Which is how we, and our lifestyle, will suit the cat in question.
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Cats are only happy when they fulfill their purpose; whatever that might be. Thanks to about 10,000 years of different environments where people had cats, we have a variety of breeds with different skills and needs. We have still further variations when those breeds contribute to the mixed breeds most of us acquire one way or another.
Some cats need a lot of gymnastic playtime, and are unhappy and destructive when constrained too much. Other cats need a quiet haven where they will not be overwhelmed, and living in a household with puppies and toddlers will make them into hidden cats.
I’m a case in point. For many years, I had a house with cats, dogs, and kids. There was plenty of room, and attention, for everyone. I could take on all comers, and mostly I did. But even so there were cats who needed rehoming because their needs would be best met by being an Only Cat, and that wasn’t possible at my house.
Now, I’m in a much smaller space, and Mr WereBear is mostly housebound. We have room for only three cats, and those cats really need to get along. I did acquire a kitten who needed more room and more attention, and I wound up rehoming him to a place where he could get that.
It wasn’t that I didn’t love the cats I rehomed. I was that I did.
Not getting what we thought we’d get is not a serious consideration when the object is not made different by the mistake; the returned shirt can easily be worn by another. But used cars and used cats have depreciation issues that make a choice, if we have one, rather crucial.
We sometimes do not have the luxury of choice, as when we take in a stray or step in as an emergency home. Even so, we should not suffer from a mismatch, when both we and the cat might be happier when they are in another home.
Sometimes we are not a cat’s final destination. Sometimes we’re just a station on their journey.
For tips on rehoming, see my post, Resumes for Cats.
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There’s more to choosing a cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See my CHOOSING A CAT.
Rehoming a cat must be one of the hardest decisions, but I second that it’s sometimes for the best of everyone involved. Thanks for touching this sensible issue!
Cat with a Garden´s last [type] ..Fabulous Friday
We’re facing rehoming right now. Our little Esme isn’t going to fit in, I fear. She spent too many nights tossed out of her former house, and came to mistrust other cats, I think. She does fine with most of them, but two arouse intense anger, and attacks. Sigh. We love her so. I always worry that I won’t find another home, and it tears me especially that this little girl should really have her life disrupted again. But she needs to be an only cat somewhere, I think.
We’re taking at least another month, however. As we’ve been on edge this summer unrelated to her, I think that’s had its effect. Cats, are, it seems huge furry sponges of human emotion.
I don’t know very much about Lady’s history, but from what the shelter knew about her, she was probably dumped out of a car in a busy suburban area. When I found her, she became the second cat in a two person, two cat household, and very quickly established herself as topcat. Now it’s just me and the two cats. She enjoys my lap, and likes to be “tucked in” while there, with a blanket, an unused sweater, even a coat wrapped over her as she snoozes. About three weeks ago, my daughter and three of her children came to spend about half of the summer with me. And now it’s clear that Lady knows about large families. She is in her element, snuggling, supervising, investigating, and meowing a command or two. I read this blog entry yesterday, and was immediately concerned that when the visiting family leaves in about 10 days, that she would not be happy. But yesterday afternoon, for the first time since the visitors arrived, she came to my lap, pawed at the cotton wrap on the couch to indicate she wanted a “wrap” curled up and slept for about an hour. She hasn’t forgotten the pleasure the two of us share during those moments. I know she’ll miss her extended family when they leave, as will I, but I’m confident she’ll go back to being in charge of me and the other cat.
Woodstock´s last [type] ..Can this man write- or what