(no subject)

[deckardcanine]

The prospect of me having pets has resurfaced lately. After the fiasco with Kieran a couple years ago and subsequent visits by Molly, I've concluded that my living space is not big enough to share with a cat in the long term. That was the only pet explicitly allowed in my current lease, but recently my mom asked if I would reply to a local offer of pet rats. My landlady would allow them as long as they're always caged. The trouble is that experts advise a modicum of daily time outside the cage, and they'd probably mark territory then. Realistically, the only pets I could have without moving out are ones that don't really interest me.

Just now I got a call from my landlady saying that they caught a live mouse with two legs broken from escaping a trap. She asked if I wanted it for a pet. How considerate... and how awkward. I don't imagine that feral mice make good pets, and I wouldn't love an intruder enough to deal properly with those broken legs. So I told her we'd do better to extinguish it. I feel a little bad, but I think I chose wisely. Agreed?

Comments

[nefaria.livejournal.com]

I think so, a severely injured pet you don't care for would be mostly misery for you, and the mouse would be suffering as well.

Too bad they don't have rent-to-own pet stores. It might be nice to borrow a cat for a weekend every once in a while, see if you find one that gets along well with you.

[deckardcanine.livejournal.com]

Turns out the pet question was moot. My landlady was planning to set the mouse free when she had the time, even knowing that mice usually find their way back if you don't take them across a body of water, because she couldn't bear to bash it with a brick. I suggested suffocation by plastic bag like my mom has performed; she was more open to that idea but noted that the mouse had struggled so hard to survive this long. Which response was more merciful? But when she looked again, it had died on its own, sparing us the decision and dirty work.