What to do About the Cat...

I have a very sweet, personable cat named Tory. I've had her for almost two years. She's a great cat, but I think I may have to give her up.

Now, let me make it clear that yes, I know when I adopted her, I made a lifelong commitment. And let me also make it clear that I'm not particularly happy about this potential decision, and that if I do move forward, I will only give her to someone who will give her a good home and a good life. I just don't know that I can do that anymore.

I also have a dog, named Sydney, who I would never in a million years give up. Sydney is probably going to be some weird combination of jealous and protective of the baby... I mean let's face it - she's already jealous of the cat, so she's really going to hate the kid! But I've had Sydney for almost six years, she's my first baby, and she's most definitely not going anywhere.

But back to the cat...

I know that I haven't been giving Tory the attention she wants. Between work and my mile-long to-do list, I've just been so incredibly busy. I used to spend a lot more time lounging on the couch, and Tory would lay on my lap and get all kinds of attention and scratches behind the ears. But that hasn't happened much in a while, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I mean, she has food, she has water, my sister has been scooping the litter (which she insisted on, I'd do it wearing gloves, but my sis said no), she has cat beds and scratch pads and toys in various places throughout the house, she has lots of windows to look out... she's not miserable.

But I think maybe I am.

No cat would mean much less animal hair around the house. I just know that as soon as I put the swing, bouncy seat, etc. out in areas the cat has access to (they're currently being stored in a not-often-used-room with the door closed), Tory is going to be laying in them every chance she gets, and they'll be full of her hair within a day. And then it's going to be all over the baby and the baby's clothes and blankets. I've also been keeping the door to the nursery closed, but I was in there last night with the door open, and I had to stop the cat from jumping onto/into the crib twice within about five minutes. I don't want her clawing up the $190 crib mattress I just bought! And once it has sheets on it, I don't want her hair all over the sheets. And she's also going to start laying in the glider and getting her hair all over the cushions. I borrowed a bassinet from a friend and it's currently in my room with a big sheet draped over it to try to keep the cat out. But a couple of times the cat has managed to jump into it, push the sheet down, and lie in it but on top of the sheet. I can't keep a sheet over the bassinet at all times once the baby is here. And I don't know how I'm going to keep the cat out of the bassinet, with or without the baby in it. I just really, really, really don't want to have to try to keep up with the cat hair all over the baby and the baby's things, and I know I most certainly won't have the time.

I've been toying with the idea of getting this screen thing that I'd mount at the top of the nursery doorway and pull down and latch at the bottom so that the door could be open, but the animals would stay out. But it's 50-something dollars plus shipping, the website specifically says it may not work to keep all animals out (they could push the screen to the side and still get into the room), and do I really want to have to keep pulling a screen up and down every time I go into or out of the nursery?

Sydney sheds, too, but she's a medium-sized dog and won't lay in the bouncy seat or swing, and she can't jump into the crib. Her hair is also all over the house, but most of it stays in her "spots" - one area of the couch, inside her crate (which I don't lock her in anymore, but she likes to lie in it anyway), the spot where she sleeps at the foot of my bed, etc. When she's in the nursery she just lays on the floor. So I'm not as concerned about the dog hair getting all over everything as much as I am the cat hair.

Earlier in my pregnancy, I think Sydney figured out something was up, a change was in the air, and she started getting into trouble a lot - peeing in my closet, chewing up stuff, getting into stuff she knows she's not supposed to, etc. It got to the point that every night when I got home from work, I'd think to myself, "I wonder what mess I'll have to clean up tonight?" as I walked into the house. So I started crating her again anytime I wasn't home, which I hadn't done in years. I've stopped crating her, but I've been keeping her confined to a smaller area of the house when I'm out, and she can't get to the carpeted upstairs area (which is where she'd been peeing a lot) or the kitchen (where she'd sometimes manage to get into things that were even pushed far back on the counter). It's helped tremendously.

The problem with this system is, when I close the door to keep Sydney in the living room/dining room area, I have to make sure Tory is on the other side of the door, because that's where her litter box and food and water are (in the laundry room). She has access to the kitchen, the laundry room, and the whole upstairs of the house (minus the nursery which has the door closed). She doesn't love when I pick her up from the couch and deposit her in the kitchen so I can close her on the other side of the door. But I don't have a choice.

And today... I was running late for work, and I had put her in the kitchen and closed the door, but then realized I needed to do something quickly in the kitchen. I closed the door behind me, but not all the way, and Tory pushed it open and went back into the living room... and hid under the couch. So now I'm running late, 33 weeks pregnant, and laying on the floor (getting full of animal hair, of course) trying to lure the cat out from under the couch so I can put her back on the other side of the door and get to work. It was SO FRUSTRATING! She wouldn't come out for treats, so I eventually had to just scare her out and she went running into the kitchen. Problem solved, but I felt bad for having scared her on purpose. But what choice did I have?? And it's only going to be worse when the situation is the same save for the screaming baby already in her carrier and ready to go!

I've been toying with the idea of re-homing Tory for a while, but today's little episode kind of sealed the deal, I think.

I've been trying to come up with some ways to make life a little easier for myself so I can feel a little better about being able to handle everything once the baby is here. And I honestly think that not having a cat to take care, give attention to, keep out of the baby's room and things, and clean up hair from will really be helpful. I know I'll miss the cat for a while... but I'll have the baby. And the dog.  And I think between the baby and the dog, I'll have my hands plenty full. As well as my heart.

So, is it so terrible if I decide to find Tory a new, good home?

No, wait - don't answer that. I don't really want to hear it if you're going to judge me and tell me I'm a horrible person for getting rid of my cat. Positive, helpful comments are welcome, of course, but please, no guilt trips! I'm already on one, I promise you. And I may even have a good lead - I think my aunt in Vermont may be up for a new cat (hers died a while back), so I may see if she's interested in taking Tory... I know she'd give her a good home.