Mini Rant about Irresponsible Cat owners

Hi,

So this is something I feel very strongly about but I'm not sure my friends and family quite understand.

*a disclosure* I realize that there ARE circumstances where it is inevitable to give your cat up for adoption. But I think in a lot of cases this is not so.

Today I was searching Craig's List for random stuff and saw a post: Pure Breed Himalayan Cat $650. So I clicked on the post out of curiosity and saw a picture of a very beautiful white Himalayan cat. The person was selling him with papers and cat accessories because they "moved into a new apartment that didn't allow cats." So seriously, *if* the cat was a pure breed (and I don't know how much they typically go for, but I do know that pure breeds are up there in $$) then the person must have paid A LOT of money for the kitty. Why would you give it up (it was only 1 1/2 yrs old) after such a short time if you invested that kind of money into an animal? Unless the cat was not a pure breed and the person was being sleezy...

But even so, when I was adopting my kitten I looked on Craig's list as well and saw SO many postings of people giving their cat up because
1). they moved somewhere that didn't allow pets. - Well as a cat owner and also a renter I have found A BUNCH of places that allow cat ranging from $0 -$500 pet deposit. And seriously, especially with a cat that allegedly costs $650 wouldn't you try to sneak your cat into your place anyway?!

2) They have allergies.- Did they not know about their allergies before they got the cat? and if they did know, why would they adopt one? and if their allergies were THAT bad, how did they not know? And why didn't they try to treat their allergies?

3). They don't have time to be with it anymore. -Unless you're getting deployed, deported or get into a high-powered job, why would you adopt an animal in the first place?!

Even a friend of mine didn't get her outdoor cats spayed even though i bugged her a couple times and even found a cheap clinic for her. THen the cat got preggers, had a kitten, she didn't take the time to train the kitten to the litterbox and then adopted it out because it was peeing all over the place...

I guess my point is that so many people DON'T realize that a pet is a lifetime commitment and cats and dogs live a good amount of time. If you're not willing to make the life long commitment then why do you even bother? Because kittens are cute? and then they grow up to be adult cats which are less cute and now have behavioral problems because they didn't get enough attention or just have that type of personality? I have seen so many people on this site going so far to keep their cats despite severe health and behavioral problems. I just wish the larger cat-owning population had even half as much devotion to their animals as you guys do.

Ok I'm done. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

Oh yes, being in rescue I hear those reasons all the time, for both cats and dogs. Another reason is babies. People have babies and suddenly can't keep their pets anymore. Its an extremely common thing for people to get pets as "practice" and then get rid of the pet once they have a baby. My mom had babies and cats at the same time, and everybody turned out fine!

Another reason that seems to be popular is giving up your pet because you are getting married to a person who doesn't like pets. I would never be with anybody who didn't like animals. We just wouldn't be compatible! We just had a lovely 3 yr old female black lab returned to rescue because the owner had gotten engaged and the woman didn't like dogs. The poor dog was so sad and confused.

aww i know. I think they should change the word pet to "little buddy" and then you'll think twice about giving up your little buddy for a dumb reason

That's just terrible. I could never ever give up my animals. Cat and dog both just melt my heart especially when they look into your eyes with total contentment. And if I was ever with someone who told me I had to get rid of them because they don't like them well then the guy could hit the road.

i dont understand how someone can get rid of their pet... there are circumstances where it is absolutely necessary but i dont consider moving into an apartment that doesnt allow pets one of them. if you have an animal and u have to move, find an apartment that does allow pets.. i am planning on moving and have been looking for apartments that i can afford and most of them say no pets allowed but i wont try to move into any of them if they wont let me bring my cat. i could never imagine getting rid of him. he is my responsibility and will be until he crosses the bridge(hes a kitten so hopefully that wont be for a looooonnnnggggg time). i cant picture my life without him and as long as he is alive he will never be with anyone but me, period.

i so0o understand where you are coming from. i would love to volunteer at a shelter but i would not be able to handle the people who bring their animals in to have them adopted into new homes. i would probably get fired, because i would not be able to hold my tongue when they give dumb excuses for getting rid of their pets. i was raised in a home where animals were part of the family. and i had a dog who had a urinating problem. he would pee when you tried to pet him bc he would get excited. when me and my mom moved in with my stepdad, he made my mom get rid of my dog because of his problem. i freaked out on my mom when she allowed this to happen. luckily though, we found him a loving home where he is very happy, and my mom keeps in contact with his new family.

didnt mean to highjack the thread, but i feel the same way you do, and if only everyone were like the people on these forums. the world would be a much better place, and shows like Animal Cops wouldnt exist. i like the show but the things i see are disgusting and very very disturbing. i cant get thru a single episode without crying.

I know - see it all the time on craigslist - not for just cats, but dogs too - same excuses. Makes me mad and want to just strangle some people with NO common sense.

THANK YOU AND WELL SAID/FELT, MIAOKITTY.

I couldn't agree with you more -- except on one small point. The money thang. I don't believe in putting prices on lives, whether they're human, feline, or ???. Call it a historical/cultural bias on my part, but I have a DEEP aversion to selling living beings. Having said that, and believing all life is priceless, precious, and sacred, I wouldn't give a hoot what price someone put on a living being -- it's the fact that a cat is a CAT! ANY cat! And if it's only about price, status, "breed" -- it isn't about real compassion and caring and personally committed, responsible love in the first place, so those people should never even consider adopting a living being, period. The fact that they've done so and are so blithely willing to part ways with the adoptee speaks volumes, and none of them positive.

A cat is a LIVING BEING with sentience (feelings!) who probably feels more deeply than human beings do, and for this and a billion other reasons, the only people who should adopt them are people who truly love them and are ready, willing, and able to commit to them for LIFE, barring some true catastrophe (and no, moving, having a baby, getting married/engaged/a new SO ain't among 'em!). Allergies can be dealt with -- there are myriad prescription medicines and some OTC's as well as topical treatments out there to help ease this, and though I've made some less-than-friends for saying so on TCS, I personally do not believe allergies qualify as a reason to abandon a family member, which is what a cat is when you adopt a cat. Moving? Well, I dunno about y'all, but I'd make real sure the new place allowed ALL members of my family before I even did a walk-through. I'd save to make sure I had a deposit as required, too. And I'd be responsible -- that means I would (and do) keep my cats indoors only, keep the environment clean, and be considerate of others by being reasonably quiet. If a place didn't allow my cats, I wouldn't live there. Period. I know many cities are really mitigating against companion animals these days, which is another reason for us to join organizations lobbying for better laws to protect ALL of our family members from this kind of thing.

Cats are worthy of all the love, respect, kindness, compassion, and good care we can give them. Anything less just doesn't do it.

End of rant. For now.

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

THANK YOU AND WELL SAID/FELT, MIAOKITTY.

I couldn't agree with you more -- except on one small point. The money thang. I don't believe in putting prices on lives, whether they're human, feline, or ???. Call it a historical/cultural bias on my part, but I have a DEEP aversion to selling living beings. Having said that, and believing all life is priceless, precious, and sacred, I wouldn't give a hoot what price someone put on a living being -- it's the fact that a cat is a CAT! ANY cat! And if it's only about price, status, "breed" -- it isn't about real compassion and caring and personally committed, responsible love in the first place, so those people should never even consider adopting a living being, period. The fact that they've done so and are so blithely willing to part ways with the adoptee speaks volumes, and none of them positive.

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Yeah, I agree. I guess it would be different if you wanted to show your cat, though i don't really know what kind of people show animals or anything about the show world at all. And I agree that adopting for the wrong reason is definately part of the problem out there.

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

Allergies can be dealt with -- there are myriad prescription medicines and some OTC's as well as topical treatments out there to help ease this, and though I've made some less-than-friends for saying so on TCS, I personally do not believe allergies qualify as a reason to abandon a family member, which is what a cat is when you adopt a cat.

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definately. I know i'm probably somewhat allergic to my cats, but that will never cause me to give them up. Also, I've never known anyone to have their allergies worsen when they've been living with a cat for some time. Usually it's the other way around.

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

Moving? Well, I dunno about y'all, but I'd make real sure the new place allowed ALL members of my family before I even did a walk-through. I'd save to make sure I had a deposit as required, too. And I'd be responsible -- that means I would (and do) keep my cats indoors only, keep the environment clean, and be considerate of others by being reasonably quiet. If a place didn't allow my cats, I wouldn't live there. Period. I know many cities are really mitigating against companion animals these days, which is another reason for us to join organizations lobbying for better laws to protect ALL of our family members from this kind of thing.

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Sometimes I think the allergy/moving excuse may be used because the cat has a behavioral problem (urinating places, biting or something else) or the person just got bored with them. This happened to a friend who adopted a cat with litter and everything else from craig's list. The person said she was giving the cat up b/c of allergies but The cat actually had a urinating problem. So my friend took the cat to teh vet and she had a unrinary tract infection. Problem solved. This almost infuriates me more because the person didn't try to help their kitty at all then put it on someone else to deal with. I guess in a way my cat got lucky because the kitty just needed some medication and was fine. But what if it was more serious? then you're not taking the cat OR the future owner into account...

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

Cats are worthy of all the love, respect, kindness, compassion, and good care we can give them. Anything less just doesn't do it.

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AMEN!

Originally Posted by Tarasgirl06

End of rant. For now.

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I agree with you but sometimes circumstances beyond your control happen. I recently had to take my babies to the shelter, where they could be adopted. We are in foreclosure and had to move from a 3 br house to a 1 br apartment. There was no way under the sun I could afford the pet deposit ($400 per cat) since I had to pay an additional one because of the foreclosure. 6 cats in a 1 br apartment just would not work! There was also an additional pet rent per month.

We did what we thought was best so our kitties would have a chance! A lot of people just turn their pets loose to fend for themselves. It ripped our hearts out to give them up, be we had no choice.

Don't judge unless you know all the facts. This really offended me.

Oh and by the way, allergies can develope at anytime. My husband's asthma is not as severe.