Who are all these people dumping aged cats at shelters?!

[FineAlready]

So, we recently adopted two cats from an area shelter. Since then, I’ve been looking at various shelter pages frequently to check in on cats that I either met in person or that caught my attention for some reason. I have a pretty good handle on the cat adoption rates and the cats that come in at this point.

I cannot BELIEVE how many people are dumping their 10+ year old cats at shelters! I mean, W.T.F.?!?!?

Who ARE these people? I really don’t think I have ever met someone who would dump ANY pet at an animal shelter, much less a senior pet. So the question is…what kind of people do this? Like, what is the profile of a person who takes an animal to the shelter and leaves it there after having had it for the majority of its life? I just truly don’t understand it.

One shelter worker told me that a lot of people take their older pets to the shelter because they can’t stand to watch them get old. How cruel! Having just lost my cat at just shy of 12 years old (he had cancer), I just can’t imagine doing this. It was an honor to have had him in my life, and there is literally nothing that he could have done, and no condition he could have been in that would have caused me to abandon him.

I just…I am having trouble grasping how this is even a “thing.” Any shelter workers care to chime in? This has really not done good things for my faith in humanity!

[talkofthetown]

I don’t work at a shelter, but my friend’s roommate recently decided to get rid of her 11 y/o declawed, health issues, high maintenance cat. Talk about an easy one to rehome. Her reasons? He is messy, her boyfriend might be moving in soon, and the cat doesn’t like men. And she’s tired of buying flea medicine.

:mad:

I am in no way someone who thinks that anyone that ever rehomes their pets are evil animal haters. Sometimes things happen. But the above reasons are just stupid and thoughtless IMO.

[french_fry]

My sister just ended up with a second cat since a friend of a friend was ready to put down their 7 year old, perfectly healthy chubster because they “had too many cats” (3), he “wasn’t getting the attention he deserved” with a new baby in the house, and “he’s getting old anyway.”

They canceled an appointment they’d made to have him euthanized when a slot at a no kill shelter opened up and then my sister learned about him and scooped him up.

Words can’t properly express my rage.

[FineAlready]

For certain, there are legitimate reasons sometimes for people to no longer be able to keep pets. But there definitely are not as many legitimate reasons as there are aged cats in these shelters!

In some cases, the owner surrender information provided to the shelter simply says “had too many cats” or “owner didn’t have enough time.” Really? Well, at what point in the process did someone decide that they had too many cats? I’ve never found myself with “too many” of any animal, because I simply, you know, stop obtaining animals if I start to get too many.

And, “not enough time”…for a CAT? They take as close to zero effort and time as it is possible for any animal to take! I think they take less time than a hamster!

It’s just so heartbreaking. It is just so hard to look at their little kitty faces and know that I can’t take them all home…and that even if I did, 15 more would show up to take their places.

[AllWeatherGal]

I just started volunteering at a shelter. A family was looking at an older dog yesterday and talking about just such things … they knew someone who didn’t want to deal with an older dog, so “surrendered” him.

I cannot tell you, for those of you who don’t know, how HORRIBLE a shelter environment is for dogs. Especially for dogs who aren’t dog friendly.

I work really hard not to think about the people aspect of it all and hope that the new adopters are good folk with a lick of sense.

[JoZ]

Can’t imagine it. I do think sometimes it happens when an elderly owner passes away. The pets of owners with no family, or with families that are not prepared to take on a pet, often end up dumped.

I’m sitting here in a motel with my cat family and have tears welling up in my eyes thinking of how scared they’d be at a shelter. They are scared in a quiet room! Right now I’m as close to homeless as I would ever want to come and parting with the cats has not crossed my mind. I haven’t had to go down that path but I can see the trailhead from here. I feel horrible for the ones (people I mean – I feel horrible for all of the cats!) who are left with zero alternatives. I do see how that might happen. I want to run the biggest temp housing/bring your pets hotel, or someplace that offers a month of free pet lodging while you get on your feet.

The rest of the dickheads who get tired of their pets, don’t want to see them grow old, get other interests, or kowtow to the newest man/woman in their lives can burn in karma hell.

[2DogsFarm]

I just had to put down my 17yo housecat.
After giving her daily sub-q fluids for 4 months to help with her failing kidneys.
So I am in the camp of Home For Life with my pets.

But, there are older people whose living circumstances change (assisted living or moving in with family) & cannot bring their pets with.
Or an aged parent dies and noone in the family wants to take in the pet.
Heartbreaking.
At least the cats are ending in a shelter, not tossed out to live wild <-as if that works.

[FineAlready]

[QUOTE=2DogsFarm;8134866]
I just had to put down my 17yo housecat.
After giving her daily sub-q fluids for 4 months to help with her failing kidneys.
So I am in the camp of Home For Life with my pets.

But, there are older people whose living circumstances change (assisted living or moving in with family) & cannot bring their pets with.
Or an aged parent dies and noone in the family wants to take in the pet.
Heartbreaking.
At least the cats are ending in a shelter, not tossed out to live wild <-as if that works.[/QUOTE]

Right - I do agree that there are for sure legitimate reasons a person might not be able to keep a pet, no matter how much they wanted to. Amongst these are: death (obviously), poverty, failing health (of the person), and I’m sure there are others. But that’s definitely not the case for all of these aged cats I’m seeing in the shelters. It might be the case for some of them, but definitely not all of them.

I saw one in a cage at PetSmart yesterday (they display some shelter cats in hopes of getting more exposure for them). She was an 11 year old declawed female and her information said that her family just decided they no longer wanted her after having her for 10+ years.

[Hermein]

A couple of months ago, I read in the NYT that paleoentologists (sp?) think that one of the reasons Homosapiens prevailed over the Neandrethals is because Homosapiens had the help of wolf dogs in hunting game. (Neos & wolfdogs weren’t copasetic.) One of the comments that followed the article supposed that people who don’t like dogs/cats/other house pets are those who have more Neo dna than those people whose dna is mostly Homo.

Could be? As good an explanation for those people who willfully abandon animals as any other, I guess.

So the next time you see someone dumping a pet or abusing an animal, check out his/her brow ridge. If it’s prominent, you can call them an effing Neandrethal without a qualm. :winkgrin:

Let me apologize for my spelling in this post. I hope you can make out what I meant to tell you.

[talkofthetown]

[QUOTE=FineAlready;8134877]
Right - I do agree that there are for sure legitimate reasons a person might not be able to keep a pet, no matter how much they wanted to. Amongst these are: death (obviously), poverty, failing health (of the person), and I’m sure there are others. But that’s definitely not the case for all of these aged cats I’m seeing in the shelters. It might be the case for some of them, but definitely not all of them.

I saw one in a cage at PetSmart yesterday (they display some shelter cats in hopes of getting more exposure for them). She was an 11 year old declawed female and her information said that her family just decided they no longer wanted her after having her for 10+ years.[/QUOTE]

THAT is what makes my blood boil.

[FineAlready]

[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8134889]
THAT is what makes my blood boil.[/QUOTE]

Me too! She is the main reason I started this tread. Pisses me off!!

[Simkie]

I think part of the issue with cats getting dumped is how so many people view them as “pets lite”…

Don’t have time for a dog? Get a cat.
Don’t have space for a dog? Get a cat.
Travel too much to have a dog? Get a cat.
Just think dogs are too much work? Get a cat.
Can’t afford a dog? Get a cat.

And when that lite pet gets a little old, or starts peeing all over or the owner just has to move? They get dumped…because so many people weren’t ever really invested in them to begin with.

[talkofthetown]

What Simkie said, but also just the fact that people view animals as being disposable. It happens with dogs too (and horses, and…) but I know your OP was inspired by the kittehs. Just like our recently acquired goats. A random, well-meaning friend suggested that we start breeding them to sell the kids and make some extra money. DH started to say how we don’t want to deal with the effort or money involved with watching the expecting mamas, the extra vet work, etc…and our friend said “Vaccines!!! But they’re just goats!”

Whether they are “heartless” or simply uneducated, some people just do. not. get. it.

[Go_Fish]

I think one reason is older cats start costing money. I know mine are. They start to get thyroid issues, diabetes, arthritis, a whole host of expensive treatments that some people don’t want to be bothered with or pay for.

[pinkpony321]

My heart breaks over and over and over whenever I see a senior dog in these situations.
I’ve only ever adopted seniors and they have all been such joys. I cannot imagine just dumping anything that is dependent on you. People are schmucks, is all I can figure:(

[GoForAGallop]

[QUOTE=Go Fish;8134931]
I think one reason is older cats start costing money. I know mine are. They start to get thyroid issues, diabetes, arthritis, a whole host of expensive treatments that some people don’t want to be bothered with or pay for.[/QUOTE]

True, and they start getting UTIs, etc. All it takes is one UTI/blockage, a few accidents around the house, and the cat is shipped off.

It’s disgusting. I spend a ton of money on my cats and they all (barring any cancer/major kidney/etc issues) have all lived happily to their very late teens/early twenties. Someone who is telling me their ten year old cat is old gets nothing but an eye roll from me.

Honestly, I feel even worse for the old dogs. Like…how can you even STOMACH dropping off an 8 or 9 year old Golden who you’ve had since a puppy?! I can’t even imagine that. The old doggies at the shelters always tear my heart to pieces…they just sit there looking hopeless and waiting for their owners to come back.

[StGermain]

My cat Sabrina was dumped at the pound because of a new baby. Not that Sabrina was bad with the baby - that I’m sure of. She’s always been a passive, “excuse me, would you mind a pet, if it’s not a bother.” kind of cat. So there was this beautiful middle-aged siamese scared out of her wits. I bet it was 6 months before she’d come down off the dresser and walk into the room. She’s just such a sweetheart.

StG

[french_fry]

You guys are clearly my people, so I feel like I can admit that sometimes I lie awake at night thinking of all the cats (and dogs! but cats in particular) that are on the streets and in shelters and start to panic that I can’t take them all in because their cute little kitty faces and how sad they must be breaks my heart.

My sister and I always tell each other that we understand how people become animal hoarders. It’s actually not really a joking matter; if I didn’t have my BF to rein me in I could easily see myself becoming overrun with animals instead of just having one or two at a time.

[FineAlready]

I can totally relate to this. I’ve always had a totally reasonable and manageable number of pets at one time, but I do get extremely upset/panicky about the homeless pets out there. We actually adopted these two very quickly after our wonderful Leon kitty died, not because we were necessarily totally “ready” for more cats, but because I couldn’t stand the idea that there were homeless cats out there that could have a perfectly good home with us. There didn’t seem to be a good reason to make cats wait for a home that we knew we were capable of providing.

[QUOTE=french fry;8135005]
You guys are clearly my people, so I feel like I can admit that sometimes I lie awake at night thinking of all the cats (and dogs! but cats in particular) that are on the streets and in shelters and start to panic that I can’t take them all in because their cute little kitty faces and how sad they must be breaks my heart.

My sister and I always tell each other that we understand how people become animal hoarders. It’s actually not really a joking matter; if I didn’t have my BF to rein me in I could easily see myself becoming overrun with animals instead of just having one or two at a time.[/QUOTE]

[CHT]

There is a cool program locally that matches senior pets with senior owners. When the senior owner can’t take care of the pet anymore, the program takes the pet back. The program also helps with vet appointments and cost of care if needed. Its a great idea for a program so that seniors can be matched with suitable low energy pets and have the benefit of pet ownership, yet not have the worry of what will happen to the pet if the owner needs to move into a care facility or similar. Good solution to the aged pets in shelters problem.