Is it okay to put my cat to sleep?

My cat is a 5 year old Ragdoll (born May 26, 2011). He has been with me for almost 1 year, end of this month.


He is neutered and front paws declawed (yes, I am aware of how awful declawing is, but his first owner did it) but every since he was 1 year old he'd urinate on everything. He was taken to the vet several times by his first owner. He had bladder crystals and a urinary track infection (blood in the urine too). He was put on antibiotics and pain control, the bladder crystals and urinary track infections kept reoccurring. The vet put him on Science Diet C/D Urinary Care (canned food). He was on this for 3 years. This got very expensive on top of having to replace everything he's peed on, so I had to stop buying it and buy the over the counter urinary foods, like the ones made by Purina. All canned food.
This behavior continued and he was put on valium. The vet then contributed it to both medical and behavioral behavior. He eventually stopped using the litter box. They put him on puppy pads and he used those until he came to me. I eventually got him using the litter box again but it made me cough and sneeze due to all of the dust (that was the only litter he used).

I had to rehome him due to allergies with his litter. His 3rd owner kept him for 5 months before giving him back to me. She said he peed on everything (I made her quite aware of this fact) and even though she loved him, she couldn't deal with him. He had been to her vet and was put on antibiotics.

I got him back. 2 months later I found out that I had to rehome him again (yes, I know that is terrible but I had NO choice). His 4th owner had him for 2 months before giving me him back. They abused him dispute my diligence finding a good match for him. I feel awful about this fact!!


So....now I have him again. I am trying to make him stay with me forever but my patience and money is slipping away. He is using my bed as his litter box 99% of the time. What use to be just pee is now poop AND pee. My bed has been cleaned to the best I can. It has a plastic tarp on it when I am at work and can not clean up cat urine. Unfortunately, he still thinks the bed is a litter box. Even with the tarp on it. I lock him up in his cat carrier at night. I do not have a spare room to put him in. If I can not watch him, he goes in the carrier, or I must have the unfortune of cleaning up cat pee and poop. I let him out of the carrier right before I go to sleep. He whines all night long pretty much and I feel awful but I can't afford to have anything else ruined.



He is using unscented, low dust, clumping clay litter.
I have tried pellets, natural clumping litters, crystals, regular old clay litter, puppy pads in the litter box, scented litter, unscented litter, small litter box, medium litter box, large litter box, jumbo litter box, with a hood and without a hood litter box, litter box liner, no litter box liner, litter mat, no litter mat, 1 litter box, 2+ litter boxes, multiple litters in each box, all the same litter, Cats Attract Litter, etc. I clean the litter boxes 3 times a day. Nothing. Is. Working.

I've tried over the counter calming drugs, collars, vet prescribed valium, feliway, etc.


He has been with 4 owners (I am the 2nd) and he urinated in all of the homes.


I do not have the money for an outdoor enclosure right now. Baloo has never been outside. He is a Ragdoll (low fighting instinct) and declawed, not to mention cottonmouth snakes are populated where I live so I can't just put him outside.

I have looked into cat rescues (Ragdoll rescues too) and cat sanctuaries. Everyone says they're full of cats or won't take cats that urinate inappropriately. A shelter will just euthanize him.
He peed on his 1st owner's rare $10,000 (yes, $10,000) dollar couch.


I love Baloo beyond measure, but I can not go on physically, emotionally, (and especially) financially anymore.
He has a vet appointment tomorrow with a new vet to look at him. I will wait until what he says/recommends, but I've had it with the litter box as my bed. My mattress, sheets, and comforter are destroyed. I will ask my vet about more valium or maybe even Xanax or prozac. But after that and if he still won't stop it, I don't know what I'll do.



So, when is enough 'enough'? When is it okay to put down a animal like this?

I think I would try 1. seeking advice from a cat trainer/behaviorist, 2. continuing to seek out more rescues - try some of the smaller rescues, 3. finding a suitable home with someone who has more space that can be "his." I would do all of those things far before I would consider euthanizing him. I just can't imagine that someone out there wouldn't take him in the rescue world.

Before YOU gave him away the first time, was he strictly using the litter box, and no where else?  That's the way I read it, and you had to give him up because YOU couldn't deal with the dust, etc. from the litter, correct?  And he would ONLY use that one particular litter?  Also, didn't he urinate on puppy pads for his previous owners.  So he can be trained.   If this is so, then I believe you have a chance still.

But first, I think you are going to have to completely toss or clean with an enzymatic cleaner every where he has ever urinated to get that smell out.  YOU may not smell it, but if HE can, he will still be drawn to it.  This may include your  mattress unless you really soak it with the cleaner.  I guess while you are deep cleaning everything, you do need to get him using some place as "his bathroom".  I'm guessing some of his problem is his feet, and possibly they hurt due to being declawed.  This is sometimes an issue with declawed cats    Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about fixing that, but, naturally, litter or whatever he digs in plays a huge part in how badly it hurts.  I would think puppy pads would work best.  He may associate the box itself with pain (I'm guessing here, could be totally wrong), so perhaps a puppy pad in the same place everyday, but NOT in a litter box?  And you may need to train him like a puppy and when you see him start to go elsewhere, pick him up and quickly place him on the pad, then praise the heck out of him .  All I know is yelling doesn't work with cats.

I guess by now you've been to the Vet.  What did they have to say?  Any underlying condition?  If he is completely healthy, you might also openup a thread in the Behavior Forum to see if anyone has any ideas.

mrsgreenjeens said:

Before YOU gave him away the first time, was he strictly using the litter box, and no where else?  That's the way I read it, and you had to give him up because YOU couldn't deal with the dust, etc. from the litter, correct?  And he would ONLY use that one particular litter?  Also, didn't he urinate on puppy pads for his previous owners.  So he can be trained.   If this is so, then I believe you have a chance still.

But first, I think you are going to have to completely toss or clean with an enzymatic cleaner every where he has ever urinated to get that smell out.  YOU may not smell it, but if HE can, he will still be drawn to it.  This may include your  mattress unless you really soak it with the cleaner.  I guess while you are deep cleaning everything, you do need to get him using some place as "his bathroom".  I'm guessing some of his problem is his feet, and possibly they hurt due to being declawed.  This is sometimes an issue with declawed cats    Unfortunately, there isn't much that can be done about fixing that, but, naturally, litter or whatever he digs in plays a huge part in how badly it hurts.  I would think puppy pads would work best.  He may associate the box itself with pain (I'm guessing here, could be totally wrong), so perhaps a puppy pad in the same place everyday, but NOT in a litter box?  And you may need to train him like a puppy and when you see him start to go elsewhere, pick him up and quickly place him on the pad, then praise the heck out of him

.  All I know is yelling doesn't work with cats.

I guess by now you've been to the Vet.  What did they have to say?  Any underlying condition?  If he is completely healthy, you might also openup a thread in the Behavior Forum to see if anyone has any ideas.

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Yes. He was using the litter box before I gave him away.


Yes. I just got home from the vet, Baloo is having blood work done, a FELv test, physical exam, urinalysis, sedation (uncooperative) and staying over night. My only concern is that I was totally unaware that they'd need to sedate him today, so of course he had food and water prior. Vet said he'd be fine. You're not suppose to sedate without food/water being not given for 12 hours.....! Will my cat die? This is a new vet. Not my current one.

oldgloryrags88 said:

 I just got home from the vet, Baloo is having blood work done, a FELv test, physical exam, urinalysis, sedation (uncooperative) and staying over night. My only concern is that I was totally unaware that they'd need to sedate him today, so of course he had food and water prior. Vet said he'd be fine. You're not suppose to sedate without food/water being not given for 12 hours.....! Will my cat die? This is a new vet. Not my current one.

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 I am a human doctor, not a cat doctor and any advice that I give you about your cat should be checked with your vet.   The reason why the vets, or human doctors for that matter, insist on starvation before sedation is that sedation on a full stomach can contribute to vomiting and inhalation of the stomach contents.  In general, however the incidence of this is not 100% in humans, nor cats, and the chances are that he will be alright, particularly if you have informed the vet or veterinary staff that he has already eaten. 

With best wishes,

Geoffrey

Update:

Thank you to all who've answered! And, @Geoffrey for your explanation!

Baloo is home and well. He is back on his prescription food (Science Diet C/D) and he was diagnosed with another urinary track infection. He is on a antibiotic. The vet says that if he keeps this up after the infection is cleared, the vet will give me prozac for him.