"ARGUMENTS ABOUT GETTING RID OF YOUR CAT"

Information provided by:
Gail Price
Dumpster Cats Founder
Originally titled "Does Kitty Really Need A New Home?"

How seriously do you take your commitment to your pet? If you are thinking of finding a new home for it, then you must not care very much. Why did you get him or her in the first place? But perhaps you think you do have a valid reason -- listed below are some good tries. At least read the following for some advice if you HAVE to get rid of your cat...

ALLERGIES OR ASTHMA?
Doctors are always quick to tell their patients to get rid of the cats -- very easy to say, because they don't have to deal with the heartbreak of abandonment! There are lots of alternatives that can work, but most people don't care enough for their pet to bother trying to work on it. Some doctors say at the very least, give Colloidal Silver a try, which is an herbal remedy for cat allergies available at health food stores and is safe with other prescriptions. Only find a new home as a last resort! Understandably though, a lot of people are too afraid to take needles that can combat the allergies, and asthma can definitely be dangerous. In these cases, the family may truly have to relocate their cat to ANOTHER good home. But most allergies are apparent as soon as the ill person meets the new kitten, and so the family will not be trying to find a replacement home for an adult cat, but a baby kitten instead. It's much easier to get someone to adopt a kitten than an adult cat who is no longer cute and tiny.

PREGNANCY CONCERNS?
Many pregnant women think they have to get rid of their cat, for health reasons. Time out. Being careful doesn't mean that you can't still be around your beloved pet through your pregnancy! Cats are very clean animals. You can still pet your cat and share living space while you are pregnant. If you are worried about the chance of getting toxoplasmosis from your cat, don't freak out -- you have a higher chance of getting toxoplasmosis from raw meat than you do from your cat! Don't feed your cat raw meat, and make sure your spouse or a friend cleans the cat's litter box for you. Then you don't have to worry about toxoplasmosis at all! Plus, there are tests your vet can give your cat to see if there is even a risk of toxoplasmosis.

PROBLEMS USING A LITTER BOX?
There are some extremely rare cats that refuse to do their business in a litter box. Many problems are medically related. Before you get rid of your cat, consult a veterinarian to see if the problem is treatable. Most litter box problems can be solved just by working with the cat. Never discipline a cat by hitting it or rubbing their nose in the feces! (It will only become bitter...) Instead, take the cat to their mess and show it that it has used the bathroom in a bad place by shaking loud plastic bags or crumpling paper over its head while you hold onto it. The rustling noise get the cat's attention and reinforces your words as you sternly tell it "bad!" Then, before the cat becomes too upset and gets away from you, place him gently in the litter box, pet him and reassure him that this box is a good place to go.

MOVING AWAY?
Moving is something that American families do often. Moving is always difficult and confusing for all involved. Don't make it harder on your cat by abandoning it! Some people don't want to bother taking their pets with them, but there are lots of ways to make relocating with a pet fairly easy. It may be sort of inconvenient to travel with a cat, but if you love your pet, it should be like a baby to you -- would you really leave one of your children behind in a move??? Traveling with a cat shouldn't be any more inconvenient than traveling with a small child -- you have a car seat (cat carrier), some toys (maybe a fuzzy mouse), and snacks (cat food and some water). And pets are good with adjusting to new homes quickly if surrounded by loved ones... but if they are abandoned, they NEVER fully recover. It's twice as hard on them to go to a new home where everything and everyone is new. Moving is a shameful excuse for getting rid of your pet!

SO YOU THINK A SHELTER IS THE ANSWER?
No matter what the situation is between you and your pet, please, please, PLEASE -- consider shelters ONLY as a last resort! And don't even THINK about the SPCA or kill shelters like it! They are like concentration camps for cats, living out their last days in tiny cramped cages, surrounded by the smell of death, abandoned with no love, just waiting to die in the gas chamber. The more fortunate ones are disposed of quickly. Except, their bodies are then sold to fertilizer companies or science labs for experiments. In the time your cat will spend at the SPCA, many people will look over its cage, ignore him and keep walking, eventually taking home a younger, cuter kitten. What are your cat's chances at a shelter with more than 100 other cats as competition? Not good. If you have tried to work it out every way you can, and still can't live with your cat -- at least respect his life enough to find him a good home. You would want someone to do the same for you.

A FINAL WORD ABOUT LOVE...
Your pet loves you and trusts that you really love him / her in return. Your cat depends on you to keep it healthy and in a stable environment. After all the time experiencing love and trust, how can you just send the poor animal away? When they are uprooted and sent off somewhere with people they don't know, surrounded by strange people, they don't know if they can trust anyone, knowing that you -- their favorite human -- has betrayed them in this way. They become traumatized and often very depressed. Even if they eventually adjust, they will remember the feeling of abandonment as long as they live. A pet is going to love its owner unconditionally for its whole life. How can you betray that trust and simply throw it away? Your pet is a member of your family. Or at least that's what you've had him believe. After all, how many family members have you sent away?