Is giving up your cat to a shelter considered "inhumane"? Opinion question.?

Question

I have to move soon; I got a new job on the other side of the state. I was offered to live with friends because they just bought a house. Only thing is my friend's boyfriend is HIGHLY allergic to cats, and I can't take my little guy to that house. He turns a year old this month. Kitty is always right on top of me when I am in bed, comes out with me when I go to friends houses, is leash trained / loves car rides, and is such a great cat overall with an awesome personality. I can afford to live on my own, but it would be cheaper to live with friends ( I am kinda stretched out money wise), and I would rather they get the cash then an apartment complex. So i am torn between living with friends and keeping my little tyke. Any opinions because I really want him to have a great home (with me or elsewhere), but I don't want him to feel neglected because then I won't be around anymore. I would honestly miss my cat also if I lived with friends. it's tough, but the cash thing is alluring.

P.S. I would NEVER "dump" him. He's an orange tabby so I know the no-kill shelter would take him within a two week notice. I talked to the shelter before and they said so.

Thanks for answering everyone. Esp Triple Threat. I don't have a set plan yet. I teeter back and forth one day "No way I'm keeping Binky." Another day, " man my neighbor so loves binky, and her son is great with him. They have two kittens which my cat is used to..." I go back and forth honestly. I was never great at making decisions. I will say I am 75% get my own apartment with binky, 25% move with friends.

Answer 1

There is another option, assuming that you are planning to move into your own place after a certain period of time, and that is foster care in your new location.

I don't know where you are or how large the metropolitan area is where you are moving, but if they have an SPCA or a Humane Society there, or a no-kill shelter or a cat rescue group (you can google any of these options), then the shelter or group has a network of animal caregivers to whom animals come when they are not to be put up for adoption immediately or at all. Another option for this kind of resource would be local vets in your new location.

Call or go online and see if you can't locate someone to take your cat in foster care for an extended period of time. Explain your predicament/dilemma and be willing to provide food or food money for your cat and to pick up the expenses of any veterinary care your cat may need while there. Especially if your cat is the sweetheart you describe, you really should have to problem placing him in foster care.

Even if you will not be in your friends' place temporarily, this option would provide you more flexibility and time in locating the perfect new home for your buddy. And you could visit him while he is there.

I have done volunteer work with cat rescue groups in NYC, all of them no-kill to the point of near-fanaticism, and I have seen cats who were surrendered by their owners for the same reasons as yours, for less admirable reasons, and due to death and illness. I have seen quite a few surrendered animals, and I can honestly tell you that, no matter how loving the owner was, the cats really were profoundly wounded and confused when they found themselves in a cage among strangers.

I am absolutely not chiding you or being in any way nasty with you, but it is just true that you are the center of the universe to that kitten. And it is YOU not just people who is the center. Your home is his territory; he knows no other and he wants no other. If he loses both at the same time, he really will be wounded and confused and maybe even depressed.

In time, with a new and loving home, he would recover, but you really will undermine the trust he has in humans, a reluctance which may or may not go away in a new environment.

Please do consider foster care or a temporary placement in your new environment, should you decide to move into your friends' house, so that -- if he is to lose both person and territory -- the loss is phased, and you personally have the opportunity to find him a wonderful home in your new town with people to whom you are comfortable entrusting this little investment of your time, skill, money and love.

That way, you will both be happy.

Answer 2

I wouldn't want to be in your shoes! That's a very tough decision you have to make. Pets are for life, however life has a habit of slapping you in the face!

Ultimately it boils down to what you value the most - money, or your cat. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh but that's how it is.

If you do decide that you can't keep your cat, you should try to re-home him yourself rather than give him to a shelter. Give him to someone you know and trust to look after him well. The other bonus is that if he goes to someone you know then you can always visit afterwards!

For what it's worth, I would try to go it alone, at least to begin with. That way you've done everything you can to keep your little tyke. If it doesn't work out either for yourself or indeed for your cat, you can take the next step further down the line.

Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

Answer 3

He sounds such a great cat, that it would be a real shame if you have to give him up.

I appreciate that as it's a friend's home, that you have to be respectful of their wishes, but would the boyfriend be willing to consider allergy medicines from the doctor or another form of treatment to help with his allergy?. You could promise to restrict the cat's access to certain rooms of the home and others could be cat-free zones. If the cat lives indoors only, bathe it in distilled water each month to wash away dried saliva dust. (Tap water leaves residues on the cat’s fur.)

The web article below has lots of information and advice on cats and allergies that might help you.

http://www.messybeast.com/allergy.htm

This is not a choice that I would wish to be faced with, and personally I would pay the extra rent in order to keep my cat as I know I would miss them more than the money. Perhaps you could find other friends or people to rent with who don't suffer from cat allergies.

If you do surrender him to an animal shelter, make it one with a "no kill" policy. You could also offer to contribute towards his upkeep until he is found a new home.

Whatever, you decide, I wish you well.

Answer 4

hmm ok I see many different senerios here.
1 your cat is a LIFETIME commitment.. live alone (perhaps find a roommate) and keep the cat. There are lots of other things you can save money on.. l.ike NEVER buy coffee out.. coffee and drinks in general are very high mark up $. Make it yourself..eat soup for some meals - its virtually free (I saved up enough to buy my own house while working part time minimum wage...)
2 is your cat neutered and vaccinated?? if so the shelter might be ok.. people are unlikely to pick an older cat who isnt neutered but when its already done for them it means he might get picked.. also if he is already vaccinated it means the shelter wont have to pay to get him done - as such he can go straight into adoption (bring your vet papers with you to prove it)
3 DO NOT try to give him away, unless you know the people extremely well. Many serial killers admitted they started on "free to good home" pets. people who sell pets to research labs will take the free ones...
4 DO NOT give him to a farm... many farm cats have difficult lives.. killed by coyotees, kept underfed so they catch more mice.. fighting with other farm cats (often they are not fixed or vaccinated) disease, worms, cold... - I live on a farm.. but still I know most farm cats ARE NOT well cared for... and any farm who does care for their cats will have plenty already.. if a farm needs more cats its because something has killed off their other ones...
5 You can try a $10 cat for sale ad... ask the people for phone numbers and adress.. if they wont give you these things dont allow them the cat...ask them questions like will he be kept indoors... etc.. make sure they are ready and commited to a cat - do they own or rent? do they have landlord permission? and can they prove it?

Answer 5

Oh, that is rough! I had to make a choice like that a couple of decades ago, and I'm certain I made the wrong choice.

If there is no one around that you can trust to love your little guy, then giving him to a shelter is less inhumane than taking him somewhere and dumping him by far.

If you can make it on your own, you probably would feel better about doing so: If you decide to live with your friends, you would find yourself bound by someone else's rules- and as you've found, their problems. But with finances being what they are, that is something for you to decide.

Good luck.

Answer 6

Tough decision. But I would not give up my cat, especially if I could make it on my own...even if it meant living a little "tight". Finding a loving home for your kitty could be tough. I certainly would not entertain bringing him to any humane society... god knows what would happen to him. If you feel you must give him away, trying some rescue groups in your area first...see if they would be willing to take him and put him in a foster home until they find a suitable home for him. That may be hard as well...speaking from experience, foster homes are usually far and few between. We have over 150 foster people in our organization, and our "homes" are full to capacity. In all honesty, I would do everything to keep my cat. When you adopt a pet of any kind, it should be for life. Best of luck to you....

Answer 7

tough spot you're in, i'm sorry you have to face this. it's hard if you're feeling like you're putting a price tag on love, but in this day and age, with finances what they are, sometimes it can't be helped. if i were in the situation, and if the amount of money saved each month by living with friends is big, i'd probably find another home for my cat. i don't consider having to rehome your boy as inhumane or unloving at all, if it seems to be the best solution for everyone. he's young enough that he would have absolutely no problem adjusting to a new home. we adopt out many many cats that are far older than 1 yr old, with very few issues cropping up.

maybe putting notices up at your vet clinic, a local college notice board, on your local branch of freecycle.org or petfinder.com, or in your newspaper would help. you would be able to screen people and choose the owner you like best for your boy. i'd suggest a shelter as a last resort though - his chances of being euthanized are high (even in some no-kill shelters) if he picks up the ever-present upper respiratory illnesses that run through catteries. that is a pretty quick death-sentence at most shelters.

it's not easy to choose with your head rather than your heart on what to do. good luck, whatever you choose.

Answer 8

Just remember that if you take him to a shelter there is no guarentee that he will be adopted. If he gets ill from the upper respiratory disease shelters often "wipe" an entire room. (I worked at a shelter)

Also, as a pet owner you owe it to your pet to do what is best for it and to find it a good, permanent home.

I saw too often people "dumping" pets at shelters...claiming they loved them as well yet, the pet inconvenienced them. You do not abandon those you love...

I highly doubt being an "orange tabby" would help him get adopted. It is not a rare color, in fact very common. The fact that he is young would help him. Most people look for young cats...never looking at older ones unfortunately...

Answer 9

There's no need to give him to a shelter. They have enough trouble with strays and trouble cats. Give him right to a family that you know will take good care of him, and skip the process of the shelter that will just disrupt the cat's life more than neccesary.

Answer 10

From experience, living with friends is ok for a little while but everyone will get tired of soon.
Your "little tyke" probably will not make a good adjustment to living with another family if he sleeps with you and goes for rides.

My advice, since you can afford to live on your own, is to do it. I assume you live on your own now.