Cat #2: The update

I had a pretty intense all ready to go for today but then I remembered that it’s Friday and that kind of intensity should be reserved for early or the middle of the week (because nothing says happy Monday like a serious post). So, instead I figured I’d give you an update on cat #2.

He has a new home!!!

Getting him a new home was not as easy as it sounds. We pimped this cat out like there was no tomorrow. The necessity for the rush happened mainly for two reasons: 1) the weather is starting to turn cold and this cat needs to be indoors and 2) my other cat was growing very…snarky with this cat’s presence. Cat #1 is fairly territorial about our house and she did not like having an intruder around. And, added to that, the second cat infuriated my husband’s allergies and the cost of two cats was getting to be a bit more than we could afford.

So we asked everyone we knew. We posted on Facebook, called friends, sent texts, emails. Pretty much everything we could think of short of taking out a billboard or standing on the corner, trying to entice passing cars. Even my mother-in-law was in on the pimping. But nothing worked. I guess we need pimp lessons.

But then… Twitter happened.

I saw a tweet from Cecily Kellogg (Uppercase Woman) that she wanted to drive to her local shelter and adopt a kitten. I quickly intervened with something along the lines of “don’t do that! I have one! For free!” She replied back that she needed to check with her husband and, after a few days of talking back and forth, her husband agreed.  So we arranged to meet halfway between our houses for the transfer of care (I should probably clarify that we only live about an hour apart so meeting halfway wasn’t a big deal. It’s not like I had to drive 6 hours or anything. Also, I got a really good lunch after I gave her the cat so the trip was worth it).

And for the last month, Abby now Jax has been living comfortably with Cecily and her family. This makes me thrilled both for the cat and myself.

I’m happy for the cat because he’s found a home that loves him and is happy to have him (I know this from Cecily’s tweets and pictures). He gets to spend the rest of his life indoors (except when he runs away), where he belongs. He has a killer new collar, a splendid canine sibling, and his gender has finally been determined (male, not female). After what his previous owners did to him, he deserves the life he has now.

And, selfishly, I’m happy for myself because I know I did the right thing. Although it was hard to let him go, I know that giving him to Cecily was best for him. So that made me feel good. Also, it was starting to put a strain on our budget. We already have two (very high maintenance) dogs and the one cat, and affording those guys gets a bit tight at times (this was true even when I was working full-time. Grooming my dogs is expensive and because of their breed, we can’t do it ourselves).  I finagled our budget the best I could but I’m not sure that it was sustainable.

Finding his new forever home came at just the right time.

Looking back, I’m glad I took Jax into my home and family, even if temporarily. It might have cost money we probably didn’t have and put a bit of strain on my other cat and my husband’s allergies, but I’m glad I did it. I’m glad I helped bring him out of malnourishment and kept him safe and healthy. I’m glad I worked as hard as I did to find him his new home.

And, if I had to do it again, I would.