Hello people of reddit. I am in quite a pickle.
5 years ago, my parents and I moved to where we are now, and there were 3 cats that the previous owner left behind. They live in a shed outside our home, were very docile and loved people. We fed them and liked the idea of having them as "pets". My mom and dad liked them as they served as rodent killers, and I loved them as they were the first, and for a good while the only friends for 15 year old me.
Time flew by, many were born and given away to good homes when they were kittens to keep the population controlled, while others just left the pack. Today, we have six cats that live happily outside, protecting our property and receiving plenty of food and love.
But now, 5 years later, my dad is about ready to retire, and him and my mom plan on leaving to Mexico to enjoy their lives. And I'm preparing to move out and live on university campus at a city more than an hour away. This all begins next summer.
All 6 cats were born here, and grew under our care. We have a female cat who is the oldest and mother of all others ( Mama Kitty), 3 boys were next (Chaparro, Sylvester, and Prieto), then a girl (Prietita), and just recently a boy kitten joined the pack, who we call Chiquito. All have been neutered and are under 5 years old.
My biggest fear is that the next renter of this house won't like the idea of cats on their property and will scare the cats off and refusing to feed them. The thought of them being forced out of the only home they've ever known kills me. They know the places to hide when weather is hazardous, they know where to hunt for mice and gophers, where the water is, and they know the whole backyard is their playground. They like to sleep on top of a table just outside our bedroom window, so we placed towels and old blankets for them, which they use.
These cats don't belong in a shelter. It's not like they going to add to the feral street cat population. They're neutered and won't cause city-wide damage. I love just walking out and playing and cuddling with them. They relieve so much stress and anxiety its unreal, and without a doubt without them calming be down in certain situations I don't think I would be about to transferring to a University. I swear, if cats hadn't bee in my life since the first day of moving here, I'd be a whole different person.
Any advice or opinions on the matter is welcomed, and I'm cool with answering questions too. Just thought I'd share the worries that keep me up at night (JK, but still a worry nonetheless).
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/k1ucku/leaving_behind_my_best_friends/
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