Best Way to Get Rid of a Cat

Who in their right mind would think creating a stray is humane? Especially if it's never been outside?

What about a cat rescue? That's what I'd be looking for . . . or I hate to say it but I might consider euthanizing it too.

There's no way I'd leave it to fend for itself in the wild. And shelters can be extremely traumatic for animals.

JMO.

PLEASE do not drop off your cat in some random neighborhood and leave them to be feral or stray. How cruel! I would post an advertisement on Craigslist and rescue organizations and try to get the cat placed into a loving home before I'd do either of the things you're suggesting.

ETA: Jo, is that your best effort to answer the question "without societal judgment?"

ETA: OH, and since this question is likely to be replaced with a simple "hi," leaving everyone to wonder what the original question is: Here ya go!

"Best way to get rid of a cat
Several of my friends and I had a debate last night about what to do if you have a cat you can no longer care for. Is it more humane to take the cat to a new neighborhood in hopes someone takes them in? Or is it more humane to drop the cat off at the animal shelter in hopes they get adopted? I can imagine both situations being horrible for the cat, so which is worse?

Getting dropped off somewhere would be traumatic and the cat might end up getting eaten by a coyote. Going to a shelter would be equally traumatic the cat might end up being euthanized.

I do know that the accepted option is to take the cat to a shelter. But without the societal judgement, which do you think is actually better for the cat?"

ETA: Your update makes me laugh. How could anyone answer this question without some level of judgment?! Whether it is you or not you, a real scenario or not, you asked for opinions. You got opinions. For you to then turn around and complain about those opinions is laughable. No wonder you erase all your questions - you don't really want answers. Just confirmations.

On Tuesday morning some idiot driving down my street, opened his car door and threw out a cat. Right there on the street. My neighbor saw the whole thing, and tried to get the cat but it was scared to death. Later that night several of us searching actually found the cat. Most cats would just take off and run and either get hit by a car, starve to death, eaten by a coyote, etc. Luckily my ex owns an animal hospital and so I took the poor thing there and will keep it there while I try to find it a home. Most cats dumped out of cars don't get so lucky.

Shelters are warm, safe havens for unwanted animals. There are caring staff there who can feed them, give them plenty of water, check them for fleas, ear mites, etc., and keep them safe until they find a home. If there aren't enough homes, then humane euthanization is WAY BETTER than being dumped in a strange place and starving to death. Right?

People who dump animals out of their cars should be beaten, in my opinion. They are stupid, lazy, uncaring people. It is now my responsibility to find a home for this cat and have it cared for and fed until I do. Ridiculous.

As a volunteer for our local SPCA I can tell you that the best option is to always try to find the cat another home first.
Dumping it is NEVER a good idea, the poor thing will be exposed to all kinds of dangers, and if it is eventually picked up by animal services it is even MORE likely to be put down because by the time it is picked up it could be sick, injured or so wild that it will no longer be considered adoptable.
If you cannot find another home for it take it to a shelter. There is always a chance that it will be put down but there is also the chance that it will be adopted, or rescued by another group, such as the SPCA, or Community Concern for Cats.
Give the poor thing a chance, DON'T DUMP IT!!!

I'd be erasing this question real quickly like you have your others. It makes you (or your friends) seem cruel to even consider the idea of abandoning animals they have kept as pets.

It's not only cruel to the cats but it creates a stray problem in neighborhoods. We had to trap and send a feral cat to the shelter once, it was awful. It was continually attacking our new kitty who was still really young, it just ripped her up requiring stitches because a neighbor had been feeding it and it became territorial. It even came in our front door after her once. It was so wild you could not get near it but after numerous vets bills and a traumatized kitty (and family!) it became our problem. You can't just ask what's better for the cat, you have to ask what's better for society too. Hence the societal judgement.

Dropping a domesticated animal out in the wild is horrible. You can't assume anyone will take in the cat. It faces so many dangers on its own.

At a shelter, employees will be doing all they can to find it a home. It at least has a chance at a good life there.

The best option, obviously, is to seek at a new home personally. With social media, it's easier than ever.

Why in the world was "find a good home for the cat" not one of your options?

Also, after reading answers...it's not a judgmental group. It's a group with a heart. Where, exactly, is yours?

Best way? Find a good home for the cat yourself. Second best? Ask if a rescue will help you with a curtsey listing. Then take the cat to a rescue. Then take the cat to a pound. If you are really at the point where you are going to basically dump a domesticated cat out into the wild, it is far more humane to take it to a place where it might possibly find a home (weird smells notwithstanding - the wild is weird, too) vs letting it starve to death, get diseases, be hurt or killed or eaten. Being put to sleep isn't terrific, but it's better than being eaten by a coyote. Being dumped is inhumane.

FWIW, right now there is a feral cat in our neighborhood. It escaped from its owners when they moved in. Even they have not been able to trap it and get it back. I'm amazed it's still alive, but dumping it with the idea that someone will pick it up is taking the chance that the cat will ever trust a human again and ALLOW itself to be rescued.

When my mom was going through a divorce, we had to rehome 2 cats. We tried everything for months before finally handing them over to a rescue after we showed them we'd tried very hard. I know one of them was adopted very quickly and I am not sure about the other. But had that not been possible, they would have gone to the SPCA, not be left on the road.

ETA: You probably would have gotten a better response if you hadn't started off with words like "best way to get RID of a cat" (emphasis mine). It matters how you say it.

I understood your question as theoretical, I'm not sure why everyone else had to jump to the conclusion that you were this horrible cat-dumping person. I didn't read any of that in your post.
I love cats and have taken many strays into my home. I have also taken a cat to a vet to be spade, found out she was pregnant and had the kittens aborted. I have had cats put to sleep to avoid further suffering. I have accepted the unsure fate of cats due to illnesses such as FIP, from which they could die any time, and loved them for years. I completely disagree with the practice of declawing cats, as it robs them of their main defense mechanism as well as removing what is essentially the tip of their "finger".

I mention these things because I am a realist, although I love my cats I don't believe they should be treated like humans, it takes a lot to traumatize a cat. It usually takes repeated trauma over a period of time to affect it's emotional state permanently. Although they do not seem to depend on humans in the same way that dogs do, they are not wild animals that should be released into the wild.

Cats are amazingly adaptive to the outside environment, even when kept inside. And yes, I agree that they are unable to "see it coming" when they are housed in a shelter only to be euthanized a few weeks later. That said, dumping a cat outside with the intention of it finding a home on it's own is dangerous to the surrounding wildlife. That's how diseases spread quickly, and this can happen in the city or the country. Dumping a cat in a residential neighborhood anywhere is dangerous to the children who live there, as cats can become violent when they are hungry and scared, regardless of their upbringing. And children are the first ones to want to bring it home and try to catch it.
Dropping a cat off at a shelter is the best bet, if the owner can't find a decent home for it.

I think you got a lot of judgement based on the title of your question. Animal lovers don't take kindly to words like "get rid of" it would have been better to say something like "surrender" or "can no longer care for."
Sure it's just a word choice and maybe a little bit PC but phrasing a statement or a question in a different way can change the whole conversation.
Anywhoo, a shelter is better than leaving a kitty alone on the street. I don't know ANY people who take in stray cats, but I know many people who adopt from animal shelters.

Alright - abandoning any animal is just cruel and irresponsible.
It's a cop out because you are more than likely causing the death of your animal after a lot of suffering and starvation rather than out right having the animal euthanized at the pound or vet.
You get to pretend in your own little fantasy that your animal is alive and well being taken care of anonymously by 'some one else'.
It's not a societal judgement so much as it's a fact that few are willing to face up to.
We live out in the country and I can not TELL you how often stray dogs turn up around here because people just abandon them before they move.
Animal control comes out regularly to capture the animals and they end up in the pound anyway hopefully before they are run over or shot.

Taking them to the pound is better, but realize it's pretty likely they will still be euthanized - there are just SO many unwanted discarded pets out there they don't really have any choice - they have limited space and resources.

The BEST option for the cat, which you didn't even mention, is to take out an ad on Craig's List or some other local web site, ask around your neighborhood, friends, family, etc and offer your pet up for adoption to a good home.

Original Question (before it's deleted):

Several of my friends and I had a debate last night about what to do if you have a cat you can no longer care for. Is it more humane to take the cat to a new neighborhood in hopes someone takes them in? Or is it more humane to drop the cat off at the animal shelter in hopes they get adopted? I can imagine both situations being horrible for the cat, so which is worse?

Getting dropped off somewhere would be traumatic and the cat might end up getting eaten by a coyote. And even if it got rescued, it would be cold and hungry in between. Going to a shelter would be equally traumatic and the cat might end up being euthanized. Again, even if it got rescued, it would be surrounded by all sorts of sounds and smells and forced to interact with people and animals it didn't know.

I do know that the accepted option is to take the cat to a shelter. But without the societal judgement, which do you think is actually better for the cat?

QUICK NOTE: Wow - this is a judgmental group! This is not about me. I do not have any cats. This was purely a discussion last night based on someone we know who could not find a home for her two cats when she had to move overseas for a job. She tried everyone she knew, contacted animal rescue places, and had no luck. Of course the best thing for ANY animal is to live a long and healthy life with a loving family. My question here was simply to seek opinions if the best course scenario isn't possible.

Definitely drop it off in another neighborhood. That's actually how I got rid of, I mean "found a home for" our used mattress, some old tires and the 41 cats I was hoarding.

Dropped it all off in some city.....lemme remember - oh yeah, I dropped it all in Albuquerque New Mexico. They love other peoples' old, worn out stuff down there!

In a big city like yours, there are surely cat rescue groups who can foster a cat of any age and find him/her a new home. Learning to live in a new home is best if Kitty can't stay in the old one. Cats do adapt to new environments - especially when the new environment has food, warmth, and laps. I'm so glad this is a hypothetical question.

Take the cat to a shelter. It has nothing to do with "societal judgment": If you just drop a cat off somewhere, unless it is a master hunter, it will be starving until someone realizes it's a stray and adopts it.

It's extremely irresponsible and cruel to just dump a cat somewhere. That's what shelters are for.

If those are the only true options then the shelter, but you are giving them a death sentence. If you truly have to rehome, try to find a home yourself using craigslist or an animal rescue. But when it comes down to it, if you can not give an animal a forever home you have no business getting one. And I know for a fact, as someone who moved from the US to Japan, and then from Japan to the UK, and then back to the USA again, that you can indeed take your cats with you when you move overseas, so that is no excuse.

I live in a rural area where people occasionally dump dogs or cats, presumably because "they will find new homes" or at least find food and shelter. I have adopted a couple of cats that dragged their poor, half-starved, frightened and sometimes injured selves onto my property – most pets don't know how to find their own food or even protect themselves from the critters that already "own" that territory. It's tragic to see them after apparent weeks of struggle and suffering. I've taken a couple of others to a shelter, where at least they would be fed and have some possibility of finding a new home.

Unless there's an immediate threat, animals don't anticipate and fear death the way people do, they don't know whether euthanasia is their fate, and don't live in anxiety, except to the extent they're not accustomed to being crated or caged. They at least receive the basic care they need. Shelters have been set up precisely to give a kinder alternative than dumping a pet.

Give the cat away to a friend or bring it to a shelter.

I am NOT a cat person, but I can't stand to see a living thing suffer. I live in the country and often see pets who have been abandoned, and it breaks my heart! I always call our local vet (also the local shelter) to pick them up. They are really good at finding homes!

First, I would like to quote this image I saw not long ago.
"I am not an 'until I grow up and you get bored with me' cat.
I am not an 'until you get a boyfriend/girlfriend/married' cat.
I am not an 'until you have a baby' cat.
I am not an 'until you move' cat.
I am not an 'until you have no time for me' cat.
I am not an 'until I grow old or you get a new kitten' cat.
I am a FOREVER CAT. If you can't promise me forever, I am not your cat. It's that simple."

Cats (and dogs, and many other exotic pets) have feelings like we do. They can feel abandoned just like we do. If you can't (or your friends) take care of him/her until they are ready to go over Rainbow Bridge (cute poem about animals that have passed), then you don't need them. As rude as I feel, it's true. They need love, attention, and a stable home as much as we do. I know the allure of a small kitten, but they will one day be big, they might tear up your furniture, or pee on the rug, but when they are brought home and named you have just promised them that you will take care of them through everything in life. Their happy moments, their sick moments, and that if possible you will be there when they pass. Here soon I am moving halfway across the country, and my cat Logan and my lizard Malcolm will be going with me, because when I found Logan and named her and when I bought Malcolm, I made a promise to them to take care of them for the rest of their lives and in exchange they give me the most unconditional love that anything ever could give.

Now, I know their are customs to having animals fly but I know it's possible. She should take every possible route the can to take her cats with her.

Your question was to seek opinions and you certainly got some!

Don't take it personally. There's not a question on this entire site that can be asked without at least one or two miserable women getting nasty and judgemental....now matter how carefully the question is phrased. I just read another post where the mom got all kinds of heat for saying that pull-ups were a waste of money for her kids. Are you kidding me?! Some people (women especially) have nothing better to do than make themselves feel superior by "putting others in their place". I've all but given up on this rotten site for that very reason. Just a bunch of childish, schoolyard bullies that never moved past the highschool mentality.

Okay, rant over. My answer to your question would be to find a vet that is willing to euthanize the cats immediately. That saves them any trauma whatsoever and, let's face it, they are NOT equal to humans no matter what anyone says.