Okay, so I'm not entirely saying goodbye to my cat, Jasper. He just went to my mom and dad's farm to be an outside cat. But it still hurts...
Let me start a little further back. I had the baby, for those of you that didn't know. Jake was born on the 24th of June. Mike and I (and the whole rest of our families) are so excited! Now, as you people know, Mike and I have two dogs and two cats. There are those out there that completely FREAK out at this information, not so much the dogs, but the cats. They'll "smell the milk on the baby," "the hair will choke the baby," they will "scratch the baby to pieces," and numerous other concerns and old wives' tales. Okay, as far as the scratching...I keep my cats' nails clipped anyway because I personally don't like being stabbed to death when they're in my lap. The hair choking the baby? Yes, we don't vacuum quite as often as we should, but I assure you, there are no hairballs anywhere around the baby. And smelling the milk on the baby...that's just a myth. Okay, maybe if they get right up on the baby they'll smell it, but people make it sound as though as soon as the baby eats, no matter where the cats are in the house, they will be in the crib in seconds. Cats and babies CAN coexist, despite what people (especially older women) tell you.
That all being said...we're getting rid of the cats. I know, I know: why go on this soap box spiel about babies and cats coexisting if you're not giving it a chance? Well, I did give it a chance, and unfortunately, the cats lost. We had been thinking about giving Cali up for a little while anyway, because we can't seem to break her of getting on the counters and getting food. Jasper I had broken of that at my apartment in college because I was able to see him. I can't catch Cali. She's really sweet and loving, so if anyone is willing, she's free to a good home. As for Jasper...Jasper's my baby. He was my first pet...MY first pet, not a family pet. He has such a personality on him. He'd greet me at the door when I came home, he'd paw at me to be picked up, he'd give me kisses, he'd snuggle up to me under the covers in the winter and sleep in the crook of my arm and purr. I had put my foot down to my husband that I was not giving him up (Mike's not a cat person and he's been trying to convince me to get rid of them for almost a year now). I didn't want to give Cali up, but I finally conceded. But Jasper was going to stay with me.
What changed was when he decided to jump in the crib to investigate what this new creature is that mommy brought home on the second night Jake was here. It scared me enough to realize that, even if Jasper is being innocent and just wanted to snuggle up to this new being, Jasper is twice the size of Jake and could suffocate him.
So today I made my tearful goodbye. Okay, okay...so it's not goodbye. Mom and dad agreed to take him on the condition he is strictly an outside cat (the family cat died and so dad didn't want to have to deal with anymore litter...that, and even though Jasper's neutered, he still smells like he's intact). He knew something was up because he saw the carrier in the hallway. I took him to get updated on his shots and then Mike and I turned him loose at mom and dad's. He explored a little while I was there (mainly of the back porch and deck where his food will be), and then set up camp by the back door, crying to be let back in (Which is funny, if you think about it...the whole time I lived at home he kept trying to escape out the back door, even slipping out a couple times and going under the house. Now I finally let him out and all he wants is to come back in!)
I know it's for the best, and at least he's still with people he knows, even if he is outside. But I just worry about him...the guy that hays the fields hasn't done that yet, so I'm freaked Jasper'll be in the long grass when he starts. There's wild animals and stray dogs and occasional stray cats that come and go through the property, so I'm worried he'll tangle with them. Maybe he'll run away. I know he's just a cat, but he's been my little buddy for six years now, and all that stuff mentioned above that he would do I won't have anymore.
