Being responsible sucks
It's been 7 years since my last cat, Katie, died. It's only been in the past year or so that I've been able to consider adopting another cat. Even then, I kind of figured that if I was meant to have another one, one would end up dropped in my lap in need of help. That's how I got 2 of the 3 cats I've had in the past. They were strays who needed help.
Back on Tuesday, I swung by the pet store for some fish food before going to the grocery. When checking out, I noticed one of the staff over by the adoption kennel things they put in last year. Those've been empty whenever I was a the store during the past few months. Perhaps foolishly, I went over to see the new arrivals. The upper level had two brothers who were less than a year old. Cute lil guys. The lower level had a single young adult female black cat. She was quite affectionate and seemed content to cheekrub forever against any fingers one'd stick through the holes in the plexiglass. I talked to the woman there who said they'd rescued the cat from a beach a couple days before hurricane Arthur came up the coast. Her name is Sandy, which is kind of weird for a black cat, but fits in with being found on a beach. She's somewhere around 2 years old, laid back, loves to play with toys both by herself and with humans, and likes to cuddle in with folks. They say she doesn't seem to mind being alone but does like being around people. The woman did say she can be a bit talky at times.
I was seriously considering arranging to spend some time with her in one of the rooms they have for that purpose and even was persuaded to leave with an application. Of course, I had to figure out costs and think about other aspects of having a cat again, which is where the responsible side of me had to open its big mouth and point out reasons not to go any further. There'd be the up-front cost of supplies and such since I no longer have anything of Katie's aside from some of her favorite toys and a ceramic water dish. Then there'd be the $95 adoption fee, and a pet deposit for the apartment, and on top of that monthly pet rent. That was $15 when Katie was still alive. I think it's up to $25/month now. Of course, there'd also be vet bills and recurring costs for food and litter and stuff. Normally, I could probably budget for that and make the other lifestyle adjustments that a new kitty would entail, but...
There's a chance that the sale of the company I work for will happen around the end of September. That could mean drastic changes and I could even get laid off. Definitely not a good time to have the added expenses of a new pet. Thinking about it for a couple days, the responsible thing to do is to not pursue things any further. She seems like the kind of cat who'll get adopted pretty quickly, and odds are by someone with whom she'd be better off than she would be with me. I guess it's best to go back to the view that if I'm destined to have a cat, the world will drop one in my lap.
Being responsible and doing the right thing can really suck sometimes.
Back on Tuesday, I swung by the pet store for some fish food before going to the grocery. When checking out, I noticed one of the staff over by the adoption kennel things they put in last year. Those've been empty whenever I was a the store during the past few months. Perhaps foolishly, I went over to see the new arrivals. The upper level had two brothers who were less than a year old. Cute lil guys. The lower level had a single young adult female black cat. She was quite affectionate and seemed content to cheekrub forever against any fingers one'd stick through the holes in the plexiglass. I talked to the woman there who said they'd rescued the cat from a beach a couple days before hurricane Arthur came up the coast. Her name is Sandy, which is kind of weird for a black cat, but fits in with being found on a beach. She's somewhere around 2 years old, laid back, loves to play with toys both by herself and with humans, and likes to cuddle in with folks. They say she doesn't seem to mind being alone but does like being around people. The woman did say she can be a bit talky at times.
I was seriously considering arranging to spend some time with her in one of the rooms they have for that purpose and even was persuaded to leave with an application. Of course, I had to figure out costs and think about other aspects of having a cat again, which is where the responsible side of me had to open its big mouth and point out reasons not to go any further. There'd be the up-front cost of supplies and such since I no longer have anything of Katie's aside from some of her favorite toys and a ceramic water dish. Then there'd be the $95 adoption fee, and a pet deposit for the apartment, and on top of that monthly pet rent. That was $15 when Katie was still alive. I think it's up to $25/month now. Of course, there'd also be vet bills and recurring costs for food and litter and stuff. Normally, I could probably budget for that and make the other lifestyle adjustments that a new kitty would entail, but...
There's a chance that the sale of the company I work for will happen around the end of September. That could mean drastic changes and I could even get laid off. Definitely not a good time to have the added expenses of a new pet. Thinking about it for a couple days, the responsible thing to do is to not pursue things any further. She seems like the kind of cat who'll get adopted pretty quickly, and odds are by someone with whom she'd be better off than she would be with me. I guess it's best to go back to the view that if I'm destined to have a cat, the world will drop one in my lap.
Being responsible and doing the right thing can really suck sometimes.