Monday, February 2, 2009

A Serious Moral Dilemma


I have a serious problem. We laugh about it, but it's getting to the point where it's just really not funny. This is my kitty. Her name is Roxy (AKA Roxy the Unlovable Cat) Three years ago when I was pregnant and on bedrest with Audrey I decided I really needed a cat. I wanted a sweet little kitty that I could hold on my lap and keep me company while Ryan is away at school at night. I've always loved Russian Blues and when I saw Roxy, I fell in love.

Here's where the moral dilemma begins. I probably should have thought a little harder about buying a tiny little kitten when my girls were so young. They showed her way too much love and right off the bat she developed some serious issues. I feel like we have broken our poor, sweet kitty. She is tolerant of the girls, but won't willingly approach them. She loves Ryan, but unfortunately the one person she chose to love happens to be the one person who absolutely hates cats. She has a major problem with me and I don't know why. I'm the person who feeds her, changes her litter box, and I alone have spent hours on end trying to develop a bond. She hates me. The other day I was minding my own business typing on my computer and she just jumped up and attacked me. She sunk her teeth into me and just hung there like some sort of crazy rabid animal. She has never bitten Ryan. She won't even hiss at the girls, but me... I don't know what to do.

I've been the one pushing to keep her around. Maybe because I have some serious guilt about corrupting my little kitty. But lately I'm starting to realize that she is just not a good fit for our family. I think she needs someone who just lets her be.

So here's my question. What do I do? I know if I take her to the Humane Society, she'll probably end up getting put down. No one's going to want to adopt a 3-year-old cat who is hard to bond with. I have this horrible image of her locked in a cage all alone for months waiting for someone to love her. It makes me so sad. But she makes Ryan miserable because she loves him and he doesn't love her and she follows him around like a little lost puppy; she makes the girls miserable because they want her to love them and she just isn't a sit-on-your-lap-and-purr type of cat; she makes me miserable because she attacks me like a crazy psycho. Do I keep her around out of a sense of guilt, or do I subject her to the unknown future that the Humane Society has in store for her. Please help. I'm feeling so bad. She really is a good cat. She just isn't a good fit.

7 comments:

Audrey said...

Post her on the KSL classifieds. They're free, so it won't cost you anything, and give her away for free, so someone is more likely to take her. Win-win, right?

Branitt said...

The you can also try craigs list. we got Bella on ksl from some one who found that they were incompatibly with her, and we love her. so there is hope for Roxy. i think that the Humane Society is a great organization but would use them as a last resort.

Sarah E said...

Thanks for the advice. I put an ad on KSL. I'll cross my fingers and hope someone falls in love with her.

Carolyn said...

Hmmmm, you might want to talk with Uncle Owen about this one. He seemed to not care at all when our cats suddenly "ran away". I think Cathy and I had three different set of cats. We got them as kittens, and then the same thing happened to all of them... one day when they were big and fat, they just decided to run away from home. (sorry to any cat lover out there that feels I may have had a heartless father!)

Jillo said...

Hey, wait a minute, our cats would "run away" all the time as kids too! Hmmm.....
Those Roundy boys, you just never know what is going on in their heads.
KSL is a good idea. She needs a little old lady to hold her and spoil her.

Brittany said...

Just a suggestion, but you should never offer an animal for free. You can get some creepos that do not have the best interest of that animal in mind. Even if it's only for $20 I would put a price on Kitty's adoption. :)

Sarah E said...

Oops. I got a call on my cat this morning, but I think I was too honest and I scared her off. I'm going to have to figure out how to still be truthful, but put a positive spin on things. :)