by Arna Cook

Created on: September 06, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

My Guilt At Having To Give Up My Beautiful Cats

Once upon a time, my partner and I had three beautiful, tortishell cats. There was Lady, Shania and Sake. They were our babies and we had been their 'parents' for over three years.

We loved them to bits and were as responsible with their care as we could be. Most of their lives, they were indoor cats, as we respected the need to protect our native wild life. Lady and Shania did have two litters each, Sake being the result of one, but responsible owners were found for the resulting kittens and all three were promptly taken to the vet for desexing. No more kittens and we could give all our attention to our three gorgeous girls.

In 2002 we moved interstate, taking our babies with us. We eventually ended up in a one bedroom apartment and while it was kind of squishy for all of us, our cats loved it. They got on better than ever.

A few months later I got pregnant with our first daughter. Great! We were going to have a baby! Our cats, especially my Lady, rarely left my side or the bed. As I was so sick with morning sickness, I couldn't do anything, but the comfort of my cats was a big help. They would snuggle up to me, knowing I was sick, and just sleep. It was really so sweet.

Some people say that cats don't care except where food is concerned, but they did. They knew I was sick and they kept me company. I loved them even more for this, though I didn't think my love for them could grow any more. These beautiful felines were offering me more comfort than they knew.

Several months later, our landlord got really nasty and we had to move. Having only a few days to leave, we didn't know what we were going to do. Accommodations were tight and so was our budget.

After much agonizing, we decided to move to a caravan park. This was when the tears and anguish really began. Both my partner and I came to the severely painful decision that we had to give our cats away. This is the hardest decision I have ever had to make. I didn't want to do it, but I had to think of our new baby and for their well being too.

Let's face it, caravans are really titchy and there was barely going to be room for us and our baby, let alone three furry friends, who were terrified of the outside world. I wanted what was best for everyone and all of us in a squishy caravan was not fair on them. They deserved better than that.

The day before we moved, while my partner packed up our belongings, some friends of ours took me and our girls to the local animal shelter.

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