A young mum said she couldn't stop crying as she had to break the devastating news to her three-year-old son that their pet guinea pig had died after Bonfire Night. Katie Proctor, 24, says she was told by vets that her beloved pet Shadow had died of stress.
Shadow, who was only 15 weeks old, was overcome by stress and anxiety because of the constant loud bangs of fireworks outside the family home in Seacroft, outside Leeds, on Saturday. Tearful Katie took Shadow's lifeless body to the vets on Sunday, where she was reportedly told he had died of shock, Leeds Live reports.
Katie says she has been left "upset and angry" at the situation, adding that pets should be able to live without the stress of loud noises and bangs that can kill them. She said her son Alfie, three, did not understand what had happened to his beloved pet and questioned why he now only had one rather than two.
The young mum, a sales assistant at Card Factory, said one of her two dogs was also "hysterical" throughout the weekend because of the constant banging of fireworks and was left pacing nervously. While many people are aware of the horrifying impacts fireworks can have on nervous cats and dogs, Katie says thought should be given to all pets.
Katie’s partner Robert has also been left questioning why people had “no respect for pets”. Katie said she cried all morning on Sunday as she was faced with telling her young son Shadow had died.
She said: "I’m upset and angry, pets should be able to live stress free without hearing loud noises that could kill them. I don’t know what was going through Shadow’s head, he was probably wondering ‘why am I hearing these loud noises that are scaring me’.
“I think he was confused and scared. He was so lovely, you could get him out and let him run about the house and he’d sit on you. I was crying this morning as this just shouldn’t have happened.
“I loved him. If I could have done something to help him, I would have done anything to stop him from dying.”
Filled with anger, Katie had a message for the people who were setting off the fireworks by her house. She said: “Think about the pets that get stressed through it all. They killed him with loud fireworks, stressed him out and sent him into shock.”
