Is there ever a time to just let a healthy cat go? WWYD? (UPDATE in post #54)

[poppy]

Honestly I think the existence of no-kill shelters just makes people feel better about giving up animals, so makes pets more disposible. If it doesn't work out I can always give her to the no-kill shelter vs really committing.

[Bluegoat]

We've had our kitty a few years and have not bought a new litter box for this home yet. Some time back we started lining the box with litter box trash bags (found at Target). I guess that prolongs the life of the box (from scratches/smell) but I don't know if it's preferable to the cat. The last bag or so has bunched up badly and been a nuisance. I wonder if we got the wrong brand this time or something. We tried one rather shallow litter box at a family's home where we take the cat a few times a year with us but have swapped that out for the deeper one with the high sides that we have here at the house. It is not completely enclosed like a hooded litter box, but it has a top half that snaps on for extra height on the sides.

 

 

I heard that no kill shelters end up having to move cats out to kill shelters so basically a no-kill shelter is just death row. I guess there may be exceptions but this sounds plausible to me.

 

 

 

Honestly I think the existence of no-kill shelters just makes people feel better about giving up animals, so makes pets more disposible. If it doesn't work out I can always give her to the no-kill shelter vs really committing.

 

Also - just because shelters are no kill doesn't mean they suddenly actually have more room or resources.  There was a no kill shelter in another part of our province, one that was privately run, and it actually ended up being shut down by the SPCA because of cruelty.  It wasn't that the people running it were bad, it was that they simply did not have adequate resources to care for that many animals (cats in this case) appropriately.  So they cut corners, and things got worse and worse.

 

The other option for them would have been to refuse animals, but that leads to its own problems as owners are left to figure out solutions.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

UPDATE:

Well, we caught the mouse that the cat brought in the other night.  Dh relaxed, and let the cat in yesterday (after he spent two days and nights outside).  He wasn't eating well out there, and it's been really hot!  We're going to be a lot more careful about monitoring his ins and outs -- No more cat door.  We'll keep the sliding glass door closed and locked (he can pull it open), and let him out and in when he asks (checking his mouth carefully before letting him in).  Hopefully, he will still poop outside, rather than messing up the house.  I am watching some of the videos people posted (thank you). He's due for shots in September, so I'll make a point to have the vet check him for digestive problems and give me pointers about how to correct his problems.   

 

It'll be hot with that sliding door closed, but we just need to deal with it for a couple more weeks, until the monsoon rains start coming every afternoon to cool things down.  By the time winter comes, and he's indoors exclusively, both of the teens will be away at college, so their smells won't be upsetting him.  Perhaps if we keep dh's office door open, the cat will not have a reason to pee at it.

 

I've never had an older cat before.  We've always had cats, but never an older one.  Circumstances have always prevented us from having a cat older than about 7 years.  Pumpkin is 12.  But, like the kids, he may frustrate the you-know-what out of us sometimes, but he really is part of the family.   He's not going anywhere.

[katilac]

Litter boxes should be replaced every year. 

 

I've never heard of that, and certainly never done it. What's the reasoning behind replacing a clean, sturdy litter box that the cat is happy to use? I googled, and most sites seem to say to replace it when it starts smelling even after a cleaning and airing. 

 

He was really worried about BO, and he really loved Axe!      

 

 

In the cat's defense, pee of any kind does smell better than Axe.  

[ktgrok]

So glad things are working out. 

[poppy]

Good update! Thanks for chiming in.

[Pawz4me]

I've never heard of that, and certainly never done it. What's the reasoning behind replacing a clean, sturdy litter box that the cat is happy to use? I googled, and most sites seem to say to replace it when it starts smelling even after a cleaning and airing.

 

 

In the cat's defense, pee of any kind does smell better than Axe.

If a box gets to the point that you can smell it then the cat has already been smelling it for a very long time. Replacing boxes regularly is a preventative thing -- you want to do it before the cat can smell it and become repulsed by it.

[AlmiraGulch]

 

I heard that no kill shelters end up having to move cats out to kill shelters so basically a no-kill shelter is just death row. I guess there may be exceptions but this sounds plausible to me.

 

 

I've worked directly with no fewer than 1/2 dozen no-kill shelters, and they are truly no-kill ,and do not move to kill shelters.  Ever.  That's why it's so hard sometimes to find placement, because they rely on fosters quite a bit to make room for new residents when adoptions are down, and they'll only take so many cats into a facility.  But I have never once experienced a no-kill shelter that transferred to a kill shelter.  (I'm not doubting what you've heard, just saying that in all of my direct work I've never experienced it).

[hornblower]

If a box gets to the point that you can smell it then the cat has already been smelling it for a very long time. Replacing boxes regularly is a preventative thing -- you want to do it before the cat can smell it and become repulsed by it.

:iagree: 

 

It's way easier to prevent litter box problems imo than it is to fix them. 

 

You can extend the life of a litter box if you're very careful about cleaning but sooner or later you'll have to replace.  

 

The plastics used are porous and they absorb odors. Also cats scratch in them and gouge the surface, allowing bacteria to settle. 

 

I used to fully wash our boxes every week: scrub them with antibacterial cleanser and water and a brush, rinse, and if the weather was good, put out in the sun for a bit.