frustrating - why do people think cats are expendable?!?

[mystik spiral]

I get so aggravated with this... my BIL told me tonight that his boss is thinking of getting rid of his senior cat because she's peeing all over the place. I told him that 99% of the time a cat does this it's due to a UTI, kidney or other health problems and told his to tell his boss to take the cat to the vet! Then I find out that the cat is banished to the basement all the time anyway ever since this guy and his wife got two dogs.

I told him to at least tell his boss to find the cat a new home, because if he sends her to a shelter at her age, she'll be PTS.

My mom used to talk about getting a cat from a shelter to keep the mice out of her garage. I told her that in order to adopt a cat, they'll make her sign a contract that the cat will be kept indoors (well, I had to sign one for Holland, anyway...). Thankfully, I think she's given up on that idea.

And my little brother's girlfriend, after she adopted her yappy little dog last summer, sent her two cats to a shelter.

I don't get it. Just needed to rant...

 

[rad65]

That's ridiculous. I've only had my cats a couple months, but the only way we're being seperated is if one of us dies. Volunteer at a shelter or somehting if you like cats but don't want one long term, or foster. Don't commit to something you're not 100% about, since cats can live 20+ years.

 

[tigerontheprowl]

I hate people like that. They see animals as a lower life form. Just because they get old and have some health issues we somehow have the right to throw them to the wayside? Do we do that to elderly people? I don't see any distinction between the two.

 

[3catsn1dog]

I get mad at people too. Living on a farm people seem to think that we are a free for all dumping ground for cats. They don't seem to realize that just because we have barns doesn't mean we one are a working farm, the houses are rented out and the fields worked by the company and two they don't even let us know they dump them so we have no way of knowing there are kittens or pregnant cats around unless we do barn checks or are lucky enough to have them dumped on out porches. 3 of my cats are from being dumped on the farm and the rest have foudn homes in the barns are are fed and looked after. The first time I catch someone dumping them I'm going to flip the heck out on them and give them a come to jesus talk.

 

[trouts mom]

Some people aren't meant to have a cat. Cats are just an object to some people, whereas for us on this site, they are our soulmate kitties.

 

[Winchester]

The fact that the poor cat was banished to the basement after they got two dogs speaks volumes about the kind of people they are.

Several years ago, the neighbors down the road from us had two cats. The cats were coming over here and sitting on our deck, which drove our cats crazy. They would see the outside cats, flip out, and start attacking each other...I think it's called "misplaced aggression" or something like that? Anyway, I called over to the neighbors and the babysitter said, "Oh, Mrs. xxxxxx put the cats outside because she just got new furniture. You can probably take 'em if you want 'em." Well, no we couldn't. Six is our limit and, at that time, we had eight.

Another neighbor was really getting tired of the cats urinating in her flower beds. She told me she was going to put poison outside. We were trying to get Bootser into the house, but we weren't having a lot of luck. I asked her to at least wait until we managed to get Bootser inside, which we eventually did.

People look at cats as disposable...it's just an animal. My heart goes out to that little kitty who now has to live in the basement.

 

[nurseangel]

This topic is really a sore point for me and I'm sure for many others on here. So many people look at dogs at "part of the family" and cats as lesser creatures. Or they hate cats all together. I know I am a cat person rather than a dog person, but would never mistreat a dog and despise people who do. Even worse are the people who don't any animals at all.

 

[kailie]

I can't even BEGIN to tell you how often I encounter situations like this!

It has made me a VERY bitter person truthfully, with little faith in the human race. It's one of the main reasons I spend so much time here, amongst like minded people.

 

[stephanietx]

I totally don't understand this way of thinking and it drives my crazy!! Just last night, my aunt posted on FB and said that my uncle wanted to know if I wanted their 2 cats! Good grief! IIRC, they were both adopted from a shelter and were Christmas presents for my aunt. I do believe that my 2 cousins would be greatly upset if my uncle just gave them away.

 

[snp81]

Once I get an animal, I have it for life (either mine or thiers) I've never gotten rid of any animal I've had & they have all been parts of my family.

 

[cococat]

You are the rare individuals if you keep pets for life, I also do this despite economic conditions like getting laid off or moving to another state or their behavioral or medical problems, etc. I see so many friends and family giving up their pets and see it at pet stores, work, and everywhere else. I want to save them all but I really cannot. I just do the best I can with my pets and support and direct anyone who comes to me with pet questions.

 

[rach&olly]

i encountered this prroblem only a few days ago and im sad to say it was actually a relative of mine.

when i was in the process of getting olly insured i mention it to this relative and the first thing they said " i wouldnt bother its only a cat, if it were a dog i could understand you paying the monthly premium"

this made me soo sad i explained to them that it wouldnt matter if olly was a goldfish hes part of our family and we have taken on the ressponsibility to look after him and that more importantly than anything we love him.

he then went onto say "well i hope you havent got him tagged or chipped cuz then hes traceable back to you"

i had a few very choice words to this that i wont type the whole point was that he WAS traceable back to me if he wondered off and got lost or got injured it puts my mind slightly at rest knowing that i will find out and can help him.

and then the best comment of it all was "he wont love you liek a dog will cats arent made like that "

well i beg to differ when hes snuggled on my lap of a nighttime or when i go to the loo and he meowss cuz he cant see me or when he nuzzles his head to me and i say olly kiss and he puts his nose on my cheek i damn well think he loves me.

sorry ive ranted but i just dont undestand where this misconseption of cats being dispendable has come from theey should beon level pegging with any other animal and looked after and loved the same.

vent over haha

 

[snp81]

I have loved all my dogs, cats & ferrets.

We can tell that Lears & Choripan love us. Lears loves me more & Choripan is more attached to my wife, although they both show affection towards both of us.

 

[strange_wings]

Originally Posted by TigerOnTheProwl

Just because they get old and have some health issues we somehow have the right to throw them to the wayside? Do we do that to elderly people? I don't see any distinction between the two.

Technically, yes. Nursing homes aren't as common in other cultures because it's the norm to keep your elderly grandparents or aunts/uncles at home and care for them. It's considered part of family duty.

In part view of animals is society created. Take just North America, for example, and look at how quickly life has changed here. Farms are now corporate owned. 50-60 years ago this wasn't so much the case and you had animals that "worked". That's how one gauged how good a dog was - if it could herd and guard, how good a cat was if it kept the house and barn mice free. While the upper class has always had pets for the sake of pets throughout history, now anyone can - though not necessarily everyone can afford to.
Depending on location, that view of animals only being worth what they can do is still around, as are those older farmers. (such as where I live)

You go into other cultures and it's more mixed up.

It doesn't mean it's right to just dump any animal, because it's not. But it's why some people just view them as things. Over time that will change as living memory of animals as being only worth what they can do is gone - in much the way tolerance to some things increases as younger generations not raised to think that way take over the population.

 

[addiebee]

To the OP whose relative went on and on about a cat is not a dog, this is a dog-lover-only mindset that is often never changed. What I find is that cat lovers often love and own dogs and other creatures, but diehard dog lovers are very closed about it the other way around.

My boys most definitely show me and my BF love, but they do it the way CATS do, not dogs.

 

[3catsn1dog]

You know what I really cant stand about people. When they know your a cat person and know full well you are at your limits but still feel the need to contact you about placing a cat or finding a home for them etc.

Seriously Im not a humane society. If I could be one I would in a heart beat but I cant. I feel so bad that I have to say no even though Ill try my best to find a home for the cat or kitten or whatever but sometimes its just not feasible. It irks me even more when these people feel that contacting one person is enough legwork and they consider their job done. GRRRRRR

Im a cat person but I still love my dog. I dont have all the patience in the world for him but I still stand outside in the cold and rain while he goes potty, I still snuggle with him while he wants some luvins even though hes a dog. Hes my buddy a weird buddy but I love him non the less.....although it is adorable that he will 'scratch' on the carpet of the scratching posts after he sees the cats scratching them.

 

[zohdee]

I will copy and paste this from our local APL. It made me cry:


Lilly was skin and bones. She sat in the womanâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s driveway, looking sick, so the woman wouldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t touch her. Instead she threw a bucket of cold water on the kitten, hoping she would run. But she didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t. Lilly just sat there.



When Portage APL was called to the house Lilly didnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t appear sick ... she was starving to death. Taken back to the Shelter, Lilly was no longer interested in food. She did, however, purr each time she was held. Lillyâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s was in serious condition and turning her around would be a challenge.



IV fluids were administered. Prescription canned food with an appetite stimulant was given to Lilly, hoping that might help. Again, Lilly failed to respond. Force feedings – a routine of two or three feedings and two IV fluid sessions – briefly brought some improvement, but then Lilly quickly reverted to a stupor.



In an effort to save Lilly, she was taken home for weekend care by the APL staff member who brought her to the Shelter. The staff memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s wife and young daughter worked together to continue feeding and fluids. The daughter would sit next to Lilly and read childrenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s stories. Lilly would lay quietly by her side, her eyes closed and an audible purr coming deep from within. Lilly finally had found love.



Sometimes stories do not end the way we want them to. Sometimes all the love and attention and caring simply arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t enough. Lilly couldnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t be saved. Back at the APL Shelter, purring in the staff memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s arms, Lilly yawned once and then closed her eyes.



The staff memberâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s daughter said she wasnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t sad that Lilly died, because Lilly got to see what it was like to have a home where people loved her and cared for her. Wise words from such a young little girl!



There are Lillys in all our neighborhoods, living under sheds, hanging around dumpsters, trying to survive in an uncaring world. Perhaps Lilly was a feral kitten, but more likely she was dumped or abandoned.



Portage Animal Protective League has limited capacity at its shelter. Many animals the shelter takes in require expensive medical care. And then, even after trying their best, “best†isnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t good enough. But one thing is absolutely certain. Portage APL was there for Lilly when others were not.



For Lilly and all the other cats and kittens, as well as the puppies and dogs in desperate need throughout Portage Country, you will make a little girl, who once loved a kitten, very happy this holiday season if you can help.

It just breaks my heart to see all of the unwanted animals when a simple neuter/spay (those can be done at a reduced cost) could alleviate some of the overpopulation.

My kitties are like my children, even the orphans I feed outside. I don't understand how someone could be so callous as to just abandon an animal.

 

[ldg]

Gary rescued Flowerbelle from a couple that found her in a parking lot - starving, sick, attacked by something, and sunburnt. They took her to the vet. Gary happened to be there. The vet said - we're not a shelter, you'll have to assume financial responsibility for her. They were going to take her back to the parking lot and put her back. Gary grabbed her and gave them a piece of his mind. The guy is lucky that's all he got.

I really don't understand how people can be so horrible.

 

[margecat]

Many, many years ago, I had a co-worker who was asking people if they wanted her cat. It seems that her stupid husband thought the cat "Cost too much to feed", so he wanted to get rid of it. And it didn't seem to bother her one way or the other (she actually was a very sweet lady, but I think submissive to her husband a bit too much, hence her attitude, I think). These people had MONEY--enough for hubby to play golf, go on expensive vacations, wear expensive clothing, and have his cocktails. And yet, a poor little kitty "cost too much to feed." Right.

Now, if it had been ME, my hubby making me get rid of my cat would probably (and I'm serious) land us both in divorce court--though I seriously doubt I would have married a jerk like her husband...and I chose and married a wonderful man, who LOVES cats.

I'm worried about being laid-off next year, and my first thoughts when I found out were, "How are we going to feed our 9 cats, and provide medical care for them???" We're worried about having to sell our house, not so much because we love it, but we'd have to move into an apartment--and they'd only let us have 2 cats--what would we do with the other 7? It would kill us to give them up. Yet, I don't complain about my 9 cats "Costing too much to feed."

People like my former co-worker just make me burn with anger!

 

[frankthetank]

Our cats are our family. Yes sometimes I get frustrated when they climb the christmas tree and knock every ornament down...or when they have an accident on the carpet, or when they insist on climbing on the counter/table so I have to chase them off them....but they are still ours and I would not trade them. Heck we even found one of our kitties outside half starved, tiny and dirty and by the time we got him cleaned up, fed and healthy, we couldn't get rid of him! He is still a little wild but we can't imagine not having him! And even though we can't bring anymore kitties inside, we had a "cat house" made....it has a small opening for kitties, is pretty big, and has a lid that opens so we can put food inside. We lay straw down and fleece blankets, and have a heating lamp inside it on the top to keep it warm inside. We feed three outdoor kitties twice a day, keep water refreshed and keep their house nice so they have somewhere to sleep. We are trying to find them homes and if we end up moving at any time and they still live outside, we are taking them with us...I just don't get people!
Growing up I had a cat whose previous owners gave her away bc they got a kitten....and the older cat didn't want to share litterbox so it stopped using it and they gave her away.
It really bothers me when people have pets and don't care for them....and treat them as if they aren't part of the family. Thats my nicest thought on it, so I wil leave it at that