Search the Community

All is not well Chez Noos these last few days, and despite your indifference, I'm going to tell you why. Mrs.Noos is a primary school teacher and her class has a class pet - Shirley, the hamster. Now as we are in the middle of the school hols, Shirley is currently residing in her cage, chez Noos. No problem, you might think. However, it transpires, for I knew this not, that these little parasites only have a very short life span - 18months to 2 years. It also became known to me the other day that Shirley is nearly 2 years old, is unlikely to make it til the start of school term, and chez Noos is actually Horsforth Hamster Hospice. I have asked Mrs.Noos why on earth she saw fit to bring a pet into the house so we could all watch it fit and die, and she confessed to not really having thought things through. Yesterday, our nearly blind rat-like companion staggered out its bed-type thing, shook uncontrollably for a period, bumped into a few things, then slumped back into its bed. Anyone know what the best course of action is in this situation? Do we allow nature to take it's course, however long it takes, or do I, as I offered to do yesterday, put a spade through Shirley to spare her any suffering, if indeed she is suffering? I would take her to the vet, but for three very good reasons: 1. I doubt the vet could do anything bar put the thing out of its misery, which I can do myself, and I won't charge me hundreds of pounds for the use of my own spade. 2. I can't be arsed to take the hamster to the vet. 3. I can't be arsed to take the hamster to the vet. Poll to follow.