Euthanize or attempt to re-home?

[Anonymous]

To start: yes, I know I'm a horrible person for considering either option. We've struggled with keeping/parting with our now 16yr old cat for more than five years. We're at the end of our ropes and it's no longer sustainable. So these are my two remaining options: euthanize or re-home.

Cat is lovely but incredibly timid. Lives only in our bedroom and bathroom. Won't leave our room to use litter box. Litter box is now in our shower. She reliably uses the litter box to poop (95%, other 5% in our shower) and tries to pee there but ends up peeing in shower at least half the time. And flings litter everywhere so we are combatting litter in the shower. Box elsewhere in bathroom doesn't work because she pees outside of it and it soaks into grout.

She's 16. She's in good health. She just needs a home with NO noise/children/activity with room for a very large litter box. She's nice. But would never tolerate another animal or busy home.

So what's the kindest move here? We are more than five years into biting the bullet and waiting for nature to take its course. She seems like she's planning to live forever. Our room smells like a toilet all day every day. I don't even want to sleep there anymore. We have worked HARD to make this work. But it's time for her to move on. I just want to do the kindest thing knowing that neither is really a great choice.

[Anonymous]

there are no-kill cat shelters, find one of those. and please don't get pets again

[Anonymous]

Sorry, but the only real option at age 16 is to care for her until she dies. I seriously doubt you can find a rescue to take her unless you can pony up a huge donation and you have no guarantee they won't euthanize and you know that you will feel like sh*t if that happens or you choose to do it. You need to find a bigger place and/or suck it up until she passes. And for the record, this is exactly what I'm doing now with a couple of cats. It's not okay to only love them when it's easy. You made a commitment.

Also, when was the last time she was at the vet to check for a UTI or kidney disease?

[Anonymous]

Can she be an outside cat?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:there are no-kill cat shelters, find one of those. and please don't get pets again

This would be worse than killing her, knowing her personality. It would be hell for her. We've managed to be pet owners for 16 years but I guess I could have left her in the shelter to be killed when she was a kitten instead of giving her 16 years of living her life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Can she be an outside cat?

Definitely not due to local predators and climate (no longer in DC, now in a very cold northern climate).

She's been to vet recently to check everything that might cause elimination problems (hundreds of dollars in testing). Vet says it's behavioral.

[Anonymous]

I doubt you’ll find someone who wants to take her, so just go ahead and euthanize. I think you are looking for people to tell you that’s okay to do. Your options are slim and as you’re aware, none are ideal.

[Anonymous]

You can just take her to a shelter and pretend like you just found her outside and captured her. Easy peasy.

[Anonymous]

We are in the same situation with an elderly dog that has no bladder control, and after years of waiting for him to pass, I am done too.

I have found I get the same answers as this thread. Apparently there’s no limit to the lengths we are expected to go in caring for elderly, incontinent pets.

I give you permission to put your cat down. And I am so very sorry for the position you are in. It is truly an awful place to be.

[Anonymous]

I would put her down. Reluctantly. But I'd never trust anyone else to care for her the way you're doing. So if you truly can't continue, I'd euthanize.

[Anonymous]

Can you try cat prozac? Don't they give stuff like that to anxious animals? I would try that, then euthanize.

[Anonymous]

Jesus you're the worst kind of pet owner. No, it's not ok to euthanize her simply because her life is no longer convenient for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We are in the same situation with an elderly dog that has no bladder control, and after years of waiting for him to pass, I am done too.

I have found I get the same answers as this thread. Apparently there’s no limit to the lengths we are expected to go in caring for elderly, incontinent pets.

I give you permission to put your cat down. And I am so very sorry for the position you are in. It is truly an awful place to be.

Sorry but no pass for you either. You are both terrible for putting convenience ahead of your pet's life in your list of priorities. What a horrible person you must be to think this way.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can just take her to a shelter and pretend like you just found her outside and captured her. Easy peasy.

You're a terrible person.

OP, if your only options are euthanize or rehome - euthanize. Rehoming at that age is cruel and the stress may kill her anyway.

[Anonymous]

There is no great solution here. The prozac might be worth trying and also a special diet cat food, even though her tests are okay. I am believer that we take responsibility of our pets for their life, but their life doesn't mean breaking you down. Some people can tolerate a lot, but between kids, work, sometimes something has to give. Do what you need to do to stay sane.