# The fate of cats



## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I haven't owned cats for 15+ years until now. I have to admit I am shocked as to the amount of feral and abandoned cats. I was at a party last night and the person's cat is living in a kitchen cabinet because her boyfriend has a bull terrier that wants to kill the cat. She says the cat does get out at night when the dog isn't around but really? The cat is 10 years old so who is going to take this cat? She has had the boyfriend 4 months. I talked to a young person who has mice in their apt and the landlord told her to get a cat. So she went to the humane society and got a cat described as a little wild. She and her husband have had the cat 2 months and the cat won't get near her husband and is just getting used to her. She tells me she has to move in 1.5 years and will have to turn the cat back in to who knows what future. Since when did cats become disposable? This mama cat that was left by her owners is so sweet and affectionate. How could they have just left her to fend on her own not even fixed? There are so many things we need to change in our human society but it just seems this one should be a lot easier.


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## Marcia (Dec 26, 2010)

The world is full of people like you described above. It just breaks my heart. Someone that lets their 10 yo cat be terrorized by bf's aggressive dog is inhumane IMHO. People with the mindset that pets are disposable often feel the same way about relationships of all kinds. I believe that committed love has to be taught, kindness has to be taught, relationships have to be taught and much of that education is lacking in society. 

Having lived for 6 decades on this earth I can see the steady decline of society and it's not going to get better with these people raising an even more badly behaved generation. Our world needs an intervention to stop the steady decline.

I recently read of a practice called "trunking". Pit bulls are put into a car trunk and they fight to the death. The winner goes on to fight again. We live in a disgusting, perverted world amongst disgusting, perverted humans that do not value life in any form.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Because people just suck. A girl picking a stupid guy over her cat....well, the writing is on the wall for her future, and it ain't good, because she is dumb. Sorry. Makes my blood boil. And the person using the cat for mouse control and turning it back in....just as awful. I see it time and time again. Every time I see a young college girl run out and get a cat, I cringe, because I know it's not a forever home situation...and usually I am right. "I have to move and roomates say no cat"....MOVE TO ANOTHER APARTMENT THAT ALLOWS CATS YOU MORON....I literally have to bite my tongue from saying this aloud...and next time, I just think I will just say it. 

The world is full of people like this. Makes me sad. People who can't even be responsible for their children, much less pets. Too bad you don't have to apply and be checked and tested before you get a pet, to see if you have the common sense to take care of even it's basic needs. Or to have a kid for that matter. 

Unfortunately, since the world is so full of dumb people, this will always be a problem that the poor pets of the world will have to suffer....being thrown away like yesterdays news. So sad


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

I work in a pet supply store and we have people in all the time leaving fliers looking to rehome their cat, dog, rabbit, bird etc. I'm moving half way across the country in September and almost everyone who finds out asks what I'll be doing with the dogs when I go. Umm? They're coming with me, obviously? Yes, it's going to be significantly harder to find a place to rent with two great Danes, one who is an intact show dog, and two cats, but they're my family and I'd never dump them because it's not convenient anymore. 


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## BigDaveyL (Jun 26, 2012)

Yes, I agree it sucks.

Yes, Gadget can be a PITA but he's so gosh darn cute and Oreo is shy but so loving. I can not imagine my life without them.


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## Wannabe Catlady (Aug 6, 2012)

It really makes me sad. When I am having a bad day, I go to Craigslist and send scathing emails to all the people dumping their animals like trash. 

I am a recent college graduate, and waited until my senior year to adopt a cat because renting with a cat in a college town can be near impossible. Yet, I know at least 3 people who have adopted/bought a dog or cat to only surrender them a year later due to living situations. Drives me nuts. Personally, I am moving to a town where nearly all apartments REQUIRE that the cats be declawed, and I am now spending $200 more a month to live in a cat friendly place without that requirement. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times people told me to just get rid of the cats to make it easier. Sick. 





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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

kayla baxter said:


> I'm moving half way across the country in September and almost everyone who finds out asks what I'll be doing with the dogs when I go. Umm? They're coming with me, obviously?


That drives me crazy. When I was moving from Northern Canada to the United States, lots of people asked me what I was doing with my cats when I left. It made me wonder if they knew me at all.

I also got a number of comments from my extended family about how "quickly" I "replaced" my cats after moving to this country. Um... these are _the same cats_, y'all...



Wannabe Catlady said:


> ...because renting with a cat in a college town can be near impossible.


I'm having this problem too. I'm not a student, but I happen to work in a college town. I have to commute 40 minutes because I can't find anything near work in an affordable price range that allows pets. I don't blame the landlords (at least when I'm in a rational mood,) I blame the tenants who had been so irresponsible that it has made everyone wary of pet owners.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

I moved cross country with my dog and two cats in my 20's. We stayed at hotels that allowed it and made it happen. I then had to rent a house so the animals had a place and the dog had a yard. I have to admit though, that is exactly what scares me about two cats that I adopted. I wasn't planning on more animals under my circumstances. It's just I couldn't see them just die outside. I still worry about the long term but in reality there are just too many cats!


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## 3furbabies (Dec 7, 2011)

As others said this isn't an uncommon view of animals. My neighbours who live behind us hate animals and make snide remarks at us about them so we don't talk to them. I'm pregnant and due in September... I already had someone(not family or friends) ask what we plan on doing with all our animals. I didn't understand what they meant but apparently they meant asking if we would get rid of them all. Huh? Why? I want my kids to grow up to be animal lovers. My animals are my kids as well. I don't get where people get this disposable mentality from towards animals, they are living family members like people.


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## Pushkabounce (Nov 6, 2012)

It's so so sad how people see animals these days. I have heard so many stories like these! Most recent one of a lady getting rid of ALL of her animals (3 dogs, 10 cats, 4 snakes, 2 rabbits) because her boyfriend of 3 months didn't like animals!


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## Jacq (May 17, 2012)

This makes me mad too. I seem to get flack from both sides too, because I come from a background of "working" animals. The barn cats on the family's farm are workers, make no mistake. They have a job to do (eat mice and rats) and in exchange they get a heated barn, clean water, and all the kibble they can eat. Do they get vet trips (aside from spay/neuter)? No. Do they get toys and human interaction? Not really. But they're happy and they do their job and to heck with anyone who says its cruel.

You know what's cruel? When my family finds a litter of dead kittens in the barn because some jerks have dumped their "house pets" on the property. Makes my blood boil. Or when we have to go "restock" (because the cats are s/n) and the ads are full of these poor little things that crave human attention and love that we just can't give them, advertized as "barn cats" because they peed on someone's shoes.

It's two sides of the same coin, I think. I'm all for "working" cats, as a naterual way to control pests. But if you adopt a cat into your home as a companion animal, that's a different set of rules. I think some people are just lazy.

Weirdly, I live in a "college town" I think (two universities and multiple trade colleges) and I don't have a problem with finding a pet-friendly apartment. Landlords seem to looooooove the $500 "non-refundable pet deposit" more than they hate pet damage, I guess.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

I'm used to a fair amount of overlap between barn cats and house cats but I can still associate totally with the post above. There are currently four cats on the farm (nothing to do with my six) - one was deliberately adopted (he is now a fairly senior citizen and has largely moved indoors). The other three are a mother and two daughters. She was dumped in the farm lane while pregnant.


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## Manue (Jan 3, 2013)

That's one reason why it took almost 6 months of serious discussion before I agreed to adopt a cat with my boyfriend. We're both students, so we don't have a stable situation at all. I had to make it crystal clear that as soon as we left the shelter with a cat, that cat would stay with us until its last breath, no matter how inconvenient it would get if we had to move/couldn't find work/needed to travel/etc.

It's beyond me how people can be so insensitive. A couple years back one of my neighbour's cat took to the habit of hanging around our apartment once in a while, and when I learned it had gotten hit by a car, I cried for two days.


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## snowy (Aug 23, 2012)

All kinds of people make up this world. We have someone (I don't know who) in our estate who goes around cat exchange kinda thingy. I had been monitoring this pattern a couple months, each time I see a malnourished sickly cat (_happened to be white all the time_) being dumped somewhere, another healthy stray kitty will go missing nearby.

I have also realised, many owners will also dump their sick kitties where there are stray cat care givers, just so some dumb cat lover/feeder (_sorry for saying this, that's how I see it_) out there will bring these sick kitties to the vet. A remark I heard from a someone, "stray cat lovers will bring these sick cats to the vet, so just leave them lying around, someone will take care of that". Sometimes, after treatment, these kitties will go missing again after being released (_probably brought home again by the owner?_), sometimes they just became stray.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

cat owner again said:


> I was at a party last night and the person's cat is living in a kitchen cabinet because her boyfriend has a bull terrier that wants to kill the cat. She says the cat does get out at night when the dog isn't around but really? The cat is 10 years old so who is going to take this cat? She has had the boyfriend 4 months.


I had to update because my friend and her boyfriend have moved in together and he has agreed to rehome the dog. He finally realized how awful it was that the cat was scared for it's life and hiding in a cabinet. 
I hope the other cat of the younger person also steps up.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Wannabe Catlady said:


> It really makes me sad. When I am having a bad day, I go to Craigslist and send scathing emails to all the people dumping their animals like trash.
> 
> I am a recent college graduate, and waited until my senior year to adopt a cat because renting with a cat in a college town can be near impossible. Yet, I know at least 3 people who have adopted/bought a dog or cat to only surrender them a year later due to living situations. Drives me nuts. Personally, I am moving to a town where nearly all apartments REQUIRE that the cats be declawed, and I am now spending $200 more a month to live in a cat friendly place without that requirement. I can't even begin to tell you the number of times people told me to just get rid of the cats to make it easier. Sick.
> 
> ...


You are so smart that you waited to get your cat, because you are right, so many kids go to college have 5 minutes of freedom and they adopt a cat. My own 19 year old daughter, could not WAIT to get an apartment with her idiot friends, even though she attends the local college. So she gets her apartment, a month later, has a cat, free from craigslist. LUCKILY, it was from a good home, not a freak...I told her she was CRAZY, she says "oh, I went with a friend", yeah, another girl, like they could not have been murderers. Anyway, so yeah, a cat. A month after having her own apartment. Fast forward 3 months, the idiots want out of their lease ( shocked face here.....you mean paying rent when you don't have to is a really bad idea....who'd a thunk?). I have now acquired a 3rd cat, there is no way she is moving back in with me and a 4th cat, so she moves in with my mother in law, thank God, who likes the cat. She can barely take care of the litter box, my MIL does it all the time, buys the food, because my daughter can't be bothered to do it sometimes. Sigh. I did not raise her like this, and I promise, her cat will be cared for, but WHY do college kids feel the need to rush out and adopt a pet 5 minutes after they have their own apartment? THey can barely feed themselves, clean up after themselves, pay their own way in life, and now they have added a pet, a lifetime deal when you take one in. I told her that as soon as she told me she had a cat...this is for life! You have to from this minute on make sure wherever you go, that this cat goes too. I don't want to hear the "my roommate is allergic, or hates cats, or got a pit bull". NO! I will not hear it! I didn't get rid of you when we could barely afford to eat and pay our rent, and YOU don't get to do that to a cat. Lucky for me, my MIL and I will make sure that cat is provided for if my daughter doesn't keep up her end of the deal with him, and she does love him, he is very, very spoiled, but I think it is a tragedy when someone who is not in a great situation gets a pet and then can't find a way to make it work, and they have to rehome it, or worse, turn it out on the street, or to a kill shelter. 

Sorry for the rant, I can't even look at those craigslist ads because I want to yell at those idiots too for getting rid of their babies like garbage.


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## Justteri1000 (May 27, 2013)

My sister was not fond of cats, but one night she and her boyfriend stopped in to a small get together with some friends at work. When their host met them at the door, a young cat streaked into the house. The host chased the cat and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him to the front doorstep where a barrel of water sat. He dunked the cat into water totally submerging him and held him under the water for a moment. The wild cat that ultimately attacked him was my sister. The host defended himself saying he was trying to teach the cat to stop trying to come into the house. A few minutes later another guest arrived and the wet cat squeezed in between legs into the house and the owner of the house repeated the dunking. It just about came to blows between the host and my sister and angrily she and her boyfriend left the party. On the ride home my sister was shaking and exclaiming that she couldn't believe what an idiot that guy had been. My sister's boyfriend said..."you say the word and I'll just steal him!"

That is how my sister got her first of three cats. He was a scrappy thing (perfect for my sister) and lived 17 years........and the boyfriend......she married him.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

Great story about rescuing the cat. Wonder if that idiot will try to teach his kids in a similar manner.


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

Wonderful story, thank you for the positive note in this sad thread.

I know stray cats that are so pampered they check the bowls every evening before supper to see what's on the menu. If they don't like it or already had this for dinner yesterday, they snub the caregiver and go on to the next feeder in the next street. Some of them will meouw despondently if they don't get their daily jowl-scratching plus slicker brushing. Once their tummies are full, they'll start meowing pitifully to some unsuspecting passer-by with a ham and cheese sandwich, till the poor person loses their appetite and give up the filling of the sandwich, not believing me that these cats have had a huge dinner already. I'm their caregiver, by the way, hehe. Just wanted to put another positive note on the thread. I'm blessed to live in a neighborhood where, apart from all the cat haters, there are many other loving souls like me. And I'm blessed with a municipality that cares very much for the welfare of stray cats. Trying to kill a stray cat, if photographed, is 3 years in prison.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

Straysmommy said:


> I'm blessed to live in a neighborhood where, apart from all the cat haters, there are many other loving souls like me. And I'm blessed with a municipality that cares very much for the welfare of stray cats. Trying to kill a stray cat, if photographed, is 3 years in prison.


This is amazing. Good for the cats.

Out of curiosity, what does the municipality think about spaying/neutering the strays?


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## Straysmommy (Dec 23, 2010)

They do everything for free. I call, they come and TNR. On a national level, a law was passed this year that a big part of the money from fines for unleashed dog strolling and other pet related offenses will be used for the welfare of stray cats and dogs. For international politics reasons, our municipality is committed to having the highest standard of protection of marginalized minorities. Our city was voted by the leading LGBT magazine as the best tourist destination for the LGBT community in the whole world, due to this.

That said, this is the Land of the Bible, and as such, the population can't see it any other way than humans are the only important species. Their view on cats is accordingly. 

The municipality do a lot for strays, but there are no shelters. I think they believe more in caring for the strays outdoors and trusting caregiver neighbors. I don't think it's a bad policy, given that cats are top of the food chain here (no predators) and the winters are practically non-existent. I sleep a lot better knowing my strays are downstairs sleeping in the garden than if they were in some shelter at the mercy of who knows what conditions and people. I just think that caregivers should be exempted from municipal tax, because we buy the food.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

cat owner again said:


> I moved cross country with my dog and two cats in my 20's. We stayed at hotels that allowed it and made it happen. I then had to rent a house so the animals had a place and the dog had a yard. I have to admit though, that is exactly what scares me about two cats that I adopted. I wasn't planning on more animals under my circumstances. It's just I couldn't see them just die outside. I still worry about the long term but in reality there are just too many cats!


Long term, there are not too many cats. There is a big movement going on in the US to make it No Kill for shelter and abandoned animals.Plus the TNR movement. It’s all gaining momentum at a fast pace. This would be great reading for you to see that too many pets and not enough homes is a fallacy. *Redemption:* The Myth of Pet Overpopulation and the No Kill Movement in America by Nathan Winograd.

Yes I do come home some days upset when I’ve have dealt with heartless ignorant people who have abused a cat. Mostly I meet people who just need some education and a different perspective with alternatives. I always pipe up and say things to people who are living with information that is outdated and from a different era of pet ownership!

Google Austin a No Kill City. They are on the cutting edge of No Kill. This is happening all over the US. There are big reasons for optimism.



Wannabe Catlady said:


> It really makes me sad. When I am having a bad day, I go to Craigslist and send scathing emails to all the people dumping their animals like trash.


I laughed out loud. Go Girl. People need to see what jerks they are being and feel the backlash of such actions of not make a cat or dog a lifelong member of your family!

I’ve been working with a retired military older gentleman snow bird in his 80s in a RV park. He has been feeding the abandoned cats and trapping them to be s/n. (its against the RV park rules to feed the cats) We arranged for him to get free s/n on a local grant we have for free s/n and vaccinations and deworming and flea treatment for ferals. 

One of the black kittens came to feed who was limping. He left me a message he was going to trap it and take it to animal control to euthanize it. Whoah Howday, back up here Gene. We have arranged for him to trap this kitty and bring him to our vet to see if it may be a thorn in its paw or infection or hurt from jumping out of a high place. We educated him never to rush to euthanize a cat. There are resources and a different way to handle things like this. This gentleman is a work in progress but he has the heart to learn.


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## Avalonia (Oct 7, 2007)

This really upsets me too. These animals depend on us to take care of them. If people are not willing to do that, they should not take them in the first place. The other night, hubby and I were adding up the number of times we've moved in the past 15 years, (two of which involved hundreds of miles), and we've moved about nine times. Each and every time we've taken our cats with us. Now granted, we did have to give up one dog (that we took in after she was dumped in our yard) but we made sure she was taken care of. 

We got our last two cats for this exact reason. Next door neighbor had two adorable kittens but her boyfriend's dog didn't like them. So she put them in her shed (during a blizzard!) and said they were outdoor cats.  After finding them shivering on our porch, they became ours. We still have one of them, and I can't imagine a sweeter, happier cat than our Lea. Her loss, our happy gain.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Id like to put her and the boy friend in a shed during a blizzard and see how they survive. People can be so heartless. How awful.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Jeez, and I spend 20 minutes every morning checking the weather and setting up the apartment for maximum feline comfort for while I"m at work. Fans, no fans, windows open, windows closed, front windows open with fan, back window blind shut to block the strong sun.... and on and on and on and ..... LOLOLOLOLOL


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## mel2mdl (May 30, 2008)

I agree. Don't get an animal that you can't keep forever. And fix your pets, don't dump them in a kill shelter, etc.

HOWEVER, having just had to find homes for quite a few of my pets - situations change. I rescued and rehabbed sugar gliders for years. Sure, I occasionally swelled up from their little claws, but I could deal with it. But, when it got to the point that handling them became dangerous (breathing issues and blood oxygen levels in the low 80's the times I ended up in the ER) it became better for them to find homes rather than have no human interaction. I know where all of them are and see pictures. People's lives can change and sometimes it is better to find a new home than have a miserable pet.


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

cat owner again said:


> I had to update because my friend and her boyfriend have moved in together and he has agreed to rehome the dog. He finally realized how awful it was that the cat was scared for it's life and hiding in a cabinet.
> I hope the other cat of the younger person also steps up.


I don't see how dumping the dog is any better? 


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

It isn't better to dump either.

I realise I am odd but when people talk about pets as family, I really do. I take in animals KNOWING I may not be able to keep them but that's a different thing. Otherwise it would have to be truly for their benefit (not mine and not for the sake of a relationship) that the thought of re-homing would ever cross my miond.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

kayla baxter said:


> I don't see how dumping the dog is any better?


No one said anything about dumping the dog instead.

IMO the solution is training and more exercise for the dog. 

The vast majority of people just bring home a new pet and hope for the best, no training, integration, or planning. Then when it doesn't work out like a Disney movie they dump which ever pet is their current least favorite. There are currently 5 ads on the first 3 pages of my local Kijiji that read exactly like that.

However, no one here suggested getting rid of the dog. Jumping the gun a bit to start pointing fingers, I think.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

THe OP said that they BF decided to rehome his dog because it wasn't fair for the cat to be terrified and living in a cabinet. 

He may not have 'dumped' it, but it was gotten rid of.


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## Risami (Nov 18, 2007)

I had 3 cats before i moved some time ago my aunt made me get rid of my 2 and only kept one but the 3 cats were family. i was really depress wondeirng what they were up to. they were given to a neighbor but she got rid of them i was hopoing that i could get them back when things got settled  did lost that 3rd cat to a car though 6 months after i moved. my uncle didn't want her indoors sadly but i now have 2 indoor cats


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## Zephyriddle (Mar 28, 2012)

MowMow said:


> THe OP said that they BF decided to rehome his dog because it wasn't fair for the cat to be terrified and living in a cabinet.
> 
> He may not have 'dumped' it, but it was gotten rid of.


Exactly. Both of my Danes are reactive to strange cats and I'll be moving in with my partner who has two cats in September. The dogs have a solid "leave it" and will be leashed while the cats are in a bedroom for the first little while. There will always be gates to give the cats someone to get away. Is it hard work and stress to make it work? Yes. But that's part of having pets and being an adult. I'm not going to give up my dogs to make it easier on the cats while everyone adjusts. 


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## MyBabiesDaddy (Jan 1, 2013)

Justteri1000 said:


> My sister was not fond of cats, but one night she and her boyfriend stopped in to a small get together with some friends at work. When their host met them at the door, a young cat streaked into the house. The host chased the cat and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and carried him to the front doorstep where a barrel of water sat. He dunked the cat into water totally submerging him and held him under the water for a moment. The wild cat that ultimately attacked him was my sister. The host defended himself saying he was trying to teach the cat to stop trying to come into the house. A few minutes later another guest arrived and the wet cat squeezed in between legs into the house and the owner of the house repeated the dunking. It just about came to blows between the host and my sister and angrily she and her boyfriend left the party. On the ride home my sister was shaking and exclaiming that she couldn't believe what an idiot that guy had been. My sister's boyfriend said..."you say the word and I'll just steal him!"
> 
> That is how my sister got her first of three cats. He was a scrappy thing (perfect for my sister) and lived 17 years........and the boyfriend......she married him.



What a fantastic end to the story! I feel, like so many here, that adopting a pet is a lifelong committment. My first cat walked into my girlfriends house, and never left. My second cat was adopted from the shelter after he had been "returned" twice. Once because the owner was allergic to cats, the second was because it was a military person who was re-deployed. Really? You never thought about that perhaps happening? However, I'm blessed that my Simba had two idiots take him and return him, because now he's ours and he'll never want for anything more. 

My girlfriend recently found out that she's allergic to cats, and I think I am too. But it NEVER entered our minds to get rid of them. That's why there's Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Benadryl etc. 

Some of your might remember the issue I had previously with my brother in law who trapped a feral and then threw the cage away (with the cat in it). I still don't talk to him and my relationship with my sister has deteriorated as well because of it. Seeing cats getting hurt/neglected/abused makes me so angry and frustrated. I'm happy to hear that there are towns that actually care for their animals and try to help them. And I'm happy knowing there are many good,heart filled people out there who love their babies to death.


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## Justteri1000 (May 27, 2013)

*Cat allergies*

I am allergic to cats too. I rarely wear my contacts because of it and I am asthmatic to boot. I sleep with Max. I take two Benadryl every night before I go to bed and have for years. I take an inhaled steroid every night as part of my night time regimen. I try to wash my hands right after holding or petting them. If I fail to do this I am ruined for the rest of the day with continual sneezing, and a swollen face. My new husband is a bit alarmed by how bad I can get in a very short amount of time, but I tell him not to worry that I am just "O.D.ing" on cats.

But seriously, try to keep your hands away from your face when you have been petting the cats. It will make a huge difference. There is a good chance you will find that your body will develop some tolerance to your specific cats.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

BabiesDaddy - I'm allergic to them as well. It just takes... precautions. I take an allergy pill in the evening (if I take it in the morning for hayfever it wears off in the middle of the night and the c ats set off the allergies). 

Around the apartment I keep all the couches and their sleeping surfaces covered with a sheet, pillowcase, or blanket. Those get washed (not just tossed in the laundry room because they'll trigger my allergies if they sit around) and put into a cedar trunk every two or three days and a fresh blanket (from the chest) put down. 

I have a sheet across my bed and change that every few days along with my pillowcases (since they both cuddle by my head now). I wash my sheets and blankets every single weekend (along with the pillowcases again). 

I vacuum twice a week to get up as much cat hair as possible and more often during shedding season. I brush them like crazy when they shed and then take a shower right after because it makes my eyes itch unbelievably.

I agree, it would never even occur to me to get rid of them because I'm allergic. It's manageable with these precautions and they are absoultey without a doubt worth the extra work.


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## NebraskaCat (Jan 15, 2013)

RE Reasons for rehoming:

Just this week, we had a cat returned to shelter because apparently the cat chewed on part of a child's drawing and that really upset the child because the child is good at art.

Also this week a cat came to us because the parents had long ago adopted it for their grade school age daughter, but now that the daughter is in high school and doesn't want to take care of it any more. The parents didn't want to either. After they had the cat for years.

Although the winner of the worthless owner prize in my mind was getting a cat returned because the owner bought new furniture and the cat no longer matched the decor.


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## Blakeney Green (Jan 15, 2013)

NebraskaCat said:


> Just this week, we had a cat returned to shelter because apparently the cat chewed on part of a child's drawing and that really upset the child because the child is good at art.


I assume this child is never going to live with... say... a sibling?

Horrible reasons!


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## J&K (Jun 14, 2012)

I have often considered volunteering for a local shelter, but I don't think I'd have the heart. I'd love to help out, but I don't think I am strong enough to see the reality of the situation day after day. It's just too sad for me. 

I adopted my first cat (I now have two) right after I graduated from college. We have moved at least 5 times together. In addition to the "expected expenses" (food, litter, vet bills), I've probably paid thousands of dollars extra in rent, security, etc. because of my cats. Not to mention additional expenses to deal with behavioral problems (replacing furniture, buying gallons of feliway). 

I chose to adopt my cats when I was young, my life was not "stable," and I had little cash to spare. I will admit, there have been times when I've wondered whether it would have been better to wait before adopting animals, as getting them at such a transient stage in my life has certainly been more complicated than I'd anticipated. However, although it has been difficult at times, they have so much to give. They are a part of my family, and they deserve the best life that I can give to them. No matter how "inconvenient" they can be, I could not image getting rid of them would ever the "better" option. They did not chose to come live with me- I chose to bring them into my home. I owe it to them to provide them with the best standards of living that are possible.



MowMow said:


> Jeez, and I spend 20 minutes every morning checking the weather and setting up the apartment for maximum feline comfort for while I"m at work. Fans, no fans, windows open, windows closed, front windows open with fan, back window blind shut to block the strong sun.... and on and on and on and ..... LOLOLOLOLOL


Literally laughed at my computer when I read this. I do the same exact thing. A few weeks ago, I took a day off of work. It was supposed to be hot, and I didn't have my window unit installed yet. I spent the day fiddling with the windows, the blinds, the shades, etc. just to make sure it didn't get too hot for the cats (and myself, at that point). The window unit is now installed, thankfully.


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## CharlesD (Jun 12, 2013)

NebraskaCat said:


> Although the winner of the worthless owner prize in my mind was getting a cat returned because the owner bought new furniture and the cat no longer matched the decor.


Why did this person get one to start with?

Come to think of it, his orange color doesn't exactly match my recliner, but I think I can deal with it.


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## Justteri1000 (May 27, 2013)

I built my house in 2003. We had moved from New York to the mountains of NC. Max and Pooter would have been about 5-years old then. I designed the house myself and so many aspects of that house had those 2 cats in mind from the floor to ceiling glass, to the sunroom with tiled floors, a cat fountain, cat perches and cat tree (and thats about it), to the window sills, the screened in patio off the dining room (and the doors leading out to it were kept wide open for three seasons a year) to the extra large dedicated litter room (walled off within the laundry room) with multiple litter boxes. I used to put them on long, stretchy leashes in the morning and we would spend half a day outside in the yard. Unfortunately, I moved out of state in 2010 and had to sell the house and moved into an apartment. I was on the second level and I had my fairly large patio screened in before we moved in and left the door open to that screened in patio through the summer and fall (and it was much hotter in South Carolina than it had been in the mountains). I was so worried when trying to find an apartment that I thought would somehow replace the big house they had been living in. The complex had a nature trail and it crossed over a bridge onto a small island. I envisioned taking them to the island for afternoon picnics where they would be able to come off their leashes and explore a little. I would stand guard at the bridge. Unfortunately, it was all just too much for Pooter and he was in a near panic the whole time we were there and just couldn't enjoy himself, so after about the 5th time I abandoned the whole going outside thing. Then I got married and we moved into my husbands house. Now the cats are 15. They have a sunroom, a dedicated bathroom with a single large litter box in the tub and I keep the sink full of water for Pooter. They have a quiet darkened room for daytime naps and the run of the house. Occasionally on the weekends we put them on their leashes and sit on the back patio and in the yard with them. Max has a blast and we sit outside with him for hours. Pooter has never regained his former wonder at being outside and after about 15 minutes asks to come back in where it's cool and certain.

I hope I do not have to put my cats through another move, but I know that if I do, I will do everything in my power to make sure they have the best life I can provide them.


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## MTTS88 (Jun 23, 2013)

Yes animals are disposable in many peoples eyes. The concept of animals having value, deserving a dignified life is part of a modern perspective. However it can be seen going back to pretty much man and animal coexisting. Many people look at it as "man is the supreme form of life on the planet and everything is subservient to me."

Many people get animals to with little regard for what it means. Moms will get kids a pet as it's apparently a cheap and easy way to keep them entertained. Young adults will get them to supplement loneliness until they can fill that void with a human partner. Many people look at animals as place holders or objects. This is something as a society will not likely correct entirely. 

Statistics point that this is on the downhill slide though. To quote the human society, http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/pet_overpopulation/facts/pet_ownership_statistics.html:
"From 1970 to 2010, the number of dogs and cats in homes has increased from 67 million to 164 million. The annual number of dogs and cats euthanized in shelters has also decreased from 12-20 million to 3.4 million."

So that is definitely improvement in the way we view this creatures we share the planet with. Teaching owner responsibility is something that is often overlooked and would be difficult, mostly due to financial dedication to do this, to administer. Animal control simply doesn't have resources to teach each potential adopter what it means to care for a new animal friend. However for myself, the $100+ adoption fee should help. I had to pay $75 up front and then for several shots/operations to be done over the next week for my newest addition. Not something most people are going to just spend if they can't. Not to mention the city will send you a $50 ticket if proof that they were done isn't provided.

My dad wanted to be a marine biologist as a kid. Still does, I would like to thank him for teaching me respect to animals. So many of my friends didn't feel that respect. Many people I know don't see that as normal. It's hard to teach someone who has never been taught value as a child, value as an adult. Many people think it's over dramatic but I find it questionable that an individual who values only human life, can raise a child. Especially as valuing life should be a broad view, not a pick and choose feeling.

My long thoughts on the matter, but I have talked quite a bit with my wife on this before. She at one time wanted to take Sammy to the pound, a cat we took in. I refused and explained, "he may have ruined some carpet, but we made a promise by taking him in. He is ours now and that will not change." She understood and I think over time has really connected with my feeling and view on this. As stewards of the earth, we have a higher responsibility to all life, not less.


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