Confession.
I judged the hell out of new parents that got rid of their animals. their pets. their furbabies when they brought the baby{s} home.
I thought it was ridiculous. You know when you get that animal that it’s for {their} life which would/could include the time when you have children. I thought it was lazy & reckless & careless & just plain mean.
And then I got pregnant with a lot of babies. Then I had two babies & no free time. And Moekitty went from the top of the totem pole to way below it.
He went from getting fed twice a day before I was pregnant, to me not being able to reach the floor to feed him, to me holding a baby {or two} & being unable to feed him. Now he gets fed when he lays in front of the bowl & stares at us & when I have a free hand {typically once a day}.
He went from having all our attention {& pets, & rubs & cuddles} when we’re home to having none of it. Except for me to push him off the couch so I could nurse right where he is lying. Or for Jason to shoe him away from the corners of the den where their toys or blankets are kept. Occasionally he’ll now curl up at my feet when I have the babies in my lap & I love that.
He went from sleeping next to me for 7 years to when I was pregnant, sleeping next to Jason, to when the babies were tiny, sleeping in the den. Now I’m not sure where he sleeps. The den sometimes I guess or the guest room when it’s not occupied.
He went from a bathroom of his own to do his business, to his litter box being shoved into the hallway since that bathroom is now for guests & babies’ baths. And that litter box used to be changed a couple times a week, now poor guy has it changed when the smell starts to follow me into the nursery.
He went from having the office window to view the front yard, to having that turned into a nursery & him being locked out of it. He lost the back yard views to the changing table & a pack-n-play being placed in front of the French doors & instead of his perch under the window, there’s now a weight bench that he’s too big to comfortably stretch out on.
I still {& always will} love the hell out of that cat. But he pukes more than before now that there are additional blankets, sheets & clothes for him to find & eat. That means more for us to try to keep out of his reach & more cleaning up for Jason to do.
My husband’s over being a cat parent when he busy being a twin babies parent. He’s very nervous now that the babies are becoming mobile what interaction Moe will have with L & Z. There has previously been little interaction & no lashing out by Moe {who has front claws} so far. We do not believe in declawing.
So this past week, when my husband came home from daycare drop off to find two new puke spots & Moe eating the bottom of the pack-n-play, he was done. He wanted to throw our indoor only cat outside then & there. I insisted we get him checked out at the vet & up on his shots {which I handled last Tues morning} before we made any decisions.
I’ve cried. Multiple times over this decision. Moe is my first ‘real’ pet. {I don’t count hermit crabs, fish & a bird.}
I don’t 100% agree with our decision, but I know we’ve got to do what’s best for Moekitty. And best for the babies safety. And best for my husband’s saniety.
Jason’s sister, her husband, three children & their horses, dogs & cat live on 30 acres. They’ve agreed for Moe to move down & live with them. He’ll most likely be an outside cat there. But unlike being an outside cat here where he’d rarely see us {because we’re at work or busy inside with babies or sleeping}, he will get a lot of interaction with their outdoor loving family.
We don’t know when he’ll be moving away, but probably soon. I already think they’ll be more trips to GA in our future.
And I’ll be biting my tongue before I think or judge someone’s choices when I haven’t yet been in the situation. {Heartbreakingly sad} lesson learned.
