Does this bother you?

eilcon

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I was at a family gathering this weekend and a cousin who lives in Tenn.
started talking about he's trying to "get rid of his cat." He's actually getting ready to travel for business for a while and is trying to find the cat a good home. But, I realized how much it bothers me to hear people saying they want to "get rid of cat," or any pet for that matter. I hear this a lot from people in my office building whenever I post a flyer about a cat that needs a home. Someone will always say, "Hey, I saw you're trying to get rid of a cat."

To me this is just really insensitive and seems to imply that pets are disposable, an attitude I have no use for. Does this bother anybody else, or am I just being overly sensitive?
 

xocats

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I hate that. Imagine if someone said....I need to get rid of my child.
 

purity

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I agree with you. My kittens are part of my family, but it seems that a great many people view them as nothing more than property.

A friend came round at the weekend and took the mickey out of how I treat my boys saying 'they're ONLY cats' - well, no, actually, they're more than that to me
 

snosrap5

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my cousin goes through animals like crazy. Mainly dogs.
She loves them as puppies but doesnt like them as adults. Drives me nuts.
We tell her you do not need anymore animals. But there she goes again and gets another one. She always has an excuse as to why she gets rid of them. too big, pees on the floor, won't settle down, kids are allergic to that type of fur. Its always something.
 

lillekat

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I don't like it either - it's an inelegant and thoughtless turn of phrase. All it takes is a little consideration before opening their mouths and there is something far more pleasing to the ear that will fall out. Too many people say without thinking these days
 

miss mew

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I fully agree with everyone. Our furbabies are not disposable..you just don't get rid of your kitty anytime you move and get another one at the new destination...people like that should never even have pets.
 

gailc

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I agree the verbage and thinking behind it is pretty sad. But when I lost Sheba I had someone call me out of the blue and said that his son had to get rid of his cats and did I want one. Like I'll just take any cat to have another one!!
 

bigkittendaddy

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I dont like the phrasing at all. For a lot of people that is just the way they talk. So many people do not express themselves well in this day and age. It is just the way we live and think nowadays. We are raised to think everything is disposible. Paper plates, pets, kids cars, whatever.
 

cjandbilly

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I don't like the meaning of the saying, and I think it'd be nice if people used their words a little more careful, but when someone says it, it doesn't bother me. I know what they mean, and that they mean nothing by it.
 

an33la

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Hey i hate to hear such horrible things!!! I love my chuchu but some people around me are so insensitive that they just dont understand that these lovely beings also have feelings....I hope all the cats out there get loving n caring homes.
 

prissykitty

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A man who works with my friend Doris said he needed to get rid of his daughter's cats because he was tired of taking care of them. The cats were nine years old and his daughter had had them since they were kittens. Doris agreed to take them and put them in the barn with the other two barn cats.

The little girl came and was crying her eyes out having to say goodbye to her kitty friends. I am really glad I wasn't there. Doris said she started crying too and promised the girl she would take good care of them.

I don't understand how people think you can just "get rid of" animals when you don't want them any more. My parents are the same way. not only did they adopt two cats and then not continue their shots and never took them to the vet again, but now that they will be moving soon they won't be taking their cats with them. Stuff like that just makes me sick. I wish I could put a label on my parents forehead that said "Do not adopt an animal to me I will just get rid of it when I get tired of it!".
 

fatkitties

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What bugs me even more is when people refer to thier pets as "it." To call an animal "it" implies that they aren't important enough to be called anything else. The only time I EVER use "it" is when I am talking about a hypothetical animal, or one that I truly don't know the gender. Any other time, they are "he" "she" or referred to by name.

I hate "get rid of" too, though. If you really truly can't keep a pet anymore, you need to find them a new family, or rehome them. I got rid of the garbage that I put out by the curb for pickup this weekend.
 

kittycity

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I think the words people choose can be very revealing of how they think. There's a difference between "getting rid of" a cat and "finding a new home" for a cat. Whether they realize it or not, it says something about their mindset.

I do think it's sad that so many people have a lack of commitment to their pets. Are they like this in the rest of their life - tossing aside their responsibilities to suit their convenience?

Last month I rescued the most adorable little gray kitten. He had obviously been dumped because he was two blocks away from a major highway and couldn't have gotten there by himself. He was very friendly and unfazed by the trauma of it all, so you could tell he had been at least somewhat socialized. Yet someone apparently felt he was too much trouble and decided to "get rid of" him. I just think it's sad.
 

kittycity

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Originally Posted by fatkitties

What bugs me even more is when people refer to thier pets as "it." To call an animal "it" implies that they aren't important enough to be called anything else. The only time I EVER use "it" is when I am talking about a hypothetical animal, or one that I truly don't know the gender. Any other time, they are "he" "she" or referred to by name.
I work in the publishing field and our stylebook says we should only use "it" when the animal's name or gender has not been established. Otherwise the correct usage is "he" or "she."

So there, it's official.
 

marge

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Originally Posted by BigKittenDaddy

I dont like the phrasing at all. For a lot of people that is just the way they talk. So many people do not express themselves well in this day and age. It is just the way we live and think nowadays. We are raised to think everything is disposible. Paper plates, pets, kids cars, whatever.
That is a really good point. I was heard a speaker say how americans aren't materialistic, then we would actually value our things. That we are actually junk makers. And toss things quickly. And yes I see that attitude with pets.

I would hope people would at least use the term "rehome" which is better. I mean I would rather people did seek homes for their pets than abandon them, or even take them to a shelter-although it depends on the shelter.
 

me-n-my guys

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Originally Posted by Marge

That is a really good point. I was heard a speaker say how americans aren't materialistic, then we would actually value our things. That we are actually junk makers. And toss things quickly. And yes I see that attitude with pets.

I would hope people would at least use the term "rehome" which is better. I mean I would rather people did seek homes for their pets than abandon them, or even take them to a shelter-although it depends on the shelter.
Yes, things in our disposable society are actually made to become obsolete so they can easily be replaced by new things, guilt free. There also doesn't seem to be much responsibility with things anymore, no being accountable for your actions. I know not everyone has this mentality, plus it could just be me getting old & noticing things more.
 

consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by fatkitties

What bugs me even more is when people refer to thier pets as "it." To call an animal "it" implies that they aren't important enough to be called anything else. The only time I EVER use "it" is when I am talking about a hypothetical animal, or one that I truly don't know the gender. Any other time, they are "he" "she" or referred to by name.
It drives me nuts when people call an animal "it" when they know the gender. "It" refers to an inanimate object. Animals can feel pain and experience emotions, so they shouldn't be called "it". The kind of people who "get rid of" animals are the ones that would call an animal "it".
 

consumerkitty

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Originally Posted by KittyCity

I think the words people choose can be very revealing of how they think. There's a difference between "getting rid of" a cat and "finding a new home" for a cat. Whether they realize it or not, it says something about their mindset.
No TCS member would ever use the expression "get rid of" when talking about an animal. I agree that choice of words tells a lot about a person's mindset.
 

ilovecats

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I agree. That sounds as if the cat was an old toy, or a piece of trash.
Its almost cruel just to say it like that, it seems.
 
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