Things change, people change ... life changes. Being a parent is a full time job. What is best for the cats? A place where they could be the center of attention for a loving person?
I've also said I don't have pets because I have kids. I'm ok with that.
It's a thing that happens, I suppose. We didn't rehome my cat, but by the time he died a couple of weeks ago I definitely had the feeling that, since the kid came along, I'd not been giving him the attention he deserved.
That said, it might feel different when the kid(s) are old enough to have their own relationship with the pet(s), helping to feed and pay attention to them.
That's a fair point, and honestly is the main pause right now in terms of both the kids do generally seem to like them. On the other hand, with kids at 3yo and 1yo, rehoming sooner than later probably means less attachment and memory..
At 3 and 1 they might like the cats, but I'd be surprised if the cats seek them out for companionship. I think when the kids are 6-7 or so, they'll be old enough to be good company for a new cat, and that's when I think it will feel different - you'd be able to delegate some of the responsibility to the kids. Sophie is not quite old enough for that right now but she's an awful lot closer than she was, and I think it is when she gets to that threshold that we will probably get another cat.
I also used to be a cat person until the child arrived. When T. was a small baby, the cats were just one more thing clamoring for my care and attention, and I had very little left over from caring for T. I was sad when they both died before we moved back to NY. But I was also relieved, because it meant not having to transport two elderly cats, settle them back in, etc. We've now been two years without cats, and T. is quite a bit older and more independent, and I am finally starting to want to have cats again.
Interesting perspective, coming back around full circle again. The 'one more thing clamoring for care and attention' is the biggest thing, spot on. I/we have so little time/energy/money now, that it's a struggle to make sure just the four of us are well cared for and properly nourished physically and emotionally. I/we still love our cats, but .. that love is now over-shadowed by the weight of added responsibility for beings that are now no longer "our children".
I think if we weren't bi-coastal, that it would be different. But the having to find long-term (4+ week) cat care twice a year means yet more added effort and expense when boy howdy wouldn't it be easier to just turn off the house, lock the doors, and get on a plane, and it wouldn't matter whether we were coming back home in 1 week, or 3, or 8.
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I've also said I don't have pets because I have kids. I'm ok with that.
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That said, it might feel different when the kid(s) are old enough to have their own relationship with the pet(s), helping to feed and pay attention to them.
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Hard decisions I never thought we'd have..
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I think if we weren't bi-coastal, that it would be different. But the having to find long-term (4+ week) cat care twice a year means yet more added effort and expense when boy howdy wouldn't it be easier to just turn off the house, lock the doors, and get on a plane, and it wouldn't matter whether we were coming back home in 1 week, or 3, or 8.
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