Some people are just nutsoid about animals and think they're nasty or dangerous or any number of other stupid things.
It almost made me cry whey you said that some of the old folks were crying because Coochie had to go. I can just imagine myself in that situation and how I would feel. Animals have always been my closest relationships. And to not be able to have one would just be unimaginable. Those old folks in homes have so little to look forward to anyways, and to take that away just because some visiting asshole doesn't like cats is cruel!
That is so, so sad. Some idiot always has to complain about something that makes everybody else happy, doesn't matter that out of 100 people, 99 want the cat. The 1 jerk always seems to win. Why is that?