For 18 years we had at least one cat. We got them as kittens in 1993, shortly after we returned from Thailand, and almost immediately after we had moved into our new house. This house. One of the things that made me feel that the house was right for me was a cat lying in the sun in the window when we first visited. Cleo and Gershwin were good cats. They tolerated being fed at different hours in the evening, we had a fake Christmas tree every year and the worst they did to it was redistribute one or two ornaments on the floor overnight, and they never destroyed our curtains or furniture. Gershwin had a drooling problem, and Cleo liked to tap the bedroom door to be let in starting at about 6 am, but these were minor issues, and we loved them.
Gershwin gave up the ghost when we were in Malaysia on holiday in 2010, and we had Cleo alone for almost another year. The house seemed empty without them. They were part of so much of our lives. They saw us through good times, and comforted us during bad. When they died, we took some time. We had been travelling at least once a year, and wanted to continue to do that without worrying too much about putting cats into a cattery every time. With two, it got expensive, even though all the different catteries cheated and put them both together (which was never ideal), and they always took time to adapt when they got home. Anyway, we took a break from cats.
After our six month Middle Eastern/European trip in 2013, it might have been a good time to get cats again, as it led into quite a long period of no big trips. We didn’t know this would happen at the time, of course, but I had some health issues, we had a lot of eldercare issues both in this city and elsewhere, I broke my ankle, and then there was a pandemic! So it could have been a decent time to still have cats.
Post-pandemic, and now with no responsibilities keeping us here, we hope to have a few years of intensive travelling, but we don’t know yet if that will even be possible. After that though we might be able to get a cat or two – but the fact that they can live till they’re close to 20 means that they are a big commitment. And their care issues become much more complicated in their later years. Would I cope? Would I be able to have cats if we (or one of us) had to move? After all, in 20 years time, we will (if we’re lucky) be in our later years too. What if new cats weren’t as easy as Cleo and Gershwin?
We’ve always said we’d like to have cats again. (Funnily, two days after I’d written the first draft of this post, we passed a pet store and my husband suggested we go in and look at the kittens.) I miss having cats around the house. There’s nothing like having a cat in my lap, or snuggled up next to me on the bed or the couch, or purring loudly curled up in a box behind my desk when I am here blogging. There are real mental health benefits to having pets too, especially as we age. Sigh. I am definitely a cat person. But I’m a bit worried. Have I missed my cat window? I hope not.
My 16.5 year old cat is sitting on my lap as I type this. My house would feel strange without a cat.
Two thoughts: adopting an older cat? Or volunteering your home to a foster agency? Both options to add a cat without the potential 20 year commitment
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Our house still feels strange at times without our cats, and it’s been 10 years since we lost Cleo. 😦
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I think it is wonderful welcoming a kitten into your home. An extra motivation: a kitten will keep you motivated to stay fit f& healthy or another two decades ❤
(and I am very sure that you haven't missed a cat window!!)
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Kittens soon become cats, which sit in your lap and don’t want you to move for hours! Ha ha – they wouldn’t exactly help us stay fit! But we’re hoping we haven’t missed the window. lol
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NO!!! You have not missed your cat window, IMHO (which isn’t all that “H”). I was also going to suggest adopting an older cat [or two, or three]. And I have a friend who, with her husband, travels the world doing house-/petsitting, which doesn’t cost the homeowners anything (my friends are Canadian, but are actually members of a housesitting business based in NZ). I think this service has become so popular that there is now lots of competition among the people who want to house-/petsit, so if you’re open to this kind of thing, you wouldn’t have to spend any money for cat care when you travel. [I would highly recommend my friends, if ever you are looking for someone. Or I’m thinking this is what I would like to do when I retire! Just leave a bottle of Chardonnay for me on the deck, and some pasta in the fridge 🙂 ]
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