Opinion on older cats

[PayItForward]

I have been reading about a pair of 16 year old sisters, their owner has sadly had to go into a home.

The adult children can't /won't look after the cats and have given the local Cat Protection League five days to find them a home or the adult children will be putting them to sleep.

I was horrified, how can any vet put to sleep a healthy cat, regardless of age.

My sister said it would be easier for the cats, to be PTS then to cope with a new temporary home (i.e. An outside pen or spare room)

I was just interested in your opinions.

[catlady1945]

A lot of vets will put healthy animals to sleep if the owner wants. I hope somebody hears this story and adopts them. They will adapt very nicely to a new owner.

[Tonya]

I voted PTS, I hope no one hates me for it.

I don't know the cats personally, so I am just considering my own cats' personalities. My cats would be totally traumatized and confused if they were rehomed. Raven especially came from an abused past and it took years for her to trust us. She'd be better off PTS then living her last few years paranoid in a stranger's home.

[Tonya]

p.s. I just saw something similar in our classifieds a few weeks ago. It read "My best friend passed away. She left behind 23 loved cats. Please help me to keep them from being euthanized. Free to loving home." It's so sad. We often write wills out and whatnot, but we don't think about what will happen to our animals after we pass. We need to think about that too.

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by Tonya
I voted PTS, I hope no one hates me for it.

Of course not.

I'm asking for honest opinions and that is what you gave.

[slick]

This makes me sooooooo upset!!!! Pets are not disposable because of age. Why don't the adult "kids" just give the kitties to a no-kill shelter. Granted, they probably are not adopable at their age because no one wants to adopt older animals, another thing that makes me mad. But at least the shelter can put them into a foster home to live out their lives, and they can be kept together. At least they should investigate the possibility instead of brushing them off. Or as Tonya mentioned, put an ad the paper.

I sure hope those "kids" don't have pets themselves.

[Tonya]

By the way, if the cats were younger I'd say rehome them... They'd have enough time to recover and adapt. But at 16 years old, I'd rather see my cats die happy then stressed from the change.

[PayItForward]

Originally posted by Tonya
By the way, if the cats were younger I'd say rehome them... They'd have enough time to recover and adapt. But at 16 years old, I'd rather see my cats die happy then stressed from the change.

This is what my siser said, let them be. But isn't life better than no life ? (Maybe not, I'm just asking ?)

Originally posted by slick
This makes me sooooooo upset!!!! Pets are not disposable because of age. Why don't the adult "kids" just give the kitties to a no-kill shelter.

Sadly our shelters are so full, that there are waiting lists for cats to go into the shelters.

In fact the plea for help was actually from a shelter, who doesn't have space to take them.

During summer the RSCPA stopped taking animals in even from their own wardens.

Mr Stray was on two waiting lists and only had a place after several weeks.

But the adult children won't/can't hold onto them even for a couple of weeks.

[Tonya]

But isn't life better than no life ? (Maybe not, I'm just asking ?)

It really depends on the cat. Honestly, for Raven, no. She's so stressed out all the time as it is, I couldn't imagine if we passed away. Ron, on the other hand, I think as long as he got some good food, he'd be happy.

[Randy_K]

Older cats can do fine in a new home and are a great choice for an older person who might fnd a kitten too much to handle. Since the cats have spent their life together they should stay together in a new home. You'd be suprised how well they will do. PTS should be the absolute LAST option not the first to be considered.

[lizbud]

I voted to keep them together in a room pending adoption.

If these cats are in good health otherwise, They should live.
They probably would adapt in a quieter household, if they are
kept together. I don't like the idea of an outside pen, if they
where inside cats before.

[aly]

I voted for Other Options just because I think it should be judged on an individual basis. There is NO reason to put down a healthy 16 year old cat! Sure the cat is older, but if healthy, let the thing adjust to new surroundings and live out his/her life! I think the two cats in this situation should be kept in a spare room and fostered until a home is found.

I want to have a rescue group someday that caters to geriatric animals. They make perfectly loving pets, and usually have lots of years left in them.

[Randy_K]

"Life is as dear to a mute creature as it is to a man. Just as one wants happiness and fears pain, just as one wants to live and not die, so do other creatures".

The Dalai Lama

[catcrazylady]

My Grandma is 95 years old, almost completely deaf, but a joy to love and hug. I have no intentions of putting her down and honestly I don't see the difference.

[Tonya]

My Grandma is 95 years old, almost completely deaf, but a joy to love and hug. I have no intentions of putting her down and honestly I don't see the difference.

That's a pretty darn good point. I'm swayed.