A Good Controlled Cat Owner Surrender

A good controlled cat owner surrender sounds contradictory. In an ideal world there would be no cat surrenders. Cat surrenders because the owner grew tired of their cat or cats are wrong. However, good controlled cat owner surrenders should take place when a cat owner is elderly and infirm; no longer able to take care of her cats as demonstrated in the video below. It is hard though and done with a heavy heart. And tears.

If and when a cat owner surrender happens to me I would like to think I could find someone I trust to be the new owner of my cat. I’d be a little reluctant to have a cat rescue organization take him away for re-homing. You never know if he’d make it. However, in the video, the ladies do a great job in rounding up and crating the elderly woman’s 14 cats. The video is appropriately called ‘wrangling cats‘. They did great work, these ladies and I am very impressed. You can see the lead wrangler wearing gloves. Very wise. Essential in fact. The cats become quite stressed and disorientated.

We have to praise the woman for her commonsense and acceptance of the realities of life. There does come a time when radical decisions have to be made.

This woman was going into a home. That’s final. Residential care homes (assisted living homes) don’t take pets normally. Do you know any who do? There is an argument that says that they should allow pets under certain restrictions for the simple reason pets are beneficial to elderly people. You live longer. It is probably impractical because someone has to look after the pets and that is problematic in a residential care home and expensive. The facilities are not in place either.

Well, as it happens a visitor to this page, Gail, has provided some insider knowledge and guess what? In her area most assisted living homes do allow pets under certain conditions:

“In our area, most senior facilities allow at least one cat (or very small dog); sometimes two cats are allowed. There are rules in place and the seniors must have a backup plan for the cat, which is part of their contract….”

Giving senior people in nursing homes the chance to cuddle senior cats

My Mother

I think my mother could have done something similar before she went into hospital for a serious operation which carried the risk of killing her, which it did. I took on one of her cats, Charlie, when visiting her house after her death. She had two black cats both of whom could have ended up in a shelter struggling to find a new home. Plan for a good controlled cat owner surrender in your old age.