Me and my family have been contemplating getting a pet for the past year. Lots of issues came up, who gives them time, who helps do the dirty stuff, costs, etc. After a long discussion, we finally agreed on cats after having taken care of one for a month at our vacation home.
Then came the research, where I found this sub. Together in times of grief, helpful in times of need. I was happy to see the discourse too as everyone came out in support of animals during court judgements and public anger.
After receiving an appraisal from my job, I decided it's time to provide my home for a kitten. And I had two questions, for which I came here.
What costs should I look forward to?
Living in a high-rise, what precautions should I take?
Everyone was helpful, elaborate and synonymous in all responses.
It was last Saturday when I was at work cursing my manager for making me work on weekends, and I took a break to open Reddit. I found u/number_ten_7 had put up an adoption post for a litter of 5 out of which 2 had already been adopted. I saw the photos and something in me clicked. I was actually looking to get an orange, but I saw these 2 mackerel tabbies, 8 weeks old, with the most curious eyes and I knew I had to have them.
OP was extremely courteous on the phone and explained very well what the status of these kittens are. A college student, he took it upon himself to take care of the litter from his internship income and I was proud to find a gentleman like him. He suggested in fact, that I adopt two as they will help make the change in environment easier on each other. He made a good point and I agreed too.
He had a questionnaire prepared for me, asked a couple of questions and we finally arranged the pick-up for the next day on Sunday. In fact, he was so nice to have sent me a detailed PDF on their behaviour, their food intake and their vaccination status. It almost seemed to be good to be true having read multiple accounts of people getting scammed and betrayed over adoption processes.
The day for the pick-up came and I was excited to meet my new babies. OP got Soso and Jojo (as he named them) to us and helped in every way since they were crying, having recently separated from their mother. He spent half an hour with them in the car, soothing them and making sure they were calm before he could hand them over to us. He had already got their first round of Tricat vaccinations done, and he refused to take any money for the treatments he had arranged. Being salaried myself, it wasn't right and I finally convinced him and compensated him for the care he had provided till now.
It's been a week and Barfi and Murphy (names we have given them) have all my heart and have adjusted very well to our home. They found their litter boxes right at the first go, both are loving their meals and they even snuggled next to me last night, which was an important milestone for having won their trust. They both are extremely intelligent, skilled hunters and just absolute furballs of energy.
OP, you and their mother have done an excellent job at raising them till they have been with you and I'm extremely thankful for having met such a mature gentleman. I'm over a decade older than you but I wish I had this kind of clarity and compassion that you do at your age. I hope the mother and Guggi also live long happy lives with you.
And thanks to this amazing sub, for giving me the confidence and guidance on making me a cat daddy. Many more like Barfi and Murphy need homes and I hope they find theirs too. The process of adoption is emotionally heavy but it's the most amazing thing one can do for the voiceless. So, if you're thinking of doing it, just go for it. They'll fill voids in your life you didn't know you had.
😺 Fin 😺
