Last Thursday we had to give our cat away. We really had to.
It broke our hearts and we miss him a lot. It wasn't an easy decision but we
had been thinking about it for a long time and we finally agreed that it was
the best decision for everyone.
We got Soleil when he was 6 months old. We still lived with
my parents and we got it on a spur of the moment. We just went shopping and we
got into a pet store, I saw some dogs and we ALMOST got a pug, but they had to
be operated for their noses and I decided that I wanted a pet *now.* Those who
know me, know that when I want something, really want something, it has to be
now and then. So, Stephen spotted two Abyssinian red cats. They were REALLY
beautiful. We started playing with one of them and my heart melted on the spot.
We bought it right away.
We got home and showed my parents the “surprise.” God they
hated that cat… They found it too skinny or too shy… too affectionate or too
active. Anyways, after a couple of days, they were in love. Soleil was a really
lovely cat. He needed A LOT of attention. He was also very revengeful. When
things didn't go his way he’d pee on the clothes of whoever gave him a hard
time. My closet must have been peed on at least 2 or 3 times.
Soleil was our baby. We loved him so much and he was
definitely part of the family. About 3 years after getting him, I got pregnant
with Noah. Soleil wasn't bad at all. He was great actually. No signs of jealousy when we made the nursery
or when we bought baby stuff. He was actually very friendly. Then, I gave
birth, he
was still Ok. He wouldn't come to Stephen or to me as much as he used to. He
would prefer to go see my parents. He did head bump Noah (sign of acceptance)
but he didn't really care much for him either. Then, I got pregnant again, and
we started having less and less time for Soleil.
When we moved, my parents asked us if we wanted them to keep
Soleil or if we wanted to take him. Stephen insisted that we took him back and
I had been missing him, so we did. He was good, until Emma was born, everything
was fine. Then, we really started running out of time and although we didn't
neglect Soleil, we probably gave him the bare minimum of attention. He started
peeing on the kid’s clothes. Eventually he started to bite Emma’s feet when she
was playing. That was our first red flag. I watched the kid’s closer and he
didn't bite them again.
Then, at the beginning of the year, Soleil scratched Noah
badly. I wasn't there to see what had happened but no matter what did happen;
Soleil should have fled if he thought he was in danger. He didn't. He preferred
to stay there and scratch it. I decided Soleil was going. Then, last minute,
Stephen made me change my mind. He kept saying that Soleil was the first
“thing” we got as a couple, that he didn't want to give him away. I understand…
Fine.
Then, a few weeks later, he started peeing on the children’s
stroller, clothes, sofa… The whole playroom smelt like cat pee. There was no
way we were keeping him. I told Stephen; we are giving him away as soon as
possible. It was my decision and I wasn't going to go back on it. I had decided
for good. I re-posted on a website to give Soleil away. We mentioned that we’d
prefer a couple or single person with no children. A girl wrote to me minutes
after the ad was up. She was very interested. She came to see Soleil the next
day and took him with her. 
Said like this, it sounds easy. It wasn't. It didn't sink in
right away (after the ad was put up and the girl contacted). It took a while… I
think I started feeling it when we took out the cage for Soleil to go. Soleil
went straight into it… It’s almost like he wanted to leave. The kids got to
play with him in the cage, they got to say good bye to him. I tried to explain
to them that the cat was going away and not coming back but they didn't seem to
understand. Noah only really understood when Soleil’s new owner took him into
the car. Noah got super agitated and worried. He kept saying “no mommy, no the
cat, mommy the cat, come back cat.” God that broke my heart… Then, 5 minutes
later, it was all done.
I guess after Noah’s little crisis, the worst part is that Stephen
had to work late that day and he didn’t get to say bye to Soleil. I know that
isn't easy for him and that he wished he would have had a chance to say good
bye.
The new owner and I get really well along. She knows I was
worried so she kept me updated. We actually added each other on Facebook where
she posts tons of pictures of Soleil. It makes me really happy to see that he’s
getting all the attention that he wants. We deeply miss him and I’m not going
to lie, writing this does make my eyes watery, but I know it was the very best
decision for us all. I couldn't run the chance of having him scratch the kids
or hurt them.
