So, I have two cats. One of them, Brother, is and has always been a handful. I love him and his sister, Toots, soooo much and have never ever done anything but adore them. Brother has a problem with marking in the house (he is neutered), and we can't have anything like clothes, rugs, etc. touch the ground because he pees all over them. Everywhere we've lived he has peed and we have always dealt with it. Even if there's nothing on the floor he still pees. We've had them for over ten years after finding them wandering the street alone at night as tiny kittens.
Fast forward to May of this year when I had my son. Now, I know it's common for women to feel different about their pets when they become mothers--some evolutionary thing, I guess. I just felt like I had much less time to love on the cats and give them all the attention they've always been given. Up until then, they were my babies. But I also started to feel like I don't want my son to grow up in a house that has cat pee. The last straw came when Brother started peeing in my son's room. I cannot let this happen. So, we have decided to make our indoor cats outdoor cats.
We started with a cat door leading to an enclosure my husband built outside for them, complete with high tunnels, heated cubbies, a bench, perches, etc. They gradually spent more and more time in there, and less time inside. They still come inside but are confined, when they do, to one room in the house. Once we get their outdoor vaccinations (on Monday), we're going to open their enclosure so they can leave it to explore the outdoors. Then, they'll be outdoor all the time and not come inside anymore.
Another consideration in this decision is that my husband is allergic to them and has suffered with that for over ten years because we love them so much. But now we've made this decision and are sticking to it. My heart hurts though. I hold back tears some days because I don't want them to think they are unloved or thought of a nuisances, or that we don't like them anymore. I know they enjoy it outside, which helps me to not feel so bad. I guess I'm just realizing that we'll never nap together on the couch, like we used to. And they'll never be cozied up near a roaring fire, or hang out with me in the kitchen while I cook, or run around while we listen to music--or a hundred other things. And now when I see sweet cat posts on reddit I feel this deep sadness. I feel like I failed them. But like I said, I know they like it out there. It's been raining and windy lately though, and what if they're afraid? Especially at night, I worry about them being outside.
I guess I'm just hoping to hear from others who either understand or can show me some understanding and support. Thank you for reading this.
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/u/spiderat22
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from Pets https://www.reddit.com/r/Pets/comments/rjhtwc/my_relationship_with_my_cats_has_changed_since/
