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Cats Are Not Disposable

iheartscience

Super_Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jan 1, 2007
Messages
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I am so sick of hearing about people "getting rid" of their cats because their new apartment doesn't take them/their new roommate is allergic/whatever. Don't take that apartment or live with that roommate, then! HOW HARD IS THAT? When you adopt a cat, you're responsible for that cat for its entire life. Cats aren't some cute accessory that's fun until you want a new apartment.

I overheard a conversation about this yesterday, and it took all my willpower not to say something. And apparently I'm still mad! :angryfire:
 
thing2 - I completely agree. I live in a college town and I can't begin to tell you how often we see things like this, or how many strays there are now from students leaving cats behind when they move away. A cat is not an accessory that you can be done with when you move back home, or to wherever. A cat is not disposable. They are a living, breathing creature dependent on their people for care, love and affection. It drives me batty! SO used to get mad at me when we lived in our townhouse because I fed some of those left behind, and a lot of times found new homes for them. He didn't get mad at the home part, but the feeding part b/c they were always by our back door lol.
 
Amen, sister.

My former SIL just adopted a new cat for my niece, and this new cat doesn't get along with their 8-year-old cat, so not she's trying to get rid of the 8-year-old cat. It's ridiculous.

I get so upset when I hear things like this with any pet, that I really can't even think about it for long.
 
Haven|1315419578|3011817 said:
Amen, sister.

My former SIL just adopted a new cat for my niece, and this new cat doesn't get along with their 8-year-old cat, so not she's trying to get rid of the 8-year-old cat. It's ridiculous.

I get so upset when I hear things like this with any pet, that I really can't even think about it for long.


My heart hurts for that poor cat. ANIMALS ARE LIVING, BREATHING BEINGS PEOPLE. HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE GIVEN AWAY?
 
Amen, Thing2!

I have an evil cat who thinks the litter box is more of a suggestion than something she should pee in regularly. It drives me batty, and my mother and MIL are always on me about getting rid of THAT CAT. But in my mind, it's just not an option, she's my pet and unless I can guarantee she's in a similarly loving home, she stays with me. Period.

I understand that sometimes you truly have no option as far as continuing to care for a pet, and in that case the best option is seeking out a new home for the animal, but in most cases other people's definition of what makes them unable to care for a pet is much different than mine.
 
I try not to be judgemental because I know there are genuine instances where people can no longer care for an animal, but I have to say that the whole "I'm moving and the new apartment doesn't take cats, so I just CAN'T keep my BELOVED kitty" excuse is beyond frustrating. I used to volunteer at a shelter and people had the stupidest excuses for the reasons they no longer wanted their pets. And instead of being sympathetic when they acted so sad and brought out the water works because they just loved their pet so much, I really wanted to punch them.

A few weeks ago my sister told me she was thinking of giving up her cat because she "couldn't handle the shedding". ?!. :rolleyes: I can't even explain how mad I was.
 
stephb0lt--Ooh, that's a tough situation. We tried to retrain one kitty to use the litter box when she stopped using it. We actually put her in a huge cage and sprinkled something in the litter that is supposed to attract them. In the end it didn't work because it turned out she was peeing everywhere because she was very sick, but I hear that it's an effective method for kitties who are just choosing to not use the litter box. Our vet told us about it, maybe yours can help? (I'm sure you've asked already, but just in case you hadn't heard of this . . . )

Pets are completely dependent on us for their basic needs. It makes my skin crawl when people abuse them in any way, shape, or form.
 
Preach it, Thing2! I have 3 boy cats (and 4 girls) and ALL of the boys have "bathroom issues." I hate it with a passion. But, to me, it's sort of like a marriage, for better or for worse. Wish I could fix the issue, but I can't, so I clean up the messes and go on about my business. I made a commitment, and by golly, I'm sticking to it!
 
Seriously. I think the closest I ever got to contemplating murder was the neighbors downstairs from our last apartment. There was this sweet, lovely longhaired orange kitten that I used to let into our apartment to play with my indoor-only cats because Rat loved him. Anyway, he got quite used to getting in to my place, and I'd find him waiting on my upstairs doorstep frequently.

One day I came home and found him horribly hurt on my doorstep. He'd hauled himself up to the third floor because he felt safe up there I suppose. Anyway I knew who's cat he was, and went and knocked on their door (the ground floor apartment).

This guy answered, I told him their cat was hurt and upstairs with me, and he was like "Honey, do we have a cat?" The wife said, yes, they have a cat. I repeated myself to her. She didn't look terribly interested. I gave her my vet's info, and ended up giving them my cat carrier because they didn't have one. (It transpired later that the cat was nameless, also.) As it turns out this was a huge mistake and I should've just taken the cat right then, and called it good.

Anyway I saw her the next day and asked what had happened with the poor hurt kitty. She said, oh, it had a broken jaw from being hit by a car. She didn't want to pay to fix it- and bear in mind this woman had just weeks before purchased a brand new Honda- and told the vet to put it to sleep. The vet was horrified I guess and adopted the kitty herself, thank god.

I seriously was so angry though. Good lord, who does that?
 
I have a friend who lives on an AF base in Japan, and she's constantly coming across examples of people tiring of their pets and trying to dump them with some sob story. There aren't a lot of re-homing resources there, so they're basically condemning their animals to death. Lots of playing house with a puppy until they get a 'real' baby and then it's all "Oh no, this is too much work with a puppy + a baby" or worse "this dog isn't good with my baby" :rolleyes:

Yeah the dog isn't good with the baby because YOU trained it to be an uncontrolled, aggressive, spoiled brat of a dog because you treated it like a baby substitute when you should have trained it to be a dog!! :angryfire:

Dogs (and cats) are not children substitutes until you get the real thing! OOOH this makes me mad, because it happens all the time. If you get a dog, you'd better acknowledge that you are adopting a perpetual two-year-old toddler for the next 10+ years. If you aren't able to make that commitment, DON'T GET ONE.

Cats at least are a LITTLE more self-sufficient than dogs, but they're still a member of your family. Do you drive into a Petsmart parking lot and toss out your little brother because he's a pain in your behind?
 
My cousin found a very pregnant siamese cat last summer, passed out in 100 degree heat. It was my grandma's neighbor's cat, and she was found 4 blocks away, across a very very big and busy street. She was sick and pregnant. That neighbor bred her and sold her kittens... we knew because she kept having siamese kittens and they'd never be seen after 1.5 months old. we figure out that the neighbor probably tossed her out because she was sick and they no longer wanted to take care of her.

My cousin walked by as these two boys were throwing rocks at her and kicking her, and she nearly shoved them into an oncoming car because she was so mad. She took her to us, we took her to a vet, and he gave her some fluids and antibiotics. momma cat got better. A month later, she was still pregnant, and her stomach was beyond huge at this point. Then one weekend, she gave birth to 8 kittens. Somehow they managed to get all their cords tangled so it looked like a ball of yarn w/ kittens attached at the belly. Blood was everywhere. the mom cat was panicking because she couldn't get her kittens untangled. My mom freaked out and immediately got the scissors and a lighter, sterilized the scissors, and started cutting. She later said she was really scared because the cords were so tightly tangled that she barely had space to cut, and she was afraid they'd bleed out.

Two kittens had the cord wrapped around their feet and it was w/o blood flow for so long that their feet got infected. On day 2, the vet said we should just put them down, because they were too young and probably wouldn't survive. We asked if there was anything we can try, and he gave us antibiotics and ointment, and told us to massage it to get more blood flow. It worked, and one kitten's feet fully recovered. The other kitten lost half a foot... it kinda just shriveled up and fell off. He's now the most active and playful cat, and also the sweetest because we baby him the most.

We found homes for almost all of them, but kept the mom and the little one w/ half a foot missing. Full name is Little Bitty Tripod, but responds to Biddies. :bigsmile:

People like his mom's original owner makes me sick. She has another cat right now, another siamese. :angryfire:
 
It is beyond my comprehension why anyone has a pet that they would consider expendable. A pet should be family.

I have one 'friend' who has had at least four cats and two dogs in the 29 years I've known her. None of them died of old age. . .in her care. She gave all of them away. Time after time. They were so important to her, she gave them all away.

As someone who has always lived with pets, and cherished them as my friends and babies, I cannot imagine being so cavalier.
 


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NewEnglandLady|1315420073|3011827 said:
I try not to be judgemental because I know there are genuine instances where people can no longer care for an animal, but I have to say that the whole "I'm moving and the new apartment doesn't take cats, so I just CAN'T keep my BELOVED kitty" excuse is beyond frustrating. I used to volunteer at a shelter and people had the stupidest excuses for the reasons they no longer wanted their pets. And instead of being sympathetic when they acted so sad and brought out the water works because they just loved their pet so much, I really wanted to punch them.

A few weeks ago my sister told me she was thinking of giving up her cat because she "couldn't handle the shedding". ?!. :rolleyes: I can't even explain how mad I was.

She needs a ferminator for Christmas. That will get the point across!
 
I guess I don't see the big deal IF you can find your pet a loving home. Several of my friends in college got pets that ended up being re-homed, but none went to shelters. I had intended to take my pet rat to law school with me, but she is such a skittish, anxious little thing that I left her with my parents (you can't bring pet rats on the plane with you and I think going in cargo would have killed her). I mean I agree, it's irresponsible to get a pet you don't know if you can still care for 10 years out, but most cats I've known have been adaptable.
 
chemgirl|1315423112|3011893 said:
NewEnglandLady|1315420073|3011827 said:
I try not to be judgemental because I know there are genuine instances where people can no longer care for an animal, but I have to say that the whole "I'm moving and the new apartment doesn't take cats, so I just CAN'T keep my BELOVED kitty" excuse is beyond frustrating. I used to volunteer at a shelter and people had the stupidest excuses for the reasons they no longer wanted their pets. And instead of being sympathetic when they acted so sad and brought out the water works because they just loved their pet so much, I really wanted to punch them.

A few weeks ago my sister told me she was thinking of giving up her cat because she "couldn't handle the shedding". ?!. :rolleyes: I can't even explain how mad I was.

She needs a ferminator for Christmas. That will get the point across!

Hahaha. Much cheaper than buying her a new heart and/or brain.
 
Misstepcut - Animals get attached to their "families". I understand that some are adaptable, but a person should take the long term future of the animal into consideration before getting one. If you are going to school for four years, getting a pet JUST for the four years isn't really fair to said pet unless it's life span fits in (think hampster, guinea pig, rabbit, fish) to the four years. I do understand situations where it is just not possible to keep a pet, but the whole get a pet for college and then ditch it thing really really really really really bugs me.
 
dragonfly411|1315423778|3011915 said:
Misstepcut - Animals get attached to their "families". I understand that some are adaptable, but a person should take the long term future of the animal into consideration before getting one. If you are going to school for four years, getting a pet JUST for the four years isn't really fair to said pet unless it's life span fits in (think hampster, guinea pig, rabbit, fish) to the four years. I do understand situations where it is just not possible to keep a pet, but the whole get a pet for college and then ditch it thing really really really really really bugs me.
I agree that getting the pet was a bad call. In the instances I am thinking of, the owners overestimated their post-grad ability to care for the animal (which was dumb but not a "plan" for a temporary pet). I guess, on the scale of bad things humans do to animals, this just seems like a fairly minor offense.
 
dragonfly411 said:
Misstepcut - Animals get attached to their "families". I understand that some are adaptable, but a person should take the long term future of the animal into consideration before getting one. If you are going to school for four years, getting a pet JUST for the four years isn't really fair to said pet unless it's life span fits in (think hampster, guinea pig, rabbit, fish) to the four years. I do understand situations where it is just not possible to keep a pet, but the whole get a pet for college and then ditch it thing really really really really really bugs me.

I foster guinea pigs for the local animal rescue and have four of my own. They are abandoned for this and many other reasons ALL THE TIME. Perhaps even more so than larger animals with longer lifespans, people buy them on impulse and abandon them without remorse. People buy them thinking they will live a few years and then they won't have to worry about them any more. They are told "pocket pets" are easy to care for, don't need a lot of space, and are great for kids (none of the above are true). They get bored with them after a few years because "they don't do anything," or because they want "a real pet" like a cat or dog, or they have babies and guinea pigs are suddenly uninteresting and smelly (for the record, they are only smelly if you don't properly care for them by cleaning their cages). In fact, I got my first guinea pig when I was in college and she lived for eight years. Good thing I was prepared to care for her for her entire lifespan. Small pets are not disposable either. No pets are disposable.
 
This thread makes me want to rush home and cuddle my youngest girl kitty. She's a rescue and she was found frozen to the sidewalk on a busy street. The vet thinks she was there for hours before somebody thought to bring her in. I can't believe people would just walk by a suffering animal, but sometimes people suck!

She doesn't have most of her ears and she's missing a few toes, but she's still full of attitude!

jabba.jpg
 
Dumping a pet at a shelter is inexcusable but I don't see the harm in finding your pets a loving home if you can no longer care for them. Pets ARE adaptable; if they weren't, all the pets that came from shelters would be totally miserable in their new homes and since most people I know got their loving, happy pets from shelters, I know the pets had to have made a good adjustment.

If the pets have been abused, that's another thing; they don't adjust easily but they're still better off living where they're not abused.

That's a sad story, chemgirl. I'm sure you're giving your kitty a great home.

I miss my kitty; I need to get another.
 
I agree. I wish people were more responsible about their pets.

As much as my cats drive me crazy sometimes, I could never imagine "getting rid" of them. They will live out the rest of their lives in my home and get all the love and care they deserve.
 
blacksand|1315424528|3011922 said:
dragonfly411 said:
Misstepcut - Animals get attached to their "families". I understand that some are adaptable, but a person should take the long term future of the animal into consideration before getting one. If you are going to school for four years, getting a pet JUST for the four years isn't really fair to said pet unless it's life span fits in (think hampster, guinea pig, rabbit, fish) to the four years. I do understand situations where it is just not possible to keep a pet, but the whole get a pet for college and then ditch it thing really really really really really bugs me.

I foster guinea pigs for the local animal rescue and have four of my own. They are abandoned for this and many other reasons ALL THE TIME. Perhaps even more so than larger animals with longer lifespans, people buy them on impulse and abandon them without remorse. People buy them thinking they will live a few years and then they won't have to worry about them any more. They are told "pocket pets" are easy to care for, don't need a lot of space, and are great for kids (none of the above are true). They get bored with them after a few years because "they don't do anything," or because they want "a real pet" like a cat or dog, or they have babies and guinea pigs are suddenly uninteresting and smelly (for the record, they are only smelly if you don't properly care for them by cleaning their cages). In fact, I got my first guinea pig when I was in college and she lived for eight years. Good thing I was prepared to care for her for her entire lifespan. Small pets are not disposable either. No pets are disposable.


Blacksand - I didn't mean to imply that they are and I apologize if it came off that way. I meant more to suggest that a pet with a somewhat shorter lifespan might be a better option because they won't be as long term after schooling as a cat or dog will. I would still expect owners to take full responsibility of said pets for the duration of their lives.

Unfortunately, irresponsible pet owners are in every type of animal, so I guess maybe there isn't one great cure idea eh? :sick:
 
Ughhh! I HATE THAT. I sometimes read the "pets" section on Craigslist and get all heated about the things people post.

"Our BELOVED and ADORED 12 year old cat that we've had since he was a kitten needs a new, loving home. We're moving into an apartment that doesn't allow pets. Free to good home."

Not only do you give up your family pet of TWELVE YEARS, but for FREE?! Do you know what kind of monster could end up with your "beloved" kitty? It sickens me to think about. I've cried over some of the posts I've read on there.

One of my rescue kitties was left behind in an apartment when someone moved out. They didn't even have the heart to take him to the humane society, they just left him behind without food or water for who knows how long! We now are the proud owners of this AWESOME cat - seriously, the most laid back cat ever. I feel lucky that we found him, but terrible that he was treated in that way.

Generally, only time its acceptable to rehome a pet is if your family is in danger of the pet, or if you're actually LOSING your home. Although, I'd probably starve to feed my cats, and let them live in the car with me if I had to. Yup - I'm that person. I'm sure there are some other situations where I'd try not to judge, but they'd probably still get the side-eye from me.
 
Didn't read all the replies, but my cats are part of my FAMILY and not some disposable item to abandon when it is inconvenient. So sad that people feel this way and teach their kids these values!
 
A rescue organization told me that people scour craigslist for free kittens... so they can feed it to their snakes and large reptiles. Some people also use kittens and cats to train dogs to fight. :angryfire:
 
I'm gonna admit something.

Back in 2007, I bought a bunny. I didn't tell my parents....they found out when I brought the bunny home.

I don't think at the time that I realized how much work animals are, no matter what kind. I did take care of my bunny. Did I take the best care of him? No and I blame my stupidity in 07 for that. When he passed away after having lived too short of a life, I blame nobody but myself and I will never, EVER forgive myself for it. In 2007, I never thought I'd be going back to school or that my life would change as drastically as it did in 4 years. I went from living at home with my parents full time in 2007 to living in North Jersey with my now FI in one year. I never could have predicted that I'd meet and move in with someone, let alone get engaged by 23. Things happen. Life is unpredictable. I've learned a serious lesson through all of this. I do have a dog who is very well taken care of because my parents have been able to help me. I don't want to make it seem like I didn't take care of my bunny because he was taken care of....he was fed, played with, etc. but I do think that if I had been more smart with my choices in 07. FI tried to adopt another dog recently and I very quickly made him throw that idea out the window. I absolutely, 100% will never get another animal again until *I* am 100% stable, living in one place (I travel between three) and work a full-time job that can support any vet visits whenever they are needed without worrying where the money will come from. Having had to see my bunny pass away is something I really still can't talk about without getting very emotional...
 
It makes me so angry and breaks my heart when people think animals are disposable. They are family and anyone who doesn't feel that way doesn't deserve to have them.

It's like having a child. If your child misbehaves or is more trouble than you originally thought they would be do you get rid of them or hand them off to someone else? For people who feel this way the best thing they can do for their cat/dog etc is to give them to a loving home who will cherish them and give them the love they deserve.

It is truly unbelievable how many people do not go the distance with their pets. Especially when they get sick and it is going to cost them $$$ to help them get healthy. That gets me crazy mad. :angryfire: How can you place a dollar amount on saving the life of your pet? These same people think nothing of spending the money on something else for themselves though. At least in my experience. It is *NOT* OK ever to say oh, it is too expensive so I am just going to let my cat die of diabetes or other treatable disease. ;(

Life is not easy and having a pet is not all fun and games. It is a responsibility that costs money but it is so worth it and they give you back so much more...
(and if you do not feel that way do not adopt a pet. Please.)
 
I agree. As much as my two cats hate each other, I just couldn't give the new one away. It just isn't right. I owe it to her.
 
ForteKitty|1315421320|3011853 said:
My cousin found a very pregnant siamese cat last summer, passed out in 100 degree heat. It was my grandma's neighbor's cat, and she was found 4 blocks away, across a very very big and busy street. She was sick and pregnant. That neighbor bred her and sold her kittens... we knew because she kept having siamese kittens and they'd never be seen after 1.5 months old. we figure out that the neighbor probably tossed her out because she was sick and they no longer wanted to take care of her.

My cousin walked by as these two boys were throwing rocks at her and kicking her

Ugh, this makes me so ill. These boys are sociopaths in the making. :blackeye:
 
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