It doesn't sound all that different from feeding live mice to pet snakes.
I totally agree.
We'd be dead. Can't get paid if you're dead.
Mal ,'Serenity'
Natter 36: But We Digress...
Off-topic discussion. Wanna talk about corsets, duct tape, or physics? This is the place. Detailed discussion of any current-season TV must be whitefonted.
Jessica - Jul 13, 2005 5:12:07 pm PDT #9698 of 10001
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
Cashmere - Jul 13, 2005 5:13:08 pm PDT #9699 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.
This case is going to require a closer reading of animal cruelty laws. The people I know that have snakes, feed them dead rats (they buy them frozen from the pet store and nuke 'em). I've heard the mice and rats can bite or scratch the snakes enough to hurt them. There is a designation of "companion" animals and "feeder" animals.
The whole thing is bizarre. I can't believe it's legal to keep a fucking alligator.
At the very least, he may have stolen someone's cat.
DXMachina - Jul 13, 2005 5:15:24 pm PDT #9700 of 10001
You always do this. We get tipsy, and you take advantage of my love of the scientific method.
I can't believe it's legal to keep a fucking alligator.
Well, there's that. I doubt it is.
Jessica - Jul 13, 2005 5:18:04 pm PDT #9701 of 10001
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
The people I know that have snakes, feed them dead rats (they buy them frozen from the pet store and nuke 'em).
How is this any less cruel? Just because the killing and freezing is done by someone else doesn't change the fact that your pet's food is a critter that someone else would consider a pet in its own right.
It's the difference between feeding your cat chicken out of a can, and giving it a live baby chick. Morally, I'm not sure I see a clear difference.
Feeding someone else's cat to your pet alligator is a whole nother issue.
Cashmere - Jul 13, 2005 5:32:56 pm PDT #9702 of 10001
Now tagless for your comfort.
How is this any less cruel? Just because the killing and freezing is done by someone else doesn't change the fact that your pet's food is a critter that someone else would consider a pet in its own right.
That's an exellent question. I'm not a philosopher and I don't think it's necessarily less cruel. However, I think this guy was into the gladiator aspect of this "pet" he owns. Not just feeding it.
He could feed it any meat to keep it alive. He's getting his kicks by watching a small cute animal suffer at the hands of his bad-ass pet. I think his intent goes a long way to determine what is "cruel" and what is "humane".
Steph L. - Jul 13, 2005 5:50:53 pm PDT #9703 of 10001
the hardest to learn / was the least complicated
He could feed it any meat to keep it alive. He's getting his kicks by watching a small cute animal suffer at the hands of his bad-ass pet. I think his intent goes a long way to determine what is "cruel" and what is "humane".
This. That's the part that bothers me. I mean, it would still be weird if he could go buy pre-dead, frozen kittens, because I think of cats as "pets" and cow as "food." But it's the idea of making the kittens suffer like that -- that's what really bothers me.
(FTR, I feel the same way about rats being fed to snakes. Pre-deadified, fine. Live? No way.)
t edit Though this made me laugh and laugh and laugh:
Now now -- maybe the alligator won them fair and square in a poker game.
Jessica - Jul 13, 2005 6:08:06 pm PDT #9704 of 10001
If I want to become a cloud of bats, does each bat need a separate vaccination?
I think his intent goes a long way to determine what is "cruel" and what is "humane".
I completely disagree. Whether or not I'd want to share a cab with this guy shouldn't have a legal bearing on what he can feed to his pet alligator.
Pet cats toy with the mice they catch before killing them. Pet snakes swallow them whole. Is the former less cruel simply because no human intervention was required?
tommyrot - Jul 13, 2005 6:26:10 pm PDT #9705 of 10001
Sir, it's not an offence to let your cat eat your bacon. Okay? And we don't arrest cats, I'm very sorry.
bon bon - Jul 13, 2005 6:27:22 pm PDT #9706 of 10001
It's five thousand for kissing, ten thousand for snuggling... End of list.
Whether or not I'd want to share a cab with this guy shouldn't have a legal bearing on what he can feed to his pet alligator.
FWIW, my first instinct would be to use intent to distinguish cruelty to animals from, say, what I saw a couple weeks ago at the National Zoo, which appeared to be baby cheetahs feasting on rabbit. Considering intent is often used to determine criminal acts. However, I suspect it has to do with intentionally causing an animal an undue amount of pain.
sarameg - Jul 13, 2005 6:33:35 pm PDT #9707 of 10001
Pet cats toy with the mice they catch before killing them.
Yeah, and I don't like it any more. My cats get purina, nine lives and science diet. And, YES, Devi captures the occasional random mouse that makes it into my apartment. Sigh. And drops it in my bed.
The difference to me is whether the, um, food, is for the benefit of the pet or the petkeeper. I had a friend whose ball python would eat nothing but live prey. OK, can deal. Oook, but can deal. It'd starve otherwise. But really, gators? Eat butchered flesh or marshmallows or whatever ALL THE TIME. Hell, I fed them. Kittens? That's for the fucking fuckness of the owner. You domesticate a creature, you make up new rules, sorry, not going to give you a pass.
You wanna pass? Go make yourself lunch. Or leave the critter be. Cat? Domesticated. Gator? Yeah, just try me.