DO NOT ADOPT AN ANIMAL IF....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Animal adopter/owner/lover/ & daughter of humane society board member here. This is nonsense. So this is the scenario you are expecting: "OK, well, I might get married someday, and I might have a kid someday, and even though I'm not allergic, my kid COULD have allergies severe enough to cause them all sorts of significant long term health problems, so I should decide right now, in that scenario, will I be willing to sacrifice my child's health?. If not, I should not adopt animal."

If every unmarried/no kids adult went into pet adoption answering this question, there would be no pet adoption. Well, not none, but so much less. And your expectation that people can actually put themselves in this place in their future and understand all of their emotions and thoughts is just a 'little' unrealistic. Seriously.

And again, its not like that OP from the other post uttered the word euthanasia. She is trying to find a GOOD home for them. Get off your high horse.

Right on!

OP, you are nutty.

[Anonymous]

PP - no, you're nutty!

[Anonymous]

No...OP is saying she wants to find a good home for her cats, but that is pretty much impossible for older cats (and 2 of them). What the OP of that other thread is really looking for is validation that it is okay to get rid of her cats.

I think many of us (and no, we aren't all crazy cat people) think it really isn't okay to get rid of your cat after you have a kid unless there is a REALLY good reason for it. And "allergy concerns" doesn't really cut it. Significant allergy to cat, IMO, does. But allergy concerns in a baby? Probably not the cats.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No...OP is saying she wants to find a good home for her cats, but that is pretty much impossible for older cats (and 2 of them). What the OP of that other thread is really looking for is validation that it is okay to get rid of her cats.

I think many of us (and no, we aren't all crazy cat people) think it really isn't okay to get rid of your cat after you have a kid unless there is a REALLY good reason for it. And "allergy concerns" doesn't really cut it. Significant allergy to cat, IMO, does. But allergy concerns in a baby? Probably not the cats.

Good to know you can diagnose a child you have not met. Ever see a baby or toddler with really bad asthma?

[Anonymous]

Where are people's integrity? Visit any shelter - both dogs and cats suffer from sadness. Why is everything so disposable? This is what we're teaching our children, it's ok to get rid of something when it becomes too much work and effort!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you cannot commit to caring for that animal through its life. This means figuring out whether you might have kids, and what your plan B might be in that instance. There are a few circumstances that would warrant rehoming a pet but it should be a last resort. Think of it like getting rid of a family member, because that's what you're doing. It makes me so sick to see so many people trying to rehome pets on listservs, on this forum, on craigslist. These animals were good enough for you for years, but you just ditch them when your life circumstances change. UGH. Guess what: you're an asshole and you SHOULD NOT HAVE ADOPTED THOSE PETS IN THE FIRST PLACE. People probably told you that at the time.

I think most people know that they are having kids. However, they don't know whether the pet is going to be aggressive to children, or whether there will be a medical issue in a child who is not yet born.

It's so easy for you to judge. Clearly you don't have either of those problems. Did you estimate the risk of a respiratory issue in your future children before you got your dog or cat? Did you wait until you were done having kids? No. Of course not.

You are getting ticked at a person who had her cats for twelve years and dearly loves them. Maybe you should judge just a tad bit less, and accept the possiblity that maybe -- just maybe -- it's as hard for her to do as it would be for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Good to know you can diagnose a child you have not met. Ever see a baby or toddler with really bad asthma?

No, I can't diagnose a child over the Internet (duh!) but I can read between the lines of that OP's post a little. Pretty sure that if her "new baby" had really bad asthma as a result of a cat, she probably would have said as much.

Not sure why this is soooo hard for you to understand. Some people look for any excuse they can to get rid of their pets after having kids b/c they realize that they have no more time left for them. I don't know if this is really what is going on with that OP, but I have seen firsthand where this has happened in MANY cases. In one case, it was supposedly due to the kid having allergies, except that the family subsequently got another pet a few years later. Ummm....no allergies. Mommy and Daddy were just overwhelmed by a colicky newborn.

[Anonymous]

People trump animals. If the people in your life cannot handle being around the animals in your life, you have to make a decision. (and by handle, I mean-allergies, or dog hates babies, etc).

Prime example, my mother's cocker spaniel, that she had for 10 years before having me that was a well trained, well behaved dog; hated me. The dog tried to attack me all the time. The last straw was when mom came into the room and the spaniel was in the bassinet, closing over my throat. I still have a scar on my neck today.

The cocker spaniel had to go, because people trump animals. My mother was heartbroken and STILL grieves for the loss of this dog 30 years later, but she had to make the right decision for the PEOPLE.

[Anonymous]

OP, another thing...please do not compare getting rid of a pet to getting rid of a child. People come first. If someone asked me whose life is more important, my dog's or a random child in some unknown country, I would give up my dog to save that child. That is burning building, save the people first. I am sure you know that. I respect my pets and adore them, but I love my family.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never had a pet, never will. Don't want the commitment.

Ditto.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think you are a crazy cat lady. I can read between the lines of your post.

Come on, tell us. How many cats do you have?

[Anonymous]

I DID wait until after I had kids to adopt our cat. She's a great kitty and we love her. And if one of my kids developed a severe allergy, she would have to go, and I would feel sad, but not guilty.

[Anonymous]

We have 2 cats that we've had for 12 years, and a 2 year old. We're a happy family and thankfully no allergies. But with your criteria, we probably never would have adopted them because we knew wanted to have kids someday, and had no way to predict whether they would have allergies. And we don't have family who would take the cats as a plan B - so I guess we should never had adopted them and missed out on all these wonderful years together??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you cannot commit to caring for that animal through its life. This means figuring out whether you might have kids, and what your plan B might be in that instance. There are a few circumstances that would warrant rehoming a pet but it should be a last resort. Think of it like getting rid of a family member, because that's what you're doing. It makes me so sick to see so many people trying to rehome pets on listservs, on this forum, on craigslist. These animals were good enough for you for years, but you just ditch them when your life circumstances change. UGH. Guess what: you're an asshole and you SHOULD NOT HAVE ADOPTED THOSE PETS IN THE FIRST PLACE. People probably told you that at the time.

Nope, not at all the same to me. I don't equate pets with people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I DID wait until after I had kids to adopt our cat. She's a great kitty and we love her. And if one of my kids developed a severe allergy, she would have to go, and I would feel sad, but not guilty.

And no one is expecting you to. Does anyone think the OP is advocating putting animals ahead of your children? It seems to me there is a perfectly reasonable plea to put your pets' needs ahead of your own convenience.

And really, all people before all animals? If your neighbor doesn't want to see your dog, do you not walk it past her house?

Animals are part of the family. That doesn't mean they have the same status as your children; there may be situations in which you can't keep a pet any more than you can have a parent with senile dementia live with you. But you are morally obligated to the the right thing, for the right reason, for both.