Will you have bunnies again sometime?
But why do you have to close that chapter of your life? Why not plan for new pets soon?
I won’t be having a bunny again anytime soon. I won’t be having any small animals again, at least not for awhile. I’ve always thought it a ridiculous notion that small animals are good “starter” pets. They need a lot of time, a good amount of space, quite a bit of equipment (cages, toys, etc.) and a lot of specialized care. And thanks to poor breeding they are, more often than not, sickly and prone to very short lives. It’s that last part especially that I’m feeling too tapped out to deal with.
As far as other pets, I’d say we’re pretty well covered in the cat department. Given their young ages and extraordinarily good health, we can expect to have them around for at least another ten years or so. And the cats have been so well blended into the household and the family that they are a natural part of our lives. I’d hate to force that with a new addition.
Now…I do want a dog. But here’s where the most pressing reason comes in, the reason for me to ‘close that chapter’ for the time being: my parents do not want anymore animals. I’m a young woman, a college graduate, and I live at home. I love living at home and I love my parents, so I really must respect their wishes. Even if I felt I could take on a new animal, it’s going to have to wait until I move out. And that probably won’t be happening for awhile.
There are other reasons too. Financially I’m not in a position to take on a potentially large investment (I’m still dealing with the several hundred dollar legacy dear Peanut left). I need to be more stable, and focus on the pets I have now, before I commit to a new animal. I also need to consider the pressure it would place on my time. I try not to overbook my life, and I think I’ve found a good balance for now. On top of that, I’ll be gone for a whole month next summer, and that gets harder to do the more dependents you have.
So there are my reasons. Things may change, and I hope that they will. But for now it’s just me and the feline posse. Pass the catnip…
I surely understand. Our rabbit is rather fragile, and my husband is kind of concerned that we won’t be able to take any long trips because he goes into stasis so easily. We love him dearly, but he is fragile. I just know I would miss having any pets. I know you have those wonderful cats, and that is a blessing that they currently enjoy good health. I would love to have cats, but my dh cannot do that because of his allergies and lung issues.
That all makes sense. I totally understand respecting the limits of your dear parents.
We’re just as happy here with one cat as we are with one kiddo. ;D For us, less is more!
Everything you posted makes complete sense. We lost our oldest cat on August 7 and within days I had people asking if we were going to be adding a new pet to our family. It seems like only a couple of people actually understood that in addition to my husband and I being upset over the loss we also still have 3 other cats (who still going looking for Tiger now) and one rabbit who need attention and who are also mourning the loss of their older sister and leader.
I haven’t visited your site in a while so I did want to pass on my condolences on your loss of Rex. I never did get a chance to thank you for your wonderful posts on raw feeding. We lost Tiger to cancer but I think the fact that I changed her diet those last couple of months seemed to help her fight the disease just a little longer and your site was one of my best resources for raw feeding and your links to the forums and websites you use for your cats.
Sorry about being away from your blog for a while, and missing Rex’s passing. I know he had a great life with you, Emily. He was as happy and well-loved as a bunn could be!
(((BIG HUGS)))