Aibu for leaving an injured squirrel in my garden?

[Yahboosnubs]

The cat got it this morning and it had an injured leg. I've put it outside and kept the cats in to stop the torturing. I am working from home, so haven't taken it to the wildlife rescue thing 20-30 mins away by car, but could go later with the kids. (Who are young - 6 and 4 - and it might not be the best thing to do with them.)

But it's a living thing and is still going. Panting and curled up in the shade. I don't know what to do.

Am I bad for just leaving it? I'll have to let the cats out at some point. Aargh!

All these thoughts have gone through my head. My cats do have bells, which clearly don't work as they can catch mice, frogs and now squirrels. Not many birds recently though. I didn't want to let them back on it as they wouldn't have finished it off, or not for ages, they would have tortured and terrified it. I thought it was better to at least give it a chance to recover from the shock as it didn't seem at death's door. Anyway, I went out half an hour ago and it has completely disappeared now. So my apathy means I can't do anything anyway.

For what it's worth, I do feel bad about letting it suffer. I guess I also thought I could be letting it recover. If I wasn't working today I might have taken it somewhere. You are all very nice people.

Everyone saying it should be saved.

... Would you take a rat or mouse to the vet?

I actually hate how some animals are classed as "vermin". It's not like the poor creature knows it's supposedly a pest, it doesn't lessen it's pain and suffering.

You should have taken it sooner. Just because it managed to get away doesn't mean it's ok. If wild animals are injured they can't feed properly, or are more vulnerable, and may well just die slowly from starvation.

You wouldn't have had to pay and you could have been more persistent getting the vet to accept their legal responsibility.

I'm sorry to sound harsh but as a cat owner (and I am one) you need to be better prepared to take responsibility for the actions of your cats.

And yes, if it was a rat / pigeon I would see what I could do. Grey squirrels are invasive but that's entirely our fault for introducing them, and now we punish them for it! Vermin are considered so because of their numbers and perceived destructiveness. By that logic I'd say there's a good argument for classing the human race as vermin. The disease carrying aspect is not logical- all animals carry all kinds of different diseases, a lot very nasty. Although to be honest I suspect a lot of people just take advantage of the fact that there's a high correlation between animals that are vermin and animals we don't find that cute, and use it as an excuse to be unkind without logic entering into it.

And gulls aren't vermin. They're endangered.

I have rung the RSPCA about a baby pigeon and the RSPB about a gull. Neither said 'oh we don't care they're vermin'. Ditto an urban fox that I had to get euthanised.

Personally no, I wouldn't have taken a rat or mouse to the vet, but I know how to despatch a small animal quickly and painlessly. Sadly, I have to do it a fair bit, some of the ones I get called out to are just too far gone to survive, and a trip to the vet only adds massive stress and compounds their suffering.

I'd be extremely wary of picking up an injured squirrel btw, they have a hell of a bite on them.

The vet will kill the squirrel. They will not treat it, but they can give it a quick ending.

To be brutal - on the horrible occasions when I've had to kill injured birds, I've found the best tool is a garden spade. It works fast, head off, and you can just keep digging and bury it so you don't have to look, after the first blow. No-one likes to do it, but it goes with having a cat. This is one of the reasons I don't eat meat, as I wouldn't want to ask anyone to be sufficiently desensitised as do it as a job.
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Lonecatwithkitten Mon 29-Jun-15 15:55:58

Well Lottie I euthanase injured rats when people bring them in just the same as injured squirrels. Yes vermin, but don't need to suffer.

Spot on .

for you

OP, yabu n also horrible. To leave a living, feeling animal (whether technically vermin or not) to suffer is terrible.

Ur lack if compassion n ur apathy r anathema to me.

Poor squirrel

Please do the right thing and take the poor creature to the vets or call the RSPCA.

How do you define vermin?
Who decides what is " cute" enough to be treated humanely or not?
I'm not necessarily criticising OP here, although I would have ( and have in the past) taken the injured squirrel to the vet I appreciate with small children in tow it's not always easy.

Lottie it's an animal first- a living creature. Who cares if it's classed as vermin- I know I would help any animal. I'd like to say I'm shocked that other people don't feel the same about living creatures but I grew up in a hunting community where people got hysterical about their dogs and horses yet took their kids to rip fox Cubs apart.

Ur lack if compassion n ur apathy r anathema to me.

You can use the word anathema but not type in proper English? LOLOL.

Anyway, this happened yesterday. Any further calls to take the squirrel to the vet are most likely pointless.

It was your cat that caused the injuries in the first place, of course you should be responsible for making sure it is either treated or humanely euthanised. If you don't take responsibility for keeping your cats from attacking wildlife, then at least take responsibility for their actions.

It'll die of septicaemia from the cat bite. It'll take a few days though.

Leaving any injured animal is an awful thing to do.
The poor squirrel will most likely die a horrible lingering death from dehydration or starvation, it may get eaten in the night by a fox or may cling on to life for a few days getting weaker and weaker until infection sets in and he dies.

Kill it. The best way is to quickly pick him up by the back end so his head faces downwards and wallop the back of his head with a big heavy stick. He won't feel a thing and will be out of his misery.

Taking it to the vets will accomplish nothing - even if the vet could fix it up, it is illegal to release a grey squirrel into the wild once caught. The law says you HAVE to kill it!

SoupDragon I can type in proper English, typos aside. Thank u for ur concern tho.

How mean to just leave it to suffer.

You sound more worried about your cats!

Omg i can't believe people just leave injured animals and birds to just die.
Just leaving a gull to die in pain? That is seriously heartless.
I'v taken pigeons to the vets a few times i would never leave an animal to just die. Guess that is how i was bought up, we always took injured animals to the vets or sanctuaries whether they were classed as vermin or not.