Would you advise me to put my cat down?
I got Henry from a cat rescue 3 years ago. I didn't know this, but he was feral and had no human contact in those early important months when it's easier for them to bond with a human. His main exposure to humans was being grabbed and taken to a vet for neutering. No problem, I thought, he will warm up to me in no time! Ha.
I cannot pet him or touch him in any way. He stays underfoot for some reason and scatters and hides when I walk by. He is scared when I feed him treats and stares at me to make sure I wont make any sudden moves. This has not improved in any way, shape, or form in 3 years, in spite of: 4 cat condos, shelves to climb up 14' and hang out, an outdoor catio, 6 months on prozac, all OTC calming aids you can think of, treats galore (he is not food motivated), walking and talking very slowly and gently. I even worked with a pet behaviorist. I am the only one in the house, and have another really loving cat that he gets along with.
Aside from this he has no behavioral problems such as scratching furniture, peeing outside the litter box.
I can handle it if I can never pet him, but the fact that he's STILL scared after all this time is not good for his quality of life, nor mine.
My vet said the easiest thing to do would be euthanize...rehoming would be pointless and it would be cruel to him to give him back to the rescue. It just breaks my heart to think of putting him down.
edited to add; I do get playtime with him and he likes that. But that took 2 years.