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So I'm finally able to get a cat (had cats while I was growing up but not since being out on my own) and the whole process is stressing me out and breaking my heart! I am planning to adopt a cat because it is really important for me to save one and I want to give one a good home who really needs it. There are so many cats that need good homes that I cannot choose. I feel like choosing one means that others that I didn't choose are still sad and alone. I seriously went to a shelter last night and couldn't handle it. I had to have lots of wine and chocolate when I got home just to stop feeling so tense and on the verge of tears!!! I have now tasked my roommate with choosing one. I'll sign the papers, pay for it and love it forever, i just CANNOT choose :(
Am I the only one that gets ridiculously sad about animals???
Not at all! I actually tear up when I see senior pets in shelters because alli can imagine is that either their owner died and no one would take them or their owner didn't want an old pet so they brough it to the shelter so they could get a new puppy or kitten. Its horrible.
ughhhhhhhhhh @mandamack I am about to cry just reading what you wrote!!!! Seriously, I'm not even a major crier! I don't cry in sad movies unless they involve animals. I am not overly emotional about anything else. Just this!!! What is wrong with me???
No, I am this way too. If I even read a headline about animal abuse I have nightmares for weeks. I'm sure your roommate will choose a wonderful kitty for you! Thanks for selecting one from a shelter and doing your part to make the world better for animals.
@mc77: im the same way... i have to avoid pet fairs, i've left the last two with a dog each! i want to make lots of money so i can buy a huge barn with tons of space to rescue all the strays out there!
but if you don't choose, then NONE will have homes!!! no but really, my FI and I go to the shelter like every weekend we're together and i got a kiki one time because it was sweet and we had a connection. just go for one that you bond with, you'll be giving it a home for life, so it's not something you want to pawn off on someone else. since you're a bleeding heart like me, why don't you volunteer at a no-kill shelter? then you can convince people to adopt the ones you didn't!
Um, I freak out and run away when the pet shelter commercials come on. I cannot handle it. Have you considered adopting a pair? Kitties like friends and I can tell you (having owned 1 cat and 2), 2 cats is no more work than 1 cat.
@missyjyc: you are my soulmate :) that is EXACTLY what I want to do!!!!!!!!!!
@CorgiTales: I would love to adopt multiple cats and it's something I'm somewhat considering. The problem is that I rent and I already had to convince my landlord to let me get one because the previous tenants had 3 cats that ruined the carpet. My roommate also has 2 dogs so, I'm really not sure the landlord would let us have 4+ animals. Trust me, I want to. If for some reason I get kittens, I would definitely get two.
Ummmm, the Sarah McLaughlin ASPCA commercial has actually made me cry before. Hahaha its a problem. Marley and Me made me sob like an idiot and he wasn't even abused, just old. I'm just a sucker for animals.
@MandaMack: Ditto to everything you said. I have to change the channel when that commercial comes on. I cannot handle it. And I was sobbing for Marley and Me too! I will never ever watch that movie again. I have never cried that much in a movie in my life!
@mc77: ah... makes sense. Well you could also always get one now and get another later when you move. Cats are pretty okay at bonding with each other. :) I can't really offer any advice regarding choosing... I had a hard time with that too. When I got my cat from rescue I basically picked the place I wanted to adopt from and told them to choose for me lol. I asked for which cat would be harder to adopt out, and there was one that was really sick and they asked if I'd take him so I did. Unfortunately I only had about 2 years with him before he passed away from feline luekemia (which just about broke my heart and had me swearing up and down I'd never get another pet because I couldn't handle the heartbreak... i now have a dog and 2 cats btw... hah).
I picked out my dog from the city shelter where many dogs are put down on a daily basis due to overcrowding. My dog was sharing his cage with another dog and it broke my heart to have to leave that one behind! The dogs who have been there the longest have this look in their eye like they know they are never getting out :(
LA city shelters have this cool program called "Seniors for Seniors" where a senior citizen can adopt any dog over the age of 8 for free!
And I full on bawl anytime I read about animal abuse or neglect or anything like that..
@corgitales: that is sad but you are so sweet for taking a kitty that just needed love for the remainder of his life. When I see the older ones I'm torn because I want to give them a good home but I know I'll be devastated when they pass away. But I will definitely suck it up and do what you did if that's the cat that needs a home the most. I've contacted a few rescue places and have made sure to tell them that the most important thing to me is to give one a home that really needs it. It's tough because I have other factors that I can't control like the dogs I already live with and renting a place. But either way, hopefully I will be saving one and that's better than none for now.
@babyboo: that must have been tough. that was my problem last night. I couldn't even imagine taking one and leaving the others behind.
I just need to hurry up and get one so I don't have to see all the other ones who still need homes. I hate being like that but unfortunately I just don't have the resources to help a bunch at this point so I can't think about it or else I will be perpetually heartbroken :(
Marley & Me. I will never be able to watch it again. It grasped so well how pets really are family.
A volunteer on the communications committee of local animal shelter because I can't work in the shelter. I would come home every night with a new cat 
. One thing FI and I do is sponsor adoptions for cats that have been in the shelter for a long time. We'll put $20 to reduce the adoption cost or cover a month worth of supplies for the cat.
When going to the shelter, it's as much about the cat choosing you as you choosing the cat. It is important that you choose because you will have a lifelong relationship with the cat. That can't be a decision left to someone else.
We adopted two cats which look almost exactly alike, so our landlord always thinks we only have one cat. Yeah, I roll like that.
I'd recommend adopting an older cat. They NEVER get adopted. We adopted a Rottie for that reason, because no one adopts big black dogs, so she had a smaller chance of being adopted than the others.
I get teary-eyed when I walk through shelters. It was hard to adopt my last cat without adopting it's mate in the cage. I felt terrible and I still do. I agree with a previous poster that said adopt that animal that you feel a connection with. My middle cat was so different and very outgoing (not like me at all) that I got her, she and I clicked b/c we're so different personality-wise. Well about a year later, I went back and I saw this little kitten. It reminded me so much of my middle cat (very similar personality and coloring) and it hurt so much to see her in that cage. I told myself if she was still there after two days and that I still really wanted her then I'd come and get her. She was still there and it was so sad to take her away from her sibling. I felt awful but she's happy now with my other two cats. Now I need to stay away from shelters or else I'll feel more connections!
@mightysapphire: hahaha that is GREAT! There are these 2 adorable kittens who apparently keep getting looked over and they look alike. I'll have to keep your situation in mind :)
I'm right there with you, but I also agree that the cat chooses you.
When my FI I wen to the ASPCA to adopt a cat, I wanted a small, female calico kitten.
We moved on from kittens because they had to be adopted in paris, and we really couldn't do that.
I saw a small female calico who was about 5 months old in one of the cages and asked to see her. She wouldn't come out and was super skittish, BUT her cage-mate and litter-mate a large male black and white cat came right out and over to me. He climbed up onto my lap, looked me in the eyes, and touched his nose to mine.
That was it. He came home with us that night eventhough he was the EXACT opposite of what we wanted.
I did want to take every cat home with me, but I took comfort in knowing that the cat I adopted freed up a space for another cat to be moved into his place. And since I adopted from the ASPCA in NYC I knew that I was saving that cat's life since they are a no-kill facility.
I need to stop reading this thread before i go adopt another animal seriously lol. We have 2 cats right now and I think that might be our max on cats (no matter how much we clean the box the basement still smells like cat and i hate that!).
We only have 1 dog though. He definitely likes being an "only dog" so for a while I thought I'd just stick with him... but we could totally handle another dog and I think he would get over it. We've semi-decided that maybe in a year or so after the wedding we'd adopt another pup.
Also: I'd like to encourage people to adopt older pets as well! My dog was 3 when I got him and it was awesome. he was still totally young and spry... but not at all hyper, already potty trained, past chewing, etc. He has been the easiest dog ever!
@CorgiTales: I agree with you on older pets, dogs especially. When FI and I are in a place to get a dog, we will be adopting an older one for sure. As much as I love puppies, I really don't want to be potty training while working full time!
As far as the cat choosing you, I get that to an extent but I feel like most lovable cats are like that with everyone, not just a certain person. For example, I held this one over the weekend who put his arms around my neck and was kissing me...but he was just as sweet with the girl who was holding him before me.
side note: i loved the one I was talking about above and could have taken him home but a lady also there said that if I didn't take him she had a friend that was going to come back and take him. Everyone loves the sweet snuggly ones...
@mc77: i think you are right about the snuggly ones. And in terms of cats I don't think thats always necessary. My cat (the one that died) was suuuper not cuddly but I loved him! He was definitely street-hardened and was not a snuggler or a charmer... he was kind of a jerk haha. but he had so much personality and he was just so fun! a friend of mine has a similar cat that was also a stray and i think that sometimes the grouchy ones are more fun.
Oh my gosh.. no! I seriously cannot let myself wander too much even in PetSmart because I see all the pups and kittens up for adoption with the big signs that say "Save from being euthanized!". It makes me feel terrible and I want to bring them ALL home.
You're not alone! I know how hard it is. I adopted my dog, Maya, and have a place in my heart for all rescues. A few years after adopting her, I took in a stray. Needless to say the stray was too big to keep in my apartment, and I found a good home for her. Even though I literally only had her for 36 hours, I balled my eyes out when I gave her to her new owner.
My BF is jsut as bad. A few years ago he took in a puppy that his brother couldn't keep, and more recently, he took in a friend's dog when she couldn't keep her toy poodle.
Furthermore, I'm always on the verge of tears when I watch animal rescue shows. It literally makes me sick to see abused and neglected pets!
Oh dear. I'm the one that cried and cried when I adopted my cat because I felt like all the rest of the kitties that were left behind were so disappointed when I walked away. As much as I want a dog, I dread the day when I have to go back to the humane society to pick him out. My DH refuses to let me go alone because he knows I'll come back with the ugliest and sickliest dog I was able to find thinking that no one will want him. lol
I am a total sap when it comes to animals. My newest furbaby Vivian (gray cat) has me wrapped around her paw. She has me trained to a T. The minute I walk through the door, she runs to my bed, jumps on, and rolls onto her back like a dog so I can scratch her belly. lol
I'm so glad to see I'm not alone here. I was talking to some of my coworkers about this adopting process and they were laughing at me, not like mean laughing, but just like oh geeeezzz laughing. I was starting to feel like the only one who feels physically sick to her stomach thinking about leaving the others that I don't choose and all that.
Just wanted to add in a little update that my roommate is heading out to a petsmart tonight where a rescue organization has some cats that they think would be good for us and they said if she finds one tonight she could take it home...so I may finally get a kitty tonight!!!!!!!!
So glad I won't have to look and think about choosing anymore! And I can just love the one I get and know I saved at least one!
@mc77: Yay! Be sure to show us pictures when the new one comes home. I love having a cat in the house.... except for this mornign when he was trying to bite my legs... oh well. Keeps you on your toes!
I'm so happy to hear you're going to adopt a cat! You're doing a great thing!!
FI and I are HUGE PRO-ANIMAL ADOPTION!!!!! Just think if you adopt one, you make room for another to be on the adoption list which is a great thing. Another thing to promote is please, please, please spay and neuter your pet. This is why our shelters are so overcrowded and so many healthy animals are unforuntately, euthanized each day. It's terrible but true. So keep doing what you're doing! Adopt and spread the word to adopt!
@katNYC2011: Cats have the best personalities don't they?? :) I love dogs too but what I really love about cats is the fact that they make you earn their love in a way and if they're not happy, they let you know it!
@stephinPA: Yep, spaying and neutering is beyond important. I'm glad that awareness has increased over the years but there's still a lot to be done!
I'm a little embarrased/sad to say that I used to volunteer at an animal shelter and had to quit after a few months because I couldn't handle it anymore. There were just sooo many abandoned animals and people constantly giving up their pets it was so sad. I also cannot watch the ASPCA commercials, I have to change the channel it's just too sad for me.
I wish we could have our own pets, but living in the city (for us) it's impossible. I had my dog for a few years here and when I had to work part time out of Philly, spending 3 nights a week there and 2 in NYC (long story, I was covering both territories for my old job), the little Daisy had to stay with my parents since I coudln't afford daycare and couldn't travel with her that frequently. When I finally left that job, we made the decision together to keep her with my parents since my Mom spends all day with her and she actually has space, but it just breaks my heart all the time being away from her. She's also very spoiled and high-maintenance now, which is another reason the transition back to my apartment just wouldn't work.
But yeah, I totally hear you on it being really hard to choose a cat to rescue. I know we will do that eventually when we finally live in a real house and I can't imagine how hard it will be! Good luck and congrats on making the decision to adopt! :)
I'm the same way. I turned on the TV to Animal Planet the other night and had to watch a dog filled with cancer be put to sleep, and I started crying. I thought once about volunteering at a shelter, but when I realized it was a kill shelter, I couldn't (though I later volunteered for a long time at a no-kill shelter, and it was wonderful. I had to stop eventually because of my asthma, though).
That being said, just a couple weeks ago, I adopted my new kitty from a shelter. She's ten years old and had lived at the shelter her entire life! It took her about a week to get used to the new environment, but she's turning into an amazing pet. I <3 her so much. :)
Oh wow! She lived 10 years at a shelter??? How sad but what a wonderful happy ending! I'm so glad you took her home :)
Honestly, I've never picked out my cats because I just can't do it. The places are just so sad they make me miserable. Also, I'm not allowed to watch the sad animal commercials with Sarah M.'s song on in the background.
@mc77: Yeah! Amazing, isn't it? She came into the shelter as part of a litter, and they were all only about two months old. She's over ten years old now, and she *just* got out. Her brother is still there! I could hardly believe it. Fortunately, she's adapting really well to having a forever home! She's even starting to turn into a true lap kitty, and the people at the shelter told us she HATED sitting in laps. She ends up in mine a couple times per day now, though!
I really loved the shelter I adopted her through. It's one of the ones I used to volunteer at. It's a no-kill shelter, and the animals aren't kept in cages. The cats have the whole run of the building, and the dogs, though kenneled at night, have a whole yard and an indoor play space to run around in during the day. It's a great shelter, and if any of you ladies in the DFW area ever want to adopt a new pet, I highly recommend adopting from them. It's called Dog and Kitty City, and it's kind of close to Love Field.
Now I just feel like showing off!
Penelope, my shelter baby, is the tiny calico looking at the camera. She's such a great cat. I don't know how she didn't find a home before now. The big white guy in the back is Snowflake, my other cat. He was a stray who found us about eight years ago.
OMG how adorable!!!! I think you need to go get the brother too now though :) They are really sweet! It's great that they're getting along.
@mc77: I wish I could, but honestly, my asthma and finances can't handle more than two cats right now. Also, Snowflake is a huge pushover, and he doesn't get along very well with other males. He's just barely tolerating Penelope. It's really funny. He is putting up with her now, but given a choice, he wouldn't want to deal with her. She, on the other hand, has decided that he is her new best friend, and she's following him everywhere and walking on him whenever he lays down. She literally shoved him out of my lap yesterday because she was trying to get so close to him - and it was impressive because he weighs about twice as much as she does!
I had to skip over most of this thread because I started tearing up. I love animals, very much. The shelter rips my heart apart. I want to walk in and say "I'll take all of them". When I read or hear about cases of animal abuse, I get pissed and want revenge. These creatures didn't ask to live in the world we've created, but they have no choice and I find it ridiculously unfair.
@mc77- We had a hard time choosing. FI and I did a weird test, we picked up a cat and saw if it would let you hold it like a baby, if it did it came home with us. The first cat we did it to let me hold him like that and rub his belly (this apparently means he will trust humans) then before we left with 1 I asked FI to look around 1 more time to see if we could get another 1 b/c I wanted to bring 2 home at the same time to bond and learn the house together. He found our baby girl tucked under a night stand sleeping. She passed his weird test and the cats didn't hiss at eachother so they came home with us that night! They love eachother and we couldn't be happier. They are both older (3-5 when we adopted) b/c the older ones get looked over more.Good luck choosing!
@Mighty- You roll awesome, I would totally do that if I had to!
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