Is this Lady a Jerk?

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I have a friend (easy out there) who's mom just filled out her will. In it she has stated that her two cats are to be euthanized and buried with her.

Is that even legal? I suppose they are property, but will a vet in any state euthanize a healthy animal?
 
The consensus at our house is that yes, this lady is a jerk. I think when the cats die they should euthanize HER.
 
I have a friend (easy out there) who's mom just filled out her will. In it she has stated that her two cats are to be euthanized and buried with her.

Is that even legal? I suppose they are property, but will a vet in any state euthanize a healthy animal?

When my grandma's husband died [her 3rd husband, not my grandfather] she euthanized one of her dog's and had her buried with him. I thought it was gross and inhumane. Personally. But apparently it was legal.....
 
Oh, and to answer the initial question. YES she is a jerk.
 
If it was my mom, I'd have no problem with it... Someone would be free to take them and do what they wish as long as they live far far away from me, but they have until the day of the funeral to do so. Maybe the mother knows that's the best option, they're domesticated and dependent on humans, probably wind up dead anyway in a stack of dead cats at the shelter.
 
Many people have no clue at just how resourceful their fluffy little living throw pillows actually are. My house, well more of a shack, is in a pretty wealthy old neighborhood of San Diego. I've lived here almost thirty years and have had many of these creatures take up residence in my yard after their "owners" died, then eventually my house.

The ones that bug me the most are the ones that have been de-clawed. These poor things are in constant pain for the rest of their lives. It's much like having a small pebble in your shoe, permanently. Due to this, they are always cranky and very hard to get along with, nobody wants them after it has been done to them, other than the ***** who did it to save her precious drapes or whatever. I've taken in two of those hapless things over the years.

These indifferent creatures may need us, but they are far from being dependent on any one person. It's all a scam they have developed over the eons to con us into doing their bidding.

The lady is probably not a jerk, she just loves her cats and thinks they can not get along without her, or she is afraid they will end up defenseless on the streets.

She is uninformed about cats. It's a sad situation.

-John
 
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Many people have no clue at just how resourceful their fluffy little living throw pillows actually are. My house, well more of a shack, is in a pretty wealthy old neighborhood of San Diego. I've lived here almost thirty years and have had many of these creatures take up residence in my yard after their "owners" died, then eventually my house.

The ones that bug me the most are the ones that have been de-clawed. These poor things are in constant pain for the rest of their lives. It's much like having a small pebble in your shoe, permanently. Due to this, they are always cranky and very hard to get along with, nobody wants them after it has been done to them, other than the ***** who did it to save her precious drapes or whatever. I've taken in two of those hapless things over the years.

These indifferent creatures may need us, but they are far from being dependent on any one person. It's all a scam they have developed over the eons to con us into doing their bidding.

The lady is probably not a jerk, she just loves her cats and thinks they can not get along without her, or she is afraid they will end up defenseless on the streets.

She is uninformed about cats. It's a sad situation.

-John

It seems like everywhere I move, I find the crazy ass cat lady to move next door to. My last home the woman next door had from what we could count about 140 of them, you'd find a dead one every week or two. My other neighbor had a pet wolf, he was very efficient at population control for his territory. When it rained the entire neighborhood smelled like ammonia. She would sit out in the driveway with dozens of cans of cat food and candles a have seances with them and couple of opossums and raccoons. Said she was "Wiccan" ( I live next door to a wiccan couple now, i've learned it's code word for "crazy"). Her house was so filthy, she would sleep in her car with it running. Nothing like sleeping to the sound of a running automobile in your ear every night. I went out to my other neighbors shed and it looked like he had been tanning cat hide there were so many dead cats in there, they all looked like leather cats, I don't know what sort of biology caused that, no telling how long they had been there. He hadn't been in the shed in years. Where I'm at now, cat **** is just a way of life, there's 2 dozen that live in my alley. I'm about to install an elevated garden outside, my wife wants it. it will be the grandest litter box in county I'm afraid. Cats are probably more likely to make it on their own, but I'd just assume they occupy the coffin with their beloved owner than be homeless and reproduce like jackrabbits on the streets. I don't know how they managed to get in my garage but they ****ed all over a pallet worth of Brazilian Ipe hardwood flooring I had that matched the rest of my house for the addition we were going to add.. Not to mention I drove 8 hours to get it.

Not only do I think the lady isn't a jerk, what she's doing should be a law.
 
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I have a friend (easy out there) who's mom just filled out her will. In it she has stated that her two cats are to be euthanized and buried with her.

Is that even legal? I suppose they are property, but will a vet in any state euthanize a healthy animal?


Oh, c'mon. You're talking cats here. They should be happy that the restaurant won't have a chance to turn them into stir-fry.

Sad fact: Pets (yes, even cats) are personal property. You can dispose of them the same way you dispose of your old shoes (which, unlike cats, have at least served a useful purpose), and with the same penalties (that is to say, no penalties unless you drop them on someone's head).

- jkw (Imhotep...Imhotep...Imhotep...)
 
I've never had more than three cats living at my house. Right now I have two. They are living creatures, I enjoy their company. I've had a few dogs as well. They are a lot harder to say goodbye to, and not so easy to replace. Cats just sort of show up and become part of your life before your hardly aware of it. My property has about ten or so cats buried, and three dogs. No markers, they are just out there, part of my life.

Sometimes it can be hard to determine who the jerks are, but I guess we need them as well. How would we figure out who isn't one without them?

-John
 
Anyone who grew up around a farm doesn't have these silly notions about animals.

Number one rule is you care for your animals, or you find someone else who can. If you can't, be humane and put them down. You took that responsibility the day you brought a domesticated animal, bred to not survive in the wild, into your home.

You're already extending the animal's natural lifespan significantly just by feeding it. You're already "playing God" with it's life, so to speak.

I have zero problems with these owner's decisions because at least they MADE decisions, and didn't leave the animal to suffer living with people who never wanted them or can't or won't care for them.

Love my pets dearly, but I can respect these people's decisions. If a family member or friend didn't want them to do it, they should have resolved that before the human's death. Once they've died, it's too late to ask. Abide by their wishes for their animal.

I personally think there's usually better options, but it's none of my business.

If the farmer down the road wants to shoot his prize bull, it's his prize bull. He's an idiot, but he's not harming me.

Flip side, we took a friend's cat in "for the summer" when the cat was three, and he passed away at the ripe old age of 21 in December. If you make the commitment to care for the animal, you do it.

He was our "little buddy" and hung around and we fed and cared for him for almost two decades.

But I wouldn't have put him through a move if we both passed away suddenly at his age in the last few years. Moving his home would have been inhumane in and of itself in his final few years.

Same thing with the dog. She's 13.5, on daily meds (significant $), and starting to show signs of significant movement problems. She refuses to stop climbing stairs so I follow her up and down whenever possible. She destroyed a metal baby grate with her teeth (and injured herself) when we tried to restrict her to the main floor from the basement, the only destructive thing she's ever done.

Asking someone to pick up on her special needs is asking too much and euthanization would be far more humane for her. I've discussed this with dad who's been around farms too, and left it up to him with our blessing that he can do as he feels is appropriate if something terrible were to happen to both of us.

He knows, as do I, that a peaceful passing for her is far more appropriate than the trauma she might experience at the loss of her "pack". If he and she found a bond, and he feels like the added expense and time commitment, fine. If not, our vet's number is on the fridge. Any but a no-kill pound would put her down in a week. He's watched her for us from time to time and knows what shape she's in. We're into the short stretch before either she won't wake up one day or we'll have to make a tough decision when she can't stand up. Not a whole lot left to do but give her treats, make her comfortable by keeping her routine simple, and smiling while we listen to her snore on her rug.

You just don't let animals suffer on the farm, period. That's the bottom line. I wouldn't leave my animals to anyone who didn't get that.
 
The ones that bug me the most are the ones that have been de-clawed. These poor things are in constant pain for the rest of their lives. It's much like having a small pebble in your shoe, permanently. Due to this, they are always cranky and very hard to get along with, nobody wants them after it has been done to them, other than the ***** who did it to save her precious drapes or whatever. I've taken in two of those hapless things over the years.

I've never heard of that. All my cats have been de-clawed and spayed/neutered as kittens and none of them have ever shown any signs of anguish or "Crankiness." The only cat that wasn't "fixed" as a kitten, I own now. I got tired of her spraying the walls, crawling all over everything and using my stairway as a scratching post. At about 5 years old I gave her the "business" and she is now a perfect, loving, cuddly cat.

As for taking your pet with you when you die; I don't plan on it because my pets all have someone to care for them going forward. If they didn't... :confused:
 
Anyone who grew up around a farm doesn't have these silly notions about animals.

Number one rule is you care for your animals, or you find someone else who can. If you can't, be humane and put them down. You took that responsibility the day you brought a domesticated animal, bred to not survive in the wild, into your home.

You're already extending the animal's natural lifespan significantly just by feeding it. You're already "playing God" with it's life, so to speak.

I have zero problems with these owner's decisions because at least they MADE decisions, and didn't leave the animal to suffer living with people who never wanted them or can't or won't care for them.

Love my pets dearly, but I can respect these people's decisions. If a family member or friend didn't want them to do it, they should have resolved that before the human's death. Once they've died, it's too late to ask. Abide by their wishes for their animal.

I personally think there's usually better options, but it's none of my business.

If the farmer down the road wants to shoot his prize bull, it's his prize bull. He's an idiot, but he's not harming me.

Flip side, we took a friend's cat in "for the summer" when the cat was three, and he passed away at the ripe old age of 21 in December. If you make the commitment to care for the animal, you do it.

He was our "little buddy" and hung around and we fed and cared for him for almost two decades.

But I wouldn't have put him through a move if we both passed away suddenly at his age in the last few years. Moving his home would have been inhumane in and of itself in his final few years.

Same thing with the dog. She's 13.5, on daily meds (significant $), and starting to show signs of significant movement problems. She refuses to stop climbing stairs so I follow her up and down whenever possible. She destroyed a metal baby grate with her teeth (and injured herself) when we tried to restrict her to the main floor from the basement, the only destructive thing she's ever done.

Asking someone to pick up on her special needs is asking too much and euthanization would be far more humane for her. I've discussed this with dad who's been around farms too, and left it up to him with our blessing that he can do as he feels is appropriate if something terrible were to happen to both of us.

He knows, as do I, that a peaceful passing for her is far more appropriate than the trauma she might experience at the loss of her "pack". If he and she found a bond, and he feels like the added expense and time commitment, fine. If not, our vet's number is on the fridge. Any but a no-kill pound would put her down in a week. He's watched her for us from time to time and knows what shape she's in. We're into the short stretch before either she won't wake up one day or we'll have to make a tough decision when she can't stand up. Not a whole lot left to do but give her treats, make her comfortable by keeping her routine simple, and smiling while we listen to her snore on her rug.

You just don't let animals suffer on the farm, period. That's the bottom line. I wouldn't leave my animals to anyone who didn't get that.

Nate, I agree with this, and STILL think the lady's a jerk, because a little effort would provide happy homes for her pets. We've fostered and adopted quite a few cats over the years, and unlike dogs, cats are NOT that "loyal" to their owners. They can and do adapt to new families readily.

Dogs? Different story but I'd still look for an alternate home before putting them down. Horses too.

The other animals I had growing up on a farm (cows and pigs) were just meals on legs, so there were no sentiments about them.
 
I've never heard of that. All my cats have been de-clawed and spayed/neutered as kittens and none of them have ever shown any signs of anguish or "Crankiness." The only cat that wasn't "fixed" as a kitten, I own now. I got tired of her spraying the walls, crawling all over everything and using my stairway as a scratching post. At about 5 years old I gave her the "business" and she is now a perfect, loving, cuddly cat.

As for taking your pet with you when you die; I don't plan on it because my pets all have someone to care for them going forward. If they didn't... :confused:

Talk to another veterinarian. Many vets in San Diego now refuse to do that procedure. It is cruel on too many levels. It's a whole lot easier on them to provide scratching post for them. If the condition your furniture and carpets are so critical to your home environment, perhaps you are the type of person that would be better off with a dog for a companion than a cat.

A few years back I had my whole house interior re done. I sanded and finished all the oak floors. I bought good quality carpets that could withstand the occasional claw sharpening routine. I bought all new craftsman furniture and made sure the fabric coverings could do the same, and they have.

I had all new draperies done in another tough fabric. To date, my cats have yet to destroy anything. I have four scratching posts around my house that get plenty of use. It is important to not try and force a scratching post on them, let them discover it on their own.



I did all this that probably cost me around a thousand dollars more than it would have, because I know I am a sucker for animals. They are always going to be in my life so I did what I had to do.

Below are some pictures of my cat house, a house that was originally built as a whore house during WWII. It's original size was 800 sq. ft. and it had four bedrooms. The oak floors were painted bright red enamel but had been covered with beige wall to wall carpeting when I bought the place.

-John
 

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You've posted those photos before but every time I see them I like them a lot. Great house.
 
You've posted those photos before but every time I see them I like them a lot. Great house.

Thanks, that's why I've lived there for almost 30 years, I love my house.

The photos are actually real estate photos from when I was trying to sell it so I could move to the San Juan Islands a year or so ago, no luck thought I at the time. Now I'm glad It did not sell. I've lived in San Diego most all of my life, I guess this is where it should end. When it does, any animal that lives here will not be buried with me.

-John
 
Many people have no clue at just how resourceful their fluffy little living throw pillows actually are. My house, well more of a shack, is in a pretty wealthy old neighborhood of San Diego. I've lived here almost thirty years and have had many of these creatures take up residence in my yard after their "owners" died, then eventually my house.

The ones that bug me the most are the ones that have been de-clawed. These poor things are in constant pain for the rest of their lives. It's much like having a small pebble in your shoe, permanently. Due to this, they are always cranky and very hard to get along with, nobody wants them after it has been done to them, other than the ***** who did it to save her precious drapes or whatever. I've taken in two of those hapless things over the years.

These indifferent creatures may need us, but they are far from being dependent on any one person. It's all a scam they have developed over the eons to con us into doing their bidding.

The lady is probably not a jerk, she just loves her cats and thinks they can not get along without her, or she is afraid they will end up defenseless on the streets.

She is uninformed about cats. It's a sad situation.

-John

John, 99% of the time I agree with you. This time however, I need to correct you on a few things.
DECLAWING, DONE PROPERLY, DOES NOT CAUSE ENDURING PAIN!!!
I'm sorry for yelling, but I get sick of hearing that. Yes, there can be problems after a declaw, but that is almost always because the stupid owner calls every vet hospital in town and asks how much it costs, then goes to the cheapest place.
1. Quality counts!
2. Quality costs!
I don't think we have ever had someone call and ask what kind of pain management we use or how much experience the surgeon has or whether we use a laser or whether we provide IV fluids during surgery or if we use external heat sources during surgery, or how sophisticated or electronic surgery monitors or what kind of anesthetic gas we use or if we have an anesthesiologist assisting the doctor or any other good question. They only ask "how much does it cost". (we do all the above, and we get yelled at all the time because of how much we charge).
If you go to a vet that cuts corners to save you a few (or a lot of) dollars, you deserve what you get, but the poor cat does not.


Our Cat-Only hospital does a lot of cat declaws. We see these cats over the course of their life and there is no difference in personality between them and cats with their claws.

In fact, we have seen cats that were acting like you said, because of a botched job, and in some cases we can surgically fix the damage. Sometimes it is too late to help.

We never declaw a cat that the owner has not committed to keeping indoors its whole life.

We never declaw the rear paws. That is what they use for defense and for running away and climbing trees to escape, just in case the cat ever does sneak out of the house.

We use a laser, and we charge more for it. If you ask 20 vets whether a laser is better you will get varying opinions. But I guarantee you that the only ones that don't think the laser is better are the vets that were too cheap to buy one and or too lazy to learn how to use it properly.

There is a lot more we do to assure a good outcome, but it all costs more.

I'm going to say this again: All the horror stories you hear about onychectomy (declaw surgeries) are due to a botched job by the vet. Heck, there are even places around here that allow the technician to do the declaw surgery.

Now, back to the original post, it is amazing how many people ask for this. But most of the time it is not just a selfish jerk. It is usually because the cat has been with the owner for a very long time and the cat usually has its own problems. Generally, the chances of finding a good, dependable person willing to take on an old cat with problems is nil. So we wind up doing these.
1. Again, we do it in the most humane way possible.
2. If we don't do it, they will find someone that will.
3. It is completely legal for a licensed vet to do it.
4. Someone said you can dispose of your cat like you would an old shoe. That is not true. If you kill your own cat there is an excellent chance you will be convicted of cruelty.
5. When we do these, the doctor and the staff generally wind up crying for the rest of the day, but in their hearts they know the alternative would be worse for the cat.

The last thing I want to say is that domesticated cats are not native to this country. They should NEVER be allowed outside. The argument that they are happier outside is pure crap. Even if they are happier, they will be dead far far sooner. They will kill more native wildlife and upset the natural balance. And just doing what cats naturally do (Eat, pee, poop, mate, fight, howl) they will anger cranky old men and mean old ladies and generally give the species a bad name.

Not that I have any opinions on this subject or anything like that.
 
De-clawing a cat is 'de-catting' a cat. Only thing worse is de-barking a dog.
 
I am I the only one concerned that she wants the cats buried with her? :hairraise:
As far as putting the cats down, it sounds like the women is convinced for whatever reason the cats wouldn't be cared for without her. Maybe the kids don't like cats, can't take them, or she just thinks no one will love Fluffy like she does. Probably just a lonely old woman and the cats are her life. :(
 
De-clawing a cat is 'de-catting' a cat. Only thing worse is de-barking a dog.

I agree about the de-barking, but not about the declawing.

I do want to qualify or explain my post just a little bit more though.
We do not recommend cats be declawed. In fact, we used to refuse to perform the surgery because it is unnecessary. Not because it is cruel.

I own four cats and none of them have been declawed. We try to educate people that it is better and cheaper to provide a cat with sufficient toys and scratching posts and an interesting environment than to declaw a cat.

We also explain alternatives, like "soft paws" which are little vinyl nail covers that glue on to their claws to prevent damage.

But some people are going to have their cat declawed and if we don't do it they will go elsewhere to have it done. We got tired of having to repair a bad surgery done else where and quite frankly, we got tired of losing the revenue for no good reason. We decided we would do it, but only if we can do it properly.
 
John, thank you for taking the time to educate me, although I have a hunch that my vet would disagree with you, but I don't know that for sure.

Either way, all that cats I have ever had have been rescues for one reason or another. Their paws remain as they were when they arrived into my life. However, their reproductive abilities did not. Kittens are like kids, they're cute, but it's better that they belong to someone else.

-John
 
Changing times. Our vet never even mentioned not declawing our cat 17 years ago. We only did the front claws and he never showed any signs of having any difficulty from it.

In fact right up until his death at 21, he was still "sharpening" his non-existent front claws on the couch.

We only did it because he had plenty of scratching posts and other things but took an affinity to couch ends. He refused to scratch on anything else. We let him destroy one couch and decided the second couch didn't deserve the abuse. ;)
 
But some people are going to have their cat declawed and if we don't do it they will go elsewhere to have it done. We got tired of having to repair a bad surgery done else where and quite frankly, we got tired of losing the revenue for no good reason. We decided we would do it, but only if we can do it properly.

I consider maintaining a principled position not to perform a nonmedical surgery a 'good reason'.
If there are vets out there who do a botched job, they should be reported to the vet board and restricted from performing that procedure.

Cats have claws, that is how they are designed. If someone wants a furball to jump around in their apartment, maybe they should get a robo-pet.
 
Of course you put the two cats to sleep!. If she was buried with them while they are still alive....that's just too gross to think about.


:D

Seriously, though, I'd hope finding a loving home for your pets would be a better plan in the will (including some $ for the willingly appointed caregiver). Maybe, just maybe, if the animal was old and infirm would it even remotely make any sense.
 
In some of those cases, it is more the narcicism of the owner speaking than the concern about the wellbeing of the animals. Sort of a murder-suicide thing.
 
I never really agreed with mutilating animals for my amusement. I wouldn't want my balls, ears, tail?, fingernails or voice box ripped out so i don't do it to my pets.
 
I think the Egyptians of old used to entomb their cats, and maybe a few slaves with them in order to help them in the afterlife. I don't believe they put any of them to sleep first. They just shoved a big sandstone block across the door and that was it.

Odd people those Egyptians of old.

-John
 
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