Anyone who's looked at pet ads knows that people are constantly -- constantly -- giving pets away because they're moving to a place that doesn't allow pets OR, because someone in the family is allergic. So out goes the dog they've had for five years or the 10 year old kitty.... the pet who thought he or she had a home for life.
This New York Times essay takes a look at one mother's decision when faced with the allergy predicament. The cat the mother gave away seems to have been with her for 14 years. That's the disturbing part. The good news is that she gave him to her brother, where at least she could know he was getting good care. The other bad part: Her brother had a cat Charlie did not get along with, so his golden years won't exactly be blissful.
Her son had asthma, triggered by dogs, cats and dust mites, the mother found. She talks about how she adopted the cat right after college and how Charlie had been her constant companion and steady solice through all sorts of life changes and disappointments. But her son's asthma was serious and doctors told her to keep the cat, they'd have to clean like maniacs, invest in air filters and give their son steroids. They weren't willing to do it.
So what do you think of her choice? Has anyone given up longtime -- or even short time -- pets because of a kid or a spouse or a boyfriend or girlfriend with allergies? How did that decision go?
How much should a family be willing to take in order to keep the commitment they made to their animal? Animals aren't disposable so the question is not the "no brainer" that I think a lot of people will want to readily answer. It's not a no-brainer if you love your pet. So how does someone who ostensibly cares deeply about their animals make the decision to give them up? Can the kitty stay if we're only talking about sniffles? Or can the kitty stay if he's 16 years old and doesn't have long left on this Earth?
How do you make this decision?
Photo of orange kitty courtesy of this photostream on Flickr.