animal death

I know what you feel. I've comitted murder last night and still don't know what to think of it.

to Sasja

A mosquito?

Peter

A spider.

oops

One of my guinea pigs is a very fragile animal and seems to be quite fond of near-death experiences. Of course, there is a chance it has some kind of arrangement with my vet, instead. Last night it tormented me with horrible wheezing noises again.

sick animal

The pigeon doesn't look that sick to me.

@ Juliane

Does your guinea pig live in a cage with lots of straw?
It might be too dusty in there: hence the wheezing noises; or it suffers from some form of astma.
It loves 'near-death experiences'?! How can you tell?

You know you can stroke their 'cheeks'? Unlike cats they don't like to be touched or 'petted' that much, but stroking their cheeks is possible. Perhaps that will help it to stop making these wheezing noises....

Arnon

Your godson's mother didn't tell your godson about the overpopulation of pigeons? And the shit they produce?
And the statues they ruin?

Vera

Your godson's mother didn't tell your godson about the overpopulation of humans? And the shit we produce?
And the things we ruin?

@Vera

Isn't the same true of people?

@Bert

Yes.

Anticonception in the watersystem of overpopulated regions is the only human solution.

Sasja

At least you've killed the spider yourself. I sometimes get orders to kill a spider.

bert

The wheezing is a remnant of its first cold. Sometimes it's nearly gone, on other days it sounds really awful. As long as it runs around and eats, it's ok. Different veterinarians have been taking me aside during the past years telling me that this apathetic, emaciated specimen of a guinea pig probably won't survive the illness at hand (a tumor and several cases of cold). But somehow, with the help of forcible feeding, steams baths and lots of medication it always survived.

I probably won't try petting its cheek. The last one who came too near its teeth had it dangling from his finger. It's ok with being petted on the head, though.

Of course you had to call a veterinarian. What is the use of suffering when death is coming?

Juliane

So your guinea pig is a bit like me: as long as I can run around and eat I will be ok as well...

Bert

I'd rather give an order than kill, but unfortunately there is nobody I can give orders to. I have to do everything myself, including the killing.

Jan

I am sorry, my previous comment was in response to Jan, not to Bert.

Sasja

Would you feel less guilty giving the order to kill?
Usually when getting such an order I catch the poor spider alive and put it outside, but occasionally mr/mrs spider manages to run away and hide.

Jan

I usually give an order to clear the room of the spider (or any other insect). I don't care whether the animal will get killed in the process or not, and I don't want to know as long as it's gone! So, no, I don't feel guilty at all when I give such an order.

@Sasja & Jan

Why kill those spiders?
They won't hurt you.
Besides, it's just great to see them build their webs, whether in your living-room, inside your house, or outside, on the other side of your window...

Jan

Have you heard of the spider that said: "Was mich nicht umbringt, macht mich stärker"?

Oscar

When I see a fat spider crawling quickly over my floor, I start screaming. When I`m alone at home, I kill it with the hoover. When my boyfriend`s at home, he says, but that`s Luigi, he`s from Italy and wants to visit us, can`t he stay? No way, Luigi scares the shit out of me, he has to leave.

So a spider doesn`t kill me at all, but it doesn`t make me stronger either.

@Bert
I prefer not to kill spiders, but sometimes a man should behave like a knight, destroying monsters for a princess to enhance the platonic relationship.

@Oscar
Never heard of this spider. You mean that the big spider of thursday is the same exemplar as the tiny cute spider which was thrown out of the window the weekend before?

Jan

Of course, and it has come to lay its eggs into the snugly space between your cranium and your scalp. It's a matter of common knowledge.

You try to make a killer of me. But your use of the english language strikes me more than your dreadful tale.

Jan

Oh shame, you found me out. This calls for more radical measures. Perhaps I should send you a pair of slippers, the traditional weapon of the arachnid killer.

Juliane B

Perhaps you should send me your old slippers. Please contact Johannes for details.

Jan

I'm afraid I cannot send you my old slippers. They're still in use.

Juliane B

I'll wait for your slippers to get old. Or would you recommend me going to an old-slipper-machine on a windy streetcorner?