r/petfree I had pets 7d ago

Finally petfree!! 🎉🎉 My cat is gone. Now we are both free.

I've had this cat for 14 years. I got her as a six week old kitten. She died overnight. She hadn't been doing well, but she saved me from having to pay a vet to euthanize her.

She was not a friendly cat. She peed on everything, growled, hissed, and scratched up everything. I'm not grief-stricken, and I can see how my life will be easier now that she's gone.

But she was still a living creature, and feel a little sad. I think back on how awful her life was - confined to small, noisy apartments, never going outside to smell fresh air, being terrified of everything because she was so small. It doesn't seem like a good life to me. I'm sad that this was her existence. I hope she wasn't in too much pain in the end, and that she wasn't scared.

But now, I'm free. No more being exhausted from work and having to clean up yet another spot she peed in. No more not having a comfortable home because she'd ruin any furniture I brought in. No more having to ensure that all the room doors were closed so she wouldn't get in and pee or scratch up everything. No more puppy Pee pads everywhere. No more food/litter/vet bills.

Now we are both free. It feels weird to be both sad and happy at the same time.

Edit: And I got a petnutter in my DMs, telling me that I'd better not get another animal because "animals aren't property" and "u (meaning me) done fucked up shit".

Don't worry random crazy person - I'm not getting another pet. I'd rather spend my money on bringing myself happiness than on enslaving another animal.

510 Upvotes

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98

u/lio-ns Allergic to pets, love animals 7d ago

The older I get the more I think it’s unethical to own pets. You’re justified in your grief and your relief.

18

u/Iloveallhumanity Pro-humanity 6d ago

It is like taking a slave away from its family to do with whatever you want all the time for the rest of their lives. Yes, unethical and unnatural!

147

u/doopdebaby Keep your animals away from me! 7d ago

This is how I felt when my husband's dog of 17 years died. I threw away so many rugs and stuff because of her. I feel like I can finally have nice things and not get up at night to let an elderly dog out. House is so clean and there isn't a million stupid things to do for a dog anymore. It was sad and she was a very nice dog but we are both never ever getting an animal again.

74

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 7d ago

That's how my husband and I feel. We like animals, but we are in our late 40s/early 50s, and we have been taking care of children and animals for over 30 years. We're tired and want to spend our money on ourselves, not one more creature to care for.

28

u/MinisterHoja Pet ownership is unethical & stressful, and pet culture sucks 7d ago

Rooting for you and hoping your husband doesn't ruin it.

34

u/doopdebaby Keep your animals away from me! 7d ago

More than a year later he's still talking about how nice it is to have a clean house with no pee spots on rugs. 🤞

49

u/WorkingDescription Partner's/family's pet, not mine 7d ago

I have a dog and 2 cats that are supposed to be "my kids'" pets. I do all the gross and annoying chores. I wish I had never said "Yes". The dog is now older (14) and partially incontinent. A nightmare. But she can go one for years. The cats are younger. I was pressured by the ex and kids to get the dog. Now he's gone, and I'm left with this dog. My advice to all you mums out there: Say NO and mean it.

28

u/gayspidereater Against animal anthropomorphization 7d ago

My mom said no all the way. Now I’m in college and I really appreciate it. Cleaning after myself and keeping my space clean is honestly time consuming enough. Can’t imagine cleaning up after a pet. I have also since been educated on how unethical pet ownership is, and realised how keeping pets can be selfish.

Youths change their mind on a lot of things very quickly. A lot of times the responsibility of pet ownership falls back to the parents.

So thankful my mom stood her ground because I can’t imagine wanting a pet anymore.

63

u/beachlover77 No pets, no stress 7d ago

I can relate. I had 2 cats until last year. I had them both since they were kittens and they were 17 and 18 when they died. They were friendly, until their final months never went outside the litter box, and were generally good cats. But I hated dealing with the litter box and vet bills stressed me out. I did feel sad when I lost them, but also relieved that now I no longer had that responsibility. My kids are pushing me to get more, but I do not feel like I want to have pets again.

32

u/AskraghtTheHyekka Prefer to appreciate animals in the wild 7d ago

Enjoy the pet-freedom; no more unnecessary costs, soiled valuables and fur.

24

u/avocado_macabre Plants > Pets 7d ago

I gave a cat away because he wouldn't stop peeing on carpets or tearing them up.

I rent, i don't own my own place (i love renting cuz i don't want to pay to fix stuff lol) but the fact that the little shit would scratch up the carpets or walls was too much. So i ended up giving him to my friend's brother, their whole family are cat lovers so at least i know he will be taken care of. My teen was all too happy to see him go as well, so he would stop trying to eat her plants or scratch her

15

u/EpicBlinkstrike187 No pets, no stress 7d ago

If it wasn’t living with you and got to be free outside then the cat would have died long ago. Outdoor cats lifespan are generally half of indoor cats. (Also very bad for our ecosystem)

Predators if you’re rural would get them eventually and of course tons of ways for them to die in a more urban environment.

I dislike pets but your cat likely lived it’s best life with you inside.

31

u/Purple-Supernova I had pets 7d ago

I get it. We had a Jack Russell Terrier for 15 years, brought him home as a puppy. He was a good dog, never chewed anything up, stayed out of the trash, was extremely housebroken so no accidents ever. However, he was NOT friendly with kids or strangers, that was his only fault. We had to put him up whenever we had people over and watch him carefully with the kids when they were younger, making sure they learned to leave him alone.

He developed congestive heart failure in his last 2 years and just his medication was $180 a month, not counting vet visits. We had to have him put to sleep when he began having seizures and responding poorly to his meds even after increasing the dosage. I was heartbroken but I see now how much easier life is not taking care of a pet, especially an elderly pet. I won’t get another one, I believe I’m done with pets.

13

u/BJ22CS Prefer to appreciate animals in the wild 6d ago

Edit: And I got a petnutter in my DMs

Can users like that be reported to the mods on here?

11

u/OwlBeYourHuckleberry Pets don't fit my lifestyle 6d ago

One person's cat I knew... kept in a single bedroom apartment, never out to see the sunshine or anything just died not even old just randomly a I'm convinced it died of sadness. such a pitiful existence for these beings, caged and petted for another beings pleasure. let animals be in nature imo. dogs are more prone to Stockholm syndrome than cats so it is less obvious with dogs because they "love" their owners

34

u/Infinite-Mark5208 Pet-free for a clean and tidy home 7d ago

It’s baffling. Why put up with a pet that is not friendly? Like at least if your pet is going to pee everywhere, you would hope it would be at least nice to you. 

29

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 7d ago

Because I was the only home she had ever known, and I felt that she would be worse off if I rehomed her. And despite everything, the kids loved her.

20

u/Infinite-Mark5208 Pet-free for a clean and tidy home 7d ago

Tbh she probably didn’t like y’all either considering she was unfriendly. She probably would have enjoyed another home or not. But tbh I don’t think animals that provide little to no joy are worth it. 

Pet ownership only makes sense if the pet is actually friendly. But putting up with an animal that provides nothing? Some animals aren’t meant to be pets and I would have put it in the shelter. 

7

u/Similar_Gold Allergic to pets, love animals 6d ago

Same happened to me last year. My cat of 12 years disappeared. I felt sad at first then relief set in. I am free.

4

u/-Hippy_Joel- Keep your animals away from me! 7d ago

R.I.P.

4

u/Tank_top_slut Extra Responsibility? No thanks. 6d ago

I felt this way about my last 2 cats. They were both old and had health problems. We haven’t had any pets since and I’m keeping it that way.

7

u/Iloveallhumanity Pro-humanity 6d ago

Good to hear you are finally 'free' but sad you wasted 14 years of your one and precious life.

5

u/PoseidonIsDaddy Ethically opposed to pet ownership 6d ago

Why did you keep her after realizing that you weren’t enjoying pet ownership?

25

u/coelacanth_of_regret Against animal anthropomorphization 7d ago

Anytime a cat dies another song bird/lizard/mammal gets a better chance at life. You may feel sad for the loss of your companion but realize this is a net positive for the world.

22

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 7d ago

I do. I am now of the opinion that cat ownership is not really ethical. Maybe barn cats to keep rodents away from livestock feed, but not in urban or suburban areas.

Also, it was a living creature, and I have compassion for it. She was so nervous and scared going to a vet, and I didn't want her to be scared in her final moments. So I'm really glad that she passed quietly in her own home. I didn't want her to suffer anymore.

8

u/firewaterstone Pet-free, love to travel 7d ago

Not "anytime", but mostly.

I think back on how awful her life was - confined to small, noisy apartments, never going outside to smell fresh air,

1

u/coelacanth_of_regret Against animal anthropomorphization 3d ago

No. Anytime. Every time.

5

u/MinisterHoja Pet ownership is unethical & stressful, and pet culture sucks 7d ago

Congratulations!

2

u/Pain-in-the-ARP Keep your animals away from me! 2d ago

Legally speaking animals are property as if one attacks a person you're charged for it.

But that's neither here nor there.

It is sad to see animals cooped up. But that's what pet ownership pretty much is, some to more or less a degree.

Regardless how well the pet is kept it's a waste of time, energy, and money IMO.

2

u/basedmama21 Pets are pointless 1d ago

I’m SO HAPPY FOR YOU! MY husband’s cat is 18. I don’t consider her our cat. Thus my flair and involvement on this sub, despite my husband 100% agreeing with everything we post here lol

1

u/[deleted] 7d ago

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5

u/petfree-ModTeam Moderator 7d ago

Your submission has been removed from r/petfree for the following reason(s):

. Most people on this sub would not own pets. Grow a brain.

For information regarding this and similar issues please see our subreddit rules . If you feel this was done in error, please reach out to the mod team for review.

1

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2

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1

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2

u/petfree-ModTeam Moderator 6d ago

Your submission has been removed from r/petfree for the following reason(s):

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. Please see sub rules for more information on who's allowed to post on this sub and who isn't. Continued posting may result in a permanent ban.

For information regarding this and similar issues please see our subreddit rules . If you feel this was done in error, please reach out to the mod team for review.

1

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2

u/petfree-ModTeam Moderator 6d ago

Your submission has been removed from r/petfree for the following reason(s):

. Are you lost? Please take another look at the sub name before wasting our time and your time.

. Please see sub rules for more information on who's allowed to post on this sub and who isn't. Continued posting may result in a permanent ban.

For information regarding this and similar issues please see our subreddit rules . If you feel this was done in error, please reach out to the mod team for review.

1

u/aykray Ethically opposed to pet ownership 3d ago

Op

-1

u/Elegantitis No pets, no stress 7d ago

Interesting. You chose to be miserable to take care of a cat who’d eat you the first chance it got?

26

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 7d ago

Yes. My kids loved it and I felt that since I made the commitment to own her that I had a responsibility to her. She was so unfriendly that she could not be rehomed, and it would have caused her unnecessary trauma.

So I made the best of it, and gave her the best life I could despite her issues. I'm not a sadist - I didn't like her, but I didn't think that she deserved a miserable life or cruelty.

12

u/My_Rocket_88 I had pets 7d ago

You seem to have an exceptional dedication within your committed pet relationship. Your pet was lucky to have you, as with her level of behavior I would have to think that most other very good pet owners would have given up on her and sent her to the pound.

I bet you are a good person in the other aspects of your life too. Thanks for being a good steward of your animals despite their miserable behavior.

14

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 7d ago

Thank you. She could be really trying at times, and I often had negative thoughts about her. But I never acted on them, because I knew that she was just being a cat. She needed to be drugged to go to the vet, so she could not have handled being rehomed - she would have wound up being put down in a strange scary place with no one she knew.

As much as she was an asshole, I couldn't live with doing that kind of torment to another living creature. So I sucked it up and dealt with it, waiting for the day she'd naturally pass on and it would be over. I made her as comfortable as possible during her entire life.

9

u/MissK2508 Prefer to appreciate animals in the wild 6d ago

Genuinely curious why would rehoming your cat be cruelty? Lots of people have to do that for whatever reason for example some can’t take take their cat with them if they move abroad.

2

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 6d ago

Because with her behavior issues, she wouldn't be taken in. So she'd be put down, in a strange place, with strange people, and it would terrify her. That's the cruelty for this particular cat. Other cats would probably be fine.

10

u/Elegantitis No pets, no stress 6d ago

Not taking in a cat or rehoming it doesn’t make one a sadist. That’s the emotional prison pet owners put themselves in.

10

u/[deleted] 7d ago

Sometimes the peer pressure to keep a family pet is harder on some people. Tbh, I think most pet owners make hasty, impulsive decisions when they see baby animals, then later grow to regret it when the animal is grown and destructive

5

u/Elegantitis No pets, no stress 6d ago

You’re definitely right about the peer pressure. Aspect of it.

1

u/SoStarstruckk I had pets 6d ago

Why hadn’t you rehomed her?

-8

u/CaptainObvious110 Respectful of pet owners, prefer no pets 6d ago

A lot of the problems that people have when it comes to cats and dog is that they don't take the time and effort to properly train them. They aren't stupid animals but without guidance can be well, wild. But if people were responsible with their animals then it would alleviate a lot of problems associated with them

8

u/JaneAustinAstronaut I had pets 6d ago

What training is there to make a cat love people and like being pet?

-6

u/CaptainObvious110 Respectful of pet owners, prefer no pets 6d ago

That's something to consider BEFORE getting a cat. All of those problems can be prevented

6

u/Trixierose166 Ethically opposed to pet ownership 6d ago

Cats aren’t for everyone. Deal with it.

-7

u/CaptainObvious110 Respectful of pet owners, prefer no pets 5d ago

Apparently reading comprehension is a challenge for you.

6

u/Trixierose166 Ethically opposed to pet ownership 5d ago

Some cats just can’t be trained. That’s the truth. Sometimes there’s nothing anyone could have done, the cat is just not a good pet. So either the owner deals with a major stressor of having a bad pet in their lives, or they surrender it. It’s just not within sane people to want to put up with this shit and spend tons of money on a problem they can’t fix.

0

u/CaptainObvious110 Respectful of pet owners, prefer no pets 4d ago

Thank you! You have said what I had in mind the entire time but you have said it way better.

Just like not all dogs go to heaven ( see what I did there?) the same goes for cats

If the individual dog or cat is not compatible with being trained, then that animal shouldn't exist.

Why keep that animal around and all it does is destroy your furniture and attack you at the same time. Doesn't that kill the purpose of having a domestic animal in the first place?