Letters to the Editor
-
Best for everyone
I rescued a stray cat that had been living (quite meagerly) on what birds it could catch in my daughter's town, 800 miles from my home. This cat, who had taken out the local population of Carolina Wrens, was still vastly undernourished. These wrens weigh about 1/3 ounce each--it would take nine of them to weigh what the contents of a single small can of Fancy Feast weighs, and much of the birds' weight is nutrition-less feathers. An adult American Robin weighs less than 3 ounces. And in summer taking out a couple of adult robins also takes out their nestlings, who will starve. As a former bird rehabber, I've seen what outdoor cats do to bluebirds and robins and baby cardinals and Chipping Sparrows and all manner of birds--even with treatment, birds attacked by cats virtually ALWAYS die from infections from puncture wounds. Bird lungs are located on their backs, and a single scratch goes straight to the lungs. Cats are predators, but they're NOT natural predators in that they're subsidized by us, and so although outdoor cats have greatly shortened life expectancies, they are still not subject to the same forces as natural predators, and so cats can be far more numerous in an area than any natural predators could be and survive. So cats take out a disproportionate number of birds. Sure, birds are killed by windows and pesticides and powerlines and communications towers and automobiles, too. But in my mind, that means we need to be more, not less, protective of them when we can.
Also, cats that toy with birds are more likely to carry toxoplasmosis, which is horribly dangerous for pregnant women and newborns. Outdoor cats defecate in children's sandboxes, subjecting them to this disease. So please, please do not let this cat go outdoors.
The cat I drove 800 miles with is a wonder--sweet-tempered, grateful to have a home, a fun and pleasant companion. Over my adult life, I've taken in 5 strays like this, and all have been simply wonderful pets. And that's why I truly believe that if this cat of yours doesn't respond to behavioral therapy or drugs or anything, you should put it down. Not because you've failed, but because there are millions of cats out there that badly need homes, and many will die horrible deaths as you spend the coming years spending your financial and emotional resources on one cat who sounds miserable anyway and is making you miserable. Having this one humanely euthanized and then taking in another cat who deserves a happy life every bit as much as this cat did seems to me to provide the greater good all around.
-
Take Him To The Back 40
I grew up on a dairy farm, and my father had a expression
for when it was time to get rid of a unruly/old animal;
"Take him to the back 40"
We simply grabbed a rifle, and brought the animal to the back 40 acres
next to the woods, and quickly dispatched them.
Simple as that.
No more problem. It's just a cat, after all.
-
It's a cat, not a human
Put the cat down. Why invest more money and time in a cat so seriously flawed? Just put it down, get a nice kitten, and move on.
If this were your child, I'd follow Cary's advice and spare no expense or time.
-
My other cat is a mountain lion
Thank the sweet Birkenstock moon goddess she only eats babies. Human babies. Sweet tender juicy human babies.
-
Allie_
You always have such great stories about everything. Seriously! So often I am enjoying a long, interesting post and don't even realize until I get to the end that it is you once again. Just wanted to say that. Have a good weekend.
Lots of good cat advice here, so I have nothing to add.
-
Keep your cat off my property...
...and away from my children. I don't care what you do about this cat. Put up with it or put it down. But speaking on behalf of neighbors of cat owners everywhere: it's your problem, so keep it inside your own house. The rest of us are sick of other people's pets using our yards where our children play as litter boxes. And farm owners don't want your cat either.
-
Peeing on the floor
I couldn't even read Cary's answer. Nor could I read all the posts.
Took my little black cat from her feral mother too soon, I now realize. Have her uncle . . .he's fabulous. But, I still can't get her to use a perfectly, very well cleaned (as I thought that would help) cat box.
She's now 5. She finally likes me, hates my partner. She loves the dog that helped raised her, but he's quite lukewarm about her. Although he loves the other cat he helped to raise.
So, I clean the floor an awful lot. Got the cleanest floors in town. At least she doesn't go all over the house. And when people visit, she just hides.
I've thought of putting her down. And she has been fixed years ago. Just don't have the guts or heart. And at least I'm lucky enough to have figured out her idiosyncracies to head them off at the pass.
BTW, I named her Skitzi. That was before I realized she was schitzophrenic. This is not a joke!
-
This may have been suggested already.....
Feliway - is a pheromone spray (it comes in a room diffuser as well!!) and has worked wonders for the cats in my life! May want to give it a shot
http://www.vpl.com/product.php?catmain=&mainkey=&pid=58&key=24&cat=Behavior
B.A.
-
To Anonymous, the cranky cat hater
Sorry you're a lemon sucker, but most Americans have pets, either cats or dogs (cats are now more popular than dogs), so you better get used to it. If a pet gets on your property, go ahead and chase it off or talk to the owner. Don't even think about hurting it, though, since you'll be in trouble with the law, not to mention the person whose beloved pet you made the grievous mistake of harming.
-
Spend all that money on another, needy cat
I'm the sentimental-est cat owner you'd ever want to meet -- the living caricature that trolls make fun of when they say "cat lady" -- and even I don't think the LWs here should spend all their money (and their sanity) to save this cat.
Some cats are insane, or damaged, in some mysterious way (just as some humans are), but they are NOT humans ultimately. They are animals....companion animals, yes, but still animals. Therefore, we have finite resources we can dedicate to them. If this was your damaged child, of course you should spent all you can to help him to a normal life. But not for a CAT (unless you are a billionaire or something, then go ahead).
Why? Why aren't I twitching with tears and sentiment for this critter?
Because I have been, many times, to the local animal shelters in my community...which happen to be model shelters that have the highest possible standards, cleanliness, volunteers, etc. And while they can place every puppy they get, most friendly adult dogs and most young kittens....they cannot remotely find enough homes for ADULT CATS. There are simply far too many in this world, about 5 times (or more) as they can find homes for.
So what happens is that healthy, lovable, affectionate cats who would make WONDERFUL PETS are sent every day to their deaths, unwanted and unloved. This breaks my hearts a hundred times more than the fate of your one, miserable, crazy, violent, hateful cat.
FOR YOUR OWN SAKES...for your conscience, if you have not neutered this cat, it worth trying since it is both cheap and practical, although it is late to neuter a 3-year old male and he will not lose all his aggressive tendencies now, as he would have if "fixed" as a kitten. You don't mention it, so it's not clear if you had this done. It is worth trying. So is an animal behavourist, and so is "kitty Prozac". However, the chances of any of this working on a cat this old are slim. Do it so you can live with whatever happens as a result, so you can say honestly "I tried everything".
To have a pet euthanized at the vet's is a very difficult decision, but trust me, it is far harder on YOU than it is on the cat. The technology is very well developed, the medication works instantly and the cat feels ZERO pain or even stress (unless he's the type who hates the vet, in which case he could be tranquilized in advance OR a few vets will come to the home). You can hold him, and he will close his eyes in an instant and it's all over, with no pain or fear.
And why do you need to do this? SO YOU CAN ADOPT ONE OF THOSE NEEDY, good sweet lovable ADULT cats, one who is waiting at your local shelter this very moment, days or hours from being put down the same way FOR NO REASON. So that cat can have a long, good, happy life with you and be the kind of wonderful pet that turns people into "cat ladies" like me. THAT CAT has a life worth saving. Your cat probably does not.
You can give your cat's life (and death)a great deal of meaning by giving his "place" in your home to a needy adult cat. Please consider doing this: it's the humane, the right thing to do in this instance.