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

The Menagerie
#41

[QUOTE=showmanship;8135830]
All of theses posts. (Almost) ALL of them = :yes:

Senior pets at shelters hurt my heart. I know they wouldn’t be with me “long”, but I want them all! I previously worked at a small animal vet clinic, and a woman came in with a beagle that was 10yo, deaf, and had a horrendous skin infection. She had JUST adopted him (the fact that he was adopted out without having his issues cared for is another matter :confused:) , but she decided that she didn’t want to “deal” with him anymore (her words!) and was going to euthanize him. Seeing absolutely no life or love for life in his eyes destroyed me, and I approached the vet on the case and asked if I could make it an option to take him from her - the place she got him from wouldn’t return her calls or take him back. She agreed and he came to live with my young golden and berner and in a matter of DAYS did a complete 180. We had a fenced in yard, so I could let them out to play without the worry of him wandering off and not being able to hear when I called him. He’d run around with the young dogs, barking and having a great time. Sadly, I didn’t even get to have him with us for a year when he went downhill in a hurry. But I’m so thankful he was able to experience happiness in his short time left.

Sorry - didn’t mean to hijack the thread with my story. As I said, I wish I could take all the oldies home with me. You know the puppies are going to get adopted, so I always look at the senior citizens :sadsmile:[/QUOTE]

What a wonderful thing you did for him! I need to hear these stories. I need to know that there are people like you out there. Otherwise, I just get more and more depressed about this kind of thing.

#42

[QUOTE=CHT;8135046]
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.[/QUOTE]

Gettouttatown!

That’s exactly the business I want to start! I’d be the full-service Cat Concierge so that cats could have seniors (perfect owners) and seniors could have cats for as long as they want them.

I see you are in kinder, gentler Canada. Will you send me a link to your program? I’d love to ask them more about how that works.

#43

[QUOTE=FineAlready;8135873]
As I said up-thread somewhere, I DO agree that there are times when people just don’t have other options - which is very sad for the person and the pets. I guess I’m specifically talking about the people that are dumping their pets out of sheer laziness, selfishness, or disinterest. Of course, we don’t have a way to know the “real” story behind any of the animals in the shelters, but when the owner surrender information says things like, “no longer has time for the cat” or similar, it is hard to not be upset/sad.

If I really want to get myself worked up and in tears, I try to imagine how confused and upset Leon would have been if we took him to a shelter and left him there when he started getting sick. He was SO happy to see us when we came back to see him at the vet hospital after his biopsy procedure, and even happier when we came to pick him up the next morning. They said he was really depressed and lethargic, and then he totally perked up and started purring nonstop when he saw us. That was his last day on Earth, and I’m glad he spent it with us instead of alone, scared, and abandoned.[/QUOTE]

Well, I got choked up reading your post. :sadsmile:

That is the thing that is so upsetting. They know. I’ve been in shelters, volunteering, have friends who have worked in shelters, and they all say the same.
Somehow, when the animals are left, they know.

I LOVE the idea of matching older pets and people.
I have some clients who do this, on a small scale, but they place 6-15 cats and a couple of dogs per year.

We just successfully trapped three semi feral cats living in an older man’s basement. He was going into assisted living.
We managed to find foster homes - with experienced cat people - who are socializing them and when they are ready, they will be re homed.

I wish I could win the powerball.

#44

[QUOTE=Dajuliz;8135052]
I have a 16 year old cat with an unknown illness that is going to take many hundreds of dollars to effectively diagnose. I have already spend over $500 bucks on him with x-rays, bloodwork, antibiotics, doctor visits. The cat’s teeth are falling out and the doc wants to do a complete cleaning and remove broken teeth on top of all the other medical testing recommended. This was my daughter’s cat and we got it for her when she was 5. This cat was free as a kitten. So this free cat has wrecked about $4000 in furniture and other household items. It ate the beak off of my carved wooden shorebird and tried to eat the beak off of the carved duck. So I am at the point where I am going to need to make a decision with the cat. He is a nice cat but he was a free cat. Vet care is costly. It is hard to justify the expense of medical care over the longevity of the animal. I would rather spend this money on my daughter’s college. This is why old cats wind up at the shelter.[/QUOTE]

Wow, you’ve had this cat for 16 years and would even consider bringing it to a shelter now?? that’s incomprehensible. I hope nobody throws you away when you are old and infirm and in need of medical care.

I recently went through a similar thing with an elderly cat that I adopted as an adult. I opted to go for the surgery and try to save her and give her a few more years but it went poorly and we wound up losing her anyway - there is a thread on it here somewhere. Knowing what I know now I would never elect for surgery on an elderly cat.

If you don’t have the moral fortitude to do the right thing and put the cat to sleep instead of abandoning it when it needs you in the twilight of it’s life please do society and don’t get any more animals, ever. I’m so upset right now at what I’ve just read. What a horrible person you seem to be from this post.

#45

Along with the senior animals for seniors program, one of our local rescues also has a senior foster-type program for dogs. They match seniors with senior dogs, and someone will drop the dog off with the person in the morning, then pick the dog up at night. They usually rotate, so I’ll see one person with varying dogs depending on which day it is. It gets the dogs out of the shelter and into public, so they’re more visible to potential adopters, gives them a mental break from being in the shelter, and the people get the benefit of having a dog, without having to worry about the costs of ownership. The people I’ve talked to also say they like it because they really feel like they’re able to contribute and make a difference.

#46

[QUOTE=Dajuliz;8135052]
I have a 16 year old cat with an unknown illness that is going to take many hundreds of dollars to effectively diagnose. I have already spend over $500 bucks on him with x-rays, bloodwork, antibiotics, doctor visits. The cat’s teeth are falling out and the doc wants to do a complete cleaning and remove broken teeth on top of all the other medical testing recommended. This was my daughter’s cat and we got it for her when she was 5. This cat was free as a kitten. So this free cat has wrecked about $4000 in furniture and other household items. It ate the beak off of my carved wooden shorebird and tried to eat the beak off of the carved duck. So I am at the point where I am going to need to make a decision with the cat. He is a nice cat but he was a free cat. Vet care is costly. It is hard to justify the expense of medical care over the longevity of the animal. I would rather spend this money on my daughter’s college. This is why old cats wind up at the shelter.[/QUOTE]

There’s no such thing as a free cat. Or a “free” horse or dog. The cost to purchase is so nominal compared to the cost of owning and caring for an animal throughout it’s life. Routine food and vet care in the first year alone usually outweighs the price of the animal.

No one says you must go to extraordinary lengths to keep a pet alive. But don’t dump your problem at the pound, where it’s likely to die lonely and afraid. Man up and do the right thing.

StG

#47

I just re-read Dajuliz’s post. I am going to hope that what she meant was not that SHE was thinking dumping at the shelter was appropriate in HER case but rather that it’s when cats get to the expensive vet bills stage of life that she can imagine other people dumping. Dajuliz, I am really hoping you were saying that you’re choosing between euthanization and expensive vet bills… not expensive vet bills or dumping?!

#48

[QUOTE=vxf111;8136018]
I just re-read Dajuliz’s post. I am going to hope that what she meant was not that SHE was thinking dumping at the shelter was appropriate in HER case but rather that it’s when cats get to the expensive vet bills stage of life that she can imagine other people dumping. Dajuliz, I am really hoping you were saying that you’re choosing between euthanization and expensive vet bills… not expensive vet bills or dumping?![/QUOTE]

I am guessing you are right, but it definitely does read a bit like, “Well, duh, of course older cats end up at shelters - they wreck things and cost money!”

#49

I definitely made myself cry writing it. When we had to leave him overnight because he had just had surgery, all I could think of was that he probably thought we were leaving him there forever. It was almost more than I could stand, and that was just one night. We waited with him in a room for two hours before his surgery, then waited in the waiting area during his surgery, then saw him as soon as they would let us after his surgery, then went back at 10:30 p.m. to see him one last time that night, then went back at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. I would have slept there if that had been socially acceptable.

Prior to the surgery, the vet clinic was like, “You can just leave him here and we will call you when the procedure is over.” I just couldn’t fathom it! I was like, “Well, I’m not leaving him here in a cage when his surgery isn’t for another two hours…so…” I’m so glad we spent that time with him before the surgery. Those were really his last pretty good moments, and I’m glad he got to spend the time napping on our laps and hanging out with us.

That’s what really strikes me about people getting rid of animals when they are starting to age. I mean, geez! I would have done anything to make Leon’s last days more stress free. I can’t imagine just casting an animal off into the world alone when you are really all they have.

#50

A sorta happy old cat story:

When my Beloved Old Lady Cat died, I wanted to “play the field” for awhile and foster some cats. Kittens abounded. But while I was at the shelter picking up my first batch, there was a fugly old halloween cat just Yelling For Luv!

As a joke, I asked them to wrap him up, too. They did. It turns out he was 17 years old AND had been there for 3 years. Holy Jesus…. and still asking for attention from whatever random person walked into the room.

I took him home with no specific intention to keep him but sure that-- just for that day and in my new, “playing the field” relationship with cats, he was a good one for me.

It turns out he was the perfect cat for my mom. They fit together like puzzle pieces. This cat is quiet, affectionate and gentle. You know he loves you in an unobtrusive way.

I’m going to be really bummed when he dies because my mom is going to take it hard. But I’ll be ready with another old, “tried and true” cat to install.

And my own cat I adopted as a 10 year old with arthritis. I figure that I have spent enough managing arthritis in horses that I can spare some money and expertise for a really nice cat who needs that management.

Animals are a cross between a luxury and an obligation. If you can’t afford to keep them well, don’t own 'em.

#51

[QUOTE=mvp;8136057]

Animals are a cross between a luxury and an obligation. If you can’t afford to keep them well, don’t own 'em.[/QUOTE]

Amen! Loved the rest of your story as well by the way :slight_smile:

#52

I have an 8 year old cat who has developed a lot of “standard” older cat issues in the last year.

He’s always had some litterbox issues. Each of places I’ve lived, he’s picked one piece of furniture to consistently pee on. With each move I’ve thrown away “his” furniture, and he’s promptly picked a new item. Eventually I realized I could just put a plastic bag down, cover it with a blanket, and just change the bag/wash the blanket a few times a week.

But now he consistently pees on not just “his” furniture (currently our futon, which thankfully is never used and is out of the way)… but has graduated to absolutely any bunched up fabric (folded shirt? safe. crumpled up shirt? definitely not safe), as well as absolutely anything of any size that is roughly box shaped (toy bin for the dogs, key and wallet holder on the entrance way table, my agility gear bag I left unzipped when I briefly stepped out of the room…)

He also walks around caterwauling… near constantly. If you call him, he’ll happily come to you. He never seems distressed and never appears to have any particular emotion when walking around wailing (he never looks confused, he’ll come and happily snuggle if you call him). It honestly seems like he just does it “just because.” My SO and I had to get a white noise machine and start shutting him out of the bedroom at night so we can sleep.

He’s had bloodwork. He’s had urinalyses. He’s had several “just in case” rounds of antibiotics. He had a dental. He eats prescription Urinary Tract Health canned food. We have litterboxes everywhere, all of which I scoop daily. He wears a pheromone collar. On paper and based on physical exam he is the picture of health. I’ve talked to three vets and have basically been told that some cats just get kinda weird when they get older.

I love this cat and he is SO sweet, but quite honestly I feel a little panicky if I think too hard about how he may live another 12 years wailing incessantly and peeing on anything fabric isn’t perfectly folded.

I firmly believe pets are for life, and he has a forever home with me. I will sleep with my white noise machine. I will continue to buy Nature’s Miracle and $$ food and pheromone products in bulk. I’ll continue to scoop our inordinate number of litterboxes daily and change out the stupid plastic bag that lines our futon.

It is not hard for me to see how someone less committed to the notion of “pets are for life” might respond differently.

What I cannot reconcile, though, is how anyone can believe that an animal who has been a house pet for a decade will have ANY quality of life if dumped at a shelter.

People must know the animal will never be adopted (no pet’s behavioral problems have improved in a shelter, I’m sure), and I do not know how they sleep at night knowing the living hell they have doomed their pet for what is most likely the rest of its life.

This is one of main reasons I am opposed to no-kill shelters.

Convenience euthanasia is upsetting to me, but I would HANDS DOWN rather see someone pull that card for an older animal than to dump it in a shelter. Dumping them is, in my opinion, shamefully selfish and cowardly.

#53

I have a weird barn cat that comes in the house occasionally to eat. If he gets caught in the house he won’t pee in the litter boxes but chooses random pieces of cloth, bath mat, towel on floor, area rug, ect. I finally bought a few old ratty towels at Salvation Army, a $4 plastic storage tub, and put the towel in the tub next to the normal cats’ litter box. He’ll pee in there if he gets caught in the house and I just wash the nasty towel in some bleach water. I’ve put newspapers, puppy pee pads and rags in there too and just thrown them away if they were dirty. Not all cats like litter, apparently! Maybe that would help you out, LPH?

#54

I talked about this on another thread, but my cat was obsessed with one fluffy bath mat in particular. I took to keeping the bathroom door closed all the time hoping that would solve the issue but she would still manage to get in there and stealth pee. After freaking out that there was yet another thing wrong with my walking medical disaster cat, BF finally made me throw out the bathmat and replace it with a less tantalizingly fluffy version. We haven’t had another issue with her peeing outside of the box since.

Cats and bathmats, man. I appreciate that we are more knowledgeable as pet owners now and we tend to look for medical issues instead of automatically assuming that the issue is always behavioral…but sometimes it’s just behavioral.

Maybe cowboy mom’s tip will work for you, LPH!

#55

My mom has a pee-on-fabric cat. They take an old towel, put it in a litterbox next to the regular litterbox and she happily uses that. They wash and replace the towel daily. It’s gross but the alternatives are grosser!

#56

OT, but out ten year old kitten went through a “phase” of incessant meowling when she was around 4. She’s always vocal, and insistent, but typically it’s because she wants something. Her buddy is outside, and she wants her in. She wants her food now. Etc. But for those few weeks, it was all night, every night with no discernable cause. She just stopped, eventually. She sleeps in the basement, not allowed in our room…you could still hear it, loudly. But it did stop.

We kind of suspect there was some sort of “noise” happening that we couldn’t hear. Maybe an air leak or something, or a noise from outside that bothered her.

#57

[QUOTE=FineAlready;8135066]
I know you don’t intend it, but this made me very sad. My cat was not quite 12 when he died from cancer. At 10, he truly was already quite “old.” He had problems with both hind legs, and he had severely damaged sinuses from a bad feline herpes virus infection when he was a kitten. People would kind of poo poo me when I would say that I was worried he wouldn’t live very long, but I ended up being right, unfortunately. :frowning: Just like horses and people, some cats don’t age as well as others.[/QUOTE]

Like I said, barring any health issues. I lost one at five due to a huge intestinal tumor, one at seven for a giant surface-breaking one on his chest that just popped out of nowhere and had roots several inches long. Others in their early teens due to kidney and thyroid issues that meds couldn’t rein in.

That is a completely different scenario than someone with a perfectly healthy 9 year old cat saying “He’s old and going to die soon anyway, can’t wait to get a kitten!”.

#58

[QUOTE=mvp;8136057]
A sorta happy old cat story:

When my Beloved Old Lady Cat died, I wanted to “play the field” for awhile and foster some cats. Kittens abounded. But while I was at the shelter picking up my first batch, there was a fugly old halloween cat just Yelling For Luv!

As a joke, I asked them to wrap him up, too. They did. It turns out he was 17 years old AND had been there for 3 years. Holy Jesus…. and still asking for attention from whatever random person walked into the room.

I took him home with no specific intention to keep him but sure that-- just for that day and in my new, “playing the field” relationship with cats, he was a good one for me.

It turns out he was the perfect cat for my mom. They fit together like puzzle pieces. This cat is quiet, affectionate and gentle. You know he loves you in an unobtrusive way.

I’m going to be really bummed when he dies because my mom is going to take it hard. But I’ll be ready with another old, “tried and true” cat to install.

And my own cat I adopted as a 10 year old with arthritis. I figure that I have spent enough managing arthritis in horses that I can spare some money and expertise for a really nice cat who needs that management.

Animals are a cross between a luxury and an obligation. If you can’t afford to keep them well, don’t own 'em.[/QUOTE]

You are awesome!!!

#59

LPH has yours ALWAYS acted this way and now it’s more intense? Or the wailing is brand new? I half wonder if there isn’t either senility or even some sort of mental problem? Very tough. You might try an animal behaviorist (they have them at Penn’s Ryan Vet Hospital and maybe would phone consult).

#60

[QUOTE=FineAlready;8136049]
I definitely made myself cry writing it. When we had to leave him overnight because he had just had surgery, all I could think of was that he probably thought we were leaving him there forever. It was almost more than I could stand, and that was just one night. We waited with him in a room for two hours before his surgery, then waited in the waiting area during his surgery, then saw him as soon as they would let us after his surgery, then went back at 10:30 p.m. to see him one last time that night, then went back at 7:00 a.m. the next morning. I would have slept there if that had been socially acceptable.

Prior to the surgery, the vet clinic was like, “You can just leave him here and we will call you when the procedure is over.” I just couldn’t fathom it! I was like, “Well, I’m not leaving him here in a cage when his surgery isn’t for another two hours…so…” I’m so glad we spent that time with him before the surgery. Those were really his last pretty good moments, and I’m glad he got to spend the time napping on our laps and hanging out with us.

That’s what really strikes me about people getting rid of animals when they are starting to age. I mean, geez! I would have done anything to make Leon’s last days more stress free. I can’t imagine just casting an animal off into the world alone when you are really all they have.[/QUOTE]

Oh, you sound perfectly normal to me!!
I am so very sorry for your loss of Leon.

But you know what? He knew. He knew you loved him and you stayed with him- for his forever.

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