I feel bad, but I really want to get rid of our cats

[Anonymous]

I didn't read all the responses, so forgive me....but, can you turn them into outdoor cats? That's what we did with out 2 cats. One died within 4 months of being outside, but the other has been great for 2 years. I think that both of them were happier outside than inside. And I tell myself that the one that died was happier in those 4 months than she ever would have been for years inside.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You people with horrible cats should post here: http://mycatisadick.com/

Lol this site is hilarious and re affirms why I won't rent to pet owners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Did it occur to any of you that the problem is not the cat but you? You all sound pretty horrible...

Spoken like someone with no kids.

Sorry to disappoint: I have 2 children. I just understand what it means to make a commitment to another living being. For better or worse.

Do your kids enjoy missing sleep, getting scratched, swallowing hairballs and crawling in cat throw-up & feces? Because that's what the posters are complaining about.

[Anonymous]

Here are somethings to do to make life w/ your cats better:

Your cats must be medium/long haired if they are barfing that much. If so, have their fur trimmed. I have a medium hair cat and the throwing up gets much worse this time of year. I have hair clippers and trim her fur and the barfing slows a LOT. If you don't want to cut her hair yourself do Petco or similiar. This will reduce the barfing!


Cleaning cat litter. Buy a Litter Robot. We have one and I change the bag that collects the litter once a week and wipe down the outside of the spaceship w/ a clorax wipe. Takes 5-10 mins, total once a week.

Give them a try and report back. Your life with cat will be much improved.

[Anonymous]

*********************************************

Thank you, all who have posted on this thread.

I was considering getting two cats for this new house.

Not anymore! I'm done with that mad idea.


*********************************************

[Anonymous]

I have not had time to read through this entire thread, but wanted to share that my sister was recently in a similar predicament to the OP and got rid of her cats. Two of the four cats had to be euthanized; the other two were sent to a farm. My sister has four kids and her youngest is extremely allergic (nut allergies and cat allergies). She felt terrible about it, but she felt that the cats were hurting her son and driving her insane with worry. So she took the plunge and has been much happier since.

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. These are cats, not children. No, people should not dump the cats just because they don't feel like taking care of pets anymore. But if the cats are doing things that are outside the boundaries of normal pet behavior, like continuously (vs. occasionally) pooping or peeing throughout the house, the owners are not obligated to keep the cats at all costs. Yes, they should consult a vet and try to address the issue. But if the issue can't be fixed, the right thing to do in many cases humanely euthanize the animal (not give it to a shelter, where it probably won't be adopted or will be taken by a family who will face the exact same set of problems).

[Anonymous]

Here's the thing. These are cats, not children. No, people should not dump the cats just because they don't feel like taking care of pets anymore. But if the cats are doing things that are outside the boundaries of normal pet behavior, like continuously (vs. occasionally) pooping or peeing throughout the house, the owners are not obligated to keep the cats at all costs. Yes, they should consult a vet and try to address the issue. But if the issue can't be fixed, the right thing to do in many cases humanely euthanize the animal (not give it to a shelter, where it probably won't be adopted or will be taken by a family who will face the exact same set of problems).

But here's the thing, PP. People do dump their pets, every day, because they don't feel like taking care of pets anymore. I just took in two 3 year old cats whose owner just felt like they were "a pain" after having her third child. She kept her other two dogs because she said they were fine outside and didn't need to be cleaned up after. She warned me that the cats didn't like people and were not very interesting. Surprise, surprise. They are extremely affectionate cats who engage and have integrated quite nicely into my home, getting along wonderfully with my energetic dog, not to mention my DD.

Most of the time, the problem is the owner who is no longer interested in their pets. That, to me, is ugly.

We disagree about the obligation of owners to pets. Unlike you, I do believe that people are obligated to keep their pets, honor their commitment to them, to the end of the pet's life. That said, even if I can grant you that some issues can't be fixed, I would argue that the issues for which euthanasia is the humane response are so few that even presenting it as an option here allows people to feel good about killing a living thing. It isn't right.

[Anonymous]

It may not be right but not pissing in the litter box is probably the #1 reason cats end up at the pound. Nothing worse than cat piss. The smell, OMG. Better to put kitty down. No one in their right mind will adopt an incontinent cat and if they do, any sane person or anyone who wants visitors will get rid of the cat ASAP.

[Anonymous]

We disagree about the obligation of owners to pets. Unlike you, I do believe that people are obligated to keep their pets, honor their commitment to them, to the end of the pet's life. That said, even if I can grant you that some issues can't be fixed, I would argue that the issues for which euthanasia is the humane response are so few that even presenting it as an option here allows people to feel good about killing a living thing. It isn't right.

I agree that people should not dump their pets for having normal pet issues or because they are too lazy to take care of them.
I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on the other issue quoted above. If the pet continues to cause a potential health hazard to my child, after reasonable steps have been taken to assist the pet in discontinuing the behavior, in my view, my obligation to my child is greater than my obligation to that pet. We went through this issue a few years ago, and it was upsetting for everyone, but after discussing the issue multiple times with our vet and our local animal league (which was wonderful, btw), we came to the decision that this was the right thing for us to do. There is no way I was going to ask my child to live in a small condo with a cat pooping and peeing all over the place. We could not find an appropriate alternative placement for the cat, given her issues. I can appreciate that everyone draws the line in a different place, but realistically, there are some situations where both your pet and your human family cannot coexist, and in such instances, I feel like my greater obligation is to my human family. I don't know what you mean when you say it "makes people feel good about killing a living thing." We felt terrible, but we also felt it was the appropriate thing to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It may not be right but not pissing in the litter box is probably the #1 reason cats end up at the pound. Nothing worse than cat piss. The smell, OMG. Better to put kitty down. No one in their right mind will adopt an incontinent cat and if they do, any sane person or anyone who wants visitors will get rid of the cat ASAP.

if I had a cat that peed outside the letterbox, it would be gone, no questions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

We disagree about the obligation of owners to pets. Unlike you, I do believe that people are obligated to keep their pets, honor their commitment to them, to the end of the pet's life. That said, even if I can grant you that some issues can't be fixed, I would argue that the issues for which euthanasia is the humane response are so few that even presenting it as an option here allows people to feel good about killing a living thing. It isn't right.

I agree that people should not dump their pets for having normal pet issues or because they are too lazy to take care of them.
I think we are going to have to agree to disagree on the other issue quoted above. If the pet continues to cause a potential health hazard to my child, after reasonable steps have been taken to assist the pet in discontinuing the behavior, in my view, my obligation to my child is greater than my obligation to that pet. We went through this issue a few years ago, and it was upsetting for everyone, but after discussing the issue multiple times with our vet and our local animal league (which was wonderful, btw), we came to the decision that this was the right thing for us to do. There is no way I was going to ask my child to live in a small condo with a cat pooping and peeing all over the place. We could not find an appropriate alternative placement for the cat, given her issues. I can appreciate that everyone draws the line in a different place, but realistically, there are some situations where both your pet and your human family cannot coexist, and in such instances, I feel like my greater obligation is to my human family. I don't know what you mean when you say it "makes people feel good about killing a living thing." We felt terrible, but we also felt it was the appropriate thing to do.

+1
Absolutely.

[Anonymous]

My cat story - I have 6 & live in rural Oklahoma. My ex woman of 17 yrs was a drug addict the last 7 - addicted to xanax valium and pain pills buying them online. yadda yadda yadda she ran out like always and drove to utah to her mothers to get some. Anyways .. she is doing 5 years and lost the truck. - So I can never have a drivers license due to crap in my past. I've been literally stuck since last June (2012) riding a motorizeed bike to get my food (I sell online). - So I hvae no choice but to move South where it is always warm - no way to take the cats whom I love becuase we are daily constant companions and they actually understand words, sentences and alot more than people think - 3 of them actually can say "yes" as bizzare as it sounds they respond quite extraordinarily - I am moving to Florida - that has always been my goal - now I have no choice. I have no way to take the cats. - I put an ad on clist - well some lady saws she can take 3 and put them on her farm - unless itsa a scam - still waiting. But as IU sit in the kitchen - bellied up to the stove cause I'm freezing to death - I'm crying my eyes out - mind you I'm a grown man - ex con - been around hard shit. - But the idea of losing my cats it totally heartbreaking. Soul wrenching stuff - all the cats were throwaways or left for dead type of things. - But I need a life man - I need to have a life. I have no friends - no family in this state. - YEP - not one friend on the entire planet - just my cats - cause I am slightly mentally ill and belive all people are evil, greedy, selfish bastards and should be lined up and shot. So I just dont like people but I sure love these cats. - One jumped my oldest cat yesterday and I punished him - he is in the garage - now the lady may come pick him up - I'm devastated thinking that - he will think I do not love him for his actions when it is not him - its me. Dear God forgive me for what I have to do I am truly sorry and I pray the cats have a fantastic home and never want - amen.

[Anonymous]

A little levity for you. This is really sweet.

http://theoatmeal.com/comics/house

[Anonymous]

I think neurotic cats are sensing how pissy the owners are and reacting likewise.