Where else should the cat go?

Question

We have a small tabby cat who was the runt in his litter. Honestly, it seems like the cat is mentally ill. (As cruel as that sounds to call a little kitty.)

He sprays all over the house & never uses the litter box. For the first few weeks he lived at our home he alwaysed used the litter box though.

So my family wants to get rid of the cat now that we can't control him.. Yet nobody in town will take him and the pound is overfull of pets. So the only other option is to put him down, cus leaving him out in some random forest is just cruel.

Help?

My dad will not go put the cat down either because he thinks its cruel and unusual.

Answer 1

How old is the cat? If he is under 6 months old, I doubt that he is actually spraying. If he is over 6 months old, then, you might consider getting him neutered to see if this helps.

Usually, cats who go outside the litterbox do it for just a few reasons...the litterbox is not in a good place for him, the litterbox is not clean enough to suit him, he doesn't like the kind of litter you are using, he is completely stressed out about something, or, he has a urinary tract infection.

I would start with the vet for neutering and a check of his urine to rule out a urinary tract infection. Those are the most important for the health of the cat.

After that, I would give some thought to the other reasons this may be happening and see if any of them fit your situation.

Hope you find it helpful. I know it is a lot to think about, but, with cats, there are no simple answers.

Answer 2

Your cat is not mentally ill, you just haven't researched enough to know what to do. Cats, and other animals, always do something for a good reason. Just because we humans don't know what the reason is does not mean there is something wrong with the animal. There are many possible reasons for your cat's behavior. Just a few of the possibilitIEs are: 1.The litter box is not changed often enough. 2.Other cats, children, even dogs have scared the cat away from the litter box. 3. The litter is of a type that the cat can't use. 4. A change in the household routine has upset your cat. 5. A physical illness such as urinary tract infection or diabetes. 6. The box is in a bad location. ie. too much activity around it. Too close to the cat's food. There are other possibilities and ways to retrain your cat. Too much for me to list here. There are some books that can help. There is also a special brand of cat litter that can help retrain your cat, but you must fix the root problem first. Stop blaming the cat. Do the work to find the real reason. Read the books to find out how to retrain your cat (or e-mail me) and Good luck!

Answer 3

First of all stop & think . Whats out in the forest? Wild animals! They would tear your kitty apart.
If you cant figure out what else to do let it be put down. Its more humane.
On the otherhand the idea of it being an outside cat is good...
I had a similar problem with a couple of different cats over the years . My best results was to go back to limiting the cats living space. Start out with a very small area , such as a closet or an estra bathroom. then after afew months add another room for its space . then continue . But remember it takes time & the other suggestions of keeping the box clean, changing the litter ect.. could also work. but dont wait .

Answer 4

One of my friends had a similer problem like you nobody would take it and getting it put down is a bit cruel, this might sound a bit like obvious but your gunna have to get really tough with the cat, they can learn right and wrong thats what my friend did

everytime the cat did something wrong it got punished, observe your cat there will be something that the cat will hate, in my friends case it hated being tapped on the nose,
also to get the cat to stop spraying u will need to get it snipped which usually stops them from spraying, but u r going to be observant and try and catch him doing it,
u could also try and see if u could get the cat to do its bissiness outside, theres loads of other stuff as well but u would have to give me a bit more information about the cat, lemme know if this is any good for u, oh and make sure the litter box is clean coz a car wont use a dirty litter box i should know i have 4 cats

Answer 5

Take him to the vet and tell him what's going on. He might have a condition that is causing the problem and the vet might be able to help.
If he can't help, ask him what to do with the kitten. Tell him that it's not welcome in your home anymore and that it must go somewhere else. He'll be the best bet on finding a place near you willing to take it in so it won't be put down. There are lots of places that are willing to take in animals at risk of being left on their own or put down. (I said at risk, not that you'd actually do it.) Make an appointment. You might be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Answer 6

Outside is the best option. Try finding a home on a farm.

Answer 7

if the cat is full grown then the reason he is spraying all over the place is because he is marking his territory the only way to fix that problem is to have him fixed he will stop spraying everywhere my mom had the same problem.

Answer 8

I would just put him outside. As funny as it sounds my mother always made us put butter on the paws of any outside cats the first couple of times they went out, so they would easily find their way home.

Answer 9

outside in a big kennel
with a litter box
for when nature calls,
or a "cat diaper"

Answer 10

outside