It always irks me when people 'get rid of' elderly cats like that! And often these same jerks want a kitten to replace the cat. Does the shelter have a program that matches seniors with older cats? Some do, and the cat goes to a loving home again for free. The stipulation is if the new owners falls ill, or dies, the shelter takes the cat back. As we all know, animals make people live longer, and especially lonely elderly people. So long as they're able to clean the box etc. Then there's the flip side...the elders who come into shelters wanting to adopt KITTENS!