to put my healthy cat down

[chocolaterabbit]

I have a cat who is now about 17 years old but still in good health - glossy coat, all teeth etc.

DH's cat died recently of natural causes and the two animals had been living together for 12 years. Since DH's cat died, my cat has started crapping all over the house, particularly in hard to reach areas like under the kitchen units/ behind the sofa.

I've shut all the doors etc but the cat flap leads directly into the kitchen and her food is there so can't shut her out. Came down this morning to find a sloppy poo under the kitchen table and against the legs of DD's highchair. It is absolutely revolting and horrible to have to clean up, also not exactly healthy for the DCs.

So. Would I be unreasonable to ask the vet to put my cat down because of this?

My mother had two dogs (her babies!)who we took in after she died, we had them for a few years but when they got to 14 and 15 years old they starred weeing and pooing everywhere, one of them started getting aggressive and snapped at our 18 month old and the other would just sit and stare at a wall all day. I knoew the best thing to do would be to have them put to sleep but I just couldnt do it (made it worse they were my mums) so in the end we took them to the rspca and told asked them to deal with it (we also gave a donation). To this day I have no idea what happened to them but I assume they were put to sleep.

We've had some success with Feliway but also found 'Rescue Remedies' useful. Boots sell them and the pharmacist will tell you the cat dosage.

OP I think the vet is the first port of call, but I would feel as you do TBH

SpawnChorus I would try to catch the tom cat put it in a cat box and drive it miles away and dump the bloody thing

One of our two cats started pooing in randowm corners all over our house. A trip to the vet ruled out anything medical and we came away with a felaway plug in diffuser.

My vet swears they have worked for him and that our cat was showing his stress about moving home, small children and workmen constantly in the house by pooing and refusing to go outside.

We increased indoor cat litter trays to two, moved them to somewhere quiet (no tumble dryers or small children in my case)and clean them out as soon as they have been pooed in, often twice a day. This and the spray seems to have helped a lot in the last month. We went from 1-2 accidents everyday to maybe one per week at the moment. My cats are 10. Goodluck.

I have not got animals but surely you should see if it is unwell before you decide to have it put down . Is that not just saying that all of a sudden your animal is making a mess in your house so after all these years you are going to kill it!!!!

I completely sympathise. Our cat is 16/17 years old. We took her 10 years ago from a rescue home days before she was due to be put down.

Now we have a 5 month old on the verge of crawling and I'm having to keep the two apart, first for health reasons and second because the cat has very been good with children, always lashing out on young visitors.

Having always been much of an indoor I've never known her to kill anything other than the odd fly but in the last 2 weeks she's brought 3 birds in to the kitchen.

She's also not interested in going outside to the toilet, unless in good weather.

I don't want to have to keep my baby out of rooms where the cat is and I don't want to have to clean up dead birds from the kitchen so am also considering having her put down. Will vets do this if otherwise healthy?

I've tried all our local rescue centres but no-one is willing to take her on as they're full with abandoned kittens.

Just saw you posted in Jan - did you sort the cat issue?

(this thrtead is from January)

YABU - our cat did this for ages after we moved. We bought feliway diffusers. Used them for 3-4 months. Now no problem at all.

Haven't read the whole thread but I have had similar issues, cat looks ok but crpas nuggets all over house and has sloppy mess when he does go in litter tray.

He's on steroids now, and will be forever and there has been a marked improvement.

I'm not sure if yours is behavioural or physical problem, but I know that i am going to have to put mine down if he starts again and the steriod dose can't be increased.

:( This thread has made me sad.

I would like to think a vet wouldn't put a healthy animal down, and that it would only be allowed if the animal was actually unwell and couldn't be treated.

If my cat's toilet habits suddenly changed I'd be taking her to vet concerned for her health and how they could make her better, NOT considering her a nuisance and horrible to clean up and wanting to get rid of her.

Yanbu to want to do it.

Ya a bit u to do it.

I had this problem when I took in my mums 20yr old cat after she died, poor thing couldnt cope, the final straw was when I found her having a pee on my shoe rack

Couldnt go through with having her put to sleep tho, after the vet said she was in fine health, so I asked for the local cattery to take her in (and yes I donate)

very old thread!

Totally unreasonable and you should not be allowed to care for an animal if it makes it easier on you to just kill it! sickening.

totally agree LilQ!
Some people should not have pets - when you go out of your way to actually get an animal in the first place (as opposed to 'inheriting' one reluctantly) you have a responsibility, morally, to care for that animal for life.

You are a disgusting, horrible human being. YOU deserve to be put down! That poor, defenceless creature (which you clearly did NOT deserve to be blessed with!)has grown to trust you and you are going to do that! Disgusting!

Very Very Very old thread

YABU, Youcan't justify putting a healthy cat dowm. We had to put our cat sown a few weeks after DD2 had gone to uni and she was really upset about it and so were her two sisters, Our cat had Jidney failure and we only had her put down when we knew there was no way she would get beter.

agree with Neatz. A responsible owner takes responsibility for the crappy times too (literally!)
I have just spent way, way over a month's wages at vets on an elderly pet who may not make it because of age. ( I would have euthanised had they been in pain and untreatable, but this is not the case). This is a huge inconvenience to me (financially and therefore the repercussions of that) and i am going without a lot to pay for this eg skipping rent etc. And i think every penny is well spent. My conscience is clear; I've done what i can.My pet is worth it..even if he only has a short time left. i took him on, i can't let him down now.
I'm not squeamish as i worked in a cattery and was quite literally, a shit shoveller! However, if i hadn't, i would still grit my teeth and willingly clear up at home after a slack bowelled pet.
Hope no one tries to put you down when you get old and messy.

oh...i worked at a vet too. It used to make me sick seeing healthy animals (of any age) put down because they inconvenienced the owner in some way..one example is my ex boss who had her cat put down because she couldn't be arsed to treat its fleas.

Bloody hell OP, you want to put down an elderly cat just because she appears to have lost control of her bowels! Are you serious! Go to the vet to see if there is anything wrong and anything they can do. With any luck they will tell you that YABU!!!

This thread is over a year old, ladies. The cat is probably recovered or in pussy heaven by now

its an old thtead from 2010
The catt probably died last summer
Let's leave it eh?