Comments on: Tough Decisions

By: chris

chris — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 23:47:01 +0000

So is the kitty still outside?

By: Brandy

Brandy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:59:23 +0000

sorry joseph i didnt read above before i posted that you have them shelter and are still taking ok care of them. i just was worried about the thought of hearing a poor creature crying to want in in a storm and being denied that.

we all were just worried about the cat.

please do understand though that the cat may not know why she went from being inside to being outside. at lesat she has a friend in the kitten.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:56:21 +0000

i cannot beoieve that youre so proud that you set a horrible example for your daughter and make her upset. you know this stuff stays with people and can make her resent you down the line. did you even try. you car more about “things” then a living creature. is that something to be proud of. when we first got dogs they ate some of my laundry. why? becuae i had i where they could get it. they taught me to be tidy and keep things put away. i do have a fixed male cat that sprays but i know its because i too moved into an older home where the pets before sprayed. i took up the carpet and replaced it ( and im just paycheck to paycheck not rich, i diy’d it) but i do love him more then i love any item. i understand wanting a nice home but at what cost?? you gonna put the kids out if they do stuff too??

i love being frugal and all, but i dont think this is anything to compare it too. i think its a dark chapter in your life instead.

By: dogatemyfinances

dogatemyfinances — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 13:05:50 +0000

My dog is an animal too, but if she uses your yard as a toilet, I clean it up. I’m the human. I would NEVER let her dig up your flowerbed, scratch up your car, rummage through your trash, or start a fight in the middle of the night.

I just consider that being a respectful neighbor.

By: Frugal Vet Tech

Frugal Vet Tech — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 02:12:57 +0000

Thanks for the clarification. The tone of the post did not suggest that the cats had all of the above – it sounded much more like you had just kicked the cat and decided you were done with it. I’m very happy to here that isn’t actually what happened

By: Joseph Sangl

Joseph Sangl — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:54:04 +0000

Thanks for all of the feedback, y’all.

Just to appease everyone (especially the haters that seem to be able to make a lot of assumptions about me from a single article) …

The cats are neutered. They have shelter. They have food. They have their shots. They are collared and tagged. They have their claws. They are nice kitties. They purr regularly. They go to the vet regularly. They are healthy. I am a Christ-follower. God created cats to be OUTSIDE animals in the first place. I have seen ZERO examples of cats building themselves nice, climate-controlled residences. My daughter is fine and still gets to bring in the kitties when she is actively playing with them. We tried LOTS of ways to get her to stop spraying – zero worked.

Have a nice day.
Sangl

By: Frugal Vet Tech

Frugal Vet Tech — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:43:18 +0000

As a counterpoint for future readers (certainly not trying to start an argument here) – I have seen neutering help reduce spraying and I have seen (smelled?) it reduce the strong odor of a tom cat’s urine. Neutering won’t always fix that, but sometimes it will.

By: LivingAlmostLarge

LivingAlmostLarge — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 01:02:20 +0000

Wow, I am a bit stunned that you put your cat outside. I’m even more stunned that you compared it to paying off debt.

What happened to personal responsibility? And using this as a way to pay off debt? You should rehome the cat.

It’s used to being an indoor pet and you throw it to the elements? Let alone you throw it out in a storm?

By: Caryn

Caryn — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:50:04 +0000

Wow! I enjoyed this story, Joe, because I have been down the cat pee road more times than I can count. As an animal lover with 11 indoor/outdoor cats and spay/neuter freak I can say that spaying or neutering will NOT stop a cat from spraying or peeing indoors. Big myth! All my critters are fixed and still some of my male and female cats continue to ruin our home. It is totally possible to not notice something that has been sprayed for months. I learned long ago to store important things in plastic containers, yet I still often go to look for something and discover dried sticky cat spray/pee on the box. Our house is old and ALL wood, I mean walls, floors, ceilings…everything. And I have spent more money than I wish to remember on those miracle enzyme cleaners. If I had all that money now we would probably be debt-free already So far I have found none that truly work as they claim. We’ve accepted the fact that this house has been ruined by cat pee and look forward to the day when we build a new home (paid for with cash of course, after we become debt-free!) and NO cats will be allowed inside!

Anyway, just wanted to put in my two cents here. And also say that I seriously doubt Joe’s cats were kicked outside to fend for themselves with no shelter, etc. I totally agree that pets are not disposable, if Joe were not a responsible caring guy he would have taken Kiki out to ‘the country’ and dumped her as so many idiots do! I feel sure Kiki and friend are still being fed, vetted and have someplace to get out of the elements! And I’m willing to bet that Melea goes outside a great deal to spend time with her kitties!

Keep up the good work, Joe!

By: Frugal Vet Tech

Frugal Vet Tech — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 21:39:25 +0000

So, instead of trying to fix the behavior you just kicked the cat outside and left it to fend for itself? In a hurricane? Pets are not disposable things – they are living animals that need to be cared, even if you don’t feel like it or it becomes inconvenient. If you can no longer care for the pet, or don’t want to, contact a humane society or animal rescue organization instead of kicking the cat outdoors.

1)How could you not notice your cat urinating in your house for four months?

2) Is your cat neutered? Neutering can help reduce spraying.

3) Did you ever take the cat to the vet to see if the inappropriate marking and defecation was the result of a health problem or to see if the vet had any suggestions? Yes, I know vets cost money (so do doctor’s), but you have an animal and thus, a responsibility to take care of it. If you can’t care for it, see my above point about humane societies.

4) Try using a special cleaner made for removing urine smell on the places the cat was marking. If the cat is marking in response to the smell of another cat’s urine, cleaning it up may help.