Things Will Get Brighter...
It's been a difficult decision that has been going on for months. We finally decided to re-home Poe. He just left for his new home a few minutes ago. While my heart hurts, I'm relieved knowing he's going to home surrounded by love.
Aside from the fact Andrew is allergic to cats (which we only discovered a couple of months ago), Poe was being restricted and somewhat neglected. Because of this allergy, we banned Poe from the bedroom and Andrew wouldn't let him lie on him, something Poe loved to do. Trying to minimize cat hair in the air is virtually impossible. The fact he was being so restricted was breaking my heart.
I was incredibly lucky enough to find someone within the local vegan community willing to help find him a home. With being a 9.5 year old cat, it's hard re-homing someone who is no longer a kitten (though cats live so long nowadays). The woman who helped, and is Poe's angel, is named Ashley. Her parents lost their elderly cat and have a 15 year old dog. They (Ashley, her hubby, and her parents) LOVE cats and spoil them rotten! This was a match made in heaven. Poe is on his way to live with Ashley's parents. It could be on a foster term of up to 2 years until she and her husband buy a home or, if her parents love him, Poe might stay with her parents. I'm happy with either scenario as he's going to be so loved and spoiled. Being around an older dog who has been around cats is perfect. No one will be chasing and humping Poe like Mia has been. Ashley and I both cried when they came to get Poe. She and her husband hugged and kissed Poe right away, giving him so much love that he deserves.
It's weird not seeing Poe in his usually lounging spots, not seeing him wander down the hall, not hearing his meows. I've started cleaning up his room, but that may have to wait as it feels very unusual. I think Mia is going to miss him a lot as they played together everyday. This was a hard, painful decision. When I adopted Poe 8 years ago, I never thought we'd be in a position like this. I know this is the best for him though and I should stop being selfish and also stop feeling so guilty.
I've been thinking of all the positives in this situation. There are so many positives for Poe, which is what truly matters. For us, it's simple things like sleeping with the bedroom door open, not having everything covered in cat hair (once it's all cleaned out, that is), not stepping in hairballs or cat barf, and maybe now I can get some plants without them being chewed.
Aside from the fact Andrew is allergic to cats (which we only discovered a couple of months ago), Poe was being restricted and somewhat neglected. Because of this allergy, we banned Poe from the bedroom and Andrew wouldn't let him lie on him, something Poe loved to do. Trying to minimize cat hair in the air is virtually impossible. The fact he was being so restricted was breaking my heart.
I was incredibly lucky enough to find someone within the local vegan community willing to help find him a home. With being a 9.5 year old cat, it's hard re-homing someone who is no longer a kitten (though cats live so long nowadays). The woman who helped, and is Poe's angel, is named Ashley. Her parents lost their elderly cat and have a 15 year old dog. They (Ashley, her hubby, and her parents) LOVE cats and spoil them rotten! This was a match made in heaven. Poe is on his way to live with Ashley's parents. It could be on a foster term of up to 2 years until she and her husband buy a home or, if her parents love him, Poe might stay with her parents. I'm happy with either scenario as he's going to be so loved and spoiled. Being around an older dog who has been around cats is perfect. No one will be chasing and humping Poe like Mia has been. Ashley and I both cried when they came to get Poe. She and her husband hugged and kissed Poe right away, giving him so much love that he deserves.
It's weird not seeing Poe in his usually lounging spots, not seeing him wander down the hall, not hearing his meows. I've started cleaning up his room, but that may have to wait as it feels very unusual. I think Mia is going to miss him a lot as they played together everyday. This was a hard, painful decision. When I adopted Poe 8 years ago, I never thought we'd be in a position like this. I know this is the best for him though and I should stop being selfish and also stop feeling so guilty.
I've been thinking of all the positives in this situation. There are so many positives for Poe, which is what truly matters. For us, it's simple things like sleeping with the bedroom door open, not having everything covered in cat hair (once it's all cleaned out, that is), not stepping in hairballs or cat barf, and maybe now I can get some plants without them being chewed.