# 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:** 3
**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, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/41 "2005-03-14T20:32:23Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > 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. That’s understandable. I think you did misread my post, but no worries! I’m not telling people that they need to divorce their spouse and turn their home into an ammonia factory in order to avoid euthanizing an animal; I _am_ saying that animals, like (say) appliances, are sometimes nuisances, but they’re unlike appliances in that they’ve got an inherent worth above and beyond their convenience to us. You euthanize a cat because it’s ailing and miserable, or because you can no longer give it the care it needs, not because you get annoyed by it. I suspect we’re largely in agreement. Daniel ---
**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, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/42 "2005-03-14T20:49:06Z")
[QUOTE] > [@\*\*Rune\*\*](#): > > Well appearance always was of the utmost importance to me, so here I go…….Right thanks for waiting. I suggested you read the thread because you seemed to be under the misapprension that someone was being asked to choose between a spouse and a pet. Can I assume the fog has lifted? > [@](#): > > ewww… TMI already! Sorry. > [@](#): > > 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 So you looked it up in the Bible. Try a basic biology textbook. > [@](#): > > 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. Snakes don’t fly and birds don’t crawl on their bellies. Yet they are both examples of animals. Do you not understand that a member of a group need not share every characteristic with every other member in order to be included? I agree that cats neither cry, nor love like humans. Some animals are capable of complex emotions. Do have any criteria other than loving and crying that distinguishes animals from humans? Simply restating your premise is an insufficient defense of it. If humans are not members of the Animal Kingdom, then where should they be placed? ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/43 "2005-03-14T23:09:40Z")
> [@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. What do you mean by ‘important’? IMO, animals _aren’t_ as important as humans. We’re the acme of evolution, and have a mastery over our environment that no other animals have achieved. We control the planet. Sure, mankind is just one species on a planet teeming with life, but are you really going to equate humans with pond scum? That seems ludicrous. I guess the answer is in how you look at the question. To ourselves, other humans obviously **are** more important than other animals. (E.g., if forced to choose between shooting a duck or shooting a baby, who wouldn’t choose the duck?) But from what perspective are we supposed to look at things if not our own? Cosmologically the human race doesn’t even rate as a post dinner belch, but that doesn’t mean I think we’re not important. Re: OP I think the tone of **Ficer67** ’s post was rude for that thread. If he wanted to suggest that the burden of **bigd** continuing to keep her cat there were better ways to say so. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/44 "2005-03-14T23:25:00Z")
Re: OP I think the tone of **Ficer67** ’s post was rude for that thread. If he wanted to suggest that the burden of **bigd** continuing to keep her cat was severe enough to warrant getting rid of the animal, there were better ways to say it. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/45 "2005-03-14T23:39:28Z")
> [@Rune](#): > > Cats don’t forgive either because they don’t hate… [Show what you know.](http://www.mycathatesyou.com/) ---
**Author:** ![Purd\_Werfect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47c2d/32.png) [@Purd\_Werfect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Purd_Werfect)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/46 "2005-03-14T23:45:27Z")
> [@Amazon Floozy Goddess](#): > > Jesus Jumpin’ Christ on a pogo stick. Look, if you were living with an elderly relative who became a little incontinent, would you send them off to the nursing home? As I understand it, those homes are pretty expensive. So I would have to either chain the relative up in the backyard or be a traditionalist and set them off on an ice floe. Once you get that urine smell going, it’s near impossible to get rid of, so you have to nip it in the bud right away. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/47 "2005-03-15T00:24:27Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > (E.g., if forced to choose between shooting a duck or shooting a baby, who wouldn’t choose the duck?) Is it a necrophiliac raping mallard? ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/48 "2005-03-15T00:31:25Z")
> [@Antonius Block](#): > > The thread was not all joy, however. There was: > [ul] > [li] **Abbie Carmichael** , who opined:[/li][/ul] > which is something of a WTF?, but each to their own I suppose… Well since you nicely WTF’d about it, I’ll explain. Pets are all well and good. I don’t have any, because I don’t have the spare cash to properly take care of one. I like cats just as much as the next person (dogs can go to hell, though); maybe someday I’ll have one. However, I have zero patience for pet owners who let their animals have the run of the house. I have seen pet owners allow their pets to ruin gorgeous area rugs, and allow that animal-pee stench to permeate their otherwise very nice homes. I don’t get it. Most people spend 30 years paying off their house; why on earth would they allow some animal to ruin it? I am not suggesting that this is the case in **bigdfrombigd’s** home; I’ve never been there and apparently this situation is new. Maybe it can be fixed. But when it becomes obvious that Fluffy’s not going to quit piddling all over the place, the cat’s gotta go. Hell, this is a basic cleanliness issue. All I was suggesting in the other thread is when I see someone who is so concerned over the desires of an animal that they’ll allow it to ruin thousands of dollars worth of furniture, carpeting, etc., I’ve gotta wonder if there’s not a screw or two loose upstairs. No animal is worth having a filthy-smelling house. I have yet to see anyone successfully get rid of cat pee smell. (Again, I am not suggesting that **bigdfrombigd’s** house smells bad.) It’s fine to enjoy pets, but some people take it just a little too seriously. (And anyone who can’t see the difference between a cat and a human being has even bigger problems.) ---
**Author:** ![Albatross\_On\_A\_Stick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/919ad9/32.png) [@Albatross\_On\_A\_Stick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albatross_On_A_Stick)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/49 "2005-03-15T00:38:29Z")
No child is worth having a smelly house. If your child has an incontinence problem send them to the doctors and have them killed! You members of the ‘no animal is worth a stinky house’ brigade just don’t get it do you? People who have pets love their animals. Do you idiots have any conception of what love means? If I had an animal of mine killed because it weed on a material item I would feel like a murderer. When I was a baby I urinated on a new carpet and ruined it, so my Mum told me. To think I survived what for a cat or dog would be a capital offence… I don’t understand how some members of my own species are so lacking in compassion. It’s a living thing with its own personality (yes dogs and cats have distinct unique personalities) they aren’t inanimate objects! Heartless twats. ---
**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 15, 2005, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/50 "2005-03-15T00:44:09Z")
**Abbie** , you fucking moron, when a cat starts peeing on the carpet, it’s usually an issue of that animal’s health, and it can be taken care of. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/51 "2005-03-15T00:55:51Z")
And for that matter, **Abbie** , it doesn’t necessarily “have to go”. There are other solutions. Confinement is one, for example. I have a ten year old jack Russell who, while housebroken, has begun marking in the house. This sometimes happens with older dogs and is almost impossible to correct. He came to my house as an adult dog through the rescue program and by taking him in I made a committment to provide for him. He is much too young to euthanize for such a trivial problem. When he is in the house he is either in my sight or in his crate. When he is outside we romp and play and he brings me much joy. Both of us have adapted to this situation. I also have experience with cats pissing in the house, and excluding the rare neutered male who marks, is almost always because of a medical condition. Most recently, my close friend’s old cat was diagnosed with kidney failure after all other attempts to explain her behavior were exhausted. When she began treatment for that, the behavior went away. ---
**Author:** ![Obsidian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/51bf81/32.png) [@Obsidian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obsidian)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/52 "2005-03-15T02:23:43Z")
I love my cats. If I had to put a dollar value on them (say, as a ransom), $10,000 a head would be completely reasonable. This is proportionate to the amount of joy they bring me. If I could only save one possession from a house fire, it would be my favorite cat. There isn’t anything I own that I enjoy half as much. The area rug in my livingroom cost $300. It keeps my toes warm in the winter, but is pretty useless from March to November. I’ll replace it once a year before I get rid of my cats. Hell, I’ll even refinish the floors. The cat is just worth more to me. Obviously, most people don’t have such resources, and they must do what they must. I wouldn’t ask someone to live in a house that stinks, or wreck a rental apartment, if they couldn’t afford to clean/replace damaged items. But there isn’t something wrong with them because they’re upset about it. If cats are just possessions, why can’t they value this particular one over all others? (We should also factor in the fact that my rug, should I chuck it in the driveway, does not suffer. It will not get hungry, cold, or frightened. Anyone with any kind of compassion has got to feel _something_ about that.) **Abbie** , I’m sure you have something that you value above it’s worth on an open market. Family photos? Grandma’s quilt? Whatever. It would be worthless to me. Who are you to tell someone what they can value? I think people paying 100K for celebrity memorabilia are wasting their money, but in the end aren’t we all? If you’re doing anything other than donating every cent not needed to feed yourself to charity, you’re wasting money. You’re spending it on things you enjoy. I’ll spend money on what I enjoy, be it an antique or an animal. I don’t love all cats. Frankly I like my garbage can more than I like the nasty orange cat down the street that pisses on people’s porches. But I love and value MINE more than my furnishings. You have no right to judge me as it’s really none of your business what goes on in my house. (Oddly enough, my friends have done more accidental damage to rugs & furniture with iced tea, beer, food, makeup, outide dirt on shoes, etc than the cats ever have. I suppose I could live like a hermit in pristine bubble of a house, but I’d be about as happy as I’d be without pets) ---
**Author:** ![Abbie\_Carmichael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/49beb7/32.png) [@Abbie\_Carmichael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Abbie_Carmichael)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/53 "2005-03-15T02:36:27Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > **Abbie** , you fucking moron, when a cat starts peeing on the carpet, it’s usually an issue of that animal’s health, and it can be taken care of. Wow! How many years in vet school did you go through to learn that? I guess you were sleeping through the part where I said “But when it becomes obvious that Fluffy’s not going to quit piddling all over the place …” which would indicate a medical problem that **can’t be fixed**. Heeeeere’s your sign. :rolleyes: > [@Contrapuntal](#): > > And for that matter, Abbie, it doesn’t necessarily “have to go”. There are other solutions. Confinement is one, for example. Fair enough. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/54 "2005-03-15T02:47:54Z")
> [@neuroman](#): > > What do you mean by ‘important’? IMO, animals _aren’t_ as important as humans. We’re the acme of evolution, and have a mastery over our environment that no other animals have achieved. We control the planet. We are not the acme of evolution. Evolution has no acme. Are you an idiot? Let’s see. We have someone claiming humans aren’t animals, and a different person claiming that humans are the ‘acme of evolution’. I think we, as a world, need to take a good long look at our biology education programs. ---
**Author:** ![Contrapuntal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e274bd/32.png) [@Contrapuntal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Contrapuntal)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/55 "2005-03-15T03:15:35Z")
[QUOTE] > [@\*\*Obsidian\*\*](#): > > I suppose I could live like a hermit in pristine bubble of a house, but I’d be about as happy as I’d be without pets I sorta live like a hermit but man I ain’t got that pristine bubble thing down. You know, if those damn dogs would just pick up after themselves! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![1010011010](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/ea666f/32.png) [@1010011010](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/1010011010)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/56 "2005-03-15T03:27:30Z")
I knew a girl that had a cat that was older than either of us. He’s probably dead now (or a world record holder), but he was pretty sprite and chipper for a 22 year old last time I saw him. Objectively, one _should_ value a proven relationship over one that still might not work out. You can then weight it in your decision making process for human v. non-human animals if you choose. It’s not a definite conclusion that the human will always come out on top. Some people have had significantly longer relationships with their childhood pets than they’ve had with their new significant others. Even for the “non-humans are lesser” crowd, it’s really not terribly different from someone throwing out something you own, of great sentimental value, without asking… with the animal cruelty bit thrown in as a bonus. Oh, and not accidentally. They know that smelly scrap of rag is all that remains of your teddy bear or recieving blanket… they still threw it away. Why exactly do you want to maintain a relationship with someone that would do that? ---
**Author:** ![TastesLikeBurning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@TastesLikeBurning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TastesLikeBurning)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/57 "2005-03-15T12:26:53Z")
> [@](#): > > Originally posted by **neuroman** - What do you mean by ‘important’? IMO, animals aren’t as important as humans. We’re the acme of evolution, and have a mastery over our environment that no other animals have achieved. We control the planet. You should become a comedian. What is it exactly that makes us the “acme” of evolution? Is it the fact that on an evolutionary scale we have been around for a miniscule amount of time, but managed in that time to do more damage to our planet than all species before us combined? ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/58 "2005-03-15T12:49:16Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > Man, this is dumb. Right! I’ll have to start posting one line drive bys like you, then. I guess that’s intelligent. Got it! ---
**Author:** ![Rune](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@Rune](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rune)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 12:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/59 "2005-03-15T12:51:32Z")
> [@Priceguy](#): > > Man, this is dumb. Man, this is dumb! ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2005, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443/60 "2005-03-15T17:02:24Z")
**LaurAnge** , you flatulent, conceited twatburger, point taken. I’ll retract the phrase “acme of evolution,” as I agree it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. **TastesLikeBurning** , while evolution is an ongoing process, we are currently the most sophisticated (in terms of intelligence, reasoning, and the physical ability to apply them [thanks, opposable thumbs]) sentient beings on the planet, and as far as we know, the universe. And yes, our control over our environment (and present ability to destroy it) is something I consider consequential. _“I am not an animal! I am a human being! I am a man!”_ -John Hurt, The Elephant Man [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ficer67-why-the-hell-are-you-peeing-outside-of-your-litterbox/294443.md?page=4)