I'm happily back home now. I usually try to plan my trips so I have a few days to settle in at home before jumping back into work, but that was not the case this time, which made for a crazed week. I also managed to pick up a slow moving cold-bug which has zapped all my energy. The lack of transition was difficult on the kitties too. All week Buddy and Nahum needed me to make up for lost tummy rubs.
This was the first time I have employed a cat sitter while away, and I think it went really well. Upon coming home the cats seems much less traumatized than when I board them. They were attention starved but they weren't all freaked out like when they come home from being boarded. The cat sitter was also a fraction of the cost of boarding which is a real plus! And the cat sitter happily put food out for BK, something that wouldn't have happened if I had boarded them.
Speaking of the BK, a blogger friend recently said to me in an email, "It sounds like you are getting attached to him/her." She nailed the truth. It's emotionally difficult seeing BK make a go of it on his own. I so much want to give him a safe, warm home where he never has to worry about food. But what then when the next stray appears? Is there a limit to how many strays I can rescue? My funds and time are certainly limited, but it seems my heart isn't hindered by such constraints.
I'm wondering how people with inside/outside cats sleep at night. I live near some very busy roads. Last night I watched BK walk over to the intersection of one of the busy roads and he stood there on the sidewalk, considering whether to try crossing it. My heart was in my throat as I helplessly watched. Thankfully he thought better of it and chose not to cross. I so wish I had some magic means of finding BK a safe and loving forever home.
After BK ate breakfast this morning, he went right over to the larger and newest lodge building, climbed inside and hung out. It is the first time I have seen him inside the new unit, a very exciting day! He stayed inside for quite some time.
Since I don't have a magic wand and can't make everything right for BK, I'll just need to try to be content with doing the best that I can do. Maybe someday I'll get to love on him more directly.
3:30pm update: BK has not left the kitty house all day! He remains curled up in the back corner and zonked out. I'm thrilled that he knows this kitty house is a safe spot for him to rest.
I had 6 cats once--I only have 5 now. 6 seems like only 5 + 1 but to me it was like running your car RPM into the RED zone. It seemed a lot more work than just 5. Cost is an issue as well. Should you adopt BK or adopt him out? I cannot say, but how would you feel if you woke up in the morning and found him dead by the side of the road?
ReplyDeleteI feel for you. I'm slightly in your situation. I'm in an apartment and two kitties over the one-kitty limit. Plus, my time and resources are now tapped with taking in Annie. I can't stand knowing (or worse, seeing) a needy kitty because I can't take anymore. Sometimes, I wonder, why Annie and not this one? There is just so much need out there.
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely doing the very best you can for BK. I hope that he'll get a safe, indoor-only home but until then, what you're doing right now for him is the best you can do and definitely exceeds what most would do or could do.
I think the other thing to consider is that some cats - after being out on their own for so long even if they aren't feral - don't want to be inside. They will eat the food we put out, sleep in our shelters and MAYBE let us pet them.....but they have no use for being locked inside. We tried it with one of the cats here and he kept peeing on the front door....the neighbor who took him in decided this was a sign and let him back out. So, as much as we fret about them being out and don't understand, sometimes they really are happier out there.
ReplyDeleteAt least by creating a safe shelter and feeding BK you are minimizing his risk. He will have less possibility of injuries from fighting and he won't travel so far and be in as much traffic. You can't make his life risk free but he has a home.
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