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Cat Forum / General Topics / January 2007Giving your kitty away
Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a long line of cats my family would have kept down through the years. She actually belongs to my brother. I didn't want to get any more cats since I get so attached to them but he did so he got this one and really bonded with her. He was MAD about this cat and spoiled her accordingly (worst move ever!). Anyway, to cut a long story short, my brother passed away 18 months ago. He meant the world to me & I have no other family left. All that is left is this cat. Now, I'm not going to go on about my grief but I am a wreck. A total wreck. I've since been looking after puss and trying to tend to her every need. I'm as much a cat person as my brother. We always had lots of cats and had such fun loving them and taking care of them over the years. So anyway, it has taken some time but I have grown to love this cat and her me - in so far as a cat will love you. She is an indoor cat and is well behaved in all respects apart from shedding more hair than i have ever known a cat to shed. She is a calico so she hates to picked up & will not settle on your lap, but she is affectionate enough and has lovely colours. The thing is, I am thinking of trying to find another home for her. This is so gut-wrenching for me to even contemplate as not only do I love her in her own right, she was my brother's cat, and he was CRAZY about her. Like, I will do anything to make sure this cat has the best life possible and never comes to any harm. It's just that, as I am now alone with no family, having a cat, while great company, is very difficult. I can't leave the apartment for any period of time, I can't consider jobs abroad or elsewhere. She is only about 3 or 4 years old so has at least 10 years of happy cat years ahead of her, and i just think, as I'm relatively young, that I am very tied down by her. I would like to be able to travel, maybe work abroad, etc. So I am thinking of finding her a new home. It is so upsetting to even think about. Do you think it is a very cruel thing to consider? Do you think I will be able to find someone to adopt an ever-molting calico of 4 years of age? Will poor puss cope in a new environment and be nice to someone else? She has never lived outside and I'm petrified that someone won't take as good care of her as I do and she'll get out and get savaged by a dog or hit by a car. I was thinking of advertising for a foster home for 12 months so I could give her away on a 'trial' basis and go get her if it didn't work out. Do you think I am just being selfish? Especially considering she was my brother's beloved pet and so is a link to him? It really upsets me - her welfare is all I care about really - I just wonder about cats - do they re-home easily? I don't think I could bear her to be really stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... > Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a > little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should > get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... Do you have any friends that live in the country or suburbs that might take her? - That way, you could visit her once in a while, and it wouldn't be like you were leaving her forever..... You know your situation and what would be best for both of you, but I have to think that it would be a shame to let this kitty go. Did you say if you are in the UK? If so, I know most people there let their cats be outside cats, so I would be concerned about that. Your kitty doesn't have to tie you down completely. How often do you want to travel? Will you be gone for weeks at a time? Maybe there is someone who would like to housesit for you while you are gone and could watch after your cat. We have moved many times with cats and they always adjust. Would you be in one place for very long or continually moving? You might think about even getting a second cat. If you feel guilty about being gone too long during the day, it might help if you knew your cat was at home curled up with another kitty. I'm wondering if you just need to change the way you think about her. You took her on because of your brother and didn't decide to get a cat on your own, so maybe there are feelings that she is a burden. Sometimes just changing the way you think about things can help -- like does she bring you more happiness and companionship than the negative factors? Also think about yourself -- would you feel guilty if you found the cat another home? I know there are feelings attached to your brother through this cat, so make sure you understand all of your own feelings before you do anything. I hope you can work out something for the cat to stay with you, but I'm glad you are taking the time to think it over. I hope you find a solution that works for both of you. Good luck, Rhonda > Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a > little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should > get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... What would you do if you had a human child?? Give it away so you could travel or if it felt like it was ting you down?? >Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a >little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should >get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... >Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a >little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a <<snip snip snip>> >brother's beloved pet and so is a link to him? It really upsets me - >her welfare is all I care about really - I just wonder about cats - do >they re-home easily? I don't think I could bear her to be really >stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should >get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... I have 3 Siamese from different backgrounds: -A male from a horribly abusive home (someone caught him on fire) I got him from a feline rescue place after they rehabbed him -A sterile female castoff from a breeder -A female from a lady with cancer who had about 6 mos to live and was selling all her pets. They're all from 2 - 3 years old and are now living together with me and getting along pretty well with no behavior issues (they ALL like to be in my lap, but I can only handle 2 at a time...and that's crowded!!!!) I think you're worrying WAY too much; I think cats can adapt to many different situations/people/other pets. Even my male (who was abused and is sleeping in my lap right now) is slowly recovering from his trauma and is a lot less jumpy than when I got him about 16 months ago. I work in cat rescue.. and Im all for people taking full responsibility for the lives they adopt.. however you didn't adopt this kitty - you inherited it when your brother passed (my condolences!!) You need to consider what is best for the kitty. If you are someone who would consider taking a job out of country, or who likes to travel extensively, then yes, you might want to consider finding it a new home. You absolutely can keep the kitty and find housesitters if you travel, so I guess it depends on how much. And you can take the kitty with you if you take a job out of country - again, there is work and paperwork involved.. You are not cruel for considering it. Cats rehome often with few problems. this kitty has already had one upheavel in its life, and if she adjusted to you just fine, then she'll adjust to a new home as well. You are right to be concerned about where she'll end up. With millions (not a typo or an exaggeration) of homeless cats, good homes are very hard to come by. You could try listing on petfinder.com or finding a no kill shelter (although that really isn't much of a life while she waits for a new home) Honestly.. I don't know what to suggest. You the kitty is your brothers.. but your brother passed over a year ago. You say you didn't want any more cats cause you get so attached, but if your brother passed 18 months ago, then wouldn't you be totally attached at this point? I know I get attached after a few hours.. Maybe start looking for a good home.. see what you find.. and if you can't find anything, that might just tell you what you need to know.. > Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a > little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should > get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... Thanks for the replies. Yeah, I am totally attached. Completely & utterly even though I never really took to this cat in the beginning and she never took to me either, not to mention that she is unbelieveably fussy and selfish. I think this was partly not understanding the calico personality! It's just that I can't trust anyone else with her and I'll be damned before I let anything bad happen to her. My brother adored her. She does constrain me though. I'm young and might like to travel for a few months sometime or just holidays even. Even if I leave for the day by the time I get home she's crying at the door. Maybe I will do as you suggest and just put the feelers out. If I could find an old person who wanted the company that would be perfect. Or even a foster home. Thing is, although she is very clean, she sheds hair like no cat I have ever known. It drives me INSANE. I don't understand why you think you can't go out for any period of time. I've traveled and I have 2 cats, but I simply have friends come over and make sure they have food and water. Getting a job abroad can be tricky, depending on where you want to go. http://www.transitionsabroad.com/publications/magazine/0311/moving_pets_overseas .shtml. Do a Google search for moving abroad pets and you'll be hit with many websites that will give you the information you need. > Maybe you guys on here can give me your advice and make me see things a > little clearer. I have a beutiful calico cat. She is the latest in a [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] > stressed and frightened in some new place! My aunt even says I should > get her put down! I don't think I could do that. Sorry for rambling... >I don't understand why you think you can't go out for any period of > time. I've traveled and I have 2 cats, but I simply have friends come > over and make sure they have food and water. Getting a job abroad can > be tricky, depending on where you want to go. Yes....Here in Salem, Oregon there is a "cat sitter" who makes her living by just stopping by and feeding the cats (and any other pets) for 1/2 hour every day, or every other day....Whatever you want. We can leave our cats for a couple of weeks with her with no problem.......She will also pick up the mail and newspapers so your house looks, "lived in"...... See, the thing is I have no-one in this world. Literally, no-one. No-one that can help me out with pussalina anyway. All my family are gone. Like, I know I can just leave extra food & water and go off for a week but I think it's cruel leaving her there on her own. Even if I go off for the day she's crying at the door when I get back........and this cat NEVER meows. And if I went off somewhere for a year or whatever, I think it would also be cruel to be hauling the poor cat around. She can't tolerate the vet as it is! I would never do it, but sometimes I think why not just get her an injection and put to sleep - I mean, if someone said to me when you go to sleep tonight you won't wake up, I don't think I'd be particularly bothered. I dunno..... > See, the thing is I have no-one in this world. Literally, no-one. > No-one that can help me out with pussalina anyway. All my family are [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I mean, if someone said to me when you go to sleep tonight you won't > wake up, I don't think I'd be particularly bothered. I dunno..... Well, that's true, but I would feel better if I at least gave the cat a chance.....Animals can be remarkably cleaver when it comes to their own survival....If you die, your cat would find another home, because there are lots of people around (like me) who would feed anything that showed up at my back door....That's how I got the four cats I have right now. And my neighborhood is full of old geezers like me who feed the stray cats whenever they can. When we put a collar and name tag on the feral cat that we were feeding, we got a telephone call less than a week later from someone else that was feeding him also about two blocks away. (they had a hot tub, which explained why he seldom spent the night with us.....He was sleeping on the cover of their hot tub) So these animals are very versatile, and a lot better at surviving than you seem to think they are. Anyone who "owns" an outside cat will tell you that they probably aren't the only "owners"....their cats will just stick around as long as your's is their favorite place, and not a minute longer.....I think you are worrying about your cat too much. Cut a cat door in your back door, teach the cat how to come and go through it, and then stop feeding it for a few days and watch what happens....Pretty soon you will get a call from one of your neighbors asking you if you own a "such and such colored cat", and do you mind if "we feed it, because our daughter likes to pet it".......... Wow, I have never posted a negative response on this website, but William, I think your advice is extremely drastic. I mean "stop feeding it for a few days and watch >what happens"? Are you sick! This poor girl knows in her heart that she cannot give this cat the home the she would like to give it and what she knows the cat deserves and I commend her for knowing that. Try to find this kitty a good home (not that your home is not already a good one). If I remember correctly from your post, you have already had this cat for 18 months and have definitely given it a chance and you know in your heart that it is not working. I would not drop this cat off at a shelter to find a home, but I would post ads in the paper and this way you get to meet the people who are willing to offer a home to her/him and decide if you think that it is a good fit. That may give you some relief. I think you are making the right decision and once again, I commend you for knowing that this cat is not getting what she wants and needs with you (and I don't mean that in a bad way). If you want to get up and travel for a month or longer it is hard to do with a cat at home. I mean, I feel bad when I stay out for a night away from my guys. Plus, I am sure that your brother would want you and his cat to be happy. Good luck in your search for a home for your cat and I am so sorry for the loss of your brother. Please let us know how everything works out for you and the kitty in the future. >> See, the thing is I have no-one in this world. Literally, no-one. >> No-one that can help me out with pussalina anyway. All my family are [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] >asking you if you own a "such and such colored cat", and do you mind if "we >feed it, because our daughter likes to pet it".......... > Wow, I have never posted a negative response on this website, but William, > I > think your advice is extremely drastic. I mean "stop feeding it for a few > days and watch >>what happens"? Are you sick! ....... I said it, and I'm sticking with it....:^) Wow, so you would rather her starve the cat than her find it a good home? That's just unbelievable. >> Wow, I have never posted a negative response on this website, but William, >> I [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > >I said it, and I'm sticking with it....:^) > Wow, so you would rather her starve the cat than her find it a good home? > That's just unbelievable. Well, if that's the way you interpreted what I wrote, then you will just have to go through life thinking a lot of things are, "unbelievable". I gave up trying to educate large numbers of usenet posters a long time ago.....I am 71, and just don't have that much time left....... What you wrote to her was to not feed her cat so that it will go elsewhere for food. I sure hope that is not the way you treat your cats with the time you have left. >> Wow, so you would rather her starve the cat than her find it a good home? >> That's just unbelievable. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I gave up trying to educate large numbers of usenet posters a long time >ago.....I am 71, and just don't have that much time left....... > What you wrote to her was to not feed her cat so that it will go elsewhere > for food. I sure hope that is not the way you treat your cats with the > time > you have left. The following is the original post that I answered, followed by my reply to that post: > See, the thing is I have no-one in this world. Literally, no-one. > No-one that can help me out with pussalina anyway. All my family are [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > I mean, if someone said to me when you go to sleep tonight you won't > wake up, I don't think I'd be particularly bothered. I dunno..... Well, that's true, but I would feel better if I at least gave the cat a chance.....Animals can be remarkably cleaver when it comes to their own survival....If you die, your cat would find another home, because there are lots of people around (like me) who would feed anything that showed up at my back door....That's how I got the four cats I have right now. And my neighborhood is full of old geezers like me who feed the stray cats whenever they can. When we put a collar and name tag on the feral cat that we were feeding, we got a telephone call less than a week later from someone else that was feeding him also about two blocks away. (they had a hot tub, which explained why he seldom spent the night with us.....He was sleeping on the cover of their hot tub) So these animals are very versatile, and a lot better at surviving than you seem to think they are. Anyone who "owns" an outside cat will tell you that they probably aren't the only "owners"....their cats will just stick around as long as your's is their favorite place, and not a minute longer.....I think you are worrying about your cat too much. Cut a cat door in your back door, teach the cat how to come and go through it, and then stop feeding it for a few days and watch what happens....Pretty soon you will get a call from one of your neighbors asking you if you own a "such and such colored cat", and do you mind if "we feed it, because our daughter likes to pet it".......... Now, if you think that all I said was to stop feeding the cat, then you have a real reading comprehension problem........ Oh I read your post and you stated "Cut a cat door in your back door, teach the cat how to come and go through it, and then stop feeding it for a few days and watch what happens". To even suggest something like that is cruel and inhumane. Finding a cat a better home is a better option to putting it to sleep than to starve it so it finds a way to fend for itself. >> What you wrote to her was to not feed her cat so that it will go elsewhere >> for food. I sure hope that is not the way you treat your cats with the [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] >Now, if you think that all I said was to stop feeding the cat, then you have >a real reading comprehension problem........ > Oh I read your post and you stated "Cut a cat door in your back door, > teach [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > to > starve it so it finds a way to fend for itself. Yes, but the original poster was seriously considering putting the cat to sleep. I think she should give the cat a chance. What I read into the original post, was a woman who had coddled her cat so much that the poor thing was neurotic, and now, not being able to cope with her neurotic cat, was considering putting it to sleep. So, I was trying to save the poor thing's life, by trying to get her to give the cat a chance to stand on it's own two (or four) feet, and go out into the world and just be a cat.......If her cat is a pain then just throw it outside for a while, and let it find another home in the neighborhood, and throw off all its nurosis and live the life of a real cat. None of my cats are so dependent on me that they couldn't fend for themsilves if they had to. They all came from the neighborhood except one, and he was foraging for food in a Burger King parking lot when I grabbed him and threw him in the back seat of my car and drove him home. As soon as I got him home, one of my other cats took him out and introduced him to all the neighbors. If my wife and I died (like in a car crash or something) all of my cats would find other houses in the neighborhood that would take them in and feed them. We don't have to worry about them, and I would never have one of them put to sleep unless it was suffering from some disease that human beings can't cure, and were suffering. In other words, I was trying to get the lady to utilize the natural independence of felines, and give her cat the chance to find a good home for itself, and not grab it and put it to sleep just because she has trouble coping with it. Every healthy cat deserves the chance to live..... Do you understand now? >>> What you wrote to her was to not feed her cat so that it will go >>> elsewhere [quoted text clipped - 41 lines] >>have >>a real reading comprehension problem........ > Finding a cat a better home is a better option to putting it to sleep than > to > starve it so it finds a way to fend for itself. Sure, but she specifically stated that she "has no one", and can't find the cat a better home......So, she should give the cat a chance to find a better home for itself....After all, all of my cats did....They found me....All by themselves......And I've got the best chow in town....... And that is exactly why you should instruct her how to go about finding her cat a good home. You don't need to "know people" to do that. I feel for your cats. >> Finding a cat a better home is a better option to putting it to sleep than >> to [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >home for itself....After all, all of my cats did....They found me....All by >themselves......And I've got the best chow in town....... Oh please, if I was the kind of person that would cut a hole in the door and let the cat off, I don't think I would be on here asking for advice about her welfare! Anyway, she is an indoor cat & I live in an apartment so if I did cut a hole in the door she would also need the key for the main entrance. I just want her to have a long and happy life. My own attachment issues I can deal with. > Oh please, if I was the kind of person that would cut a hole in the > door and let the cat off, I don't think I would be on here asking for > advice about her welfare! Anyway, she is an indoor cat & I live in an > apartment so if I did cut a hole in the door she would also need the > key for the main entrance. I just want her to have a long and happy > life. My own attachment issues I can deal with. Well, before I would put a cat to sleep, I would let it have the opportunity to fend for itself, even if it was an "indoor" cat....Which you didn't make clear in your original post....There are many cats in the apartments of New York City that are "outside cats"....They come and go through windows to the fire escapes that their owners block open just far enough for their cats to use, but are blocked so they won't open far enough for intruders to come in. Also, bear in mind that all my cats are, and always have been, outside cats, so it is hard for me to understand inside cat people and how they relate to their animals.....I wouldn't keep an animal that I would have to lock up...Which is why I don't have any dogs or other pets except cats.....I feed anything that comes to my door, but I refuse to lock it in the house....(Sometimes even the raccoons get in the cat door, which can be a problem....) Actually, she does state that her cat is an indoor cat in her original post: "She is an indoor cat and is well behaved in all respects apart from shedding more hair than i have ever known a cat to shed." Living in NYC myself, I can tell you that people here do not allow their pets outside, and if they did, they would never see their cats again. The apartment buildings in Manhattan do not have fire escapes, we have indoor fire proof staircases. You are thinking of the boroughs outside of the city and those cats have a very poor rate of survival. If it does not get hit by a car, there are people around here that find joy in doing God knows what to animals. You may live in area where cat's can go and roam free, which is a wonderful environment for cats as I grew up in an environment like that, but not everyone does. My cats have never been outside, nor will they ever for their own safety. Calico, good luck in finding your kitty a home. Please keep us informed how everything turns out for you. >> Oh please, if I was the kind of person that would cut a hole in the >> door and let the cat off, I don't think I would be on here asking for [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] >house....(Sometimes even the raccoons get in the cat door, which can be a >problem....) > Actually, she does state that her cat is an indoor cat in her original > post: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > how > everything turns out for you. Well, I understand your problem, but before I leave this discussion forever, I would like to ask you a question. If you had a cat you loved, and couldn't keep it yourself or give it to anyone you know, for some reason, which would you do? Choice 1. Have it put to sleep. Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if necessary) And just let it go. > Well, I understand your problem, but before I leave this discussion forever, > I would like to ask you a question. If you had a cat you loved, and couldn't [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if necessary) > And just let it go. If it was a cat that had never been outside before I would put it to sleep. Seems a lot kinder than just leaving it to god knows what. >> Actually, she does state that her cat is an indoor cat in her original >> post: [quoted text clipped - 33 lines] > Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if > necessary) And just let it go. Number 2 is a very sick and disturbed thought Neither, I would bring it to a non-kill shelter. >> Actually, she does state that her cat is an indoor cat in her original >> post: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if necessary) >And just let it go. > Well, I understand your problem, but before I leave this discussion > forever, I would like to ask you a question. If you had a cat you [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if > necessary) And just let it go. In my own case (in NYC) I would take him back to the shelter where I got him... er, I mean, where he got me. They are a non-kill, to the best of my knowledge. In my mind, Choice 2 is like abandoning my child. But the thought of taking him *anywhere* and leaving him is anathema. I sympathize with the OP.  SignatureJoey DoWop Dee Remember: It is To Laugh. >> Well, I understand your problem, but before I leave this discussion >> forever, I would like to ask you a question. If you had a cat you loved, [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > But the thought of taking him *anywhere* and leaving him is anathema. I > sympathize with the OP. Yes....Well, my question was not a "test" - There is no right or wrong answer. I simply stated it to make people think, and realize that different folks think about life, death, God, and the universe in different ways. Actually, one could write a whole book about nothing more than the answers to that question, and the reasons behind those answers.... The third alternative, (to find a non-kill shelter) is interesting....I wonder how many of those exist here in the US, and where they are located. I also wonder how long, on the average, a cat stays cooped up in such a place before it finds a home. "William Graham" <weg9@comcast.net> wrote in message > The third alternative, (to find a non-kill shelter) is interesting....I > wonder how many of those exist here in the US, and where they are located. > I also wonder how long, on the average, a cat stays cooped up in such a > place before it finds a home. William, there are more rescue shelters then you can shake a, well you know what I mean ;-> www.petfinder.org is a great source for finding a kitty or a dog that needs rescue. It is also a great resource when looking for a shelter to give up an animal to. Some cat's go to no-kill shelters and spend their entire life there. Sometimes that is not a good place to be but some shelters have some pretty nice set-up's. In my area, Chicagoland, there are some no-kill shelters that have cat rooms that are set up to house hundreds of cats with no cages. It is quite an experience to see. Me personally, if I was a cat, would find that type of set-up to be pretty nice and might not want to leave. As my cat is entering her final weeks or months of life (cancer), we are contemplating on if we want to get another kitty and if we do, then a rescue shelter will be the first and only place we go. Our big dilemma will be which one as there are around 20 within a 25 mile radius of our house. Bulldog... wrote..... > Well, I understand your problem, but before I leave this discussion > forever, I would like to ask you a question. If you had a cat you loved, [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if > necessary) and just let it go. What William Graham is proposing in his post is abandonment of an animal. (See section 3(f) below). Here in Western Australia, if you were to do what William suggested in his post, you would be liable to be prosecuted under our State's Animal Welfare Act. If you bother to read your own Country/State's Animal Welfare Act you will undoubtedly find that similar laws apply. ANIMAL WELFARE ACT 2002 - SECT 19 Cruelty to animals 19 . Cruelty to animals (1) A person must not be cruel to an animal. Penalty: Minimum — $2 000. Maximum — $50 000 and imprisonment for 5 years. (2) Without limiting subsection (1) a person, whether or not the person is a person in charge of the animal, is cruel to an animal if the person — (a) tortures, mutilates, maliciously beats or wounds, abuses, torments, or otherwise ill-treats, the animal; (b) uses a prescribed inhumane device on the animal; (c) intentionally or recklessly poisons the animal; (d) does any prescribed act to, or in relation to, the animal; or (e) in any other way causes the animal unnecessary harm. (3) Without limiting subsection (1) a person in charge of an animal is cruel to an animal if the animal — (a) is transported in a way that causes, or is likely to cause, it unnecessary harm; (b) is confined, restrained or caught in a manner that — (i) is prescribed; or (ii) causes, or is likely to cause, it unnecessary harm; (c) is worked, driven, ridden or otherwise used — (i) when it is not fit to be so used or has been over used; or (ii) in a manner that causes, or is likely to cause, it unnecessary harm; (d) is not provided with proper and sufficient food or water; (e) is not provided with such shelter, shade or other protection from the elements as is reasonably necessary to ensure its welfare, safety and health; (f) is abandoned, whether at the place where it is normally kept or elsewhere; (g) is subjected to a prescribed surgical or similar operation, practice or activity; (h) suffers harm which could be alleviated by the taking of reasonable steps; (i) suffers harm as a result of a prescribed act being carried out on, or in relation to, it; or (j) is, in any other way, caused unnecessary harm. > wrote..... > [quoted text clipped - 57 lines] > in relation to, it; or > (j) is, in any other way, caused unnecessary harm. How about: - "is, injected with a poisonous substance, causing it unnecessary death."? Or, does that come under (j) above? The question is, which "unnecessary harm" is worse than some other "unnecessary harm". These laws, like most laws, are ambiguous, and subject to interpretation by human beings, who, for some unknown reason, have been given the power of life and death over cats and other animals. I am sorry, but I would still like to give the cat a chance to dictate it's own fate, laws or no laws..... After all, the great God of this universe, in His infinite wisdom, causes millions of little furry creatures to die of starvation and exposure every Winter....Why should my cat get even less of a chance than that? >> wrote..... >> [quoted text clipped - 76 lines] > exposure every Winter....Why should my cat get even less of a chance than > that? My intention is not to enter into an argument with you regarding your opinion of what is the right way to deal with re-homing of this cat. I merely posted part of the Animal Welfare Act of Western Australia to show that in certain parts of the world, deliberately abandoning an animal to fend for itself is considered a criminal and cruel act. >>> wrote..... >>> [quoted text clipped - 82 lines] > that in certain parts of the world, deliberately abandoning an animal to > fend for itself is considered a criminal and cruel act. I know....And I am not angry with you about the post. We also have similar laws here, and they serve a good purpose. Most people who abandon animals aren't doing it for the animal's sake. They are just too lazy to bother to find the animal a good home....My favorite cat, "B-K" came from the next town's Burger King parking lot....I was there the Wednesday before Thanksgiving day in 2004, just before they closed at 10:00 PM, to buy a couple of hamburgers for me and my wife. There was this young (about a year old) black cat by the door, and when I left with my bag of burgers, he stood on his hind legs and put one paw on my knee, and pawed at the burger bag and said, "Can I have a little of your hamburgers, dad?" I did better than that....I picked him up, threw him in the back seat of my car, and he has been my favorite cat for over two years now......He knows how to drink milk out of a glass....Most cats will knock the glass over, and lap up what they can before it soaks into the ground....B-K puts his paw down into the milk, and then licks it off without knocking the glass over....He could finish off a whole glass of milk that way when I got him.....Now, he likes to slurp some of my wife's cereal milk right out of her bowl at night, and other than a little milk once in a while, he won't touch people food....It's strictly kibbles for B-K. - He won't even eat chopped up roasted chicken........ "William Graham" <weg9@comcast.net> wrote in message > Choice 1. Have it put to sleep. > Choice 2. Take it to a nice suburban environment (by taxi, if > necessary) And just let it go. #3 - take it to a rescue shelter and let them attempt to rehome it. I live in the outer suburbs of a large American city. Out here, outside cats are dead cats - it just takes a little time. I see the people who let their kitty out to roam and eventually I see same kitty dead on the side of the road or find kitty half eaten by coyotes or killed by someone with a bb gun or .22 who didn't want a cat killing the creatures in their yard. A few years ago I had to remove a cat from an engine (for a friend who didn't have the stomach for it) that died there trying to find a warm place to sleep and got overcome by fumes(?) or something and got cooked. Freaking nasty... Calico, as much as it would hurt - give up the cat to a cat rescue if you cannot care for it anymore. Otherwise, enjoy the cat and give it love and a home. You got to do what you got to do. Bulldog... |
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