The sad side of rural life...
By foxyfire33
@foxyfire33 (10005)
United States
June 21, 2008 12:16pm CST
*WARNING* If you're at all squeemish just pass over this discussion, I'll completely understand!
Last night on one of my trips back to the house from burning papers I discovered 5 baby animals laying in the driveway...the dog was crunching on a 6th. 
My first thought was that they were newly born kittens since our one female looks like she'll drop any day. I ran inside to get stepson and a flashlight. All but one of the 5 remaining animals were already dead...actually by then there were only 4 on the ground, the dog had the 5th. The one that was still moving was obviously fatally injured. (They were all brand new and couldnt have survived without their mother anyway.)
Stepson is pretty sure they were rabbit babies but they were so small it was hard to tell. Our cat is still pregnant so we definitely know they weren't the kittens. We walked away and let the dog have them...the next time I went out she'd eaten them all.
It was a weirdly disturbing yet fascinating scene. Of course stepson's city friend was more shocked and disgusted than stepson and I were. We were more just sad...it's part of nature and we're used to it yet it's still hard to watch baby animals die or see dead babies...whether they're rabbits, birds, kittens or puppies.
My first thought was that they were newly born kittens since our one female looks like she'll drop any day. I ran inside to get stepson and a flashlight. All but one of the 5 remaining animals were already dead...actually by then there were only 4 on the ground, the dog had the 5th. The one that was still moving was obviously fatally injured. (They were all brand new and couldnt have survived without their mother anyway.)
Stepson is pretty sure they were rabbit babies but they were so small it was hard to tell. Our cat is still pregnant so we definitely know they weren't the kittens. We walked away and let the dog have them...the next time I went out she'd eaten them all.
It was a weirdly disturbing yet fascinating scene. Of course stepson's city friend was more shocked and disgusted than stepson and I were. We were more just sad...it's part of nature and we're used to it yet it's still hard to watch baby animals die or see dead babies...whether they're rabbits, birds, kittens or puppies.3 people like this
6 responses
@nancyrowina (3850)
•
21 Jun 08
Strange they ended up in the middle of your drive doesn't sound like a place an animal would want to give birth. Makes me wonder if someone put them there, but why would anyone do that? Very bizarre indeed, at least it wasn't your cats kittens.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
21 Jun 08
No the house is at the end of a long driveway and we'd know if some one was out there that wasn't supposed to be. I haven't figured out how they all got there either...if it was just 1 or 2 I'd assume she raided the 'nest' and brought them there to eat but since there were so many I doubt she made several trips back and forth and waited to eat until she had them all. It is kind of bizarre looking at it that way.
@MyLinnsLynn (292)
• United States
21 Jun 08
Oh my goodness! That is very sad, indeed! But I also think that maybe your dog shouldn't have eaten them, because like, what if the baby animals were sick with some sort of disease that is communicable? I hope your dog will be okay. But alas, as you'd stated, it is all a part of nature.
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
21 Jun 08
Hmmm...good point! Didn't think about that last night. She's seems fine at the moment but we'll keep an eye on her.
@minnie_98214 (10557)
• United States
22 Jun 08
Yeah its sad but it happens. Some people get mad at me cause I let my cats out and they catch a baby rabbit sometimes. Its gross and sad but that is the way of life. I mean really how do you think those burgers get to you people lol. Just cause you dont kill it yourself dont make it any better.
@guss2000 (2232)
• United States
22 Jun 08
Awww that is really sad. I think that if you would have pulled up earlier then your decision to let the dog have them would have been different. At the point when you pulled up, you couldn't save the little animals.
That's really sad.
I just hope your dog doesn't get sick from eating wild animals. Good luck!
@jer31558 (3683)
• United States
22 Jun 08
The animal world can be cruel indeed. It is not unusual for such things to occur in the rural world. I think that one of the most extreme such cases I have heard of is with the Sand Tiger Shark. In that case, the babies actually fight among themselves in the womb till only one survives.
