Behavioral euthanasia for cats with serious behavioral problems raises ethical questions that require careful consideration and professional consultation.
Cats with severe behavioral problems that create ongoing distress for the cat itself - such as extreme fear aggression arising from anxiety disorders - may have genuinely poor quality of life that euthanasia addresses humanely. However, behavioral euthanasia should never be the first response to behavioral problems without thorough investigation of medical causes, environmental factors, and management options. Cats killed for behavioral reasons that could have been treated with veterinary behavior intervention represent preventable deaths. The welfare of the cat - not owner convenience - should be the primary consideration in any behavioral euthanasia decision.