heffel@shogun.DEC (Tracey Heffelfinger Dtn:354-7431 GSO/F5) (10/01/85)
j.r. Told us about a cat that had to be destroyed because it was
using corners as a litter box. j.r. told us that the cat had been used
to having someone with it during the day and that the only thing the vet
could suggest was to use repellant and if that didn't work, destroy the
cat.
GET ANOTHER VET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Upon reading your posting, I thought of two other things to try
imediately. First, it's obvious that the cat wanted more attention.
Second, if the cat objected to being home alone, get it a kitten to play
with. You'll be amazed at how much company they can give one another.
Kittens are very easily introduced into most households. (I should know,
I started with 2 kittens and other the next year and half added on 4 more
one by one!)
Boy I'm glad my mom didn't go to your vet when I had a period of
bedwetting when I was little!!!
Seriously! If anyone out there is havong litterbox problems, if your
vet suggests destruction of the animal, try another vet, or get Cats Magazine
or Cat Fancy and write their advice person. There are a myriad of things
that could have been done. For God's sake, the cat could have been given
to an elderly person that would be home more and probably love to have the
company!
Sorry to flame so much about this, but I have very strong opinions
about people who consider pets as disposible toys! "well it doesn't work
right we'll throw it away!"
When you take in an animal, you take responsibilty for it just as your
would a child!
Grumble!
"I can resist everything except temptation" --Wilde
Tracey Heffelfinger
Digital Equipment Corp.
Greenville, S.C.
UUCP:{allegra|decvax|ihnp4|ucbvax}!decwrl!dec-rhea!dec-raven1!heffelfinger
ARPA:heffelfinger%raven1.dec@decwrl.arpajca@drutx.UUCP (ArnsonJC) (10/04/85)
I couldn't agree with you more. As stated previously, I had the smae problem with my cat. The solution was to get a second one, and after the "breakin" period, the two of them are quite happy and have been so for the past NINE years. -- jill c. arnson ihnp4!druky!drutx!jca AT&A IS, Denver (303)538-4800 May the hair on your toes grow ever longer.
jrc@ritcv.UUCP (James R. Carbin) (10/06/85)
> > j.r. Told us about a cat that had to be destroyed because it was > using corners as a litter box. j.r. told us that the cat had been used > to having someone with it during the day and that the only thing the vet > could suggest was to use repellant and if that didn't work, destroy the > cat. > GET ANOTHER VET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! > ............... > Sorry to flame so much about this, but I have very strong opinions > about people who consider pets as disposible toys! "well it doesn't work > right we'll throw it away!" > When you take in an animal, you take responsibilty for it just as your > would a child! > > Grumble! > > "I can resist everything except temptation" --Wilde > > Tracey Heffelfinger > Digital Equipment Corp. > Greenville, S.C. > I don't want to start a stone-throwing contest here, but Tracey, you really are jumping to conclusions without proper foundation. First, there was more than one visit to the vet. Second, this series of events transpired over a period close to a year. Third, the cat had lived in an environment with someone home most of the time for over six years, and I'm not sure that anything could have changed her at that age. As for being responsible for a pet, I now have a four+ year old spayed female which I found in a parking lot of a supermarket late one evening. The vet (not the same one, in fact she is known as the Cat Doctor as she treats only cats) encouraged me to have her destroyed as she was such a small kitten and had been terribly mauled, but I persisted. Today I have a very devoted "friend" even if she is totally unwilling to leave the confines of the house. (With all the vet bills, I sometimes refer to her as the $6,000,000 cat! :-) ) To jump to the conclusion that I dispose of animals as if they were disposable toys is a low blow that is unwarrented. Someone asked in this group if anyone had a similar problem, and so I responded. Next time, I'll think twice before doing so! NOW LET ME GRUMBLE FOR A MOMENT: I POINTED OUT THAT THE ONLY WAY THAT I COULD BRING MYSELF TO TAKE HER TO BE DESTROYED WAS TO CATCH HER IN THE ACT, AND EVEN THEN I FELT TERRIBLE ABOUT IT AFTERWARDS! BUT AFTER ALMOST A YEAR OF ATTEMPTING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, YOU CAN ONLY PUT UP WITH SO MUCH CAT URINE IN ONE CORNER OF YOUR DINING ROOM! WITH THE PROSPECT OF HER USING ANOTHER CORNER ONCE SHE IS FINALLY HOUSE- BROKEN IN THE FIRST CORNER. AS FAR AS YOUR ANALOGY WITH A CHILD, SOMETIMES ADOPTIONS DON'T WORK OUT AND THE CHILD IS PUT UP FOR READOPTION. A FORMER COLLEAGUE OF MINE ADOPTED A TEN YEAR OLD GIRL AND WITHIN THREE YEARS, THE SITUATION WAS A DISASTER. ANYWAY, YOUR ANALOGY WITH CHILD ADOPTION AS WELL AS YOUR OWN BED-WETTING SITUATION AS A YOUNGSTER IS LUDICROUS! NO MATTER HOW MUCH I "LOVE" MY CAT, SHE IS STILL A CAT AND NOT A HUMAN BEING. SHE DOEN'T JOIN ME AT THE TABLE FOR DINNER, I DON'T HAVE A LIFE INSURANCE POLICY ON HER, ETC. EVEN WITHOUT THESE, I STILL THINK THAT SHE ENJOYS A HOME THAT WOULD RANK IN THE TOP DECILE AS FAR AS CAT COMFORTS GO. OH WHAT THE H***, WHY AM I EVEN TAKING THE TIME TO DEFEND MYSELF AGAINST THESE ALLEGATIONS - IT IS SO EASY FOR YOU TO JUMP TO YOUR OWN CONCLUSIONS WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY! not as ever at the present moment, j.r. seismo!rochester!ritcv!jrc