[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Russic

Wow Sliver ... I'm not sure what I find more bothersome about you: the fact that you've taken in animals knowing that you would probably give them away or the fact that you feel no remorse for it. Just because the cats end up in good homes does not mean the animal isn't impacted in a very negative way. What you are doing is quite inhumane and I really hope you reconsider the idea of maybe getting another animal.

If you aren't going to care for an animal for it's whole life what kind of message are you giving to your kid? I'm always curious when people who don't really like animals feel the need to get one for their kids because kids "should have a pet".

Why should I show remorse for doing the right thing? I know this is black and white for some of you guys, but for anybody else I'll give a little context - it'll at least show you where I'm coming from.


Cat #1

• Purchased when I was 13/14
• When I turned 18 I moved into a staff accomodation at a ski hill where pets weren't allowed. Instead of dumping my cat off at the SPCA (which is clearly what a lot of people do considering they are always at capacity), I traded the cat to my mom's friend for a brand new Hibatchi. She took care of that cat for another six or seven years before it died. She even nursed it through its own struggle with diabetes.
• I don't think anybody would argue I did the wrong thing here. Therefore, I shouldn't have to show remorse.
• In an odd coincidence, the Hibatchi died around the same time.

Cat #2

• Bought this cat in university with my then-live-in girlfriend (now wife). We loved that thing, but as the years went on (the cat was about four) it started caterwauling at all times and getting pretty ornery. We figured it was lonely because at this point we were both putting in long hours at our post-UC jobs.
• In the hopes of alleviating what we thought was loneliness in our cat, we bought cat #3.
• Unfortunately, this only made matters worse. Cat #2 turned absolutely psycho. Caterwauling 24/7. She was also very vicious all of a sudden - if I was sleeping and moved my leg, she would jump on my leg, bite down as hard as she could and beat/scratch the crap out of me with her hind legs while her front claws were dug into my flesh.
• If we locked her outside our room, non-stop caterwauling.
• This went on for a few months. You couldn't even walk past her without her attacking you. Not in a playful kitty-cat way, either. This little demon was out for blood.
• I emailed my friends the story, and asked if anybody wanted her. I had a taker and boom, problem solved. She is still kicking and I visit her whenever I go to my friend's house. She is also much happier there.
• I have to admit, if nobody took this cat I would have had her put down. I know I'll get flamed for including this line, but I'm just trying to be honest. Thankfully it didn't come to that.
• Am I to feel remorse for yet again finding a more suitable home?

Cat #3

• If you're still reading this, you know that I bought cat #3 to help keep cat #2 company.
• Cat #3 was a great little cat - a specialized breed and a real sweet personality.
• Anyway, after about four years with this guy, we welcomed a baby into our lives. Unfortunately, our baby had super bad cholic and our lives turned to chaos.
• Unavoidably, we started ignoring our cat and he became really sad. We weren't intentionally ignoring him, mind you, but we just did not have the energy to give to him. He's a needy cat (in a good way) in that he needs lots of hugs and snuggles. He likes to be carried everywhere, etc. He think he's a baby which is fun until you have a real baby and can't give him all the attention he's come to expect.
• We kept him for a full year after having our baby and he never could get used to the new family dynamic. He was always nice to our real baby, but he still needed mass amounts of attention that we couldn't give.
• Some friends of ours really liked him (actually, everybody liked him) and they offered their home to him. We talked about it and thought it may be best for him. We tried this out and he really came back to life living there. If it hadn't worked out we would have taken him back in a heartbeat, but he is still there and I always see great pics of him on facebook.
• Again, you're right, no remorse. But hopefully you can see why.

Originally Posted by pylon

Molly the poorly housebroken and furniture chewing wiener dog that has given me a million reasons to unload her, which I could never fathom to do and break the commitment I made to when I adopted her...... greatly disapproves of you.

I would not stand for any animal urinating/crapping in my house. That's disgusting and unclean. It's seriously where I draw the line.