I think I'm going to send my cat back to the shelter.

Post Reply New Topic

I don't know if any of you remember but I have two cats and one of them has the curly tail that I got from the animal shelter a little while back.




Well he keeps going in places he shouldn't and I'm just getting sick and tired of having to clean up after him. I've tried and tried punishing him but nothing seems to work.

I'm thinking about sending him back to the shelter. I feel like I gave him a good life here but I just can't deal with him anymore.

What really worries me right now is how my other cat's going to take it. They've been very close like brothers.

I've thought out this decision long and hard and it's the only option I can think of.

I once took a cat back to a shelter. He was aggressive towards my husband and frequently vomited on my floor. After trying medicines, different foods, swatting him when he attacked my husband, we simply had to give up and take him back.

Understand though, returning him to the shelter probably means he will eventually be put down. If you can't deal with his behavior, who else will want to deal with it? I never got too attached to the cat I returned because he did seem like a bad fit from day one, but if you do like this cat you've gotten you should try and stick it out, and make it work.

> Well he keeps going in places he shouldn't and I'm just getting sick and tired of having to clean up after him. I've tried and tried punishing him but nothing seems to work.

It's your choice what you do, of course.

Punishing a cat does not work. Letting them know you disapprove can -- IF they are attached to you. I've had several cats and had similar issues with one at times. Have you researched what causes cats to mess in different places? There's good info out there. Basically either there is something stinky and he is marking territory (you cannot leave smelly undies and dirty camping equipment, etc, around) or he is upset about something or has a medical issue.

How old is he? (Apologies if you've been through all this -- I don't know where the old thread is. Have never seen it.)

Edit: seconding the catsite, as mentioned by someone below.

Last edited by Ladarzak on 01 Apr 2009, 6:06 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i seen programs where they deal with broblem animals ..is there any animal trainer spesialist near?

um...twin threads with diffrent replies....

M cat kept doing the same so I kept her outside a lot. I think she was senile so she kept forgetting to go in her litter box. I never thought of it until my dad finally mentioned it after her death. She was fit as a fiddle when I lived in Montana but I didn't know her mind was going haywire. I just thought she was being stupid for going in places she wasn't supposed to go and she was being a bad kitty. I kept her litter box clean. She didn't even bury her poo anymore either. She would just poop on top of the litter when she would remember to use it.

I'm assuming that if your cat didn't cause so much trouble, if you could find solutions, you might keep him? Punishing is often quite ineffective in cats; they don't connect the punishment to the crime, often times, so you have to be pretty creative.

Try thecatsite.com. They have a forum and there are a lot of cat people there, who are quite expert at figuring out what the cat might be thinking and finding ways to solve problem-behavior issues. Some cats are naturally playful explorers, like your cat, most likely; but there might be a way to get him to express those tendencies in a safer, less annoying way. Be specific about what behavior you want to re-direct, and they should come up with some decent suggestions. If one works, then you can keep the cat and not have to worry about shelters.

It is possible to train cats to go to the toilet outside. First you have to train them to use the litter box, then put the litter box outside, then take it away altogether. There will be so many websites explaining the different methods & it's just a matter of persistence. Punishing animals only makes then fearful, not obedient. You bought this cat inside your home & it would be sad to give him back to the shelter just because you think he's difficult. It's likely he would be put down because if he has a problem behavior, no one else will want to adopt him.

Have you tried using a cat litter additive that is for cats with this problem? I have a couple of cats who do this, but when I use the litter additive they do much better. The same company also makes a special litter for kittens in order to train them to use a litter box, but I find that the litter works well for problem adult cats too.

Has this cat been to the vet to ensure that his soiling isn't a medically based problem? I would do that before making any decisions. Also, though I disagree with it, giving him access to outside may help as well. That's what my parents did with an adolescent cat we adopted. How long have you had the cat for? if it's hasn't been long he could simply be stressed by the transition. In a similar vein, what's been going on in the household? Have there bee any changes (not even major- catsare extremely sensitive and can get upset over something as 'insignifigant' as a room being rearranged) or tension between any people in the house?

I am in agreement with other posters in that punishment doesn't work, especially with a cat.

Hope these suggestions are helpful and that things work out.

Remember, all cats have Asperger's Syndrome [or Autism for some of them].

Try Zoloft/Prozac for long-term treatment for anxiety, and something like Valium to calm him down in the short term and see if that helps; it helped my aunt's cat who was a "problem" with the same, and more "problems" too. Vets will give you these drugs.

Punishment doesn't work all that well for anything, and certainly not cats.

Have him checked out. If it hurts him to pee, he may become afraid of the litter box.

How many boxes are there? Some cats don't like to share at all, and few will want to use the box if another cat is in there. It helps to have a box for each cat, and a box for every level of the house. Cats hate a dirty box, too, so use the scoopable litter and scoop every day.

He won't go where he eats. So if he has a favourite inappropriate spot to go, feed him there for a while.

My cats liked to pee on this beanbag chair. Cats love to pee on beanbag chairs 'cause they shift under the paws like sand or litter. I took the chair away and then the cats peed on the carpet where it was. I cleaned that with an odor-eliminating cleaner and started feeding them on that spot, and then they started to pee on another spot about six feet away.

I ended up sprinkling dry cat food all over the carpet, just throwing it around, to feed them. Then I'd have to vaccuum the floor after they ate. I kept this up for a month because I was worried they'd go back to peeing on the carpet again and didn't want to start over, but probably I didn't need to do it that long. Anyway, they only pee in the box now, and have been good for five years, so it was worth it.

Daniel's right about the anxiety meds. Usually they give prozac to cats, because of its long half-life. If you think he's an anxious cat, you might want to try 'Bach's Flower Essences Rescue Remedy' first. You can get it in health-food stores in the US and probably other countries, it's made in Britain. Put a couple of drops in his water, or just smear some on his fur where he'll lick it off. It's for people, but the vet I used to work for recommended it for dogs and cats all the time.

Not trying to say anything against you because you're nice and all, but giving cats back to shelter is to me the exact same as if dumping parents, siblings, other family and children. So now I'm feeling totally freaked out by this topic and the idea that a cat is having to go back to a shelter because its owner can't manage with cat behaviour. Like, totally freaked out now and I really needed to say this to stop feeling freaked out yeah.

Sorry this was a double post as I meant to make this in random discussion. Thought I did but I guess when I submited, I saw nothing as I didn't know it went in here.

I'm not really sending my cat back to the shelter it was an April Fool's joke.

I mean look at him.....



But I am getting sick of him using the wall as a spot to whizz on....

Aww what a cute cat, and silly april fools joke hehe. Funny quick story about my cat, whom we all call WEIRD beyond imaginable, when i was screamign, or screeching with happiness, most cats except my fat one because shes fat lol will run or hide when somebody screams or screeches, instead my cat will coming running right up to you, put her paws on ur lap and meow at u until u shut up and if u dont she jumps and tries to bite your mouth lol. So i was screeching in the chair flapping, and all of a sudden from the corner of my eye she comes charging runs to my lap and meows at me really loud until i stop then after i stopped and apologized she walks away and swats at the dog lol. And the vet told us to put that cat down or give it away cuz it has FIV haha, shes too amazing to do any of the sort hehe. For whizzing on the wall, is he nuetered? could he be trying to spread his scent?

Ah you got me.