I’ve never had a pet before. I’ve been wanting to have a cat for as long as I can remember. So today, 6 months after I graduated college and got a full-time job, I finally went to the shelter and adopted a cat.
It was not a rushed decision. I’ve been planning for the adoption for the past three months. I had everything set up in my apartment waiting for the day when I actually adopt the cat. The adoption process went great, and the cat got used to the apartment pretty fast. She’s a sweet 3-year old girl and I felt like I just realized one of my biggest dreams.
That was until just now, when I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, panicking over the fact that I’m responsible for another living creature. I feel guilty that I don’t seem to be ready to take on the responsibilities of a pet owner, although I’ve been doing my research and asking my pet owner friends. I feel like I can barely take care of myself since I just graduated college, and I’m not in a stable enough situation to make such a big commitment. I have a stable job with relatively great pay, but I’m worried that when I eventually change job, or move to a new place, I will have to worry about someone other than myself. Also, I used to enjoy alone time when I can binge watch a show, or play some games, or go out for movies. But now I can barely make 10 minutes into a show without having the urge to check on her.
That train of thoughts quickly spiraled out of control. It’s definitely harder to rent when you have a pet right? What if my future job allows less free time and I won’t be able to take care of her? Isn’t it a terrible idea to have a pet as a single young guy in a rented apartment in a high cost-of-living area? The thought that this poor thing is stuck with me for the next 10 years is making me extremely anxious, and the fact that we have to eventually say goodbye makes me regret the adoption even more. Even worse, if I can no longer have her because of something out of my control, it would be so hard to give her up, and I really don’t want to be the POS that drops her at an overrun animal shelter.
I have so many thoughts right now. I feel selfish not having everything figured out before adopting her and kinda wished writing everything down could help me clear my mind. I know many people had the same feeling when they first adopted their pet, and I know our time together will make everything worth it. However, right now all I have are regrets and anxiety. I want to hear some thoughts from someone other than my friends and family, who will definitely just say “I told you.”
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/fbre1m/having_serious_anxiety_after_adopting_a_cat/
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