Hard Decisions

Today was jammed-packed with just about every emotion you can name. It started off well, when we went to the baptism of my step-sister's husband. That was pretty special to see. I'm so happy for both of them and the direction they're taking with their lives...After feeling peaceful and happy, it went to awkward and frustrating at lunch with my older brother. I won't get into that. After that, it went to incredibly sad and hurtful.

Ever since we moved into this new place, we've been taking care of a "stray" cat. I say "stray" only because our neighbors (that moved out at about the same time as we were moving in) left it behind. It went from being well taken care of, to having no one. We leave a bowl of food out on the porch every day and give her loves whenever we see her. I was dreading winter, because I knew it was going to be rough for her to be out in the cold. Oh, and I suspected that she was pregnant because her tummy was awfully round. We both would have loved to take her in and add her to the Goodrich family, but that's obviously not something we can manage. We were doing as much as we could. Anyone that knows me, knows that I will NEVER say no to an animal in need. 

When we got home today, she was waiting for us, like she always does. Usually she waits patiently at the door and won't try and run in when the door is open. But since it snowed last night, she ran right in to warm up when we opened the door. We didn't really have a problem with it. I was happy to offer her a place to warm up and eat. She ate her food and then ran right to the kitty hut that was in the corner of the living room, for a nap. Like she knew that was specifically for kitties. Ryan and I knew that we couldn't keep doing this because eventually she would think our home was hers. But we couldn't in good conscience leave her out in the cold all winter, especially if she's pregnant. 

It was a hard decision, but we decided to take her to the Humane Society. They're a no-kill shelter (a MUST in my book), and they have a 95% adoption rate for cats. It was really sad. I had to stay home and cook for Ryan's family, so Ryan went and dropped her off by himself. They said she was indeed pregnant and very dehydrated. Stupid us for just assuming she was finding a water source, and not offering her water. I'm sincerely praying that she finds a good home and that she delivers my grand-kitties safely. It really does feel like we gave away a part of our family. We just couldn't take her in, and we couldn't NOT take her in, if you know what I mean. 

So, I end this very confusing, emotional day on a bad note. I'm bummed. We're both bummed. I'll never forget our sweet kitty, Kerrigan. (That's what we named her) 

She looked very similar to Willow. She really loved that bed. Great, now I'm sad.