[MQAAord]

Bluto- I'm just now reading this for the first time, and let me tell you I totally understand where you're coming from and the feelings you're going through!

We had two cats (littermates) that we'd gotten shortly after I got furloughed. Their owner couldn't keep them because their little boy had become VERY allergic, and his health simply wouldn't allow for cats to share his home. They were very playful, though very attention-needy cats, and I struggled with keeping them happy & entertained once our first baby arrived. Then the baby became mobile, and one or maybe both of them got jealous and decided to start using my living room carpet as their litter box. I tried EVERYTHING to discourage this behaviour, but nothing worked. It came down to whether or not I was going to allow my baby to crawl around on carpet that the cats were peeing on. I could not allow that to happen. I'd never ever in a million years thought I'd have to send away a pet. It broke my heart then, and still does now, that I had to give them to a shelter. I had to take them all the way to Dubuque, Iowa (I live in Chicago) to find a shelter that would accept them! It was kitten season, and nowhere in Chicagoland could I find a shelter that would take adult cats.

I understand your feelings, a lot of people here didn't understand mine, and I faced a lot of critisism when posted that I'd given up my cats. But I had to do what was best for my family & my situation. Looking back on it now, it really was what had to be done. With the baby gates we have up in the house now, it would have been VERY difficult for the cats to get around, especiall with the one at the top of the stairs. And with two kids and selling the house, there's no way I'd have the time to give them the attention they deserve. Like you, it will be MANY years before I'll even consider having a pet again.