To rescue or not OR When is killing an animal the right thing to do.

I'm not sure I am cut out for cat rescue. Right now my stomach is upset, I'm crying, and I want to vomit. I think the personalities bother me more than the cats. I'm not a cat expert, but I do know a hell of a lot about cats. But there will be a situations that you haven't encountered before.

I will ask for help in those situations. I try to provide the relevant information, but people really don't read what you wrote. instead you are criticized or you are stupid, except no one really says the stupid part bluntly.

Ollie is really starting to show his rage. He was declawed by his previous humans and then surrendered. The shelter might not have known that or might not have shared. He bit me tonight and hard. No warning. I wasn't moving fast enough for him. I used some Rescue Remedy tonight on food and treats. I have Feliway diffusers in the house. And he sprays. I can't afford to lose this place. The landlords are great.

I think I could live with the biting, but not the spraying. But he really needs to be elsewhere, if I can't get he prozac into him. Removing the anal glands may help the spraying but won't help the anger and biting.

So I ask for help, and people give some reassurances and some helpful advice. Most I have seen and used. The irritating part of that is that I have repeated what their environment is like,. Plenty of cat furniture, scratchers, quality food, toys, lots of attention, yearly vet visits, etc. And oh, Lots of Love.
So I was chastised for wanting to take him to the vet. Supposedly he will be okay if I let him outside, even with no claws. It's dangerous to be a pet where I live. Most are roadkill.

Then I was accused of making him unnatural, that cats need to spray, and medicating him is not natural. Like Spaying and Neutering is natural? Give me a break, please I think that bit of irony hurt the most.

I should let him outside declawed? This area is not safe. No foliage on my property. A road lies between foliage and my property. The cars travel 85 mph down a 25 mph road. That's the South for you. Laws are meant to be broken. We have vermin and coyotes in the area.
So Ollie is going to a rescue, I hope. One refused because of the people aggressiveness. I have a line on another one, but I need to check references. I sent in a request to a third.

I really don't like being chastised for doing what I think is best and giving it my all.

At this point my heart is hurting. I care, and I wish I didn't. Rescuers are so hard on each other. We beat each other up instead of helping. Everybody is an expert and they treat the others like they are stupid.

Thanks for listening. Time for sleep so that I can take Ollie in.

A little later after I posted this on facebook, Ollie attacked Bob for sleeping on the couch back. Ollie has claimed this as his position. My cats usually rotate positions. He gets worse every day or so it seems.

Everyone is on edge.

Our sympathies! How old Is Ollie? It is not safe to let him outside. He is declawed, and it is well known that is that surgery was never done correctly, he could still be in pain, and so the aggressiveness and the biting might be understandable!

Do you have a room where you can keep him isolated?

In my own personal opinion, the only time I feel it is right to put an animal to sleep is if they are sick or in pain.
I do know that the shelter I volunteer with is a no-kill, but they have had to "let" an animal go because it was just not going to.............I don't even know how to word it.
They choose animals after testing to see if they are adoptable. Some seem fine during the testing but then prove the opposite.
I believe the right person is out there for every animal. Sometimes that person is not found in time.

I do hope you can find the right place for Ollie where he can be well taken care of for the rest of his days, months, years.

You are definitely doing the right thing, for your self and Ollie.

Hugs to you through this difficult time.

I am so sorry you are going through this & I feel sorry that Ollie has to go through life in pain from this horrid surgery. He might be better off as a only
pet (cat or dog) in a relatively quiet household. Even then he probably should have daily does of pain killers. Not a ideal life but his future was decided for him
by his former family's decision. I would reject the idea of making him live outside. He has no defense except his teeth & that's no match against other bigger
animals.

Give Ollie up to the humane society or the SPCA or whoever will take him. Be strong, you are done, you are a good person. The cat is not for you, and ... that's alright honey. Life is short, seems a hella longer if you're miserable and so is Ollie.

p.s. I had 5 cats in my younger yrs. They were all declawed. they did not seem to be in any pain at all and lived long and healthy lives.

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Originally Posted by mon

p.s. I had 5 cats in my younger yrs. They were all declawed. they did not seem to be in any pain at all and lived long and healthy lives.

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Sadly, that is not true of all declaws cats, some veterinarians do a better job than others, and like with any surgery, there are risks. That may or may not have anything to do with how Ollie is, it is just something to consider!

mrspunkysmom and mon, to give you a chuckle in this otherwise sad thread,

My dear friend has two kittens that were declawed when she got them, and they were perfectly fine and lived long, happy lives - and seemed to have no idea they were not equipped for the role of mighty hunters! I will never forget my friend describing coming into her kitchen one day with both dainty princess kitty in full attack mode hissing and focussed on what was just below the bay window they were in/ Bonnie looked out and there were too deer grazing below the window and both her cats were telling her, "C'mon, mom - let us at 'em! We can take ';em down, c'mon mom!" Needless to say, when she recovered from her laughter, the kitties' hopes were crushed and she did not open the door or window to let them out.

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Originally Posted by mon

p.s. I had 5 cats in my younger yrs. They were all declawed. they did not seem to be in any pain at all and lived long and healthy lives.

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Even if not in physical pain, the declawing changes the cats walking posture, causing arthritis later in life. And just like people, some cats handle adversity better than others. Your typical cat is psychologically fragile and can carry a grudge or torment a long time. I think they are all drama queens.

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Originally Posted by Karen

Our sympathies! How old Is Ollie? It is not safe to let him outside. He is declawed, and it is well known that is that surgery was never done correctly, he could still be in pain, and so the aggressiveness and the biting might be understandable!

Do you have a room where you can keep him isolated?

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He was isolated when he first came to my house. He didn't like it. That's when he started spraying.

I don't think he is in any real pain.

Okay, I'm reposting was I posting on the group. Just basic stuff, what the doctor said.

Ollie is on Prozac for the time being. Hopefully it will help to calm him some. I love my vet. She listens and knows me.

Her speculation is that he was either and outdoor cat brought in and declawed or was an indoor-outdoor cat that was declawed. If the information was related to the shelter they did not enter it in the system, so they listed him as indoor only. I explained the issues with outdoors and my area, so he needs to be rehomed. Barn, colony, indoor outdoor, and he should be fine.

She said it's apparent, that even though he was behaving at the vet, that his personality is dominant and he's used to having his way. He probably wasn't well socialized with cats or humans (I called that right on an application), or even played with roughly as a kitten.

She gave me some excerpts from a book on behavior. I'll read and see if it helps. She agreed that the Jackson Galaxy type of intervention wouldn't work for me, because the behavior problems stem from Ollie's unknown history.

She agreed that the anal gland surgery wouldn't stop the problem. I'll have to let that one go.

So now to find a rescue or a barn or something similar.