My family is SO stupid when it comes to animals

[Upirium]

I just wanted to rant a little and maybe some of you can share your opinions or experiences...

First off, my grandma. She has this tiny dog. That dog is now has eye problems. Why? Because when my cat had kittens a while back she was very defensive and had been attacking that dog every day, yet my grandma still continued to brig the dog over even though we told her to keep the dog at her house.. Needless to say, my cat clawed the dog right in the eye and tore it up.

Then there's my mom. I'll just start with what she did today. She doesn't like my cats being in the house. One of my cats, as you may know, is wounded and has an open sore on her leg. Mom wanted to put her outside, regardless of how much I protested.

I can just see a bunch of dirt getting into it and it getting infected. I actually had to hide the cat to stop mom from putting her out. Plus it's really hot. Her only response to my protests: she'll be fine.

Not only that but I finally, FINALLY got a tank for my betta. One of them died while I was gone from a swim bladder infection, but I still have my crown tail left. I plan to move it into a bigger tank. I have been trying to get one for a long time now and someone gave me one for free with everything in it. Filter, gravel, decor, etc.

Well she came into my room and yelled at me because the lid to that crappy walmart betta tank had fallen down and partially into the water. I don't know how, but I didn't notice it right away.

She told me that she was gonna tell the person who gave me the tank to take it back because I'm 'obviously not taking care of the fish', because the lid was in the water. Taking care of that fish would be SO much easier if it was in that other tank...

Then there's my dad. He insists I feed my snakes way more than needed. Well ,mainly, my large snake. Everytime we came over here when I was gone he was like 'feed that snake', and I didn't. But he bitched at me because we came there on Monday, and we had fed him on Friday. He said "You just fed that snake on Friday he's not on a diet, go feed that snake!"

We also have an unfurtonate situation going on with my beardie. She's been in a bad mood, doesn't want to move and is going off feeding. However she's still healthy so to speak.

The reason is that she's really unhappy in her cage, I think. We have lenolium in her cage and it's taped down, but the tape gets ripped and crickets escape underneath it, then die. I've been trying to get him to help me clean that out but he keeps saying she's fine, and that there's not going to be any bacteria because 'they just rot away and disappear'.

I need to pick that thing up and take it outside, and clean it thoroughly. I'm disabled and can't lift that cage without his help, and he keeps putting off helping me.  

[CrissAngelLover12345]

OMG, I know how you feel...

My grandmother is on that anti-pitbull bandwagon... She thinks that one would turn on you at any random time... She's afraid my parents' pit bull mix will do so... She's trying to get me to believe that pits are vicious dogs and all pits should be killed... gonk

My dad is anti-feeding schedule. He believes that his parents' way of feeding dogs (free feeding) is the healthier way to go. Back when the dogs were free feeding, every time Bandit would bat at the bowls, he would say "he's hungry, fill the bowls" even if he had just eaten all three bowls of food that were filled to the rim... All Bandit wanted was attention, not food, but my dad wouldn't listen to me. He thinks that all my research on feeding schedule vs. free feeding is a load of crap because I got most of my info. from the internet. He almost sent Bandit to the pound over the whole feeding schedule "issue" the second time mom tried to get them on one. The third (and final and successful) attempt was after I had put my foot down to it after Bandit had gained 10 pounds in 2 months and declared Bandit is to go on a feeding schedule, no human food unless I give it to him, no treats unless I give it to him or approve it, etc., which also by default meant that Country and Jonny had to go on a feeding schedule (the food wasn't left out all the time by that point because the cats were on a feeding schedule (which he didn't care about) and Boots, the only one allowed to free-roam the house (My cat and my mom's cats are isolated from him because of him having Feline Leukemia. My cat also hates other cats. No worries, they all get lots of love and attention. Of all the cats, I think my cat is the most spoiled (correctly spoiled with toys, cat tree, etc. not lots of treats, she still gets treats, but not that many and not that often, and she also has to work for them.) would eat the dog food, but if Bandit batted at the bowls for any reason, my dad would make me fill the bowls, then Bandit would eat all the food in all three bowls... >.< I could tell he was being competitive with his eating... He also didn't care that Bandit's metabolism went down after being neutered... If he ever brings it up again, I'll have my vet's word about the same thing, that feeding schedule is MUCH healthier than free feeding, she agrees with me, which should hopefully shut him up over the whole thing (he does randomly complain about it and he is intent on trying to get Country and Jonny back on free feeding once I move out, though he doesn't seem to realize that mom will not allow that to happen. She has seen the benefits and loves them and doesn't want them to regain the weight they have lost plus more... Plus she has seen that it is much cheaper than free feeding. When they were free feeding, they were spending close to $200 per month on dog food alone, and on a feeding schedule, they are spending only about $25 per month or so (probably closer to month and a half to two months) on dog food (that is without Bandit eating that food, as he is on Wellness Core, not Kirkland's Best (which is what Country and Jonny are on), and I'm paying for him to be on it.).

He hasn't given any feedback whatsoever about switching from rawhide to something safer yet, so I have no idea what he feels about that... I have a feeling that once it fully sinks in, he's not gonna be happy at all about it (which would be once all three are no longer receiving rawhide chews, my dog is already not allowed to receive rawhide, and any time they want to give the other two rawhide (mom wants to finish the last bag she just bought, and says she'll never buy them again after this one), he is to go to his crate until the other two are no longer chewing on the rawhides. then they are to pick up the rawhides before allowing Bandit to come out of his crate. (mom initially claimed she would watch Bandit to make sure he wouldn't get any, but I know her track record of "watching" him, it doesn't happen... so we agreed that she would put bandit in his crate while the other two are chewing on rawhides.)

I have lots more to rant about... I'll continue later... I have to go eat dinner and don't have time to finish...