Hello, first time pet owner, looking for advice, not judgement. I'm trying to decide whether to keep the kittens I have adopted or return them to the shelter.
I had never had a pet, and although I liked dogs and have spent a lot of time around dogs, I decided to get a cat based on how long I would be gone from work every day. I also live alone. I started looking and of course I wanted a very young cat or a kitten. On the advice of a few enthusiastic cat owners, I considered getting two cats as they said it cuts down on issues. I found a shelter that waives the fee of the second cat and I managed to snag two 3 month old kittens from separate litters, which are a hot commodity at this shelter. One of the kittens was very fearful and one was extremely social. The kittens are now becoming better friends.
Well, after 10 days, I keep constantly going back and forth about whether or not i made the right decision to get these two very sweet kittens. Within a few days, I started to realize how different this was than I thought it would be. They are content playing and wrestling with each other, and when I am present I do play with them and try to give them affection, but I feel that they need more time than i can give. Every weekday, I'll be gone from 7 am to around 5 PM at earliest. I came home today to see several items knocked off of surfaces. The hyper one is always trying to chew or bite through things. And when I get home, I'm pretty exhausted and often find myself just wanting to sit and watch TV for a bit before bedtime. When my focus is not on them, the social one cries out for attention. I like them a lot, but if you told me that they were for sure going to be adopted by owners that could make them happier, I would give them up in a heartbeat.
I realize now that I shouldn't have been drawn in by the cuteness of kittens and instead gone for a really chill older cat at the shelter. I should have asked to find the quietest, calmest, and friendliest cat older than 2 that is cool with being an only cat. I forgot to mention that having two cats definitely feels like a lot of cat in my place. I sometimes feel really crowded. I prob just want something to take care of that doesn't stress me out much. Something that is independent and will not get in as much trouble. That wants to cuddle when I get home from work and watch tv with me. I want a cat that will sleep by my side instead of crawling on top of me when I'm sleeping.
I talked to the shelter and they indicated that it is no problem to bring them back and there should be no stigma attached to realizing that it wasn't the best fit. I'm not sure what i want, maybe just advice? Should I just power through and wait? In half a year or so they will basically be adult cats. But am I depriving some little kid out there of a couple of kittens they would treasure? Am I depriving a chill older cat at the shelter a loving home? Or worse, if I do give them up, will i completely regret it and wish I had never given them up? Advice please!
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/ar75of/need_advice_keep_kittens_or_not/
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