May: Aww, I "rescued" a stray cat. It's so small and helpless, and so cute.
June: Anybody know where to get cat food and kitty litter here? Are there any vets that can take care of cats?
November: Hey, I need a cat-sitter for six weeks because I have an English camp next month and then I'm going to Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. Manhee Gam-sah! Sayonara!
March: Well, its time to leave Korea, anybody want a cat? She's cute but a little jumpy. I guess she's still upset about being neglected and abandoned by Koreans like that.
Substitute dogs or rabbits if you'd like, it's ridiculous how frequently that pattern occurs. Do everyone a favor and don't "rescue" any pets in Korea if you don't have roots or ties here, because you'll just end up giving the poor thing away to someone else in a few months. And don't sit there and say "I'm not like that" because you probably are.
20 comments:
There really shouldn't be a reason why people don't take their animals back with them to their home country.
Most airlines allow pets to be on airlines. Its unfortunately in the cargo hold. They may be a little startled and hungry, but they survive and are back to their normal selves after a day.
I actually brought my cats from Canada with me since I couldn't find anyone to look after them back home.
It costs extra money for sure, but I think its worth it. Pets should never be abandoned by their owners.
I find it disgusting that people rescue animals here and treat them like a disposable cup. Many people don't seem to think about the consequences of adopting and animal (and it's not just here, it's everywhere).
I admit I have been one of these people in the past. I was the victim of the "but it's so cute and helpless" syndrome.
My fiance and I did take in a tiny motherless kitten back in September, but before we got him we took note of all the places we could get food, litter, etc. As well as a local vet. We spent a long time thinking about it before we found our kitten (Dante), so we were prepared when we got him. We also had friends who were helpful in our winter vacation plans with him.
We just got him fixed and we are preparing to load him up on vaccinations and shots so that we can take him back to the USA with us when we leave in August. We are budgeting about $500 for the trip home for him and we thing it will be much less than that, but we are also ready to pay a little bit more if something happens.
I think over the course of a year, caring for him and getting him home, we will have maybe spent 1 mill won on him, which I think is minimal considering that we bettered his life and he will be a life-long family member.
I think more people need to take into account all of these things, and also think "can I afford this animal?";"Can I make the commitment to rescue it for life";"Will my home country allow this animal into their borders"
as well as many other questions they should be asking themselves.
I'm proud to know I saved one tiny kitten, and I hope more people do it too, but only if they are willing to go the whole mile.
I'm the Admin of the "ESL Teachers in Korea" group on facebook and I see this shit all the time. It's usually girls who are guilty of this and I also rail into them.
Brian--you really have your head up your ass on this one. I rescued a cat. He developed a urinary tract infection. From Mokpo I took him to three different vets in Seoul, because noone knows anything about cats in Mokpo, and they don't speak English.
He lost his penis. He stayed in the clinic. He developed a skin infection. I took him to Canada. Total cost in vet bills 8 million won. I know others that have rescued cats and brought them back. Shame on you.
. . .shame on . . .Brian???
I mean, good for you for taking care of that cat. It was sweet an' all, although I'd wonder at the point the cat was that sick if putting it down might not have been a better choice (but hey, that's me. Those who posess a penis are of course better equipped to judge if another creature would be ok living without it, I suppose.) But Brian is saying that maybe thoughtlessly adopting a pet you're not equipped or willing to take care of for the long term probably isn't a good idea, nor is it fair to try and shift responsibility for that pet to somebody else at the end of your time here.
On the other hand, perhaps a little "tsk tsk" to Clam for that totally unecessary bit of sexism?
While I'm thoroughly annoyed by the cloying rhetoric of "forever homes" and the idea that only evil, awful, terrible people would allow things like forced relocations, illness, accidents, and other minor disasters to come between them and utter devotion to a pet, people do need to evaluate whether or not they're equipped to take care of a pet. People not in a stable position don't have much business taking in a pet. People almost certainly shouldn't be taking in feral "abandoned" animals - that's what shelters are for.
I routinely rescue cats from shelters or wherever. There have been a total of 7 over the years I've rescued; that number goes up to a couple dozen if you include the cats I've fostered temporarily while a permanent home is found for them. My house is currently home to 4 of the critters.
I abhor those that treat animals as throwaway items when they leave. They are no better than the Koreans whom they claim the cats are being rescued from.
My cats are already micro-chipped properly, neutered, and they get shots every 6 months on the off-chance I decide to take off to Japan on a moment's notice.
There is no reason not to take your pet home (or wherever) with you.
I dont know if I disagree with people passing along a pet to others rather than bringing it with them if their circumstances change. If the pet is well cared for, it may be less stressful for the pet then bringing it on a plane.
When I was in university I lived in a house with several other students. There was a stray kitten who had been found by one inhabitant at some point and brought to the house. As people came and went over the years the cat stayed at the house. It was by no means a party house, and he was well cared for.
When I moved out the house was going to be sold rather than rented anymore so he came with me and my boyfriend (at the time). He lived together with us for about 4 more years. During that time he developed type 1 diabetes and had to have his blood sugar read twice a day and recieved insulin injections.
When I came to Korea and my ex temporarily moved back home he stayed with my ex because I didnt know what the vet services would be like in Korea, my mother wouldnt take on the responsibility and the ex's family was friends with a vet. A couple of years later when my ex moved into a condo with his new girlfriend the cat stayed with my ex's parents and that is where he will stay the rest of his days.
In his life Fathead has had 6+ care givers. He has always been well cared for and happy and I think in his case the people who "left" him would have been selfish perhaps to have brought him along. Would he have been better off with one person? Perhaps but then again maybe not. He could have had an owner who put him down when he got diabetes or who was unkind to him. Do I think he minds? Though I'd like to think he misses me I dont think its likely. His main concirn was food at a regular time and a warm sunbeam but some pets would mind I'm sure.
Oh...Do I miss my rabbits. So, so tasty smothered in gravy.
Gomushin Girl--you really know fuck all about cats. Urinary tract infection is common in cats, and widening the urethra is necessary to pass urine. Put him down? I hope someone puts you down when you get a bladder infection.
If the rest of the post is directed at me then you need to think a little harder beyond posting such obvious thoughts. Yes, shame on Brian, because many do rescue animals. I won't be lumped in with inconsiderate, self righteous assholes like yourself.
Wow, Samuel. That was kind of uncalled for. your comment came late on a saturday night, and the benefit of the doubt dictates that I ought to guess that it might be the alcohol talking... but that's still no way to talk to another human being, no matter if you agree or disagree with their thoughts on pet care.
Roboseyo--excuse me? Well, you holier than thou tone offends me. Go pray to Jesus. And don't worry, Brian will delete my comment, because he's big on censorship.
No, I won't delete it Samuel. You know, I'm only big on censorship when people spam or act like assholes. The only time I removed your comment was when you called someone a faggot. It is my site after all, and an out-of-control comments section will reflect poorly on it. I'm not going to have scores of comments that boil down to nothing more than a few regulars attacking a few regulars.
Keep it on topic, and all of you quit picking fights with each other.
Samuel,
It's sad your pussy lost its prick.
Lighten up.
Hmmm - let's bring it back on topic.
First off, the disposable animal syndrome is no worse in Korea than elsewhere.... go spend a day (or 2 years) working at an animal shelter and you'll get my point.
Secondly, there are plenty of reasons why people *can't* take their animals with them once their time is up in Korea, including animal quarantines, import regulations and simply having no place to go (in their "home country")... Should these people have an animal for the duration of their stay in Korea or any other country -- why not foster from one of the many clandestine shelters around?
I know of far too many people who have taken their animals back to their home countries with them to make it a generalization that "every foreigner dumps their cat/dog/rabbit after the year is up", or even worse to say that it's "mostly girls". Ugh.
Finally, Jakob and Sonagi (both Korean rescues) are doing very well in the UAE, except for Jakob's near-death experience (urinary blockage and dehydration. No, we didn't put him down, but saved his life instead). The cost of transporting them here was somewhere in the neighbourhood of $2000 each. Many thanks to Gina at Pet Transport in Incheon for all her help.
Why did it cost close to $2000 each? Most people I had spoken to had suggested budgeting $300-500.
Excellent post.
But I'm really not like that!
Truth be told, my last pets have been (a) a pair of Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches that I had for two years before coming to Korea - left them with my mom when I came, (b) silkworms, and (c) a tobacco hornworm.
So far I have a pretty good track record of only keeping pets that I'm okay with eating.
oh! madagascar hissing cockroaches are lovely beasts . . . used to volunteer at a science museum, and taking care of them was one of the great pleasures of working in the biology hall!
Reply to fattycat:
We brought our cats with us from Mokpo to Abu Dhabi. The UAE requires a lot of extra blood tests, documentation and an import permit that treats a housecat like a thoroughbred racehorse. That's where the extra costs came in.
Other friends have budgetted $300-$600, depending on the size of the animal and the country.
If you check on Facebook for the "I adopted a homeless animal in Korea and lived to tell the tale" group, you will find links to sites with airline restrictions and the details of Pet Transport in Incheon.
I'd just like to point out that this comments section was already long and vitriolic before I got here. And none of my socks were involved in this mess (as far as I know).
While living in Korea I raised three dogs and two cats. The cats were near-sighted, but they were smart enough to cooperate with each other to open doors when Halmŏni locked them in the upstairs room. She hated those cats, but secretly loved them.
All but one dog were from friends' litters, and I got them fixed. The remaining dog was my then-girlfriend's spontaneous idea to get a puppy that we could raise together, in my house, of course. Didn't even ask me before committing me to something like that, but that's how she rolled.
The cats actually got along okay with the dogs. The biggest dog would occasionally try to hump everyone, cats and male dogs included.
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