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Ethical Quesion
13 years ago
I'm torn about something and looking for some opioions...
To get it out of the way... TL:DR I adopted some ferrets through Craigslist and they had fleas, should I tell the previous owner?
And now for the further details (because there's more to the story)...
So I got these two ferrets from craigslist, the people didn't really want to part with them but they got them after they got their kittens and since the ferrets came around the one kitten had been tearing himself up so they for some reason assumed that meant that the kitten was allergic to the ferrets and to find them a new home. Good news for me as I was looking for some ferrets (which is a complicated story in itself). So I go to get them, and the one looks a bit older than they said it was because he's petite (which I know happens, this isn't my first circus with ferrets) but he also had very thin hair on his tail, you can see pink easily, which can happen with a couple of the diseases they get later in life. This was still fine with me and didn't make me not want them (obviously since I took them, derp) but when I saw the kitten I was like holy smokes he's really having a reaction! He had a bald patch maybe 3-4 inches long and an inch and a half wide on top of his neck and about half of it was an open sore! These people also had 3 dogs and another cat and all 7 of the furry creatures were running around the house when I got there. The lady got really choked up about seeing them go, and she called me like 10 mins after I left but I was busy getting lost (over the state line and out of my comfort zone) so I didn't answer. I got them home and noticed they were itching a lot, like A LOT. I picked each up and did the hair blow back to see the skin and checked out their bellies, but there wasn't any indication that anything was amiss except the bald tail on the one that was itching the most. Just for peace of mind I stuck him in the tub so I could get him wet down and see his skin better (they're both white, one albino, one d.e.w.) he had some red patches here and there so I got out the oatmeal bath and laterhed him up and promptly sudzed up a flea. So husband went an got the other one and they soaked and rinsed and soaked and rinsed and we'll be sevin dusting them and the house tomorrow (we have 2 cats also, who aren't treated because they're strictly indoor). The problem is, this lady obviously didn't really want to part with these ferrets, but she was blaming them for what was apparently flea allergy dermatitis, not ferret allergy. So do I tell her? Do I offer her the ferrets back in n even exchange and go on looking? Do I not say anything? Obviously her cat needs some treatment, but I really don't want to give the ferrets back :(
What do ya'll think I should do?
To get it out of the way... TL:DR I adopted some ferrets through Craigslist and they had fleas, should I tell the previous owner?
And now for the further details (because there's more to the story)...
So I got these two ferrets from craigslist, the people didn't really want to part with them but they got them after they got their kittens and since the ferrets came around the one kitten had been tearing himself up so they for some reason assumed that meant that the kitten was allergic to the ferrets and to find them a new home. Good news for me as I was looking for some ferrets (which is a complicated story in itself). So I go to get them, and the one looks a bit older than they said it was because he's petite (which I know happens, this isn't my first circus with ferrets) but he also had very thin hair on his tail, you can see pink easily, which can happen with a couple of the diseases they get later in life. This was still fine with me and didn't make me not want them (obviously since I took them, derp) but when I saw the kitten I was like holy smokes he's really having a reaction! He had a bald patch maybe 3-4 inches long and an inch and a half wide on top of his neck and about half of it was an open sore! These people also had 3 dogs and another cat and all 7 of the furry creatures were running around the house when I got there. The lady got really choked up about seeing them go, and she called me like 10 mins after I left but I was busy getting lost (over the state line and out of my comfort zone) so I didn't answer. I got them home and noticed they were itching a lot, like A LOT. I picked each up and did the hair blow back to see the skin and checked out their bellies, but there wasn't any indication that anything was amiss except the bald tail on the one that was itching the most. Just for peace of mind I stuck him in the tub so I could get him wet down and see his skin better (they're both white, one albino, one d.e.w.) he had some red patches here and there so I got out the oatmeal bath and laterhed him up and promptly sudzed up a flea. So husband went an got the other one and they soaked and rinsed and soaked and rinsed and we'll be sevin dusting them and the house tomorrow (we have 2 cats also, who aren't treated because they're strictly indoor). The problem is, this lady obviously didn't really want to part with these ferrets, but she was blaming them for what was apparently flea allergy dermatitis, not ferret allergy. So do I tell her? Do I offer her the ferrets back in n even exchange and go on looking? Do I not say anything? Obviously her cat needs some treatment, but I really don't want to give the ferrets back :(
What do ya'll think I should do?
Also, I LOVE FERRETS TOO! lol, but I can't GET one.....fucking hate it...
It this person already has like 7 animals, and they couldn't ya know..take the kitten to the vet, and actually allowed it to get so bad as there being THAT much of an allergy, don't give the ferrets back. They are yours now. and I don;t think this person should be having extra animals if they don't have the common sense to take the animals to a vet.
Yes vets are expensive. But there are the special inexpensive like Vet mobiles and come around every so often. And flea and tick prevention is not that hard a thing. Our kitty Nahmbo when he was first rescued had fleas, and he was treated all naturally and is perfectly fine now.
You have also now put your OWN pets at risk for getting a flea problem due to the ferrets previous owner's negligence. So as I said, let her know, let her know you are treating the ferrets, and let her know that she needs to take the kitten to a vet especially because she is having an allergic reaction to the fleas, and that can be very dangerous.
If she wants the ferrets back, just assure her they are in a good home, and it would cause YOU pain now to give them up, and would she really want to do to someone else what was so painful to her?
In the end I did decide to tell her, I was torn because I didn't want to get into any kind of confrontation (even if it was by email) regarding them missing and/or wanting them back. But just thinking about that sore on that poor kitty's neck I did simply have to let them know. And her response was to play it off... grrrr. She had the nerve or ignorance to say that since they treat all the dogs and their other cat that it must have been the very first flea in the house and they'll take it under advisement, but since the kitten is already scratching less it must have just been the one on the ferret. Uuuum... where exactly did he get the flea from? Somehow your dogs that go outside didn't bring it in? It just came in on its own and decided that the ferret was the ideal host? And supposedly they can't treat the kitten with the skin problem because he's sensitive, and yet didn't bother to talk to a vet about options for that. So yeah. No issue with not returning the ferrets, obviously ther's a bit of a disconnect there... poor kitty.