Re-Homing Family

Times are beyond tough and it has been determined that in order to help our familial situation, we have to, and I hate this phrase, "thin the herd."  To be honest, twelve cats is a herd, but this is the most difficult situation I have found myself in, besides the whole trying to avoid foreclosure thing...

When I was working at the veterinary hospital, I had discounted veterinary care and vaccines, and I was a stray pet adoption coordinator, which of course meant I adopted a lot of cats.  Now that I'm a stay at home mom fighting for my home and family, I know that some of these cats would be happier with someone with more time, energy and resources with which to shower them.  Not all of them, I couldn't bear that. I can barely bear losing any of them.

In order to do this, I had to make "the List."

"The List" is the cats to whom I am most able to say Goodbye.  I feel badly for my husband because Sullivan is first on the list.  The issues we've had with Sully have not resolved.  He is still urinating inappropriately and attacking me.  Thank heavens he likes the baby.  He's also riling up many of the other cat.  It breaks my husband's heart, but he is aware that Sully has to go.  Calliope and Persephone, my skittish kitties would probably be happier in a house without a lot of other cats.  I always hoped they would come out of their shells with me, particularly Persephone, because I have a soft spot for polydactyls, but so far they haven't very much.  Calliope is higher on the list than Persephone, because of  the aforementioned soft spot.  Last on the list, very last, are Pigeon and Dewey.  They absolutely must be adopted together because since the day they were born they have never been separated and they are very bonded to each other.

I have had to accept that Sully would probably be "okay" as an inside/outside cat, which goes against everything I believe about the appropriate housing of cats.  But, in the right environment, he has the temperament that would probably lend to surviving the pitfalls of such an existence.  I would require that he have constant access to shelter, food and water, all vaccines including feline leukemia and plenty of time with human interaction.  Long games of fetch would be ideal.

I would love it if Calliope went to someone who understands that she likes to push buttons that make sound.  She used to play with our printer/fax machine and make it make noise.  That would amuse her for hours.  Honestly, I have a friend who would be perfect for Calliope, and who had originally accepted my Sterling Kitten Anya, but I can't give her up.  Unfortunately my friend's leasing agent requires any cats to be declawed, and I refuse to have any of the cats declawed.  Anya was declawed against my will when she was a kitten and I hate myself for letting that happen.  I'm hoping that we can convince the leasing agent that Soft Claws are acceptable.

Persephone should go to a tender person willing to give her time to eventually come out of her shell.  She's a quiet, shy lady who loves basking in windows and lounging on our pellet stove.  Someone who loves her big gorgeous paws.  I live for her gentle head bumps and long soulful stares.

If we can keep Dewey and Pigeon, I would be thrilled.  Dewey has grown up to be huge and so outgoing and sweet.  Pigeon is a gentle, silly, curtain-climber who licks the baby's toes.

I know logically that we ended up with too many cats for our situation, but emotionally I hate this.  I have been going through all the stages of grief over this.  I cried most of last week just thinking of it.  And when my father posted "Cat Needs Home" flyers at his Elks Lodge for each of the cats on the List, I wept for hours.

No matter that I have so many cats, each of them is family, and giving them up will be the hardest thing I can imagine, unless we lose our house.