victoria
Well-Known Member
Maple said:
I know I can come off as being harsh or judgmental when I say this and I am not trying to attack or offend anyone. I grew up in a home where we had tonnes of pets but my parents were never in a position to afford to properly care for them and really, probably would not have made them a priority even if we had the money. Not only did they suffer when they got sick but since they weren't fixed they also had frequent litters, and since we couldn't re-home all of them, the cycle just repeated itself.
I know many people have pets and can't afford vet care for them, it's sad for the owners if they have to give them up to get them care but it's not fair for the rats (pets) either. As expensive as vet care can get, rat vet bills are much cheaper than that of a cat or dog for the simple fact that there's simply not as much that can be done to help them, and a respiratory infection is much cheaper to treat than a tumor, malocclusion, or many of the other afflictions that are common with rats. If she can't afford to get them treated, she likely can't afford vet care for her other rat if and when she gets sick, and then she'll be trying to re-home her too. I'm sure that although she had the best intentions (company for Cleo) in mind when she adopted these girls, she knew she wasn't in a position to pay for vet care and did it anyway. It would likely be best to re-home Cleo now with her new friends than to have her spend the rest of her life alone.
As much as I believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience pet ownership/companionship if they choose, it is costly, and unfair to the animal(s) if they cannot be provided with basic care. That having been said, I do have compassion and I know that sometimes people fall on hard times and can no longer afford to care for their companion and I hope that if that ever happens to me someone will help me. It really doesn't sound like that's what happened here. It's harsh, and a lot of members will disagree with me, but that's my opinion. I have spent a lot of money and sacrificed a lot to take care of not only the pets I adopted but also the bunnies a 'friend' adopted and left with me when she went on vacation to visit her family in Europe. (She never came back from her vacation and asked me to return them to the shelter she had gotten them from. Knowing the shelter and how overcrowded it was, I couldn't.)
I'm glad Dee is able to take in the two sick girls and get them care. Hopefully Cleo isn't also sick, but if she is she'll have somewhere to turn to get her the care she needs instead of offering her as snake food.
