Dilema should I rehome Star?

[king2005]

My sister is expecting in Sept & she has 3 cats. They are moving into a 2bdr apt very soon & the 2nd room will be for humans only. All cats will be banned from that room. The only change that is going to happen is that Pluto will be declawed. He is a bit sketchy & my sister has been wanting it done before she knew about the baby, as he doesn't understand that clawing humans is a bad thing. He'll be banned from the baby 100%. The other 2 will be just fine & will be welcomed near the baby.

My sister also know that babies are sensitive to things touching their skin, so the kitties wont be allowed to touch the baby until its older to prevent skin itchies.

My sister uses a painters mask & thick rubber gloves to deal with the litter box once in a while (her b/f is good at cleaning it, but sometimes its extra stinky so it needs to be done randomly). Once shes done she goes straight into the kitchen to scrub her hands very well.

***my not so friendly opinion, read with caution***

The kitties are all indoors, as the outdoors kills thousands of cats & many get worms, ticks, & fleas ewwww... oh not to mention cat fights, scars, ripped ears, eye loss, attacked by dogs, kicked, thrown, oh & these two are my fav from back home... poisoned & nailed to trees alive!! Just what kitty always wanted!!

One lady moved into the neighbourhood & had several cats that had babies.. there were DOZEN of cats running around the neighbourhood tormenting everyone. Cause cat poop in your yard is so awesome!!! Oh & all the dead birds at the bird feeder was great too!! Just what everyone always wanted!!

One month later there were about 6 cats left. The other were all killed. Some were thrown into tubs of water to drown, a couple were eaten by the neighbours dogs, many were splattered all over the road, & so many of them were dead all over her yard from being poisoned.

Sometimes people need to rethink how they treat their cats. Sure kitty is happy outside playing in the grass, but how do you think kitty feels being nailed to trees, looses an eye, or gets poisoned? Highly doubt kitty thinks thats any fun. Also think about how the neighbours think with having all the little birds ripped to shreds on their lawns feel, or stepping in cat poop on their lawn?

Cats don't know whats best for them in a human society, but humans do.

Cam (my almost 1yr old cat) enjoys being outside in the yard, on her LEASH! Shes comes outside with Digi (dog) & I from time to time, to enjoy the grass & sun. My friend has a tie out in her back yard for her cat. Both our cats wear a Harness. Cam is never alone outside & neither is her cat. She puts her dog out at the same time to watch the cat (mostly to ensure a stray dog or cat doesn't get into the yard, cause he'll chase it off). She checks on the cat often to make sure he is ok (just like people do with their dogs).

I HATE (strong word, but I mean it) loose cats.
This is my opinion & I stand very firm on the subject.

[Cataholic]

Gosh, king, I sure hope you can talk some sense into your sister with the declawing of her cat! The cat will likely stay far away from a baby as it will make sudden and startlingly noises. No need to declaw it!! Is she planning on removing all the cats teeth, too, in case they bite?

[carole]

well King you had better never come to New Zealand, and yes i have to agree with Johanna,i think declawing is absolutely barbaric,and it is illegal here, i hope she rethinks her decision.,like you I am firm with my opinion on that subject.

[king2005]

Gosh, king, I sure hope you can talk some sense into your sister with the declawing of her cat! The cat will likely stay far away from a baby as it will make sudden and startlingly noises. No need to declaw it!! Is she planning on removing all the cats teeth, too, in case they bite?

The cat has mental issues, & he spazzes out randomly with just the claws. One attack nearly sent my sister to the hospital for stitches, it was THAT bad. We are both very much against declawing (why we've put it off for so long), but this cat has major mental issues & the vets have no idea whats wrong with him. So Declawing him is for everyones safety, including the other cats, as he has randomly spazzed out on them & sent them to the vets. Hes a good cat & a cuddle bug, but it takes 1 second for him to be a totally different animal. Thats why it's only HIM & not the other 2. Sure my sister & others have been nicked by the other cats, but they are mentally stable.

Before my sister got Pluto he was in & out of the shelter for his spazzes. He would have been put down long ago if it wasn't for my sister taking him in & trying to deal with his crazy spazzes. He is a lot better then he was, but he is still very much dangerous (not his fault).

I've had to deal with him when he was spazzing out & it was scary & hard. I didn't want to hurt him, but he was totally out of his mind. I tried pushing him away, then it was gentle tosses. After I could get him to snap out of it I scuffed him hard & tossed him onto my sister's bed & closed the door, he tried to go through the door. he was crazy mad for no reason.

Trust me, neither of us want to do this to him, but its better then the alternative (if he goes back to the shelter he has a death sentence waiting for him, & no one out there wants him, her friends don't even want him, they watch him like a hawk when they visit).

Neither option is good, but at least this one will allow him to be alive.

[carole]

ok well you do have special circumstances here,have you explored every other alternative though, like meds etc.

I guess it must be very hard to go ahead and do this when you are against it yourselves, so i do understand,thanks for explaining the situation further.

[king2005]

ok well you do have special circumstances here,have you explored every other alternative though, like meds etc.

I guess it must be very hard to go ahead and do this when you are against it yourselves, so i do understand,thanks for explaining the situation further.

Shes had him for 3yrs & we've been putting it off for that long cause we just couldn't do that to him, but with the baby on the way... its not an easy decision by far.

He's been in & out of the vets office (several different vets) since before she got him. They've tried many things & nothing seems to work, or they make him so ill he can't move (far more cruel then declawing him IMO). We all love him, he IS family so he wont be going anywhere, but the declawing has to happen now. I told her to get it done before the move & LONG before the baby is due so he doesn't associate those things with the operation. It should be done within the month, but she wants to research more on how to keep it clean & to ensure it gets done the best way possible.

[king2005]

oh, she has a really good vet, so it wont be done in the back alley sort of operation. This is the only vet that understands Spliff's vet issues (she was horribly abused by a vet several yrs ago, my sister is still traumatized by it too, & I still want to hunt him down). Spliff seeks comfort with dogs, as she use to run to my old dog for comfort when scared & he would protect her. So when Spliff goes to the vet they bring her to the dog room & do everything with the dogs barking at her. She calms right down & lets the vets touch her & she doesn't pee in fear, nor does she attack anyone (she was gentle as a mouse before she was abused). When she has to stay for the day, shes in a kennel in the dog room. My sister is also banned from being in the same room as Spliff at the vets cause she saw the abuse & the second Spliff meows or cowers my sister cries uncontrollably & shakes like a leaf.

My sister loves those cats just like children, if not more then many parents I've seen.

[moosmom]

King2005,

Your story reminded me of when I was helping foster a Siamese cat (older) for the MI Meezer Rescue. When I tell you this cat had ME cornered, I'm not kidding. She would not let me anywhere near the door to get out. I finally distracted her long enough to get to the other door before she came after me, so I know what you're talking about.

Meezer Rescue took her back and put her in another foster home. They renamed her Sybil. Gee, I wonder why??