UPDATE: my cat it 3 years old and has lived in 5 houses (+8 short stays) across 5 countries. I was worried that our lifestyle might be traumatizing for him, but in the end I chose to keep him.

I posted here a couple of months ago, asking about whether or not I should consider finding a permanent home for my cat due to my hectic lifestyle.

You can see my my original post here. Warning, it's LONG!

I read all of your opinions and, in the end, chose to keep Weasley. This might be a controversial opinion, so I want to explain my reasoning. My hope is that this post might help other guilt-prone pet owners make an informed decision about whether to rehome their own cats.

• Yes, he hates traveling. It is very stressful for him, especially when traveling between different continents! However, he bounces back very quickly each time, always in less than 3 days. There have never been any lasting side effects.

• Vets in all countries have assured me that he is in extremely good health (and always praise me for it, hehe).

• He had a mast cell tumor removed about a year ago, low degree, with clean margins. I don't know that another owner would have had the money to have this procedure done, and that could have cost him is life.

• He is a VERY vocal cat, which I am sure would drive a lot of people crazy. It drives ME crazy sometimes, and I love him like my child. I cannot be certain that other families would always be patient with him like I am.

• I am planning to stay in the new country for at least 2 years this time. After this, I plan to move to my "forever country", and finally settle down. Basically, we've been through the worst of it.

• He has bonded with me very deeply - he is very affectionate, loves to sit on my lap, waits for me at the door when I return from work. I sometimes have to leave for a couple of weeks, but I think he knows I always come back.

• More importantly, he has forgiven me - so I should forgive myself as well. In the end, I have nothing but good intentions, and learn from my mistakes each time.

All in all, I have a fair share of regrets. I regret having left him with different people before learning about TrustedHouseSitters, and I especially regret having left my boyfriend's family keep him in a crate for the time he spent in the US (please read the original post before accusing anyone of animal cruelty). Still, I've learned from these mistakes, and truly believe I am a capable, loving and extremely dedicated pet owner. :)

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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/n0zl0f/update_my_cat_it_3_years_old_and_has_lived_in_5/