The cat used to sleep a lot. He would let the ladies pet and carry him around, but now he has hyperthyroid and kidney problems. He is frantic and loudly crying all the time. No medicine has worked, he Urps and pees and diarrhea all around. Do I go to the vet and put him down or take him to a shelter?
IF you can afford it take the cat to the vet and see if medication can help with the problems you have mentioned.
If you can not afford to treat / medicate the cat then look for a shelter that will care for it until it is adopted.
You can 'surrender' the cat to animal control who can decide whether to treat him, or euthanize him. You will no longer have authority over the cat if he is surrendered. I suggest this for you.
You may need to obtain permission from the owner(s) of the cat. It is not your cat?
If you and your caregiving wards (family?) can no longer care for the cat, allow the professionals to do this and make the decisions on behalf of the cat's welfare.
I am sure it is impossible for us to tell you what to do with your pets. Is this your first pet?
Do consider discussion with your own vet.
I wouldn't do a shelter; most are terrified and then pts. Especially a sick animal.
Myself, if an animal cannot be helped due to age or illness it is a mercy to have them gently put to sleep in your arms. I have always been with my animals at the time of death, and wouldn't have it another way.
Surrendered animals with this health prognosis would typically end up the same way in a room that wasn’t that nice with strangers that only knew it by its animal number.
It deserves better than to be dropped off at a shelter that doesn't want it to begin with because it is not adoptable in such a condition.
The animal is your responsibility. Don't pawn it off on a shelter and make it theirs because you don't want to care for a sick animal. Put it out of its misery.
I would take him to the vet and see where he stands at this point. Maybe the Vet can come to you. My nephew is a mobile vet. It will be up to ur charges if he is out down.
2. What power do you think you have to remove the cat from the premises?
3. What does the vet have to say about his condition? Does the vet think he's in pain and would be better off put to sleep?
4. Has the cat seen more than one vet?
5. Who is paying for the cat's medical care?
6. Have you spoken with any shelters about a cat that has medical problems? There are kind people who take difficult to place animals, but it's unusual.
7. If you remove the cat, will your "dementia wards" notice and have a problem with this?
8. If this is all about you, please step back. It's no fun taking care of a cat that pees outside the box and throws up. I know. I have a 13-year-old who's done if for years. I also know it can be dealt with and would be happy to share my experience with you. I have to say, I'm not quite sure about the diarrhea.
9. Nonetheless, if you are a caregiver and caring for the cat is part of your brief, there you are. It just goes with the territory.
You clearly are an animal lover and that is great. MargaretMcKen who you ripped a new one is right though. If the cat is suffering, it should be put out of its misery. Not rehomed, not subjected to all kinds of treatments and procedures some vet can give it to prolong its life.
It deserves mercy and putting it down would be an act of mercy.
I also have their view when it comes to people. Back in the era you're telling Margaret to return to which I assume could be any time between the Stone Age and Queen Victoria, people did not live to the point where they could become invalid for years at a time. They died before diseases dementia could ravage them to a vegetable for years at a time.
People died before this point. Families didn't go bankrupt or have to sacrifice years of their lives enslaved to caregiving because the modern medicine will take every measure to make sure an elder outlives their body. No one was spending their days fastened in a wheelchair, being spoon-fed mush, and crapping in a diaper for years at a time back in George Washington's time. These are human beings, not cats or dogs.
They are not allowed to be given the same mercy that would be given to an animal in such condition. Ponder upon that thought.
The suggestion of robotic pets is a good idea.
My DH had 2 Jack Russells, brother and sister. Daisy went to the vet, and freaked out (Candles? Low lights? Hymns? Held in the lap?). DH decided to shoot Ted at home, out of kindness.
Love is a quick death, is my take on things!
And if you yourself like cats and are happy to take one on, get the ladies another cat.
In response to the comment about the Amish. Its just notjust the Amish its farmers in general, I have found. They cannot have an animal that is not pulling its weight. Chicken doesn't lay eggs anymore, goes into the pot for dinner. A cow can't breed or give milk, she is butchered. A dog can no longer hunt because he has no smell...
IMO this cat has a medical problem which he will need to be put down for. This Caregiver needs to make the Vet aware that the 2 ladies are no longer able to care for the cat. Caring and cleaning up after this cat is not the Caregivers responsibility. And in no way should another animal be brought into the house because the ladies cannot take care care it and the Caregiver should not have to.
I had 4 cats over 37 yrs. One lived to be 18yrs old, 2-16yrs old. The last one had anxiety problems and peed constantly. Meds helped but did not cure. After she passed we said no more animals.
Some of the answers here are practically evil. Why is it so hard for people to realize:
1. Animals have emotions
2. Animals feel pain
3. Domesticated animals need love
4. Pets know when they’re being abandoned by their so-called “owner”
4. Pets aren’t objects you can buy and toss when you’re tired of them or they become too much work.
The cat has been seen by a vet. The treatment isn’t working. The two dementia patients have already de bonded from it.
Let the poor cat go in peace.
It made our neighbors slightly hysterical when I told them about the ‘rabbit rescue’ group that someone on the site mentioned. Rabbits denude the land and wipe out native vegetation, cause millions of dollars damage. Vegetation is also at real risk from the wallows of feral pigs, and virgin scrub gets knocked down by feral deer. Even kangaroos can build up too far, and push out other wildlife. Koalas are endangered on the east coast but a pest on Kangaroo Island. Suggesting that all these creatures should be euthanized by a vet is not realistic.
I strongly support a quick death for unwanted animals, with as little pain as possible. Vets are expensive, and I’d rather see the funding for OP go for the intended purpose.
If this is how you feel, then there should be no outrage when say a shark attacks someone or even an alligator or crocodile while being in the water; that is their home.
Yes, I agree with you! A pet owner should be in for the long haul, through thick or thin. I have had 20 dogs so far throughout my lifetime and have nurtured and cared for them in times of illness and provided a forever home. Not everyone is capable of doing this and/or no longer wants to. Sad, I know.
She became blind and deaf.
She could barely walk outside to go.
She would just sleep a lot.
She then became incontinent. At that point she was put out of her misery. Which freed her caretakers of the same.
Forever doesn’t mean through the end of the animals natural life or prolonging it with expensive vet bills.