# Ficer67, why the hell are you peeing outside of your litterbox? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 14, 2005, 11:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443 "2005-03-14T11:00:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/21 "2005-03-14T16:00:30Z")
> [@Elysian](#): > > What I have issue with is the attitude that animals are not as important as people. Where the hell did this come from? Actually, I think I know. It’s a combination between the huge egotism that humans have as they survey the rest of the universe, and those passages in the bible where the god tells his little creationlings that they are kings of the world and can use any animal as they wish. > > Humans are not more important then even the slimiest scum on a pond. We just think we are, in addition to thinking that our own person is the most important person on the earth. > > And no, this doesn’t mean that I think everyone should believe in [Jainism](http://www.jcnc.org/jainism/reference_detail.asp?category=Jainism+%2D+Questions+%26+Answers) and not eat the flesh of animals. I just don’t think humans should put themselves above all living things. I think it’s elitist and asinine. > > If you want to get rid of a loved cat that is fouling your space, fine, but don’t make the excuse that it’s just an animal and therefore inferior. Well said. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_chao_goes_mu/32/3191_2.png) [@The\_Chao\_Goes\_Mu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Chao_Goes_Mu)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/22 "2005-03-14T16:03:35Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > I’m going through this issue with an elderly cat, so I see both sides of this. I think it might be time to bid the old fellow farewell and have him humanely put down… it’ll happen anyway, and better do it before I replace any more carpeting (I’ve already thrown some out). > > However, even if it’s the pit and people enjoy being nasty for it’s own sake, no one has any right to feel superior or cast judgment on people who struggle with those decisions. Coming down hard on those who want to get rid of their pets because they beome “inconvenient” is hardly being judgemental. The fact is, puppies shit all over before they are housebroken, cats sometimes start marking territory, pet food is not cheap, neither are vet appointments, animals get old, they can become incontinent and they get sick. If you aren’t prepared to deal with these things then don’t bother getting a pet. I do understand that if your pet has a very serious medical condition and treatment is extremely expensive and you don’t have the money that it’s better to euthanize than to let the pet linger untreated and suffering. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/23 "2005-03-14T16:42:22Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > Coming down hard on those who want to get rid of their pets because they beome “inconvenient” is hardly being judgemental. > The fact is, puppies shit all over before they are housebroken, cats sometimes start marking territory, pet food is not cheap, neither are vet appointments, animals get old, they can become incontinent and they get sick. If you aren’t prepared to deal with these things then don’t bother getting a pet. > I do understand that if your pet has a very serious medical condition and treatment is extremely expensive and you don’t have the money that it’s better to euthanize than to let the pet linger untreated and suffering. My post was directed at those who are judging people for NOT immediately disposing of their pets. ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/24 "2005-03-14T16:43:12Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Animals are animals and humans humans. And never, outside bestiality porn, shall the twain meet. News flash: Animals are animals, and humans are animals. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/25 "2005-03-14T16:49:15Z")
> [@Biffy the Elephant Shrew](#): > > News flash: Animals are animals, and humans are animals. Psst. Post 14. Just sayin’ ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/26 "2005-03-14T16:50:54Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Look, if you were living with an elderly relative who became a little incontinent, would you send them off to the nursing home? You presumably are asking that question rhetorically, but I do believe that some of the people you are addressing would do just that. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/27 "2005-03-14T16:53:00Z")
> [@The Chao Goes Mu](#): > > Coming down hard on those who want to get rid of their pets because they beome “inconvenient” is hardly being judgemental. > The fact is, puppies shit all over before they are housebroken, cats sometimes start marking territory, pet food is not cheap, neither are vet appointments, animals get old, they can become incontinent and they get sick. If you aren’t prepared to deal with these things then don’t bother getting a pet. BTW, I do find your post a little naive. People who have limited financial resources ARE entitled to have pets, and DO need to sometimes weigh the advantages of keeping the animal alive vs. their other financial obligations. This does carry over to damage to the household. It’s just a little glib to say, “if you aren’t prepared to deal with those things, etc.” Most people with pets are prepared to deal with MOST things, but when the level of damage or expense reaches a certain point, they make a tough decision. You certainly have the right to choose a home or financial security over a sense of duty to the pet. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/28 "2005-03-14T16:53:00Z")
> [@vinryk](#): > > I do think that when pets become more of a nuisance than a joy, you should get rid of it. Is that your usual approach to your personal responsibilities when they become inconvenient? ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/29 "2005-03-14T16:56:29Z")
> [@Elysian](#): > > What I have issue with is the attitude that animals are not as important as people. I think that animals are not as important as people. That said, I am appalled by the “throw 'em out when they get troublesome” position. There are people, and there are critters that walk on two legs and might be mistaken for people. One of the distinctions between the two is that the former understand a concept known as “personal responsibility”, and that it applies even when it becomes inconvenient. ---
**Author:** ![Dunderman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@Dunderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dunderman)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/30 "2005-03-14T16:56:51Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > I don’t want the slug through any thread about pissing cats and what not. But any adult who’s so attached to a stupid pet that she thinks it’s an emotionally wrenching issue that it pisses on her carpet and have to give it more than a second’s thought to choose between the pet and husband has got bigger problems than an anonymous poster giving some sound and helpful advice, if expressed somewhat harshly. > > Pets are not part of the family. Animals are animals and humans humans. And never, outside bestiality porn, shall the twain meet. Man, this is dumb. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/31 "2005-03-14T17:02:51Z")
> [@Steve MB](#): > > I think that animals are not as important as people. That said, I am appalled by the “throw 'em out when they get troublesome” position. > > There are people, and there are critters that walk on two legs and might be mistaken for people. One of the distinctions between the two is that the former understand a concept known as “personal responsibility”, and that it applies even when it becomes inconvenient. There is black, and there is white, and there are inconvenient “shades of gray” one must consider when categorizing and casting judgment on others. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/32 "2005-03-14T17:07:34Z")
> [@vinryk](#): > > Or would you have it put down (in a humane manner) and maybe give your love to a lovely new kitten from the Humane Society which otherwise would be killed? As someone who works at a humane society, allow me to reassure you that we’re not interested in adopting kittens into homes where they’ll be thrown away as soon as they become an inconvenience. Jesus Christ. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/33 "2005-03-14T17:19:03Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Psst. Post 14. Just sayin’ Ummm…it was the _late_ news. This just in: Generalissimo Franco still dead! ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/34 "2005-03-14T18:03:56Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > As someone who works at a humane society, allow me to reassure you that we’re not interested in adopting kittens into homes where they’ll be thrown away **as soon as** they become an inconvenience. Jesus Christ. Bolding mine. More “no shades of gray.” EITHER you deserve a pet because you’ll go to the poor house and live in a litter box to protect Fluffy, OR you don’t deserve a pet because the first time it piddles you’ll drown it on the $7 bath mat. NO shades of gray. No 14-year-long commitments with expensive vet bills, regular food and litter, lotsa love and cat toys, and a few hundred dollars of carpet, ending in an unfortunate but inevitable euthanasia to prevent the animal and yourself from suffering. You’re either LOVE your pet, or you don’t. It seems to be me that some people ought not to post their opinions on the Internet. They can’t handle the responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/35 "2005-03-14T18:04:19Z")
> [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > As someone who works at a humane society, allow me to reassure you that we’re not interested in adopting kittens into homes where they’ll be thrown away **as soon as** they become an inconvenience. Jesus Christ. Bolding mine. More “no shades of gray.” EITHER you deserve a pet because you’ll go to the poor house and live in a litter box to protect Fluffy, OR you don’t deserve a pet because the first time it piddles you’ll drown it. NO shades of gray. No 14-year-long commitments with expensive vet bills, regular food and litter, lotsa love and cat toys, and a few hundred dollars of carpet, ending in an unfortunate but inevitable euthanasia to prevent the animal and yourself from suffering. You’re either LOVE your pet, or you don’t. It seems to be me that some people ought not to post their opinions on the Internet. They can’t handle the responsibility. ---
**Author:** ![BabaBooey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/dfb087/32.png) [@BabaBooey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BabaBooey)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/36 "2005-03-14T18:25:47Z")
Gotta side with Rune on this one. I’m not one to dispose of a pet because it has become an inconvenience, but when it starts making a loved one uncomfortable then it’s time to ditch the bitch. And saying I’m egotistical for valuing the life of any human being (aside from murderers, rapists, etc…) over that of ANY pet, including one of my own, is a fucking joke. Please tell me, if you’ve had a cat for 5 years and then have a child that is allergic to cats, which one, if either, are you relocating? ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/37 "2005-03-14T18:50:52Z")
Cats who out of the blue start peeing outside of the litter box usually have a health problem that needs to be addressed by a vet. We had a 9 year old cat who started doing that-turned out she had cancer. When you take a pet, you take in the responsibility of caring for that animal. People who shove animals outside because said animal starts having accidents are people who shouldn’t have pets. Simple as that. ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/38 "2005-03-14T19:22:23Z")
> [@Contrapuntal](#): > > Well perhaps you should slug through it anyway if appearing to be well-informed is of any interest to you. Go ahead. We’ll wait. Well appearance always was of the utmost importance to me, so here I go…….Right thanks for waiting. I see no pressing need to discuss the woman or her thread, but since a man was taken to the pit - she sure does seem to me inordinately emotionally involved with the animal and some distance and perspective, as advised by mr. Fierce, seem both reasonable and sound advice - if put a bit harshly. So there. Quite unpitworthy if you ask me. Of course bigdfrombigd can feel how she bloody well wants to, we all got out idiosyncrasies. I for instance, think animals should be treated with respect, but as animals – not little humans or children. Keeping a cat alive to a ripe old age where it has lost all teeth and has to wear diapers not to piss on the damn carpet doesn’t seem to cover it though. > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > My pets are part of my family ewww… TMI already! > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > And, just for the record, humans are animals. Really. You can look it up. Where you get such outlandish ideas from is simply beyond me. I looked it up. There were some murky bits about a spirit floating over the waters, six days and a quick nap, something about an apple and the frailty of women – or was that Shakespeare? …anyway not thing about humans being animals. Quite right too, humans cry, while for instance cats don’t - cats don’t forgive either because they don’t hate, neither do they love like humans do for that matter. I believe that’s what you’d call bambification. As I said humans are humans, animals animals. Lets see if we can keep the two apart shall we. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/39 "2005-03-14T19:42:18Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Bolding mine. > > More “no shades of gray.” Gosh, that’s interesting! Too bad it’s got nothing to do with what I’m talking about. I was responding to the post that opined, “I do think that when pets become more of a nuisance than a joy, you should get rid of it.” That’s not a “shades of gray” situation. That sets up a situation where you get rid of an animal when it becomes more of a nuisance than a joy. Nothing to do with the animal’s own welfare, just with whether you find the animal an inconvenience, a nuisance. Nothing to do with whether you have too low a bar for an animal’s being a nuisance. I know you’re real fond of your “shades of gray” analogy, but kindly get it the fuck away from me. I teach kids and adults about the reasons why people bring animals to the shelter, and I **emphasize** those shades of gray. When I talk to volunteers about the reasons why people surrender animals to us, I explain that the reasons range the gamut from the pretty pathetic (“I’m bored with this dog!”) to the very reasonable (“My child has developed serious allergies to cats, and I can’t keep this cat any more”), and that there are tons of reasons in between, **and that we must be civil to everyone who brings us animals, no matter why they bring them to us**. Nonetheless, if someone is going to get rid of an animal once the joy has worn off and they consider the animal a nuisance, then they’re a bad adoption choice: we’re not sending an animal home with them. So back off, mkay? Daniel ---
**Author:** ![tnetennba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tnetennba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tnetennba)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/40 "2005-03-14T19:50:05Z")
Daniel, I appreciate the work you do with animals and adoption, etc. I am sorry if I misread your posts, but there seems to be a lot of finger-pointing on the one hand, and sheer nastiness on the other. I originally came into this thread to make the same exclamations as you about the tactlessness of how some treat the euthanasia of pets, but since I’m in a predicament where a much loved but old and ailing cat is pissing every where, I like to think I have the right to put that animal down at some point rather than feeling obligated to recarpet the entire house because some guy on the Internet thinks I oughta. I’ll spare you any more analogies. It pisses me off that some people treat pets as disposable, but most of the people I know who’ve put animals down did so after much painful deliberation and trying every other remedy. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443.md?page=3)