Update on Minnie

>Maybe they can retrain Minnie and find her a new home. Good
>luck.

Now, this is not meant to attack or offend anyone and I apologize if it does but this is really bothering me.

Why is it, that we as a society find it ok and totally acceptable to bring an animal into our life and if it doesn't work out the way we picture it and the pet has some problems or is banged up a little bit that we just give it back and have someone else deal with it?

I mean, I am not talking about a vicious dog who attacks people or other animals that I do understand.

I don't know what I am missing. We had a dog for 10 years that I knew pretty quickly that it wasn't what we had anticipated or hoped for. He was a pain in the butt and we spent thousands of $$ on dog training, not to mention all the money we spent on all his little endeavors and escapades. I would have never turned him into a shelter or given him to someone else to deal with him. I took on the responsibility when he came to our house and that's where he stayed until we had to put him down last year.

To me, it's like having kids, we don't turn them in to an orphanage or give them up for adoption if they don't turn out the way we picture it. But it is widely accepted and supported with pets.

Laura, please don't take this as an attack on you. I am just really curious and I am really wondering about the reasoning and I have always been wondering about the thought process behind that.


Carola
 
LauraMax,

I've been through this with my old cat Bobbie. She wouldn't fully litter train. I'd get her back on her box, and out of no where she'd pee on my bath mats and throw rugs. It is a SUPER frustrating situation, especially when you love your animal. Bobbie was a sweet as sugar and fun to be around, peeing all over my house was her only draw back. I gave her a year, everytime I found a new "spot" I would confine her to her litter box by keeping her in the bathroom. The vet recommended leaving her there for three days. It always worked, she'd start using the box again. And then not use it. No rhyme or reason. Things I learned...

Don't use a box that has a cover.

Don't use scented litter.

Some cats hate "clumping" litter.

Try to change her litter to the old fashioned clumpless, unscented litter. Confine her to her spot for three, yes three days to a week. Of course, you may visit, but don't let her out. If that doesn't do it, seek alternatives. Like I said, I tried for a year and finally had to give her to a family on a farm where she could be outside.

Good luck!

Sally
 
>Don't use a box that has a cover.
>
>Don't use scented litter.
>
>Some cats hate "clumping" litter.
>
>Try to change her litter to the old fashioned clumpless,
>unscented litter.

Also, have you tried the 'Cat Attract" litter? It works to make the litter box more appealing. The scent isn't detectible to humans, but to cats, it smells like some outdoor area they should do their duty in. I used it for my cat Mandy for a while, and it worked well...but with 5 cats at the time, it got to be a bit expensive (since I couldn't figure out a way to make the other ones use the other boxes: it attracted everyone, LOL!)
 
Carola,

Just because I made the comment about having a no kill shelter retrain the cat and find her a home doesn't mean that's what I would do. I thought that was a better alternative than taking Minnie back to the shelter where she came from and where she might be euthanized.
 
Just keep in mind that "no-kill" RARELY means truly no kill whatsoever. Look up "No-Kill Solutions" for info. Too many people assume incorrectly that no-kill is 100% no-kill.

Lorie
 
Amy

>Carola,
>
>Just because I made the comment about having a no kill shelter
>retrain the cat and find her a home doesn't mean that's what I
>would do. I thought that was a better alternative than taking
>Minnie back to the shelter where she came from and where she
>might be euthanized.

I wasn't referring to you, Amy. Sorry it came across that way (I admit it did sound like I was though). It's just that I talked to several people who were giving up their dogs and their comment was "well, the shelter/rescue group will retrain them" or "aren't you guys retraining them?" (I volunteer for a rescue group) and it just blows my mind.

Those people, they take on a puppy and if the puppy is not born with the perfect manners (and they usually aren't) those people don't live up to their responsibility and just dump it on someone else.

Sorry, I know what you meant and I shouldn't just have copied part of your post. It would have been clearer had I just typed it. My mistake.

Carola
 
RE: Amy

Kathryn, I've been using the cat attract since I first got her. For some reason she's not "attracted" to it anymore.

Carola, if it were a dog I'd keep it & do everything I could to retrain it. The problem w/cats--& this is why I was so hesitant to get one in the first place--is their urine odor is PERMANENT. Unlike dog urine, it's ammonia based & once that scent gets into furniture, rugs, whatever, it's there forever. I've had enough incidents w/her over the last month or so that I'm thinking I'm maybe 2 more soakings away from having to buy a new couch.

That's why I'm prepared to consider giving her up. One of the most difficult decisions of my life but I simply cannot afford to replace my furniture & orientals whenever she misbehaves, which right now is every day.

That said, my dad is fully aware of the current situation & is not nearly as, ummm, sensitive as I am to cleanliness & odors. Also he has these really old leather sofas so if he catches the pee soon enough he can clean it before it soaks into the cushions (as opposed to my fabric sofa which soaks up anything & everything immediately).

I'm gonna talk to the vet this afternoon & see what he thinks--dad says he's willing to come pick her up this weekend. Life w/him might also cure her behavioral issues if they're b/c of my schedule & the fact that Max, my pug, is without a doubt the center of attention when I am home (pug owners will understand this, pugs are pretty self-centered, demanding dogs). It'd be her chance to be the center of attention & if his other cats are OK w/her she'd likely have a much better home w/him than w/me.

But I still wish it hadn't come to this. She really is a sweet little cat & I'll miss her--I have no idea what happened to cause her to do this but it's totally bringing me down.
 
Sleeping in the basement probably wouldn't be a bad thing for the cat. My cats spend a lot of time down in the basement. It's their hiding place.

But, I would have to agree that sending him to live with your father would be the best choice of the 3.
 
RE: Amy

Laura,

Minnie might not get along with your dad's cats at first, but encourage him to give it some time. When I introduced our latest cat into our house one of my other cats hated him. And I mean HATE! I had never seen him so upset. He was jealous because he is our baby and he didn't want to share even though we do have another cat, but that cat was there first. I was wondering if there would be any hope for the two of them getting along. It took a full month for him to get over it and now they are best friends. They play and wrestle together every single day now. They really are friends now, you would never know there were such problems before.

I hope everything works out.

Amy
 
>OK, here's some possibly good news--my dad, who LOVES cats,
>said he'd take her. He already has 2 cats. One is a really
>old diabetic who doesn't move around much. The other is
>fairly young & active. Do you guys think a cat w/behavioral
>problems would adjust well? My dad's semi-retired & she'd
>definitely get lots of love & attention.
>
>So of the 3 options, which do you think is best?


YES!! They can rehab at someone else's house!! My older cat died and left his "brother" alone...then, I have twins...he peed on every gorgeous rug of mine. I tried everything, too...but, once they start peeing on one thing, they will keep doing. My kitty was definitaly taking his anger out on me.

He is now living at a neighbor's house with three other cats and is LOVING life!!! So, he will be fine at your dad's I bet!
 
RE: Amy

Thanks Amy--I just talked to the vet & he actually thought it was a great idea. She'd have another cat to play with and she'd be getting much more affection since my dad's home much more & his time isn't dominated by an obnoxious dog. ;-)

He's gonna put her on Elavil today & they'll keep her until my dad can make it up here b/c I don't want poor Max experiencing her loss twice in a week. She'll stay on the Elavil & hopefully adjust to her happy new home. As long as she isn't rejected by his other cats this could be a very good thing for her.

Now back to me. What on earth will I do when I'm overrun by mice again? I held off on getting the cat until the morning I woke up & found mouse droppings on the pillow next to me. I'm good until the weather gets cold again, but then what? If I learned anything last fall, it was that the only cure for a mouse infestation is a cat. I can't go through this again! I feel horribly guilty & pretty depressed. ;(
 
RE: Amy

Are you still planning on selling your house? Once it sells you don't need to worry about the mice anymore. I am sure it will sell before the fall. How are things going on the sales front?

Sorry you are going through this, hang in there!!

Carola
 
RE: Amy

>Carola, if it were a dog I'd keep it & do everything I could
>to retrain it.

"It"?


>The problem w/cats--& this is why I was so
>hesitant to get one in the first place--is their urine odor is
>PERMANENT. Unlike dog urine, it's ammonia based & once that
>scent gets into furniture, rugs, whatever, it's there forever.

It is hard to get urine odor out of things, and many products may get rid of the scent so that humans can't smell it anymore (except, perhaps, when the humidity is high), but animals still can.

If you can find a cleaning service that uses "Anti Icky Poo," they guarantee removal of the odor. (Since it's a bacterial-based product, the odor may actually get worse temporarily as it starts to work.) You can also order anti-icky-poo on your own. http://www.antiickypoo.com/ (free ground shipping: that's a good deal, because a gallon of the stuff is heavy). It works on all biologically-based odors: the label says it can also be used for cleaning up the odor of decomposing bodies!
 
RE: Amy

>> the
>label says it can also be used for cleaning up the odor of
>decomposing bodies!


Kathryn, is there something you want to share with the group?!?!?!?;-) :D
 
RE: Amy

>>Carola, if it were a dog I'd keep it & do everything I
>could
>>to retrain it.
>
>"It"?

Well yeah, what else would you call a non-existent, nameless, theoretical animal?


>It is hard to get urine odor out of things, and many products
>may get rid of the scent so that humans can't smell it anymore
>(except, perhaps, when the humidity is high), but animals
>still can.
>
>If you can find a cleaning service that uses "Anti Icky Poo,"
>they guarantee removal of the odor. (Since it's a
>bacterial-based product, the odor may actually get worse
>temporarily as it starts to work.) You can also order
>anti-icky-poo on your own. http://www.antiickypoo.com/ (free
>ground shipping: that's a good deal, because a gallon of the
>stuff is heavy). It works on all biologically-based odors: the
>label says it can also be used for cleaning up the odor of
>decomposing bodies!

I'm sorry, I just don't believe this. Besides the fact that I live in an area that is damp & humid most of the year, I've been in too many houses where cats have repeatedly urinated that smell absolutely disgusting. I mean, I can walk by my neighbor's house & smell the cat pee even when her front door is closed. I will not allow my home to become like this.
 
RE: Amy

>>"It"?
>
>Well yeah, what else would you call a non-existent, nameless,
>theoretical animal?

Minnie isn't a theoretical animal, SHE is a specific animal whose gender you know.


>I'm sorry, I just don't believe this. Besides the fact that I
>live in an area that is damp & humid most of the year, I've
>been in too many houses where cats have repeatedly urinated
>that smell absolutely disgusting. I mean, I can walk by my
>neighbor's house & smell the cat pee even when her front door
>is closed. I will not allow my home to become like this.

What don't you believe? That the product will remove the odor? Most products don't, but I have used Anti-Icky-Poo myself in a area of my basement where one cat was marking under a window, and it worked. (As I said before, it can smell worse for a time, while the bacteria is reproducing, but then the odor goes away.) It is important to get all traces of the urine, which is one reason why some bacterial products don't seem to work: not all traces of the urine were reached. In stinky houses where cats have peed on carpet, the urine soaks through the carpet and the pad and often even to the flooring underneath. Many attempts at removing the odor aren't agressive enough (ie: people just get the superficial odor, and are satisfied if they temporarily can't smell much, but if there is any odor at all, it will get worse with time and the animal will probably return to the same spot).

Since AIP has a money-back guarantee (as well as free shipping), what would it hurt to give it a try?

Another product that you can try: www.pureayre.com . Again with this, it's important to make sure that all traces of the urine are touched by the product, and they have injectors to use for getting the product down into upholstery material.
 
RE: Amy

Why not get a new cat? If this was beahvoral then a new cat might not have the problem right? (but you know that I am a dog person and know *nothing* about cats...)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top