Sunday, January 9, 2011

One More Reason (not to have kids)


Meet the newest addition to my family: Joey! She is just the most precious, loveable, good-natured cat EVER. We adore her. She moved in on Thursday and right now, she is staying in the penthouse suite (our guest room) to keep her safe from our other 2 cats who are still adjusting to her presence in the house.

Joey was the beloved pet of my best friend Sara. They've had Joey for about 8 or 9 years, but sadly, their son developed terrible allergies and the doctor informed them that Joey was the main cause of said allergies and insisted that Sara find another home for the adorable moggie. Sara resisted for awhile, but on a recent visit to the doctor's office, he got more stern with her that Joey MUST GO.

So here she is, living with us, and Sara is brokenhearted. Of course, she's happy that she found a great home for Joey and she's admitted to me that Joey will get much more attention in our home since we don't have kids and have more attention to give. And we're happy to give it.

It just goes to show that the reasons to NOT have kids are never-ending. If Sara had never had kids, she would never have had to give up this precious creature.

Oh well. Their loss is our gain.

15 comments:

ElizabethR1533 said...

She's very pretty. I love cats, and would have one or two, but I'm allergic as well! :-( Although anti-histamines do take the edge off, I still get very sneezey and my eyes water. When I was a kid, I wasn't too bad because I got used to the cats we had, but I can't take the risk now. Cats are all different, and whilst some might be okay, I wouldn't be able to cope with one which liked a lot of fuss or one that liked to sit on my lap.
It's something that makes me quite sad.
Having kids or a cat? I know which I don't want, and know which one I DO want, but can't have!

Give Joey a tickle under the chin and behind the ear from Aunty Jackie xx

That weido over there said...

She is sooo beautiful. And I love she has equal sided lines beside her eyes, like a little Cleopatra look :P

What a cutie!!!

CFVixen said...

Joey is what I call a precious blessing! Enjoy her!

Unknown said...

It breaks my heart when I hear a pet-loving couple is expecting their first child, because *no matter* how they promise and protest and proclaim that their pet will still be a beloved part of the family, it just rarely ends up that way.

I have seen the most wonderful dogs put down for no good reason. And so many pets "dumped" on childless friends and family. Although some of them find good new homes (like yours), I still feel they understand the deep betrayal. And those that do stay often suffer from much less attention and love.

For those who go back on their promises and break the commitment to their pets (not all, granted) my esteem fades a bit - I can never quite trust them again.

Hannah said...

She is lovely. :] I find animals so much cuter than any human child. I have a houseful of them myself (animals, that is).

My in-laws see the way I treat my pets and think I have misplaced maternal instincts. I wish they knew that is definitely NOT the case. I just love animals.

I adore my animals more than anything (other than my husband) and I can't imagine ever giving them up. People roll their eyes and say, "Things change when you have kids. I couldn't have imagined giving up my dog but I did when we had Madison."

Well, problem solved! It's never going to come to that for us!

Christy said...

I have seen sooo much stupid involving pets and kids over the years. Everything, from parents taking dogs they've had for years to be put to sleep without the option of adoption, to immediately going out and adopting a pit bull practically as soon as the stick turns blue.

I'm so glad Joey got a home, instead of ending up at the pound. I can't imagine giving up my pets for anybody; they've been loyal to me all these years.

Ang said...

Another animal lover here. My dog and four cats are the most precious little beings in the world to my husband and I. All of them were rescued (two from right off the street). I love spoiling them and doting on them. I think that earning and keeping the love of cats and dogs is worthwhile and rewarding. It kills me to think about dogs and cats who are the center of attention until a baby is born--and then, they're lucky to have a place to stay at all after that. I have absolutely no respect at all for those who push dependent creatures aside for a child. Anyway, Joey is adorable. Look at that face! I bet they will all get along like old pals soon. Nuzzle her sweet little ears for me.

Gumby said...

Awwww. I just want to kiss her pwetty widdle face! :)

Sea_creature said...

Awww, whatta pritty kitty! Well it probably helps that she knows you somewhat, since you're her former mommy's best friend. I hope your friend will visit her from time to time. But she's going to be in the lap of luxury now, so I doubt she'll miss her old home much. :) Best of luck to you guys in getting her aquainted with the others.
I'm another one with 'misplaced maternal instincts'. PWAH! I hate that assumption. I've just always enjoyed and been fascinated by animals and pets. They are so much more interesting (and ADORABLE) than human babies. I would never give up my menagerie for a baby. That was actually one of the first things I thought of when I thought we might have kids... How am I going to have enough time to love and care for my pets? I can't do it all! Sooo...the pets won!

Unknown said...

I just love looking at Joey! She's the cutest! I think you also have another tabby cat with white paws and a white belly. I want to have a cat or two in the future, but also want to be free to travel sometimes. How do you get around that? Do you have friends who cat-sit? I somehow doubt that you'd drop them in a kennel because they'd be so terrified of being in a strange place. I'd be grateful to hear your opinions on how to deal with this.

Childfreeeee said...

Thanks everyone for the comments on our new pretty kitty.

Diana, when we go away, we have my friend Sara and/or my parents stop by every other day to visit the cats. TECHNICALLY SPEAKING, you can leave a cat for several days without visitors, as long as you leave plenty of food, water and extra litter boxes (so the boxes don't get super dirty).

HOWEVER, we don't like to leave them for more than a couple days because they get lonely and we like to make sure they get plenty of love and attention. Sara and my parents adore our cats so I always feel good knowing they are visiting and taking care of them.

Spectra said...

My sister and brother in law had to give their cat to my mom once they had kids because they "didn't have time" for him anymore. Plus, the babies were getting into the litter box because she had no room for it. In a way, it's good that he went to live with my mom and dad because no cat wants to be ignored all its life.

T said...

What a cute little kitty!

I could never give up my dogs, I'm so glad I don't have to deal with any of the child issues

Jennifer Black said...

Speaking as someone who's worked at various cat shelters for the last decade and a half, I can safely say that "we're having a baby" is the single most annoying response I get as to why people are turning in their pets (followed very closely by "we're moving").

And the really sad thing? It's almost always the DOCTORS who are telling pregnant women that their kitty has to go. Bloody hell, they are more likely to get toxo from handling raw chicken than from cleaning kitty's litter-box.

Maybe if more people adopted pets instead of having snot-nosed brats, we'd solve both the pet and the human overpopulation problem.

Ire said...

She's just like my cat! Only mine is male. I took him from the streets 8 weeks ago and he's still adapting to my other two cats.
I hate it when people betray their animals because they have children. Why don't they get rid of the kid instead? They just see the animal as a toy until the child arrives. God, how I hate couples like that! and I've seen so many cases!