Re-homing a cat due to litter box issues
In a fantasy world, no one would every consider re-homing a pet. no one would need to.
But in the real world, in some cases good owners need to responsibly re-home their cats.
The scenarios are endless. someone loses a job or a house or a spouse. someone should relocation overseas or to an area that does not allow cats. A child is allergic. another pet picks on the cat.
Life is unpredictable.
And then there are different scenarios where the person is not allergic. The person has not lost a job or a house or a spouse. The person is not bankrupt or sick or injured. The person is just fine, and the cat is the problem.
Maybe the cat is destroying home by scratching. Or maybe the cat has stopped using the litter box.
These situations are much more challenging for those of us in the rescue world to accept.
It’s easy to put the blame on the cat owner. It’s easy to judge when we know very little.
Why doesn’t she scoop the damn box much more often?
Why doesn’t she purchase much more scratching posts?
She should be really lazy.
For this post I am going to refer to a cat that is having litter box issues since that’s an issue I am oh so familiar with.
I can understand why someone would need to re-home a cat for this very reason.
At what point is enough, enough?
I love my cat, but loving a cat won’t take away his problems.
There is only so much home damage a person can tolerate from a cat
Photo by Tawna Whitford
Since my cat Scout keeps his “accidents” to rugs, towels and canine beds, our home damage has been minimal.
We wash the rugs or throw them away, and his “accidents” are not often. I’ve been keeping up with my cleaning duties, and Scout has gone much more than three weeks without an “accident.” He gets a gold star!
Still, Josh and I have briefly discussed what to do if things get worse. At what point do you “put the cat down”? Or find him a new home?
It’s not an easy decision, and I don’t think it’s best for me to tell you what to do. I can only tell you what I would do.
Give the cat time to adjust
I would give your cat some time, try to go through all the points noted in this post and try to pinpoint the problem. Also, make sure there is not a medical problem like a urinary tract infection or bladder problems.
Re-home the cat to a farm
If your cat is having problems beyond what you can deal with, I would look at re-homing the cat to a farm to live as a mostly outdoor cat.
Some people are going to have a problem with my stance on this. That’s fine. You are much more than welcome to offer your ideas in the comments.
It’s not easy to make these kinds of decisions, but if your cat is urinating all over your house or your garage, I understand why you would want to re-home him.
With my cat, I have chose I will need to think seriously about re-homing him if he starts urinating on our carpets. Thankfully, that has never been the problem.
Should I ‘put my cat to sleep’ if he won’t use the litter box?
I don’t believe a cat ought to be killed just because he won’t use a litter box, not unless the cat is old or sick and not enjoying a good quality of life. At that point, the litter box is not the main issue.
It is selfish to kill a cat for not using the litter box when nearly all cats can delight in a good quality of life outdoors.
Will my cat be ok as an outdoor cat?
Given the option between death and a life outdoors, I’m pretty sure every single cat would choose life.
It would be selfish to “put a cat down” because you can’t stand the thought of fluffy living outdoors.
Cats are not furry humans. Cats can flourish outdoors, even in Midwestern winters.
There are easily 500 feral cats living in the community of Fargo, N.D., West Fargo, N.D., and Moorhead, Minn., according to Carol Sawicki, director of Minn-Kota PAAWS. PAAWS is a spay/neuter clinic that focuses on feral cats and animals from limited income households and farms.
Of course, outdoor life for any cat in any climate has its challenges and dangers.
Teplé počasie. chladné počasie. Hawks. Eagles. Traffic. Poison. Dogs. Coyotes. Evil children.
On the other hand, cats are difficult and cats adapt. They are hunters and independent creatures. They don’t exactly need humans.
Just because a cat lives outdoors does not imply he will suffer.
Indoor cats can suffer just as easily.
Many indoor cats suffer from extreme boredom. They are likely to be overweight. They are much more likely than outdoor cats to get heart disease, diabetes and all kinds of health problems associated with a sedentary life.
How do I find my cat a home on a farm?
For Scout, the optimal farm home would be a place where he could get daily interaction with humans. He’s a shy cat who doesn’t care to be haveľa, ale rád by bol okolo ľudí. Typicky je v tej istej miestnosti ako my, ale má rád svoju osobnú “bublinu”.
V ideálnom prípade by sa na farme každý deň dostal Scout suché jedlo a vodu. Mal by úkryt v stodole, garáži alebo prístrešku. Stále by išiel na veterinár pre očkovanie a prehliadky, nie na jeho žiadosť, ale moja. Farma by bola dosť ďaleko od akýchkoľvek rušných ciest. Nosil golier s identifikačnými štítkami a zvončekom. Mal by som mu mikročipustný. On by pravdepodobne nosil nejaký typ blchy a prevencie kliešťa.
Keby som musel vrátiť svoju mačku, začal by som sa pýtať a zvážiť niektorých mojich príbuzných, ktorí žijú na farmách. Potom by som sa pýtala na kamaráti, aby sa opýtal. Pomáha, že žijem vo vidieckom stave. Tiež by som sa opýtal miestnych záchrany, ak by som ho mohol uviesť na svojich stránkach ako zdvorilostné vysielanie. Použil by som Craigslist, uistite sa, že rozhovor tých, ktorí majú záujem a pozrieť sa na ich farmy. Vidím craigslist ako dôležitý nástroj pre nájdenie domov pre domáce zvieratá.
Nebol by som účtovať opätovné navádzanie poplatok. Namiesto toho by som vám umožnil prijatiu nejaké peniaze na pokrytie niektorých z budúcej starostlivosti Scout. pravdepodobne $ 500 alebo tak.
To je presne to, čo by som urobil.
Prečo nemôžem znovu domov Moja mačka k inému vnútornému domova?
Dôvod, prečo navrhujem opätovné navádzanie mačky na farmu namiesto nového vnútorného domu je, pretože ak mačka má podstielkové boxové problémy vo vašom dome, pravdepodobne bude mať podstielkové boxové problémy v novom dome. Je to len spravodlivé vašej mačke a prijatiteľovi, aby boli pravdivé o jeho otázkach.
Nemôžem myslieť na re-homing skaut. Veci by sa museli dosť zlé. Pretože snívam o tom, že žijem na farme, pravdepodobne by som omnoho pravdepodobnejšie kúpil svoju vlastnú farmu, než opätovne zakúpiť moju mačku na farmu niekoho iného. Nemôžem sa dočkať, kým moje mačky môžu byť vnútorné / vonkajšie mačiatka, ak si to vyberú.
Necítite sa vinný o re-natáčaní vašej mačky
Bezpochyby ľudia kritizujú vaše rozhodnutie, ak sa rozhodnete znovu domovskú mačku. Budú poskytovať usmernenie, či požiadate o svoje názory alebo nie. Budú úplne kruté.
Chápem, čo prechádzate na určitej úrovni. Aj keď som nikdy znovu navrátil domáce zviera, bolo by to veľmi náročné, pretože milujem psie a moje mačky.
Moja mačka Scout bol prvým zvieratkom, ktorý som získal na vlastnú päsť ako “dospelý”. Už asi rok to bol len on a ja v mojom malom jamestown, NED. Spal som s ušnými zátkami, takže jeho purring by ma neustále bdel, keď v noci stočil do mojej hrudi.
V týchto dňoch sa stále plazí do môjho lona aspoň raz denne, a spievam mu a pobozkať jeho hlavu. Hráme túto hru, ktorú Josh, Ace a Beamer nechápu, kde sme sa navzájom naháňajú okolo gauči alebo z miestnosti do miestnosti. Páči sa, že sa plíži a vytrhne sa pred príveskom len mimo dosahu.
Skaout trvá na jazde na brokovicu, posadenie na malého deliča medzi dvoma prednými sedadlami. Cestoval do miest, ako je Minneapolis a Duluth, Minn. A zostal v pár hoteloch.
Rád si načíta hračky alebo rozpadu papiera. Niekedy, náhodne, prinesie mi vlasovú kravatu. Keď bol malý, prešiel touto faze, kde by zozbieral malé predmety a uložil ich do vaňou – pero uzávery, gumové pásy, cukríkové bar obaly.
Keď som odišiel do práce, skaut sa spustil a uhryzol moju nohu, držať sa mi so všetkými štyrmi labkami – “Nechoď!” Počas prestávky na obed by som sedel na terase s ním. Spoločne by sme chceli pre vtáky.
Keď hráme spoločenské hry, skaut je typ mačky na netopier okolo monopolných domov. “Oh! Dovoľte mi usporiadať tieto pre teba! ”
Milujem svoju mačku. I’d give everything possible for him. He’s my partner in crime.
If you are facing the challenging decision of re-homing your cat for whatever reason, I hope you are able to accept whatever decision you should make. Do not feel guilty. just because you have to re-home your cat does not imply you don’t love your cat.
No matter what anybody else says or thinks, only you know what is best.
Under what situations could you think of yourself re-homing a pet?