Furious and ready to have cat euthanized

You say the cat has been doing this for two years. In not finding an immediate solution you reinforced the behavior, then get mad at the cat who is being a cat.

The litter box would be my guess for the initial issue. Perfumes in the litter, its location and cleanliness. After the period of time that has passed it may be hard to break the habit.

Move the litter box, change the type of litter you're using, reintroduce the cat to the box. She may need more than one box. My mother's cat has two, one for each function, and it has to have a rug under it. He's very weird that way. Your cat may need a box closer to where she hangs out.

They are little people, which is why so many humans hate them.

Use a spray bottle with water in it when she's bad and a loud, "No." They don't like water in the face.

But, I keep coming right back around to that litter box.

Oh for crying out loud .. I love animals !!!!! This cat of hers has never shown affection ( read her posts) ... Purple has enough on her plate the cat needs a new home .. Purples Mental Health is much more important ...

My opinion : rehome the cat like... ASAP, One less massive stress !

Love ya Purple

Well, it's morning. I only got about 3 hours of sleep. Was so frustrated and mad that I had trouble going to sleep.

This morning, I am still mad at the cat but my rage is almost gone.

To clarify a few points:

When I said the cat has done this for a few years, I did not mean she pees on everything every day. She goes through spells. It started a couple of years ago when the neighbor died and his indoor/outdoor cat started spending more time with us.

The indoor/outdoor cat is very loving. He comes in when the weather gets worse and spends even more time with us. Then this cat starts in with her peeing episodes. She'll calm down when the two cats tolerate each other in the house, until they end up face to face, hissing. It never ends up in an actual fight, but she will go pee on something again.

She has been better lately and it has been a few months since I've found pee. Except for a couple of weeks ago when she squatted on top of the box full of paperwork, looked straight at me, and whizzed.

I don't go around adopting pets and then deciding I'll kill them.

I'm a vet and an animal lover but I totally understand your frustrations. Problem behaviours in pets are the leading cause of death (due to euthanasia) in dogs and cats. Most likely it is the other cat that is causing the problem, it doesn't sound like a uti or kitty litter problem. Behavioural problems are tricky - they generally take a lot of effort in changing problem behaviour patterns and medications and pheromone diffusers can get expensive. It doesn't sound like a viable option in this case due to both finances and the cats personality.

I have NEVER in my career judged someone for making the decision to euthanase because I'm not in their shoes so I can't judge them for the decisions that they make. Though I have adopted several pets that were to be euthanised.

I'm very disappointed in the negative posts that are in this thread, we are here to encourage each other not condem each other.

Not to be judgemental.... but gah, we as bipolars do sometimes crap to other and thanks god it's illegal to euthanize people for being "bad hummie, baaaad!".

i dealt with neurotic and traumatized cats. One thing is if you cannot handle them. But don't kill them, ffs. Just like neurotic or traumatized people. Funny how we want acceptance for ourselves... but when it comes to other creatures...

I am afraid that several of us would actually euthanize ourself it it were legal.

Purple, I think it's ok to give the cat away to somebody or to humane society where they may be able to find it a home. If cat is driving you crazy, you have to do something about it. Pets can be really good for people, especially studies show they help to calm and be a companion for people with MI. But this cat is causing you more harm than good at this point. You don't have to be Mother Theresa and be perfect, you're already going through enough. Your mental health is most important. Removing this cat from your home is a positive step to getting your house and life manageable, imo. Yes, you may feel bad about having to give him away, and I hope someone will take him in, but it seems necessary to me.

How dare you call yourself an animal lover, yet smacked your cat and are considering having it PUT DOWN because you can't deal with it. A real animal lover would never even consider that, no matter how bad things got, and would deal with the situation appropriately by taking the time to find their pet a good new home that's suitable to their needs.

You shouldn't be owning any kind of pet, if you can't take on the potential responsibilities and issues. Ever.

Oh gawd. If you're so perfect? The Narcissistic PD forum is out the door and around the corner.

I'm a pet lover too (read my post on what I think of putting indoor cats outside), but this response is completely inappropriate in a forum such as this. We all have mental illness, first and foremost, and this over-the-top, judgmental tone is not helpful to anyone.

We can agree to disagree, without being disagreeable. Agreed?

Thanks for being understanding and supportive, even if you don't agree with what I'm going through.

And thanks for your fabulous, nonjudgmental contribution to this conversation. I do believe it's the first time I've ever heard from you, so hats off for a fabulous welcome.

So, I'm a narcissist simply because I choose not respond in a manner where I'm forcing myself to be sympathetic and "supportive?" I never said that I was perfect. I stand by what I said, and if you choose to judge me as a narcissist for that, then so be it.

Thank you for responding frankly and openly disagreeing rather than being snide or sarcastic. While I respect your attitude, in a case like this, I find it extremely hard to not be disagreeable, especially given the attitude most people are responding. I doubt the sincerity of the sympathy from most people.

However, I find an issue in "mental illness, first and foremost." People here are always talking about removing the stigma from mental illness, yet at the same time, are so willing to use it as an excuse to pardon themselves or others. Nothing excuses animal abuse, and it pisses me off.

Hey I'm with you. Blaming a cat then saying it's bc of it mental illness, ********. If u can't take care of an animal don't have one. I want a dog but I'm not capable of giving it what it needs at this time. Btw, I have two cats and would find them a good safe home if I couldn't handle it. Just my opinion.

No animal is bad. They may have been abused and have not the best coping mechanisms.. poor cat pls I beg u purple don't hit it again. I know this is stressing u out. Try and find him/her a safe loving home.

Your right this is for encouragement, however hitting an animal is WRONG. And I stand by that stmt. Poor innocent cat. I'm ALLOWED to have an opinion on this I looooovvve animals so much that even though I want a dog badly I don't get one bc I have a hurt back and getting it enough exercise would be difficult. Until that changes I won't get one.

I don't see all the posts in this thread because I have someone on Ignore but I'm in agreement that an animal shouldn't be smacked around or euthanized for bad behavior. The problem is always "solvable".

Maybe you should be put down because you have Bipolar and have problems with anger.

After reading this, I am sick. Your cat has had problems for years and you ignored it. Maybe there IS a medical problem. Behavioral problems can be fixed easier as soon as they are noticed. Cats can even be put on anti-anxiety medications.

And guess what?

If you can not afford to care for an animal, you SHOULD NOT have a pet. Proper care of a pet requires regular vet care and care when an animal maybe sick, physically or emotionally... instances like this.

Perhaps someone should yell at you and smack you across the face for being irresponsible and cruel.

Yes, you have mental illness, but that does NOT give you an excuse to neglect and abuse an animal.
Don't blame your neglect and abuse on your illness... MANY MANY people battle mental illness and do not smack a cat.

There is NO excuse for abuse.....

Now call an animal rescue group and be honest about your POOR treatment and care of the cat. Try to do something right by getting the cat into a home that is safe, loving, caring, and wants to provide the best.

.

And PS:

"Animal lovers" do not neglect their pets nor hit them or smack them. Most don't raise their voice to their pets.

"Animal lovers" care for and love the creatures they have been blessed to adopt, find, or get in their lives.

• Many would shut off their internet or cable or eat rice or stop buying "extras" etc.... to pay a vet bill for their sick pet.

You should stop getting animals until you can afford them and learn to control your behaviors. A 10-pound creature does not stand a chance against 120-200 pound person.

"Maybe you should be put down because you have Bipolar and have problems with anger."

This is not the way to post or to get attention...

It is called exaggerated comparison.

Cat has an "issue" and is acting out in anger or distress by peeing everywhere. She wants to put the cat down.

She has an "issue" (bipolar) and is acting out in anger and distress by hitting the cat.

We are all creatures of the earth.....

Maybe you should just smack the poster, Aeon. That seems to be a solution as far as some people in this thread are concerned.

Would you hit a child? Probably not.

Don't hit the GD cat. It doesn't know any better either.

I need to figure out how to put some people on ignore.

I am out of here. You all enjoy yourselves.

http://forums.psychcentral.com/profi...?do=ignorelist

You don't get to act like you're bothered or offended by all this.

First of all, by adding things like "Am I a terrible person/I'm a terrible person" you're asking for attention and "awww no you're not" because you know what you did and were thinking is wrong. Furthermore, when talking about something that you know people would easily take offense to or be upset by, you're attempting to defuse and then manipulate the emotions of the readers, especially on a board where people tend to be sympathetic, by playing the "animal lover" card and by stressing how upset and stressed you are.

As a mother, how would you respond to a post if someone posted the same thing regarding their child? That they hit their child because of how badly he/she was misbehaving and that they wanted to dump them at an orphanage because they just couldn't handle the issues the child was causing any more. It may seem like a stretch, but you CHOOSE to buy or adopt a cat, where as you often don't even get to choose to have a child.

And on that note, you bought the cat because you had a mice problem, when there are more appropriate solutions such as calling professional exterminators, pest poison, mouse traps, etc.