Chris Pratt

[Deleted]

Nov 7, 2021 18:40:07 GMT -4 Ginger said:

An incontinent cat can make your life fucking miserable. I had a cat I saw through to the end (19 years), despite years of anxiety-driven peeing which wrecked both a floor and a $3,000 couch. Administering Prozac didn't help, and there were no actual anxieties in his life that could be remedied. Even the vet suggested euthanizing. Those are tough calls to have to make. I have no judgment for people who choose to rehome.

This is my life at the moment. My cat is 17 years old and suffers from severe anxiety and his brother (also 17) suffers from early stage dementia. They are a handful and have ruined two couches so far. Peeing and shitting all over the place, including our beds. It's impossible to buy new furniture while they are still alive, I can't predict how they will react to such a change so I will just have to wait it out. We decided that we were not going to euthanize them until they were at least sicker (kidney failure, cancer, something serious). I don't really know if that's the right decision for us or them. So yeah, this is not an easy decision to make.

[tiggertoo]

Since we’re talking cats and their bodily functions, let me share. My cat came from a rescue organization. His previous home was one of those hoarding situations, about 17 cats were rescued. My guy never learned how to use a litter box. He poops right beside it, so not too bad. Peeing has been crazy. He liked to pee on smooth surfaces, like sinks. Now I’ve bought those puppy training pads and he uses it religiously. So I’m living with that as a solution. I call it my cat’s shameful secret.

As for Chris Pratt, I have learned more here than I ever knew about him. I enjoy his personality in movies and TV. I was sad when he and Anna split up, but they’ve both remarried and seem to have a cordial divorce. I’m more curious as to why Anna suddenly quit Mom.

[Ginger]

Oct 14, 2008 16:58:27 GMT -4 @northernwolf said:

It's impossible to buy new furniture while they are still alive, I can't predict how they will react to such a change so I will just have to wait it out. We decided that we were not going to euthanize them until they were at least sicker (kidney failure, cancer, something serious). I don't really know if that's the right decision for us or them.

You have my sympathies! Yes, that was one of my problems with the anxiety-suffering cat - I never knew what minor changes to his environment would make him worse, so it was just a matter of putting tarps everywhere. It fucking sucks mopping up cat pee and poop every day (or worse, sitting down on the couch and realizing that the couch cushion is soaked through with urine). I lived with having no couch for two years because all the pillows had to be removed. Cat urine leaves a terrible smell and I can't notice it because I live there, but visitors sure can! The hard wood floors will probably need to be ripped out and replaced before the place can be sold.

I didn't want to put the cat through the additional anxiety of a rehome late in life, but in retrospect? He might have been happier in slightly different circumstances (such as a home without another cat). He certainly couldn't have been more miserable.

As someone who has adopted five rehomed pets, if their previous owners ever lamented how much their dear family members were missing them in their new home, they were sadly mistaken. All of those animals were happy as can be and made themselves at home within 20 minutes of their arrival. Animals adjust, and a happy life for an animal doesn't mean never experiencing change.

[mrspickles]

Nov 8, 2021 1:52:34 GMT -4 ennazus said:

My stance, and this is for me, when I adopt a pet, it becomes a part of my family, for better or for worse. I’ve had both incontinent dogs and cats and I dealt with it. I think it’s ok to have this point of view.

I had a cat who devolved into outside the box bathrooming. When we adopted her I was married and we owned a home. After divorce, ex moved into a 'no pets allowed' place so I got them all by default. She ruined 4 couches, damaged flooring in the new home I rented and generally made life miserable. After a great deal of mental misery, I decided I had to return her to the sanctuary from which we adopted her. I was miserable about it, but medication was unaffordable for me at the time and I didn't know what else to do. When I got her back to the sanctuary, they sent out a lady to lecture me and generally make me feel like an absolute piece of shit for returning her. So I kept her. I couldn't have guests in my home until she finally passed, my kids grew up checking for fresh pee before they sat down and allergies/asthma were dealt with.

Sometimes life circumstances change.

[Ginger]

Jun 28, 2006 22:23:28 GMT -4 mrspickles said:

I was miserable about it, but medication was unaffordable for me at the time and I didn't know what else to do.

Cat medication methods have improved, but you know what really makes an anxious cat freak out? To every night at 6 pm be chased down, captured, and have a pill shoved down his throat. (It was a cat who would never, ever willingly consume a pill no matter what type of food it was disguised in.) That's why I gave up on Prozac very quickly- it was only making the situation way worse.

Jun 28, 2006 22:23:28 GMT -4 mrspickles said:

When I got her back to the sanctuary, they sent out a lady to lecture me and generally make me feel like an absolute piece of shit for returning her.

This is really terrible. Shelters/sanctuaries need to stop doing that shit. It happens a lot and it helps no one, least of all the animals.

[royalwave]

Norms have definitely changed over the years. My grandfather, born in the 1920s, was a farmer and believed dogs belonged outdoors where they could run around. His dogs were never allowed in the house, which today would be considered abusive. My mother, born in the 1950s, pretty nonchalantly euthanized our pet cat because it was having bloody stools and some incontinence and she wasn’t willing to pay high vet bills with a low probability of fixing the issues. In her view, it was “just a cat.” It’s only in recent times that folks are expected to do whatever it takes to both keep an animal alive and with its original owner, preferably in the lap of luxury.

I have rehomed a dog myself. It was an animal that had been dumped and found its way to my then boyfriend’s home. It was chipped, but the owner wouldn’t return calls and so my boyfriend decided to make a go of keeping him. However, he had anxiety issues that required him to be crated when we were gone so he wouldn’t tear up the house, and we worked long hours. When we got home he was of course full of energy and would go nuts running around the house. Once we had kids that he was frequently bowling over, I reached my limit. I was too exhausted to give him the exercise and attention he needed and it wasn’t fair to him. We took him to a trainer to try to help with some of his issues, but it never really took. Some would probably say we should have hired dog walkers or got him medicated for anxiety or one of several other possible solutions, but we found him a family who had a one acre property with a doggy door where he could come and go as he pleased, and they worked from home so he would never need to be in a crate. It was a much better option for him. We had tried to make it work because he had nowhere else to go and we didn’t want to see him euthanized, but he wasn’t a good fit for our family and I don’t for a minute regret finding him a great fit elsewhere.

All this is to say I pretty much never judge someone for rehoming an animal until I have the full story. I think there are plenty of cases where it is justified and in everyone’s best interest.

[Ladybug]

Oct 24, 2019 13:25:06 GMT -4 royalwave said:

Norms have definitely changed over the years...It’s only in recent times that folks are expected to do whatever it takes to both keep an animal alive and with its original owner, preferably in the lap of luxury.

I remember when I was a kid how common it was for people to just let unwanted pets out on the side of the road, or "throw away" puppies and kittens that couldn't be cared for. My dad once found a sack of puppies like this. He kept one and found homes for the others. There weren't rescue orgs for every breed of domesticated animals, there was the pound and the SPCA. Speaking of going to any length to keep a pet alive, my boss has had to learn how to give her cat IV fluids daily because it has a rare digestive disorder. For her the alternative is unthinkable.

Mrspickles, I'm really sorry you were treated that way. Everyone has a different level of what they can handle regarding pets. If life circumstances change I don't think anyone should be shamed for that.

[Ginger]

Not that long ago I saw a "emergency adoption needed" post from an LA animal shelter who were angry that someone brought to them a pitbull who was elderly, blind, lame and had gotten aggressive. They said the dog had been "dumped" in the shelter - I do not know whether there is a difference between "dumping" and "surrendering" but they chose that word because they wanted to shame. They put the word "aggressive" in quotes as if it wasn't true, then said "Of course he was aggressive, he's blind and lame and was just dumped in a shelter!"

People get so wrapped up in the cause, they lose all perspective and start behaving with no sympathy at all for how difficult things can be. As if caring for a very sick dog wasn't hard enough, not being able to put up with being attacked by a large aggressive dog is something worthy of public scorn? Perspective is needed.

IMO, all parties involved should have realized it was time for that dog to be euthanized. But there is so much shame put on people for that too.

[royalwave]

I feel like too many people gloss over quality of life issues for not only humans, but elderly or sick animals too. Since the pandemic my neighborhood has had a huge problem with people dumping dogs in our parks. Every day on Nextdoor there's another two or three young, friendly animals with no collars/tags/chips left to fend for themselves. It makes me realize just how many pets are out there looking for homes, while we are trying to force people to keep blind, lame, aggressive older animals in their houses in situations that are miserable for everybody.

My experience with my one and only dog was bad enough to make me never want to get another dog again, and I don't think that's the attitude we want to leave people with who are being shamed for not sticking it out until the bitter end. I'm sorry, but I couldn't deal with an incontinent animal in my house for more than a couple days and I don't think that makes me a terrible person or pet owner. I believe at some point I might have a lot of love to give to a generally healthy animal, but I'm not willing to mortgage my house on vet bills, sacrifice the well-being of my family, etc.

I think Chris and Anna had a lot on their plate during their pregnancy with Jack and in his early years. It clearly was a stressful situation and took a toll on their relationship. I can't side-eye them for doing what they had to do in regards to their pets at this time because I still believe that people should come first.

[Ginger]

I'm ok with people having different parameters for what they are and are not willing to do for their pets, as long as people who aren't willing to mortgage their homes to pay $15k for elective surgery for their elderly dog do not get tagged as bad pet owners or animal abusers, which they are now.

Little story....I am not vegan, but I am always on the lookout for good vegan meal ideas to reduce my animal product consumption, so I'm familiar with a lot of vegan youtubers. There's one couple who call themselves "Those Annoying Vegans!" which is supposed to be ironic except that they actually are insanely judgmental and very annoying. I watched a recent video in which they were very glum. They used to volunteer for an animal sanctuary in LA, and had recently parted ways on bad terms because the sanctuary was "not a safe space for chickens". The sanctuary was unwilling to hand-feed portion-controlled meals to the chickens every two hours and was merely providing them with chicken feed. Most of their friends (all animal rights activists) are now not speaking to them because of how they handled their falling out with the sanctuary.

Those Annoying Vegans adopted two of the chickens and took them to live in their small apartment. Their neighbors don't like living in an apartment building with a rooster. They described how hard it is to try to work from home while hand-feeding the chickens every two hours - one of whom is unable to swallow on her own and needs to have her gullet massaged to get down every bite. Male Annoying Vegan at this point stopped to reassure Female Annoying Vegan, who was starting to get emotional, on what an excellent "mom" she is to "their family". Then Male Annoying Vegan recounted with indignation that he is no longer doing business with a certain animal prosthetic company, who had failed to give him a timely quote for "a prosthetic leg for my special needs rooster" as nobody had ever asked them for such a thing ever. It was at this point in the video that I broke down in hysterics, and I am unable to think about the video without laughing.

To each their own, but IMO "prosthetic leg for my special needs rooster" is the ridiculous place one ends up when one goes down the path of believing that animals are the exact same thing as human children.