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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Would you kill your pet if ordered to by the gov't?

638 replies

JackiePlace · 02/03/2023 12:31

I read in the news this morning that at the beginning of the Covid crisis the gov't considered ordering the culling of all domestic cats in order to prevent the spread of Covid. This idea was later abandoned after it was proven that cats couldn't transmit Covid to humans.
AIBU to think that this would have caused a mass uprising? We are a nation of animal lovers, after all. Or would people have accepted it as they did some of the other draconian regulations (not visiting dying relatives, etc).

www.lbc.co.uk/news/govt-cat-cull-covid-pandemic/

OP posts:
Wakeywake · 02/03/2023 12:39

No way. I was happy to go along with any restrictions knowing they were temporary, but I wouldn't have killed my cat.

Wednesdaysotherchild · 02/03/2023 12:39

No chance and I would go on the run or kill to keep her (dog) safe.

CoalCraft · 02/03/2023 12:40

JackiePlace · 02/03/2023 12:37

I was reminded of the reports after the floods in New Orleans a few years back when people were told to leave their pets behind when the rescue boats came for them...
Most did so, I believe.

Well yes, most people value their pets, but not above their own lives!

Inastatus · 02/03/2023 12:40

No way! In Hong Kong they ordered the culling of thousands of pet hamsters after finding a covid case in a pet shop and somehow linking it to a hamster - heartbreaking!

WiltingLobelia · 02/03/2023 12:40

DH and I were horror struck by this - and very thankful it did not come to pass.

DH is of the opinion that if it had been put forward then there would have been riots. Never mind the school lockdowns, the travesty of how the care homes were dealt with- this would have sent people over the edge.

I am honestly not sure. I do recall the utter fear we had (child with immune issues and I was terrified for him).

I cannot imagine ever acquiescing to a kill order. But honest to God I have no idea if push came to shove how I would go.

But a life without cats? A UK without cats? I went cold just hearing about it today.

Findyourneutralspace · 02/03/2023 12:40

Absolutely not. If it turned out they could spread something deadly I’d have grounded him but I could never hurt him in a million years.

LimeCheesecake · 02/03/2023 12:41

in the Second World War, the government did tell people to put down their pets, and many did.

I only know about this as there is a children’s book by Phil Earle about a boy who goes on the run with his dog when this happened, and I looked it up to see if it was really something that happened.

It’s known as “the British Pet Massacre” and 3/4 million animals are believed to have been slaughtered.

So anyway, there’s precedent and people did it.

fantasmasgoria1 · 02/03/2023 12:41

No I would not.

SpookyBlackCat · 02/03/2023 12:41

Weren’t there reports of pets being killed in China when people were taken onto quarantine? It’s a horrible choice to make. My issue with the government is their absolute hypocrisy. Everything they said we had to do and they were just doing whatever they wanted themselves. It makes me so angry.

BrigitteBond · 02/03/2023 12:42

Surely we knew about this at the time? I can remember someone comparing it to the mass slaughter of pets at the start of WW2.

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-24478532.amp

KimberleyClark · 02/03/2023 12:42

CoalCraft · 02/03/2023 12:40

Well yes, most people value their pets, but not above their own lives!

Show quote history

The emergency services also rescued embryos from fertility clinics during the New Orleans floods.

Timeforachangeisitnot · 02/03/2023 12:42

I would not have done it for Covid, based on the information we had, but DH & I were discussing similar after I read some dystopian , post nuclear novel, where dogs / cats had to be left outside shelters.
😱😱😱is all I could say.

PurplePineapple1 · 02/03/2023 12:43

Absolutely not. I'm horrified by the thought. We really did lose our minds collectively.

LemonSwan · 02/03/2023 12:43

Absolutely not. Would have hidden my cat. Fuck that!

What the fuck are they thinking even considering it. Why not just make all cats stay inside if they thought it was an issue. I am actually quite angry about this. Just shows the power they think they have. No they are public servants. They are OUR servants not the other way round and they need waking up and fucking reminding.

KattyKattyKatz · 02/03/2023 12:43

No it's just an excuse to cull the cat population as they kill too many birds. If the killed off cats what do they think the rodent population would be like ?

Theunamedcat · 02/03/2023 12:43

No they are indoor pets and no risk to anyone outside the home

Zipps · 02/03/2023 12:44

No and if I was ordered to I would finish Guy Fawkes job off.

LimeCheesecake · 02/03/2023 12:44

That said, at the start of WW2, the issue was food shortages, I’m not sure how I would act if I felt the choice for my pet was a quick death or suffering starvation.

Original poster
JackiePlace · 02/03/2023 12:44

When the Second World War was starting, the government distributed leaflets asking that people euthanise their pets, and in London people queued around the block to tearfully do so.
@Serrassi I never knew this before! It is never featured to my knowledge in any film or documentary about WW2.
In a way it's surprising that they didn't suggest the pets should be eaten.
Horrific either way!

OP posts:
PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 02/03/2023 12:44

It would depend what the penalty was for not complying. If it was a fine, I would pay the fine. If I was going to be put in prison for it, I would have the cats PTS and then perform suicide as soon afterwards as I reasonably could.

Theunamedcat · 02/03/2023 12:44

KattyKattyKatz · 02/03/2023 12:43

No it's just an excuse to cull the cat population as they kill too many birds. If the killed off cats what do they think the rodent population would be like ?

My indoor cats kill no birds but should a rat or mouse ever come inside they won't stand a chance

Caspianberg · 02/03/2023 12:45

Ww2 was to do with food shortages for both humans and pets. You couldn’t get rations for pets, so many would have starved, especially large dogs who eat large amounts v say a cat

Badbudgeter · 02/03/2023 12:46

Depends on the pet. Pet chickens would be sad but I would. Darling dog is the furry child of the family and I don’t think I could.

EL8888 · 02/03/2023 12:46

Zero chance l would have complied

mexicanabanana · 02/03/2023 12:48

No way! they would have to take me with him 😂