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Post by heylady1 on Jul 21, 2008 13:25:09 GMT -5
I love my dog, canary and my fish tanks but I'm with Threeg on this one, when they die they won't be replaced. I'm tired of the mess and the expense. I just don't have the energy for this anymore. I had to give up 8 cats years and years ago. It was hard but I just couldn't keep up with their vet visits, food and cleaning up after them. My mentality was such that I couldn't just keep one or two, they all had to go. Very difficult but it was better for the cats in the long run and my son didn't really miss them that much either. He did understand. If you were to talk to your kids and explain the situation maybe they will understand too. Or at the very least, make them help you more with the pet care.
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Post by houndsnroses on Jul 21, 2008 19:19:13 GMT -5
Both of my hounds are quite elderly and often incontinent, so I truly understand. My lifesaver has been babygates and puppy pads. I babygate them both on the first floor which is tile/hardwood. They can't go upstairs to pee and poo on the carpet, and I can keep the mess manageable. Perhaps you could babygate your pets in the kitchen, a laundryroom, or another room without carpet?
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Post by onwardandupward on Jul 22, 2008 0:33:11 GMT -5
I am also a pet lover who is going to downsize as pets die. We have a guinea pig and a cat, neither of which will be replaced once they pass on. We have had 5 guinea pigs over the years since we have been in an apartment and a couple of cats. DD wants a dog, but I have convinced her that it is best to wait until we have a yard, maybe in a year or so. The cat doesn't go potty outside his box, and the guinea pig is contained in his cage, but keeping the litter box and cage clean isn't fun. The smell adds to the feeling of mess, even when the house is neat.
Since the guinea pig is almost 7, he probably won't make it much longer. The cat is almost 8 and has lived indoors all his life, so I expect he has several years to go yet. I have been tempted to get another cat from the cat adoptions at the pet store, but my resolve is strong. The thing that makes it easiest is that the cat is over-sized, so he doesn't fit in traditional catboxes. He has a plastic storage box that is a huge open space. It takes an entire box of cat litter to fill it up, and even cleaning daily, it only lasts a week.
Still, pets can bring lots of love and joy, so whether or not to have them is a very personal choice.
Onward
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Post by helpmeimamess on Jul 22, 2008 10:18:15 GMT -5
Okay catching up - I would love to let the dog out in the back yard alone but I have a problem neighbor who has threatened to kidnap the dog if I do (trust me we have tried the police, they won't do anything). But in a month I won't have to put up with them anymore - yay. So the dog is an indoor dog right now and only goes out to go potty and get some air with someone out there with her. It's not easy with a neighbor who harasses you whenever you go outside. It will change when we move. As for the cats, they are both indoor cats, one is very old and hopefully won't be replaced when she goes. It's not always that simple though. Dear hubby may just bring another pet back. He does stuff like that, even though I'm the one who ends up looking after them. Or he'll mention it in front of the kids so if I say no I'm the 'bad' one. The other cat is still quite young though. One cat I think I could cope with. But the both of them together are a problem. The older cat of course doesn't always make it to the litter tray and it's not her fault. The younger cat though, well he seems to do stuff in the house as a way of showing displeasure if I haven't done something he wants! I have tried talking to my children about it, but they've seem heartbroken whenever I mention letting go of any of the pets. Hubby is no help - he says 'whatever you want'. He just doesn't want to make the decision (and I know he doesn't want to let any of them go) and be the one to blame for it. And I think he knows that I don't want to do anything that would upset my children. So I'm stuck for the next month although I am going to have a talk with my husband about no more pets. I just can't deal with them all. I really wish I could. But right now the dog needs more shots and I have no car to get her to a vet. Hubby keeps saying he will deal with these things and never does. Are you seeing a pattern here? Anyway, I woke up this morning, and the house STILL smells! I can't figure out what is causing it right now. I have the trash in the basement but this doesn't smell like that. And the trash should be gone tomorrow anyway. I'm thinking maybe the rug in the living room is the main culprit right now. I really should just throw it out. No matter how I clean it, it still smells bad!
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Post by bizzybrain on Jul 22, 2008 12:33:24 GMT -5
i really agree with Onward, that a lot of your 'ouch' from this belongs to past messes, not current ones. your description of the house sounds fine for an unannounced visit. i think it's guilt about your past state and frustration with the amount of work you've had to do that's fueling your feelings now. you could be the best housekeeper in the world, and still have come home to the stink and animal mess as you did. it's the sitter's fault, not yours.
have you considered *diapering* your animals? you can whip the diapers off when someone comes to the house if you can't stand the embarrassment, but it sure gets control of the situation. generally they won't do anything in the diaper, so you just undiaper them and shoo them outside at regular intervals. (i should take this advice myself, seriously).
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Post by comingclean on Jul 22, 2008 20:21:49 GMT -5
have you considered *diapering* your animals? ..... (i should take this advice myself, seriously). Ok, i obviously need to quit speed reading... i read the last post and thought for a minute that bizzybrain meant SHE should wear the diapers...... Yep... it's time for me to SLOW down..... We now return you to your regularly scheduled message boards
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Post by dragonchilde on Jul 22, 2008 22:37:17 GMT -5
I'd be willing to bed money it's that rug. I had a similar rug left after my mom moved out... her dog had pissed ALL over it, and there was no getting the stink out of it. I pulled it up, scrubbed the floor, and stuck it by the road for the trash guys. The smell was immediately gone. Ironically, someone stole the rug....
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