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

[JackiePlace]

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/

I think there would have massive civil unrest if that happened.

For mad cow disease millions of cows were culled, so would there be some hypocrisy?

Absolutely @Newyeardietstartstomorrow - that’s just realistic. Animals are routinely culled to control infections but that’s rarely done as a first resort.

I think the only animal to human transmission of Covid was shown in mink who were (are?) culled.

As it is this didn’t ever happen and is utterly irrelevant. This thread basically an exercise in indulging impotent rage and rebellion without consequence.

I don't know what I would have done.

I think many many people would have done. It's easy with hindsight to forget how frightened we were.

This made me laugh

Re pp I don’t get the levelling with dc but I doubt orders to kill them would go down well

Then again people were nuts re Covid precautions so who knows

Well I didn't wear a mask when told to, so no. I most definitely would not.

And now we know that masks don't work, I was completely justified in my choice. They made it up as they went along.

yeah but weren't cats still getting chucked in the cut in a burlap sack in that days? not comparable to now, surely.

No, didn't flout the rules but also wasn't someone that lost the plot either. I had no issue with lockdown while they worked out what the hell we were dealing with, I wore a mask as it was a pretty minor inconvenience, I socially distanced, I didn't see any issue with people getting non essential stuff when they were in a shop anyway. I got the vaccine

I would honestly go to Prison before I let someone hurt either of my cats, especially when keeping them in would have worked just as well

Yep. Same with the cat thing, it would've just been to make sure we were bloody terrified - no reasoning behind it whatsoever.

I remember during the Ebola panic 8 years ago(?), there was a nurse who went to West Africa to volunteer with Ebola patients. Then she came home with Ebola, and they euthanised her pet dog just in case. That still haunts me. Poor dog.

Over my dead body would they have harmed my cats. I followed all the rules, got all the vaccines. My cats are indoor cats, they can't spread anything to anyone, so harming them would have been needless violence.

My pets kept me alive through lockdown, they were my only reason for getting out of bed, kill them? not a chance.

Many would and neighbours would be hounding you to do so.

Yes, if it was proven that humans would die if I didn’t of course I would

Not even a tiny chance I would. I'd rather kill a government minister.

They're cretins aren't they. If they'd tried to push this policy they'd have had a public riot on their hands. The fact that it was even considered seriously alongside all their other failures proves they should not be in power.

I’d kill the bastard that attempted to take my cats before I even considered having them put to sleep. My cats are part of my family, especially my 8yo cat that we found abandoned as an incredibly young kitten who needed syringe fed for the first 4 weeks we had her.

I think anyone who says they would have killed their pet is either lying or trying to save face after blindly complying with all the other stupid shit we were ordered to do/not do.

I think there is this.

We currently have a neighbour who is absolutely hysterical over the fact we put seed out for the birds. abusing us over the fence; shoving abusive messages through our door; called environmental health; got friends rallied around to call us and berate us.

because of bird flu.

We all live in detached houses with very large gardens. Our bird feeder is nowhere near her house or garden and none of us are handling the birds.

I can imagine what would have happened if a pet cull was ordered.

If the bird flu pandemic mutates then we’d be asked to I guess

My (ex) FIL at the time would have shot animals, pets and people if the govt told him to to prevent the spread of covid. He lost his mind over it all and has never recovered.

I thought the same OP. There would have been a mass uprising.
For one in my life I would have marched on Parliament.

My cats are valued as much as my children

Please tell me you are joking,@Oreosareawful

I ignored every single Covid rule, so I would not have sacrificed my pets to manufactured hysteria.

I think during the initial phase of Covid most people would have complied there would have been no riots, they would have queued dutifully and had it done. The level of compliance during the lockdowns was insanely high.

As for rioting no way would there have been riots I went out every day and shops were empty, roads were empty everyone was at home doing as they were told.

If cats were definitely causing human deaths then yes, responsible people would’ve done what needed to be done. I don’t believe all this bravado. Pets are precious but human lives are worth more. If you disagree with that then you really need to check yourself and your worldview.

Covid aside, indoor cats aren’t a risk to spreading anything. Imposing a ban on cats being outdoors would be a more sane approach. The way they have done with birds because of avian flu. I couldn’t physically kill any pet type animal. We aren’t cat people but I couldn’t have killed our Guinea Pigs. Physically or emotionally.

@Camilliatile i strictly followed covid rules. I barely left the house even for our allowed walk each day. Masked and gloved up to the eyeballs and was terrified enough that I’d not even speak to people through the windows. I’d still not have let my cats come to any harm, even if they weren’t indoor cats I still love them a damn sight more than people (bar my children).