to have cats put to sleep

[WakeUpRosemary]

Hi

I haven't posted here much but have lurked a lot so please be gentle.

I have three cats at the moment, two of which I took in as kittens, socialised and have looked after for about six/seven years now. Since then I've had a son and as I live in a small house things are getting crowded. I wouldn't mind this so much if these two cats didn't urinate in various parts of the house. They have access to the outside and a litter tray. One in particular has been doing it for years and I've just had enough. It's stinking up the house, it's unhygienic and I'm sick of it. They have no physical problems, they don''t have UTIs: it's a behavioural problem. One of them doesn't get on well with the other two cats but I'm not prepared to play cat psychologist. I haven't the time or the energy. I'm beginning to think that I have to have them put to sleep. I feel there's no point putting them up for re-homing because who would want a six/seven-year-old cats with piss problems? It would also be upsetting to them if they were uprooted and probably brought back again. They're both skittish and not particularly fond of anyone but me and my DH.

So far this week I've found piss on a hand-towel in the kitchen, a chair and my son's toy garage. Fortunately, my son is particularly fond of the cat who doesn't pee everywhere and he's only three and a half so I doubt he'll be upset if the other two disappear. He may not even notice. I feel so bad though. I used to do quite of a lot of rescue work with cats and never dreamt I'd be considering this. I worry when people come to visit because I'm nervous a cat will piss on their bag, or they'll find a previously-undiscovered pool of piss or try to dry their hands on a pissy towel. It's gotten so I'm not that nice to any of the cats anymore and I think we'd be happier as a one-cat household.

sorry I've rambled. Am I being unreasonable?

I love our animals very much and they are part of the family. But they are not family members^ and it is insane to sugget that ther is any comparison between a child having an accident and a cat with behavioural problems peeing all over your house.
Get a grip, people.

The OP has now said that she's going to re-home one of the cats and see how they get on. She's saying that because she's read a lot of the advice on this thread. I think it's been really good advice and I'm glad she's taken it on board, although it may be that she should consider re-homing at least two of the three cats. But she's making a start to sort the situation out.

speechless at this OP and her supporters.

Having HEALTHY cats killed because you cant be arsed to sort them out? Seriously wtf is WRONG with you???

Seeker - you say they have no concept of being pts or fear of what is happening, maybe so in some cases I suppose, that makes it alright to have a pet pts with no real need then?? When I had to take my dear old cat of 19 years to be pts (due to very ill health, not because I couldnt be arsed with her anymore unlike OP) I can guarantee you she knew what was happening, it broke my heart and still does to think about it. She never normally got upset with going to the vets but this day she fought, scratched, didnt purr as usual when we put her on the table, pissed herself in the waiting room. It was fucking awful.

Is Nailak a real person? No-one can be that dumb surely?

Feliway doesn't have to be bought in spray form. I had it for my cat when we moved. Stress causes him to spray

You can get plug ins that diffuse through the room. It's not cheap buying one for every room of the house, but it's quick and easy.

I haven't read all the thread,but I do feel for you. I did post about my cat & got flamed....have deleted the thread.
My problem was cat pooing/weeing anywhere but had tests done at vets & they couldn't find anything on several visits. It went on for about 6 months,incidentally I'm pregnant. They thought he was just sensitive to my hormones.
In the end after walking into piles of sick & poo one night on way to loo,I knew enough was enough. Another trip to the vet,my poor lovely pet's kidney & liver were shutting down. He was trying to hold on & I had him put to sleep. I cried solidly for 2 days. I had had him for 11 years.
Are you positive there is nothing medically wrong? I did in between sobs say to vet that I felt I'd let him down (pet not the vet) & he said I hadn't at all.
If you can rehome pets then please please try but check there is no underlying issue. The vet explained that to me it's kinder when a pet is trying to hold on,it's very much kinder to let them go peacefully & quickly.
If you have said in your thread that you are 100% positive the cat is healthy then yabu,but I did want to just say I understand that clearing up after a pet is distressing.
Good luck & sorry for such a whopping post!

I'm glad someone else wonders about Nailak. I can't believe anyone as obviously thick as she is really exists.

Issey6cats, I have 3 and mine are like yours - very chilled :)
But we are lucky. Mine are all boys, are yours? I ask this beause neuters are much better at getting on than spayed girls. Mine don't mess in the house but they occasionally use litter trays if its raining or they cant be arsed going out.

IF the OPs cats are stressed, which the pissing all over the house indicates, then she needs the one tray each plus one more, so 4 trays around the house.

Another thing OP, there could be a threat outside, such as another cat or even a local dog. This can put them off kilter. I would bet that the problem lies within though.

This bits important so please read :
You said you would have to spray Feliway everywhere... what??? The Feliway you need is the diffuser plug in. the Feliway spray is for furniture to stop cats scratching!
Did you read my advice further up re. starting again with Feliway plugs up and downstairs, and brand new litter trays dotted around the house?

Lastly, cats can dislike a certain cat litter, might feel wrong on their paws or whatever.
I have had most sucess with this, it stays in the tray for 4 weeks(just take out poo) and no smell whatsoever -

www.wilkinsonplus.com/cat-litter+trays/city-cat-pearl-fresh-cat-litter-38ltr/invt/0194930/

Laziness on the OP's part. Shocking behaviour. Maybe she should get them rehomed to some people that actually want to love and care for them

No-one loves cats that piss everywhere though, do they? That's the problem.

Southmum... That sounds awful, it really does. You stayed with her though, to the end. Perhaps, due to her illness, the table was uncomfortable, the smells were odd and strange. Perhaps she didn't know at all, but she knew you were there.

And... get a grip yourself, seeker, people can feel whatever they like about their pets. They don't need to be judged by you.

The Bride - no no-one likes it, but the problem lies with the owner most of the time, not being arsed to sort it out and put a bit of time and effort in (which OP admits she cant be bothered to do). I have done all sorts for my cats when we had them, blended food when the old ones teeth fell out and couldnt chew, fed one of them from my hand when they were ill and couldnt get to the bowl, cleaned shit and pee from all sort of weird places that the one we took in as a stray left everywhere. It wasnt something Id do as a past time let me tell you, but I made a committment to them, I could have easily had them killed like OP considered when it got to be a pain in the arse but I just gave them back a bit of effort and time.

The thought of killing a pet, a family pet, just because its an arse to look after them....I dunno.....people who consider stuff like that frighten me a bit tbh, and Ive known some pretty dodgy people in my time.

Thanks Lying, I do hope (if thats the right word) that it was just that she was disorientated and not that she knew was going on. I had taken her the week before and she purred so much the vet had to rub something on her nose that stopped it so he could hear her heart {fond } My mum and Dad bought her for me when I was being bullied and had no friends at school and she lived for such a long time......ah, am going off on one and getting myself all soppy again......bollocks....

Southmum... Aw bless, over-purring! :) I think that when animals are ill, they can go downhill very quickly so from that previous week when you took her in and she was ok, she deteriorated. I really don't think she knew at all but you were with her and she didn't suffer.

I read a quote once that helped when we had our beloved dog euthanised and we miss her every day... "In choosing to end our pet's suffering, we accept our own".

All pet lovers understand how each other feels. :)

"And... get a grip yourself, seeker, people can feel whatever they like about their pets. They don't need to be judged by you."

Really? They don't seem to be allowed to feel that they are unable to cope physically, emotionally or financially with an animal that is making theri family's life miserable.

Oh, and I judge - and judge harshly - anyone who genuinely feels that a cat and a chid are equally valuable.

Do remember that some people do not have children - sometimes their pet DOES become like a child. Love is love.

No, no animal takes precedence over a child. So what? In this case there is a child and there a pissing cats - unhygienic, yes, unpleasant, yes. Direct threat to child? Nope.

And there are other options to try before passing sentence of death.

There is a non-sequitur between 'my cats are pissing everywhere' and 'get them pts' that is not bridged by 'children are more important than cats'

seeker... I don't recall anybody on this thread saying that a child is the same as a cat or any other pet. A human is a human, a pet is a pet, to me. I would say though that if you choose to have a pet and you don't consider its welfare, looking at killing as the easiest option when there are numerous other options to consider first then you are not fit to be a parent as there is something deficient in your character.

When you make a choice to get a pet then you have a responsibility to look after that pet. A pet lover wouldn't choose to arbitrarily have their pet killed just because it's old or peeing or barking incessantly. Better that they don't have them in the first place.

Some people feel that way about children, they abandon them and mistreat them, they even kill them. It's not really a giant leap.

Society places value on sentient, living beings but that value is really quite arbitrary in easily shiftable.

seeker and maryz - I judge my arse off at those who will have a cat killed because they cant be bothered with them anymore.

You know, if Joe on Skidrow decided he couldnt afford to keep his cat anymore, or be arsed to train it or whatever and killed it via a brick in a bag there would be uproar, but put the 'romantic' image of being taken to a vet and crying crocodile tears while the vet very genly injects it in a nice white clean room makes it all ok.

Fucking weirdos

to clarify Im not calling Seeker and Maryz weirdos, Im calling those who think its ok to have a cat killed when it doesnt fit their 'ideal' anymore

But no-one has tried to 'train' the cat. That' the whole point so right now it isn't a question of cat or child is it?

We have 1 very old cat. He's quite a stoic sort of chap and has coped with babies etc but last year when I started working full time he started weeing and pooing everywhere.

It was rather grim, but I knew that what he liked was routine, his routine had been disturbed and we needed to create a new one.

It sounds ridiculous but I'm now in a position where I have to get up at 6 every day in order to maintain the new routine (that he is now happy with!)

If I hadn't got my old beast I'd happily take a couple of your cats off your hands. I've had cats in my life for 30 years now and I love them!!!

However, living with a house full of cat wee/poo is horrid. But it is fixable. I'm sure others have mentioned this but there are anti-anxiety meds that vets can prescribe (if it's a psych problem)

IMHO cats do like and need a lot of interaction and love. But if you put the time and effort in it's really rewarding. When my cat does his special purr for me it never fails to make me smile.

aw alistron he sounds lovely, your old guy

Several people have asked the OP waht she would do if her child peed on the floor - that's why I said that I thought thecomparison was odious.

And the OP is not thinking of getting rid of her cats (in whatever way) because they are no longer "ideal". She doesn;t want them in her house any more because they pee on her child's toys.

tbh I am surprised that you took on 3 cats as presumably working in a rescue centre you know lots about cats. Cats are territorial. If you have more than 1 cat in a household (unless older cat and kitten), they are always going to be in a permanent state of war to defend their territory in the house.

I know people with lots of cats are often unaware of this and even fool themselves that their cats are friends. But you should have known that having 3 cats was not a good idea.

I agree they would be difficult to rehome. But try 2 outside kennels first.

And yes most vets will put down healthy animals.