Friday, August 08, 2008

Make Up My Mind, Will Ya?

Evil Momma and the kittens went back to the shelter for adoption on Wednesday. Now I have a decision to make:


1. I can adopt two of the kittens from this last litter. They are all adorable, and I fell particularly hard for The Runt.


Pluses: I would get to have two adorable kittens in my home, who would grow up to be beautiful, loving cats.


Minus: It means a big commitment, in time, in money, in emotion. Cats live a long time, and vet care is expensive, and it is very, very hard when they finally pass away.



2. I can continue doing foster care.


Pluses: Kittens are a ton of fun, and the work is very rewarding. I get to give a safe haven to momma cats and their young kittens who otherwise would be spending their formative weeks in a cage at the shelter, or, worse yet, be turned down by the shelter because they are out of room.


Minuses: They all go back to the shelter once they are old enough. And young kittens really aren't cuddly; they are too busy playing to want to be held. And, with the large litters, cat food gets expensive, especially when Momma is malnourished and is making up for lost time. The shelters do offer to help out with food, but I hate to ask, when they are already so strapped financially.


3. I can continue to do foster care, with the understanding that if the kittens who just went back fail to get adopted, I will adopt two of them. (Two is the max my landlord allows.)


Pluses: This seems like the most logical option.


Minuses: I would really, really miss The Runt, if he got adopted.



I talked to the foster coordinator, and she said that while they always need foster homes, they also need permanent homes. They have cats at the shelter right now who have grown up there, because no one adopted them as kittens.



So I just don't know what to do. I feel like any of these options would be a good one; I just don't know which one to choose. Help me!

5 comments:

Unknown said...

I'd go with loving bravely. Adopt the Runt and his or her sib. You've got some hard loss on the horizon -- sad but true -- and having some true and loving pets in the home will be sustaining.

listie said...

Oh, go get Runt and Sib! And all that Bridgett said.

You could always continue to volunteer at the shelter as a person who plays with cats/kittens while they're waiting to be adopted. (They do have those volunteers at your shelter, don't they?)

rockygrace said...

Oh, guys, thanks for the advice!

And yes, they do have those volunteers at the shelter. Good idea.

Danger said...

Can you adopt Runt and continue to foster, or would Runt's presence be to stressful for FutureCats?

rockygrace said...

The foster cats have to be kept separated from the "permanent" cats, which would be kind of tough in my one-bedroom apartment. It's a good thought, though.