night--literally. I think of the confident, affectionate
cat who charmed all the ladies and made himself right at home. To think of
him being shot and laying in the hospital, scared out of his mind and blind
in one eye...well it's simply overwhelming. I'm not even you, I don't even
really know him, so when I try to think of how you and your family must be
feeling, well, words escape me.

Hang in there Sheelagh. Know that you have an awful lot of healing
thoughts headed your way.

--
Lynne

"bookie" wrote in message
oups.com...

I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a
portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget
it, unless we happen to get a remorse filled parent (highly improbable
though.)
"Life sucks, then you die", someone once told me..I am beginning to
think they saw my future there..?
I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a
penny of it

so when you do find out who it is and 'if' you get no compensation sue
the ****s, small claims court or something, you shoudl not have to
foot the bill for their acts of violence. there is a victim
compensation fund for things such as assault and suchlike, talk to the
police about it, DO NOT THIS ONE SLIP, make sure someone else pays for
this, why the hell shoudl you have to pay as you are hard up as it is,
make these vicious ****s pay for the vets bills

little ****s


Sheelagh,

I totally agree with Bookie--you should NOT have to pay for this.

Bonnie

"bookie" wrote in message
oups.com...

I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a
portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget
it, unless we happen to get a remorse filled parent (highly improbable
though.)
"Life sucks, then you die", someone once told me..I am beginning to
think they saw my future there..?
I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a
penny of it

so when you do find out who it is and 'if' you get no compensation sue
the ****s, small claims court or something, you shoudl not have to
foot the bill for their acts of violence. there is a victim
compensation fund for things such as assault and suchlike, talk to the
police about it, DO NOT THIS ONE SLIP, make sure someone else pays for
this, why the hell shoudl you have to pay as you are hard up as it is,
make these vicious ****s pay for the vets bills

little ****s
-----------
I agree. In the USA, a civil/damages suit is separate from criminal charges.
Even after OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder, the families of the victims
were able to sue him. So, even if there is no criminal case against the
animals who shot Ringo and the other cats, you can go after them personally
for money. It won't bring Ringo's left eye back but at least it will hurt
them in their pocketbooks, real bad, especially if the families of all the
victims do this together, and it should hopefully offset some of your
medical bills. If the perpetrators are underage, their parents may have to
cough up a couple thousand pounds.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.

"Lynne" wrote in message
m...
on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh"
wrote:

More as we hear it BTW,

Sheelagh, thank you for keeping us updated on Ringo. Please know that he,
you, and your children are all in my thoughts. I just wish like hell that
there was something I could do to help. All I can manage is to shed tears
every time I think about him--which is quite often.

Me too.

When I think of Ringo, I think of the bold, handsome boy who came knocking
on your door one night--literally. I think of the confident, affectionate
cat who charmed all the ladies and made himself right at home. To think
of
him being shot and laying in the hospital, scared out of his mind and
blind
in one eye...well it's simply overwhelming. I'm not even you, I don't
even
really know him, so when I try to think of how you and your family must be
feeling, well, words escape me.

My feelings exactly.

Hang in there Sheelagh. Know that you have an awful lot of healing
thoughts headed your way.

From my house too.
Best regards,
---Cindy S.