TGIF
Miss Kitty riding shotgun as we ran from the fire together
I follow a number of cat aficionado groups on social media.
While the content is usually pleasant pictures of peoples pets, there is a new trend I see.
The polite term for it is “rehoming” the cat.
What it means is “getting rid of this cat”.
They want to dump the cat for all sorts of reasons…
They bought a new couch…
They are expecting a child…
They want to travel more…
They don’t “get along” with the cat…
They want a store bought cat because the cat they have doesn’t get a response on social media…
What it always boils down to is convenience…there once was a time when they wanted a cat, now they no longer want a cat…or want the cat they have.
Sometimes, they don’t bother with “rehoming”, they simply have the cat euthanized.
It makes me angry and it makes me sick.
Humans, having practiced disposing of each other without remorse, now treat pets the same way.
When I adopt a pet, (or the pet adopts me), it’s for life.
I know it is going to be inconvenient at times.
I know sometimes I’m going to have allergy problems.
I know I may not get along with the cat all the time.
I know what it may cost and choose to pay.
I’ve never had a store bought cat…only blood bought cats that came with scratches and bites before the cat trusted me.
I have never and will never get rid of a cat that I have promised to care for.
Our culture makes it easy to dump people and pets.
God does not dump either…especially those who have already been dumped for convenience.
The Lord does not care about the cost, He already paid it all.
He only has blood bought family..
The Lord is not ashamed to call you his child.
He’s not concerned about the number of “likes “you get on social media.
He will never leave you or forsake you.
The only “rehoming” you will ever experience is when you move from this place to the place He has prepared for you.
Your pets will be there too…which is part of why it will be heaven, indeed.
Make your own application…
I love this…thank you.
Thank you, Michael! I’ve also only had “second-hand” kitties. One was with me for 18 years. Her former family rehomed her to me because they moved out of state into a rather uncertain place regarding having pets. Current kitty was dumped in a feral colony, but a former pet. Now, she’s mine for as long as she is living. I like to use the biblical adoption analogy in my kids’ classes, using my cat as an example-except our adoption will lead to a perfect home and perfect fellowship with the Father!
Thank you, Page…I know you get it…
Linn,
Do you tell the kids to make their own application? 🙂
Thanks Michael for this! When my wife and I get a new dog, we get one that is in a shelter and has a “past”. Oftentimes the dog was a stray at one point…usually dumped off the side of a road by some dirtbag. Our dogs have issues, but we don’t care. They needed a permanent, loving home, and we provide that. Like you Michael, I can’t stand kill shelters, and there are ALOT of them here in Georgia. Love the last line…heaven will be much more enjoyable with animals!
Dan,
Perhaps it’s a sad commentary on my character…but if Missy ain’t there I’d just as soon stay dead…may God bless you and your wife for your hearts.
You’ll note I said “pets” instead of just cats…trying to be inclusive here… 🙂
Yep! Noticed that Michael! Thanks!
(meaning I noticed you said pets)
when the word “re-homing” first became popular a few years back, i had to look it up and laugh. Some people even want to charge a “re-homing fee”. Another example of creating a new term only for marketing purposes.
Richard,
Exactly…
I was made aware of web sites where adoptive parents, who have buyer’s remorse, look to “rehome” the child they adopted.
Xenia,
That is unimaginable to me…
Our 11-year-old cocker spaniel was ‘re homed’ with us. She is a very wonderful fog but she has severe food and skin allergies that require hundreds of dollars in medications, vet visits, and prescription pet foods every year. We didn’t know she came with these problems. Luckily, we can afford to pay the bills. Earlier this summer we had to pay $600 for one vet visit and my husband complained about it for two days! But we couldn’t possibly just stop taking care of her – she really is one of the family. Thanks for this post! Its good to know that there are pet lovers amongst us like you!
Last year my family was playing mini golf when we came across a cat at one of the holes and it appeared to be living in the nearby bushes. My wife’s heart always bleeds for animals and after convincing herself of her diagnosis that the cat was blind (it’s not), she felt we couldn’t just leave the cat there and had to take it to try to help it. We checked with the golf course and they thought the cat was just a stray and so we took her home.
The thing is, my wife is significantly allergic to cats and so we were going to try to find it a home (or it’s original home). Once we had the cat home, it seemed quite obvious that this cat was a house cat and hadn’t been a long time stray. So we put up fliers all around the neighborhood by the golf course, but never got any response. Those we knew and asked if they would take the cat weren’t able to. So we were stuck with the cat.
But God worked it out. The cat is nice but a bit weird. She stays in our basement and rarely leaves it even though she has free reign to do so. Those few times she does venture up the steps, if she is spotted by any of us, she quickly turns around and scurries back to the basement as if she got caught doing something she’s not supposed to do. So my wife just mostly avoids the basement (in which she never spent a lot of time in the first place) and everything has worked out.
I agree with your post in general, Michael, but situations come up where a person can no longer keep an animal, such as being forced, by circumstances, to move somewhere where pets are not allowed, or a child being allergic to an animals, etc.
Just saying.
BoC,
Over the last few years before SSI kicked in, I literally had to beg and borrow to keep Chester and Miss Kitty taken care of.
Thank God it was provided…but it was never easy.
It was all worth it, though…
KevinH,
Your wife is good people… 🙂
Xenia,
There are times when it’s necessary.
Most of what I see these days is simple narcissism…
My Mini Schnauzer tried to rehome me in early August. Bit my hand when i kenneled her to cleanup spilled potatoe chips. Got rehomed four days to the hospital. Don’t know if I can regain use of my hand.
I’ve concluded we hurt the ones we love.
“A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast: but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.”
— Proverbs 12:10 —
Powerful!
And poignant as we are about to get our family our first pet other than a backyard tortoise that requires relatively minimal care
jtk…a few months back one of our beagles (Andy) was staring intently as something on the ground in our backyard…turns out it was a baby/juvenile turtle. My wife grabbed it before Andy could play with it. We released it to the woods behind our b/y fence. Love that verse (Prov 12:10).