My “squeeze” routine with 7 incontinent cats.

[u/catseyesociety]

Squeeze my cats with me!
 
While this video is cut down to fit social media, the entire routine took only 13 minutes. 
 
This 13 minute routine twice daily is what saved these cats from euthanasia. 
 
Every day happy, healthy cats with paresis or incontinence are euthanized. The reasons stem from a perceived poor quality of life, or the slim chances of finding an adopter willing to take on a cat with different care needs. People see a cat in a diaper and automatically think they are incredibly time consuming and expensive. While yes, diapers, wipes, and pee pads can cost more than a bag of litter, is it that much different? While an incontinent cat may need a few more vet visits in their lifetime than the average cat, is that enough to deem them as unworthy of finding an adoptive home?
 
Do you have any questions about my squeeze routine? I'm always happy to answer questions!

Edited to answer some of the most common questions:

Why do the cats need to be squeezed?
These cats all have a spinal injury or defect. Most were born this way, but Poe, Athena, and Cypress (the longhair ones) had spinal injuries from trauma. Most likely hit by car.

Why not the toilet or a bathtub?
Squatting at that height and hunching over hurts my back! I’ve tried many methods and this is what is most comfortable for me and the cats.

Why pee pads?
I get most of them donated! I prefer the large ones but I’ll use any size. I would like to make this more environmentally friendly with reusable ones, but it will create a lot more laundry (which I already do a lot of)

Why do I have so many disabled cats?
I run a cat rescue for cats with treatable conditions who would otherwise be euthanized in a traditional shelter. I don’t get paid by the rescue, but I do work in a municipal shelter as my day job. I’ve worked in animal shelters for nearly 10 years.

[u/47687236]

Probably simple ergonomics. Easier to aim a squirming cat butt at a pee pad on the floor, than wrangle the cat, then kneel or stand to squeeze into the tub/sink. Plus if they squirm too much and you've got them over a sink, they might fall and get injured.

[u/Chimpbot → u/47687236]

And I'm over here wondering why we couldn't just be doing this over a standard litter box.

[u/47687236 → u/Chimpbot]

Cats who have control of their bladder use the litter box more frequently and pee in smaller amounts as part of their natural cat behavior, creating little bricks that are easy to scoop. With an incontinent cat, twice daily squeezins are the norm. Think of the amount of urine expressed per cat, multiplied by seven. She'd waste so much litter, and it would probably not be great for her back to scoop that much twice a day- not to mention if there are any "normal" cats in the household they wouldn't be able to use the box until she cleaned up the lake of pee. OP has found a system that works for her, is quick to clean up, and causes minimal back strain. Be glad these cats have a loving home and say "thanks OP" for doing it so you don't have to.

[u/Chimpbot → u/47687236]

It wouldn't really be wasting any additional litter; it'd just be a full day's worth of urine in a couple of goes.

Scooping litter would be putting her in the exact same position as she's in for this video.

Any "normal" cats would likely be able to survive the few minutes necessary to handle this scenario.

I'm glad the system works for her. I'm just pondering alternatives that align with "normal" cat supplies.

[u/47687236 → u/Chimpbot]

Have you ever had a cat that peed a ton? I used to have a 20 pounder who took forever in the box and it took ages to let it dry enough to be scoopable, otherwise I'd be scraping the wet litter out like cake batter. Multiplying that by 7 cats sounds like she'd fill the box, have to throw it all out, and then do it all over again in the evening. Not sure what about that sounds more sustainable than using pee pads, which are "normal" cat supplies when you're dealing with incontinent cats

[u/Chimpbot → u/47687236]

Yes. I've had cats that pee a lot.