# Ethics of giving away a sick cat **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 9, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794 "2004-11-09T05:09:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Incubus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c68b51/32.png) [@Incubus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Incubus)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794/1 "2004-11-09T05:09:11Z")
The other day I was reading the paper, and saw the ‘adoption’ section. One cat that caught my eye had a description that mentioned he had Feline Leukemia ☹ This made me feel rather sad- as far as I know, Feline Leukemia is fatal for cats (I could be wrong here). I tried to think of who could bear to have an animal they _knew_ would pass away soon ☹ At least if you adopted an animal, you can hope it lives a healthy and happy life. And maybe adopting a terminally ill animal ensures that its last days are comfortable. Last summer my beloved cat Socks died of Lymphoma, and it was really hard for me to see him slowly waste away. I don’t think I could ever bear to have to do that again, much less voluntarily ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Fire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@Silver\_Fire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Fire)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794/2 "2004-11-09T05:41:32Z")
Maybe the person who was giving it away could no longer afford to care for it properly (I don’t know anything about the expenses of caring for a terminally ill cat)? I think it’s okay to give a sick cat away, as long as the recipient **knows** the cat’s medical history, including specifics about the illness (i.e. it’s fatal/not fatal, it needs these drugs, etc.). Some people like that sort of thing. Maybe “like” isn’t a good word, but some people adopt sick pets exclusively, knowing that they’re compassionate enough to care for this pet as long as they need to while giving it a great life. :shrugs: Anyway, yeah, as long as all the people involved are informed and okay with it, I don’t see any problem at all. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794/3 "2004-11-09T06:26:40Z")
I can’t imagine giving away a dying kitty. My kitties own me-I’m their human, and to reject them in their darkest hour is something I cannot fathom. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794/4 "2004-11-09T06:39:51Z")
Feleuk positive cats can be asymptomatic for _years_. If there are no other known health issues and the cat isn’t showing any symptoms, there’s no real barrier to adopting him out into a home as an only cat. Sure, he’s going to die before the owners are ready to give him up, but you know what? They _all_ die long before we’re ready. ---
**Author:** ![Wile\_E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c37758/32.png) [@Wile\_E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wile_E)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2004, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ethics-of-giving-away-a-sick-cat/273794/5 "2004-11-09T13:57:59Z")
To add to what CCL said, it can be FeLV (Feline Leukemia Virus) positive and not be sick. This is why many people cannot bring themselves to euthanize a healthy cat that could live for several years before even showing signs of illness. It could even live a normal life span without ever getting ill. It needs to be an indoor only cat that cannot expose others and stress needs to be kept at a minimum. There are people in this world who wouldn’t mind having one indoor only cat that needs a little extra attention. There are also people who might already have a FeLV positive cat and wouldn’t mind taking in another. The same applies for FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency virus). The most important thing is that these cats are kept indoors so that do not continue to expose other cats to the diseases.