Many people give up on their cats who have behavioural or health issues that is difficult to deal with. Most of the time these animals end up in shelters and often times put to sleep.
I was wondering if any of you had any cats that caused you financial or emotional problems (like not getting along with your other pets or children, peeing everywhere, biting clawing etc) but you kept your cat anyway. If so, what did you do to overcome these issues and were you happy in the end that you kept your cat?
2007-09-09 14:53:51 · 8 answers · asked by Laura 3 in Pets ➔ Cats
Oh, you mean like my $3,000 cat?
We had three indoor cats, didn't need another one but a stray showed up who needed food. He walked funny (slow, arthritic like) and ate as much as his stomach could hold. Was back the next day, and the next, etc. After 10 days we took him in to the vets figuring he was ours. An exam showed he was missing one fang, the other three were broken off in nubs, his left hip was shattered and the leg bone had moved forward to form a new socket--fresh wound only a month old--his 'tom cat' cheeks weren't so much tom cat cheeks as infected because of the teeth, and the general condition of him was not 'good'. His chest and neck were ripped up by cat claws which probably happened because he couldn't run because of the hips.
Long story short--she couldn't do anything about the healing bones, but did lance the underside of his jaw and let the pus drain, got him on antibiotics, neutered him, took out all the broken teeth plus one extra, did blood tests on him (he came up 'indeterminate' on the FIV for 4 months, then finally we got a 'yes' on the Western Blot so it had to have been the last fight that infected him.
He didn't stop eating, and was calm about staying in the basement healing, sleeping and eating (we'd go down plenty of times to keep him company). When he could negotiate the stairs up to the top we introduced him to our indoor three who woulnd't get closer than 8'.
Since we took him in 7 years ago he's had---
1. Food allergies to most cat foods
2. urinary blockage once, needed the emergency vet
3. broken molar (how that happened, we don't know)
4. diabetic condition set in a year ago
5. pancreatitis attack
6. a very painful ear infection & an internal abcess by his rear leg that required surgery
Animal control or the humane society would have put him down because of his injuries (we figured he had been hit by a car a few weeks prior). The vet is VERY familiar with him. The vet techs all love him (he's SO mellow!!!!), and this cat has survived so much and come out so sweet about it all, it's fantastic. He's about 10 years old now, sort of stiff, gets insulin twice a day, but he's doing good.
2007-09-09 15:36:07 · answer #1 · answered by Elaine M 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hello! Yes, I have kept many "problem" cats over the years. I have found that each cat needs to be looked at as an individual because they are all so different. I have been doing cat rescue for over 15 years now, mostly feral cats (wild), but also some abandoned cats. They all seem to start out with problems because of living outside in the wild, but they really do become sweet pets if you give them a chance. Right now I own 13 cats, mostly because no one would take a chance on them & I couldn't just throw them away like everyone else seemed to have done. About half of these cats are 10 years or older now and are starting to have the normal health issues for their ages. I will continue to look after them until I feel their quality of life is deminished, then I will have them humanely euthanized so that their death will be gentle and painless. I have worked with cats that were terrified of people, fear-biters, fear-scratchers, unsocial cats, urinary blockages and far more. Is it worth it? Yes. Every one of them is worth the time and effort. Is there ever a time to give up? Yes. When the animal's quality of life is poor or when veterinary skill can not help.
I have experienced so much over the last 15+ years that I'm not sure I can fully answer your question here. Too much typing! Please feel free to contact me if you need help figuring out a specific cat problem. I'll do my best to help!
I have to add a note here. I have also adopted out many cats to great homes. There are a few people willing to do the right thing! Good luck.
2007-09-09 15:18:34 · answer #2 · answered by Berri 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
a good number of the above are super suggestions. What I surely have chanced on that works are those long rice filled contraptions so which you are able to use on your neck which you heat up interior the microwave. I call them neck worms, i do no longer understand what they are somewhat reported as, yet I had a kitten that replaced right into a rescue that replaced into very chilly after being separated upfront from momcat. I heated it up (the gadget, no longer the kitten) and placed a number of thinner blankets over and around it so as that it may maintain the warmth and that the kitten could have something extra to snuggle as much as. She took too it o.k.. I additionally gave her an selection of towels and small fluffy blankets to snuggle in. In different words, she replaced into "a spoiled cat in coaching". this is now 9 years later and she or he's doing purely high quality.
2016-12-16 16:02:25 · answer #3 · answered by rushford 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The thing is, I have never had the luxury of picking my pets. They have always picked me instead.
I have had many critters, and have only been unable to deal with one huge, white, fluffy cat that just showed up one day.
Oh, he was gorgeous! Prettiest cat you ever saw.
But he was extremely aggressive and grew more so as time went on.
I tried every trick I knew to make him a family pet, to no avail.
When he walked up to my two year old granddaughter and literally jumped on her, going for her face, I knew I had to do something different.
I took the cat to a local shelter that I knew would try to work with the cat and get him adopted if possible.
Well, they found he had a brain injury and was completely unreachable. Sadly, he had to be put down.
That has been the only time I ever gave up on any animal.
All other rescues have been salvageable.
2007-09-09 15:22:28 · answer #4 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My wife fed a stray who then brought his female friend who then had 2 litters.
The last litter we had one left who had coccidia (bad diarrhea) then Irritable Bowels syndrome
We could not keep her outside and she went crazy unless she had the run of the house
It took 5-6 months before the diarrhea stopped most of the time she was peeing and pooping everywhere but the cat box
She finally got better after switching her to raw food
She was a stray that I could not leaave outside (it was unsafe for a kitten and she would also go to the door and run in) - I spent maybe 1000 on her between vet stuff etc, had a bad case of broncitis myself probably due to exposure in trying to keep it cleaned up and it was alot of stress
She is and always was a sweet sweet cat. After awhile it almost seemed like a test of character. She had her birthday 31 August.
Having said that I wouldn't do it again but I am glad I did.
2007-09-09 15:18:09 · answer #5 · answered by garywb333 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Owning an animal is a responsibility, a committment. You keep it, even though it may be a complicated matter.
As far as euthanasia, I'd go by the vet's recommendation.
We have a cat that had cancer, $ 1200.00 for the vet. Would we do it again? Of course we
would.
We wer lucky,. the cat is fine.
2007-09-09 15:10:05 · answer #6 · answered by Barry auh2o 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
You cannot expect to keep an animal and not have additional problems along with the joys of owning. It is a very selfish person who thinks their sofa, (or whatever else the cat has scratched, peed on, or chewed), is worth more than their cat, and it is particularly cruel when they declaw for it.
It would be more humane to abandon an animal, even to put it down, than to declaw it. My thoughts anyway. Accept the good with the bad, or don't get a pet.
2007-09-09 15:02:13 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
I had a cat who developed severe psychological/mental health problems - she grew increasingly violent and would viciously and repeatedly attack me and my children (she was a lovely cat prior to this). I'm afraid to say that she became too much for me :-(
2007-09-09 15:00:42 · answer #8 · answered by rainbowcraft 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋