On Caring for Animals: Follow-Up Edition

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It came to my attention today that I left you hanging back in August with the On Caring for Animals post.  How exceedingly rude of me! Not only that, it was a heavy, HEAVY post full of tragedy and self-examination on a level that rivaled the Books of Job and Lamentations.

So what has happened since August 23rd?  Lots…

Eddie and I moved forward with working for the Humane Society of Lincoln County volunteering to clean cages and assist with adoptions at our nearby PetSmart.  While Eddie has thrived and found a great purpose with this volunteer work… as predicted my emotions got the better of me.  I helped him a couple of times and while I did fine when I was there when I would leave I would become very emotional.  Also, the area in which we work is so small that we really got in each other’s way more than helping each other complete the cleaning tasks.   I guess my emotional state is what made me step back the most though.  While I understand no-kill shelters like HSLC  do a WONDERFUL work I still felt exceedingly sorry and responsible for each cat I cared for.  The thought that some may live in the shelter or foster care for the rest of their lives simply because they’re too old, not physically attractive enough to catch anyone’s eye, or  are handicapped in some way breaks my heart in two.  Again, this does not reflect upon the great care they get in the shelter it reflects upon my seeming lack of ability to detach to a healthy extent from the animals.  My generous stores of untapped maternal love just comes flowing out along with all the emotions that come along with it.   I just want with all my heart and soul for each animal to find a loving home, and my emotions soar to unhealthy levels knowing that many will not ever get the loving home they deserve.

The second thing I feared came true…Eddie fell in love with a kitten, and when I say fell in love it was head over heels….heart and soul, because he found an Abber clone in terms of personality. Labor Day weekend he informed me that he wanted to bring her home…at first to foster, and then…if all goes well to adopt.

Let’s just say I was having none of it, because I had vowed that we were not bringing another cat home.  Uh…uh…no way.  I had made up mind.

I stood my ground for nearly a month  However, my made-up mind…evidently…is no match for Eddie’s relentless powers of emotional manipulation.

So…a week ago Ruby arrived at our home:

Eddie’s Blog Post tells how it all transpired.

She is sweet and EXTREMELY affectionate as much or more so than our late Abber.  Actually,  right now she’s making it dang near impossible to write this blog post, because she’s sitting in my lap desperately vying for my attention and walking on my keyboard.

So, we are yet again a crazy 5-cat family.  We have more kitty love, cat hair, and kitty litter bills than we can stand.  Yet, I’m strangely okay with it.  They are wonderful substitutes for the children we’ve never been able to have, and they don’t talk back (well, maybe some), they don’t go out and not come in until all hours of the night, and they won’t require college funds which in this day and age requires a second mortgage.  They give us lots of love for 15 to even 20 years before they say their eternal goodbyes (the hardest part).  We also feel good knowing that we have given each of them the gift of a comfortable life.  A couple of our kitties were just minutes from certain death if we had not come along.

I am adamant, though that five is the limit…I’ve made up mind.

Oh geez…who am I kidding?

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Tags: Cat Adoption