Do you have a plan??

We see it all the time.  Owner died, had to go to a nursing home, moved….and family doesn’t want to (or can’t) keep kitty.  Beloved pets end up dumped in a shelter – depressed, confused and frightened.  Their fate hangs in the balance.

Elliot 111212

I am currently indentured by two amazing furballs, Molly and Drake. They let me share a home with them in exchange for food, water, playtime and love.  I work a job that often puts me in dangerous situations.  I do what I can to make sure I get home safely every day, but I can’t guarantee that.  The reality is that none of us can guarantee that we’re coming home when we leave the house each day.  (Sorry to be so morbid, there really is a point to all of this).  I’ve often given a half-hearted thought to what would happen if I didn’t make it home one day, but haven’t done much about it.  In a few weeks, I’m scheduled to have surgery.  Nothing out of the ordinary, but it involves anesthesia and an overnight stay in the hospital.  This made me start thinking a little bit more seriously about the need to have a plan in place for my kitties if anything were ever to happen to me.

Helping Momma feel better 11022012

I talked to my dad.  My first question “if anything ever happens to me, will you take care of my kitties?”  His response?  “Nothing’s going to happen to you.”  *sigh*  I think this may be why people don’t make plans for their furbabies.  People just don’t want to talk about it.  But, I pressed on because I believe it’s necessary.  “Dad, you know that anything could happen to any of us at any time.  I need to know that Molly and Drake will be cared for if that happens. Will you keep them and care for them or do I need to make a list of people you can call for help?  I DO NOT WANT THEM TO END UP IN A SHELTER!!”  Thankfully, he agreed to care for them, at least in the short term, and not send them to a shelter.

I am still planning to make a list of names/numbers that he can contact in case it becomes to much for him (he’s not exactly a spring chicken, you know?).  Both of my kitties have special dietary needs and tend to visit the vet a little more than your average furbaby.  As much as he loves Molly (he and Drake really haven’t bonded), I’m not sure that he’ll be able to deal with her needs in the long term.  And, as I said, he and Drake haven’t really bonded.  Drake hasn’t really bonded with anyone but me and my special male “friend” (which cracks me up because my friend isn’t really a fan of cats, but Drake LOVES him!).  I have no problem with him splitting the two of them up – and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind either.  They spend a good part of their day fighting with each other.  I’ve resigned myself to the fact that they will never love each other, but am thrilled when they manage to at least tolerate each other.  But, I digress, back to my point.

I have talked to a couple of friends and other family members (and still have more that I want to talk to about this) and asked about their willingness to be Godparents to my babies.  I want to be able to leave a list of names and contact information for my dad so that he has people that he knows he can call if he can’t keep my babies.  A group of trusted folks that I know will be willing to help find the best homes; homes that will give my babies the love that they deserve if I’m not here to do it myself.  I’m fortunate to be a part of this amazing group (Imagine Home) that loves kitties as much as I do, so I don’t think there will be any issue with my babies being cared for, but I still need to give my dad a concrete plan.  One less thing he has to try to figure out on his own if he’s already trying to deal with the fact that something happened to me.

I’m also putting together a biography of each of my babies.  Who better to describe their personalities, quirks and habits than me?  If my babies need to find new homes, their prospective new slaves (um, I mean parents) need to know what they’re getting.  For example, Drake would probably be best suited to be in a home alone.  He’s very territorial and seems to actually get jealous when Molly is getting attention.  They’re both on prescription diets and are both fed a specific amount of food at specific times during the day (yes, I revolve my schedule around theirs!).  Drake loves catnip, Molly isn’t really a fan.  I could go on and on and on.  Things I plan to include in their bios:  Current vet information (my vet actually has an online “portal” that they use to keep pet info up to date, so I’ll include that website and user/password information); medical conditions (including any past experience with giving meds- ie, pills, liquids, etc…); current dietary information (what food they  eat, where I buy it, how much they eat and how often, any treats); litter box information (how many, where they are, what kind of litter they prefer); playtime (what kind of toys they like/don’t like, playtime rituals); personality information (ex:  Molly isn’t a snuggler, Drake gets jealous, etc…); names and contact information of people who are willing to help if they need to find new homes (include the type of help they’re willing to provide – fostering, adopting, etc..)

I’m wondering what your plan is for your kitties (or yes, even the silly doggies) should something unexpected happen to you.  You can share that information in comments here.  Eventually, I’d like to put it all together and add it to the resources we have on the Imagine Home facebook page (and ultimately the website).

<stef>

(By the way, the kitty at the top is Elliot, who has made himself very comfortable in his new home with Admin Linda – here he is today)

elliot today

One thought on “Do you have a plan??”

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