This is a HUGE "what if" but my SO and I have lived together for the past year and have been together for the past 2. We both graduate from law school in May and several issues are in front of us (where to live since we are from different states, kids, marriage....it's complicated and frustrating and entirely not the point of this thread, lol).
Matilda and Chloe are technically both my cats. I have paid for everything for them - vet bills, food, toys, litter, grooming, etc. My SO is helping me pay for part of Chloe's spay (this Tuesday) because he felt really strongly about taking her to our vet and not to the spay/neuter clinic.
He LOVES Chloe. He obviously cares about both of them, but Chloe is by far his favorite. She has him wrapped around her little paw. He had 3 cats (former strays) that he rescued/adopted when he was a kid and is always saying how they don't even compare to Chloe. I know that if for some reason we do go our seperate ways, that he would really want to take Chloe.
I am really torn on this, and it's not even an issue. It's all completely hypothetical. They are like our kids. On one hand, it would be best for Mattie to be an only cat. It really would be, I didn't realize this when I adopted Chloe though (how could I have known that?). Matilda would be thrilled to see Chloe go away. On the other hand, Chloe is my baby too and I can't stand the thought of not seeing her get older. I also am uncomfortable "giving up" a pet to a new home, even though it's not really a new home.
So this is the long way of my asking all of you if you've ever been in a situation where a relationship ended (marriage or otherwise) and you had to decide who took what pet. Was it ugly or did it end well? How did you decide?
Matilda and Chloe are technically both my cats. I have paid for everything for them - vet bills, food, toys, litter, grooming, etc. My SO is helping me pay for part of Chloe's spay (this Tuesday) because he felt really strongly about taking her to our vet and not to the spay/neuter clinic.
He LOVES Chloe. He obviously cares about both of them, but Chloe is by far his favorite. She has him wrapped around her little paw. He had 3 cats (former strays) that he rescued/adopted when he was a kid and is always saying how they don't even compare to Chloe. I know that if for some reason we do go our seperate ways, that he would really want to take Chloe.
I am really torn on this, and it's not even an issue. It's all completely hypothetical. They are like our kids. On one hand, it would be best for Mattie to be an only cat. It really would be, I didn't realize this when I adopted Chloe though (how could I have known that?). Matilda would be thrilled to see Chloe go away. On the other hand, Chloe is my baby too and I can't stand the thought of not seeing her get older. I also am uncomfortable "giving up" a pet to a new home, even though it's not really a new home.
So this is the long way of my asking all of you if you've ever been in a situation where a relationship ended (marriage or otherwise) and you had to decide who took what pet. Was it ugly or did it end well? How did you decide?
