Question:
I think this is the best place to put this topic since it is controversial. I was talking to my mum yesterday and she told me one of the cats (they have 2) pooped on the carpet. Holly has had seizures in the past but my parents never found out the root cause of the problem. She occasionally vomits bile and very well could be having seizures without my parents witnessing them. Holly is very good about using the litter box so it makes me wonder why she had an accident. My mom was not happy about cleaning up the poop and said her asthma flared up because she had to do a lot of bending to clean up the poop. My father has not been feeling well for awhile now and can't contribute to the care of the cats. My mother told my father if the day ever comes she can not properly take care of them they will have to get rid of them. She told me father "There comes a time when humans are more important than pets".
Awhile ago I had a conversation with my sister and we were talking about my parents finding an apartment that accepts cats (this is before they recently moved) and my sister said if they couldn't find one they would have to get rid of the cats because "humans are more important than pets".
So the question is how far would you go to make sure you were able to keep your pets with if you had to move and what would happen if you could no longer properly take care of your pets?
Even though my parents show the cats affection, feed them (not a diet I would give), keep the litterbox clean, etc. I think properly taking care of an animal also means providing medical attention when needed.
As for my sister, she takes care of the family cat but if something happened and she had to get rid of her for whatever reason, she would have no hesitation to do so.
Why bother getting pets in the first place? I just don't understand how people can view pets as being so disposable.


Answer:
every pet that I have ever had... with one exception... I have not given up... and wouldnt.. I feel my animals are far more important than that.. they are my "family" and mean tons to me!!!!
the one exception was the very very first chinchilla that I had years ago.. about 10 years ago... I was in the pet store.. and seen this very unique looking pet.. and I bought it after much of the pet store guy talking me into it.. and telling me that they were very easy to take care of and the only thing I needed to do was feed it chinchilla pellets and give it a dust bath.. well that was so true... but he also told me that he could live in a 10 gallon aquarium... so I bought him.. and took him home.. and put him in the 10 gallon aquarium.... well after a while of keeping him in there with several attempts and many I might add successful... I realized that he was not happy and that was no way to keep him.. so I gave him up.. and only wishing now that I knew then what I know now... I am sure that I would still have him..
as far as having a pet that is sick... I would take care of them as best I could.. I wouldnt just give them up because they are sick..
dont know if any of you remember "Steve" the stray dog that I took care of!?!?! well... when he got hit by a car ( or what ever it was that happened to him ) I took him into the vet in the middle of the night to get him taken care of... and on top of it .. it cost me over $200.00 but I didnt flinch or decide that it was a bad idea by any means.. so... needless to say... I wouldnt think less of it at all if it were one of my own that needed that attention....
I dont see why someone would get a pet to feel less of it if something were to happen!?!?
my friend is in that situation right now.. and it burns me up... (the one with the chiuahuah that died a few months back and decided to get a new one) well she decides that the dog is being "bad"..... and is thinking of getting rid of him... I think its cause he isnt the calm little guy that follows her around everywhere that she can make her little pocket pet...
then Andys brother got his cat euthanized because he was mean... and they had small kids.. I didnt know they were thinking of it till after it was already done.. I so would have taken the cat... and just dealt with the meanness... (he would attack people just for walking by.. and growl at them.. people were litteraly scared of the cat)
Denise... I hope that they decide to keep the cats.. and not feel like they are disposable after all...


Answer:
i don't know.
i mean, if life with the owner is going to be worse for the pet than if a new owner is found i think that 'getting rid of them' might be a viable option..as in, if you have to move and there is no place you can afford that accepts pets...if you know somebody who can take them and give them a good home where they won't be under the stress of what if they get caught...
getting rid of them as in putting them down? i don't think so, unless the animal is ill to the point that survival is too unlikely.
as for cost, it's a touchy thing, because there can be illnesses and ailments that can cost thousands of dollars, and most people don't have health insurance on their pets like they do on the humans...so they wouldn't be able to afford it. if it came down to, we can pay for this surgery but we wouldn't be able to buy food for the next six months, then maybe euthanasia or finding an owner who CAN afford it might be a better option...but not many people will adopt a pet if they know going in that they are going to have to pay out the nose, ya know?
sometimes there are tough decisions...and no clear right or wrong answer..but just because the animal poops on the floor, nah, not a reason to get rid of them unless you are just not that much of an animal person and know somebody who would die to have that pet


Answer:
Unfortunately, to alot of people, a pet is a possession rather than a living being or part of the family. It is a possession that can be tossed aside when its usefulness is at an end or it's become an inconvenience.
I think it's dead-wrong for someone to just complain about their cat messing on the floor and threaten to get rid of it without trying to understand why the cat messed on the floor. Hamish once crapped and peed in a rubbish bag full of clothes I'd brought home from my parents' house. I knew why he did it - because the bag smelled of my parents' cats and he was reasserting his dominance. The other morning Aoife peed all over my rucksack...again, because it smelled of someone else's cats. I don't like it when they do it - and thankfully they don't do it often - but rather than get rid of my cats, I choose to ensure I never leave a bag lying on the floor that might smell strongly of others' cats. It's pretty simple, really. Most parents are willing to understand why their children do certain things, so why don't they extend the same compassion and tolerance to their pets? Because they will never place an animal's life as equal to a human's life. It's sad


Answer:
I agree that treating animals as disposable is disgusting.


Answer:
I also agree that treating animals as disposable is wrong BUT I do agree that humans HAVE to come before pets.
If it was care for my kids or the animals, the animals would go to new homes.
If it was put a roof over my kids heads or do a surgery on an animal with a 50/50 chance id put the roof over our heads and then find a person that would/could help the animal or put it down humanely.
I do think that people have to come first before animals (you can all flame me if you like now)


Answer:
Well we've had it out before over this Christy, but let me say that no human in my life is more important than my pets.
I don't want kids, I don't need them because I love my pets like some people love their kids.
If it came down to me saving my pets' lives vs taking care of my elderly parents, sorry parents but you had a chance to prepare for your crisis. Pets are helpless & innocent.
That's why I think they must be treated w/ more consideration than other people.
Have you ever noticed the way everyone sticks up for abused kids but animals get shafted?


Answer:
Christy, I agree with you on that point, such as putting a roof over your kids heads or something. But I think mainly what Denise meant was that they do it to stuff that's not important, like an animal peeing on the floor. I don't know if that made any sense, lol. But w/e. Anyways, I think that mainly anyone here would agree that their family's needs (not wants) would come before their pets, such as food or a house.


Answer:
I don't agree. My family IS my pets. They come first.


Answer:
I don't believe that people ALWAYS have to come before animals. I think that if a person develops severe allergies and can no longer care for their pets, then by all means the pets should be rehomed. But I think the key is how exactly the animals are 'gotten rid of'. Are they rehomed carefully with properly vetted adoptive parents? Or are they just dumped at the shelter? That makes the world of difference, I think. Likewise, I think that if money can be found for a child's operation, then money for a pet's operation should be looked for with the same diligence. If that money can't be found, the pet could at least be humanely euthanized, rather than being made to suffer because the money isn't there. To many, a pet IS a child. I'm of the opinion that if a person cannot care for their animal, they should not have that animal. And I don't mean the $5,000 operation that is required to save Rover's leg -- I'm talking about a simple spay/neuter or yearly vaccinations or small surgeries. maybe people should make the conscious decision - children or animals - if they can't show both the same compassion?