Cat Question

[summercomfort]

So Theo is being taken to the shelter. ;_; I hope it is for the best and that some other happy family will adopt him.

But Goma put up such a ruckus in the cat carrier that we decided to let him out before he went crazy. The problem is, Goma *needs* to go, if only to get neutered. As in, even if we decide to keep him or give him to someone, he has to be neutered first. He's been spraying and doing various unspeakable acts with my leg, or with the blanket, or with the armchair...

I'm worried that if we get Goma into the cat carrier again, he'd have gone into "attack anything" mode once we get downtown, which means that he won't pass the "is this cat safe" test and end up being euthanized.

I don't really know cats that well, but would it be better for him if we just let him back out into the wild? His claws *are* abnormally sharp, but he *has* lived among the humankind for a year now... and winter will be coming soon... Or should we stuff him back into the cat carrier some other day and hope for the best? What would work better for him? Would he work as an outside cat? (How does that work, anyway?)

Comments

[night-watch.livejournal.com]

If he's lived with humans for a year, he will die if you let him back into the wild. Cats simply become too dependent on food after that time. It's the same reason they say not to feed feral cats unless you can keep feeding them, because once they become dependent they can't survive without being fed.

Sorry. :(

For outdoor cats you basically just tag them, leave them food in a particular place, and let them go. Besides vet trips, it's pretty low-maintenance.

[kitsuchan.livejournal.com]

What I suggest is calling the place you're going to get him fixed at, and asking them what to do. They'll probably either tell you "We've dealt with difficult cats before," or possibly "give him a mild sedative" (you can get them from the local vet). Either way, while taking him to the shelter will probably result in him dying, since really only kittens are adopted and even thwey often get euthanized, turning him out into the streets will result in a long slow death from cold, starvation and disease. Outside cats work a lot better in places where people have yards and warm winters, but that works by feeding the cat and petting it and taking it to the vet, but not letting it inside.

[satyreyes.livejournal.com]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO :'(

I knew I should've gotten an apartment... if I weren't in a dorm I'd take both of them in a heartbeat...

[summercomfort]

but you would have encountered the same dilemma at the end of the year!

[satyreyes.livejournal.com]

Unless I stayed in Chicago... but yeah, I suppose so. Maybe I could just set them up in one of those smallish classrooms in Harper no teacher will agree to hold class in, with an immense supply of cat food and one of those heating blankets for them to lie on if they got cold or lonely. And a few catnip toys, a scratching post, and a CD player in case they got bored. Euthanasia is probably better, I know, but still... :'(

[eptified.livejournal.com]

...wait, what? Theo? Possibly the least offensive cat in the world?

He doesn't deserve that. Your roommates suck.

[summercomfort]

hey now, no dissing the roommates. They're nice people and they generally liked the cats. Just not enough to live with cats on a long-term basis (hair, poop, doors, scratching, etc). And they've been gainfully putting up with the cats for my sake and have been good to them. And they have taken most of the responsibility of trying to find a good home for them, going so far as to getting cat-allergic parents to come with cat-carriers and car, so it's not like "OMG SUSHU I HETT TEH CATS MAKE THEM GO AWAY"

I'm sad about Theo going away, and I hope to dear god he doesn't get euthanized, but ... no dissing the roommates

[eptified.livejournal.com]

Fair enough, consider them un-dissed. You don't suck, roommates! ...Keeping cats in college is a silly thing to do anyway, and it's partially my fault that you're in this situation in the first place. It just took me by surprise.

[summercomfort]

How is it suddenly your fault? :D

[eptified.livejournal.com]

Well, I was with Alexis when she went to the shelter to get cats and at no point did I stop her. I even helped pay their fees.

[conejita.livejournal.com]

mebbe some catnip would make him relaxed enough in the cat carrier.. isn't catnip like pot for cats?

that's the problem with cats, they are not very transportable.