Justify My Love

I’m almost afraid to discuss this in public, as I feel like I have been blacklisted.

Here’s what happened.

It was a casual trip to the pet store, I went alone and wasn’t expecting to walk out with an animal, but I was there to look.  I asked the woman from the shelter what the procedure was to adopt an animal, particularly a kitten.  She handed me a form and said to fill it out and someone would contact me.

Then she asked me a few of the questions on the application such as if I had any experience with cats in the past?  I answered in the affirmative that I had a cat many years ago.  This is where I messed up. Sometimes when I say I, I mean we.

We had a cat in the house when I was younger.  I remember, and I’m almost certain, it was my brother’s idea that we should get a cat.  We found an advertisement in the paper for a kitten, a free kitten, so we called the number and made arrangements to pick it up.

I was too young to drive, but my brother had his license.  When we got there, the woman showed us the kitten. We met the kitten’s mom, she told us what a sweetheart Punky was, later renamed Pepper, and how she loved being cradled like a baby.

We left with Pepper and drove her home.  When my mom arrived home from work, we “surprised” her and said, “Look what we bought you.”  Fade to black. I don’t remember what happened after that, but Pepper was allowed to stay.

Fast forward.

I got a job and was financially and emotionally caring for Pepper.  She was mine.  I was the one who cleaned the litter box, made sure she had food and water.  I was the one who stayed up half the night crying and holding her after she was spayed.

Not too many years later, my brother got married and moved out of the house.  Pepper was and probably always had been my responsibility.  I loved the cat, she hung out with me, slept in my room, in my bed and people even said, in a backhanded compliment  kind of way, that she exhibited my personality and temperament.  She would often scratch, bite and hiss when she did not want to be bothered, but nevertheless she was lovable.

After having her spayed, that was her last visit to the vet.  She was a house cat, in good health and taking her to the vet for shots never crossed my mind.  Pepper lived for a long time, but eventually she got sick and had to be put to sleep. This is where all conversation ends regarding Pepper, I won’t discuss her.

So back to the application.

“Where do you live?” she asked.

I told her and she seemed to be pleased with the area. I asked her what happens after I fill out the application.  She said someone would give me a call and arrange a home visit.

“Have you had any experience with cats before?”

“Yes, we used to have a cat a long time ago.”

“Well what happened to the cat?”

“She was sick and had to be put to sleep.”

“Where did she go for regular check-ups?”

“I don’t know, the only place I remember her going is somewhere in Hillside.  Yes, People for Animals, that’s it.”

“They only spay there and don’t do routine check-ups.”

“Oh, well then, she never went to a veterinarian.  How long before someone contacts me?”

“We will review your application and give you a call.”

I’m partially satisfied that I got the ball rolling on the adoption process and I leave the store.  Of course, when I get outside I playback -in my mind- bits and pieces of conversations I heard when I was talking to the lady.

I remember hearing someone say that a kitten was adopted this morning and I’m thinking well even though I wasn’t there to adopt on the spot, why am I walking out empty handed?  Why do they need to visit my home.  I had to go back for some answers.

I asked her again, “How long does the adoption process take?  Didn’t I hear someone say earlier that they left with a kitten this morning, why do I have to go through all this red tape.” She said, “That was not me, but the other lady, there are two adoption agencies here.”

I said, “You weren’t going to call me, were you?” She said, “Well I would have called you, but I was a little concerned that you never took your cat to see a vet. Even though she was a house cat and never went outside, they still need to see a vet once a year.  You could open a window and something from the outside could come in and make your cat sick.”

I thanked her for her honesty and left. It didn’t occur to me until after I left that I should have further explained the situation instead of walking out like an irresponsible pet owner.  I was embarrassed.

I had no idea that adopting a pet would be this involved.    People coming out to the house and making routine visits thereafter.  They also said if they don’t like what they see on the return trip they would take the cat back.

I don’t know why I’m worried. I’m certain I will pass the cleanliness portion, in fact, I’m insulted if anyone thinks my house is anything but clean, and would fail because I don’t have a safety lock on the toilet and the cat could fall in.  How can a home be suitable for humans, but not good enough for an animal?

I’d be crushed if, after a follow up visit, they decided to take the cat back because of something I did wrong.  Remember Ellen and the dog she adopted but later gave away.  She cried on TV after the dog was removed from the new owner’s home by the adoption agency.  Well I don’t have a TV show to boo hoo on, but I’d cry me a river on this blog and be messed up for weeks.

You know what really bugs me about all of this?  My daughter is 9 years old and not once has the hospital she was born in called for a follow up visit.  Okay so she was not adopted, but it just seems easier for me to give birth to a cat than it is for me to adopt one.

So if you’re with a pet adoption agency and you are running a background check on me, here are some things you should know. I will:

It took all my strength not to go back to the store and justify why Pepper never saw a vet. I didn’t, instead I drove down the street to PetSmart and filled out an application there and this time when I answered the question, Have you ever had any experience with a cat, I added a mental asterisk to my answer:

No. I have not had any experience with a cat, *not as a responsible adult. And that’s my final answer.

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Posted on May 3, 2009 at 8:01 pm by Valerie · Permalink
In: Animals · Tagged with: , ,