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My Animals...

Tonight is very sad and stressful. Tomorrow, two cat wranglers are coming to hopefully gather up my three indoor strays to get them ready for what’s next. What’s next is probably not good...

Ive had a health crisis this past week that helped me realize I have to get ready for advance planning for them.

When I can no longer care for them, my 11-year-old Teddy shepherd mix will go to live out his life with the woman at the animal rescue who fostered him for six months three years ago before we adopted him. That’s a wonderful thing.

The feral cats Tom gathered, three, are a different story. We used to neuter and release ten years ago. Did probably six or seven.

One was Shorty Pants. it was winter. He was a little bit of a kitty trying to fend for himself, so we neutered him and kept him. The only contact he’s comfortable with is that, every single night, he waits for me at the bedroom door and jumps up next to me when I lie down to sleep. His very soft mewing tells me he wants a ten-minute belly rub. Other than that, he’s wild as a March hare. Add to that that he stopped using the litter box about two years ago, and he’s unadoptable. He’s very neat. Always uses puppy pads which he carefully rolls up, but still...

Our second one is BobBob. She’s a medium-sized very friendly long-haired grey girl. Smart as a little whip. Understands many commands and totally bonded with Shorty Pants. I happened to see her being given away on Craig’s List. She was a teeny tiny thing the poster had found down at a creek in the late fall... all alone. We brought her into our home as company for Shorty. They are fast and dear friends. She is adoptable. I hope.

The last one, Brownie, we got was just six or eight months or so ago. A stray who came for food every day with a large male. We watched her get pregnant twice and abandon her kittens. She was very young. And finally trapped her to neuter her, which we did. In the process of cage transfer, she bit Tom. Mr. Google told me that the options were a six month quarantine or diagnosis after euthanizing, so after she was neutered, we kept her. She tries to be friendly, but she’s not able to pull it off. She is unadoptable.

Tomorrow, when they’re wrangled, they will be taken to an area vet clinic where they will all be tested for feline Leukemia and I think one other fatal virus.

If they’re positive, I’ll take them back home and keep them as long as I can care for them because they aren’t sick, and then they will be euthanized. OMG.

If they’re negative, they’ll be given all their shots and brought back here to stay as long as they can... then Brownie and Shorty will more than likely be euthanized and, hopefully, BobBob will find a new home.

Their lives were not supposed to end like this. Tom was their owner too, without his being in my life, I’d never have had even one cat. But when he left, he wouldn’t take any of them and sarcastically wished me, “Good luck with the animals.”

They are like my children. I know many of you can understand. This is harder for me by far than my own fate. I am heartbroken.
 
I don't know what to say. Being an animal lover I am as heartbroken as you are. It is so good of you to try and keep them safe as long as you are able.

Bless you.
 
I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how heartbreaking this must be for you. *hugs*
 
This sucks, and so sorry about the turn.
 
You have to remember the kindness and love you have showed them and in
return they gave it back to you. Pets have a connection to our souls. You
have done the best that you can do for them. I know it's hard right now but
you need to remember that.
 
Actually, the cat wrangling went better than I ever expected it would. Shorty and BobBob were easy. Brownie? Notsomuch. My friend from the animal rescue has promised me that, unless they test positive for the two deadly viruses, she will make sure they live out their normal lives. I can’t ask for more than that.

I need to work on letting go and letting God...
 
Great news.... When I get caught on something that I can't let go Teresa will tell me put it in a balloon and let it go.
Good advice but sometimes hard to do. :)
 
But aren't they coming back home to you for awhile longer?
 
Yes, Nota. In fact, they were back home by 5 pm today. Two of the cats tested okay on both viruses. One of them, BobBob, got a weak positive for feline leukemia that the vet thinks may be false. She’ll be retested in six weeks. Using Maggie logic, I think it was a false positive. It is transmitted by eating out of the same food dish, same water bowl, and mutual grooming. Since BobBob and Shorty are bonded and all here cats use the same water and food bowls and she is the only one with this very weak positive, my common sense tells me she is not infected... or they’d all here have it. BobBob and Shorty have been together about six years. They groom each other every day.

My fingers are crossed. I’ve made peace with whatever happens. I have to just trust in my friend to do what’s best while knowing I’ve done all I could do to provide them with a life after I can’t take care of them anymore.

Let go and let God.

Tomorrow I get the scan results. Anxious to know. Ready to face and deal with it.

Thanks all for listening. Yet again.
 
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