Hello all,
This is my first post here. I'm looking for some advice...allow me to offer some background info first.
I have always loved animals and was lucky to have many, many pets as a child (grew up in the country). However, my life had been (sadly) pet-less the last few years because my husband of three years and I have moved around a bit, and we've been planning and saving for some extended travels abroad. In other words, we're not settled yet, and my husband felt it would be unkind to get a pet at this stage in our lives, and I agreed.
This all changed last year when we moved to a new rental house and were soon adopted by a beautiful, stray tabby female. At first we thought she was just a friendly neighbourhood kitty and we gave her pats when she came to visit but we never fed her. After a few weeks of increasing visits, we did some research, which revealed that her previous owner, who used to rent the house opposite us, had dumped her/left her behind when he moved out. My husband and I immediately took her in - she seemed to have chosen us anyway, and it's been a happy arrangement ever since. We got her checked out at the vet, got her microchipped, got her shots, etc. She has gained some weight now and is a very bonny cat.
Her name is Puddy (rhymes with hoodie, not muddy). She is my baby girl and has been a wonderful addition to our lives. I absolutely love her.
I've had some ongoing health issues for a long time, and Puddy has been like my therapy kitty - a soothing companion who cheers me up and who I share unconditional love with. She sleeps on our bed each night and pads us each morning, encouraging us to get up and give her breakfast
Anyway, to get to the point: the problem is that my husband and I still plan to go travelling overseas in the near future (in around 12 month's time, and likely for one year minimum). This has been a dream of ours for a long time and it might be our only big trip before we settle down. But we are, of course, worried about our Puddy.
Our plan is to find her a good temporary foster home with someone we know, who will be willing to give her back when we return. We have one person in mind but we have yet to broach the subject with them. We think Puddy would be happiest living with someone who works from home or is retired, as my husband and I both work from home and hence, Puddy is used to having a lot of company. The person we have in mind is retired and lives in the countryside, and Puddy is also used to living semi-rural.
But aside from the issue that the person we have in mind might say no, my big concern is: will my baby cope with being separated from us and the big change in her routine? I can't bear to think of her heartbroken and pining for us, feeling abandoned and unhappy. I get upset just thinking about it.
So....does anyone have any experience in this area? Any tips on our plan to find Puddy a temporary foster home and how to ease the transition for her would be greatly appreciated.
And please don't think we are abandoning our baby...we never planned to get a cat but she came to us as a stray and we couldn't turn her away and leave her homeless and skinny in the winter cold. We never expected to get such a wonderful, loving animal, and we hope she will grow old with us. But at the same time, we always planned to travel and this is a dream we'd still like to fulfill....if only we could take Puddy with us. Sigh.
Any help appreciated. Thank you. : )
This is my first post here. I'm looking for some advice...allow me to offer some background info first.
I have always loved animals and was lucky to have many, many pets as a child (grew up in the country). However, my life had been (sadly) pet-less the last few years because my husband of three years and I have moved around a bit, and we've been planning and saving for some extended travels abroad. In other words, we're not settled yet, and my husband felt it would be unkind to get a pet at this stage in our lives, and I agreed.
This all changed last year when we moved to a new rental house and were soon adopted by a beautiful, stray tabby female. At first we thought she was just a friendly neighbourhood kitty and we gave her pats when she came to visit but we never fed her. After a few weeks of increasing visits, we did some research, which revealed that her previous owner, who used to rent the house opposite us, had dumped her/left her behind when he moved out. My husband and I immediately took her in - she seemed to have chosen us anyway, and it's been a happy arrangement ever since. We got her checked out at the vet, got her microchipped, got her shots, etc. She has gained some weight now and is a very bonny cat.
Her name is Puddy (rhymes with hoodie, not muddy). She is my baby girl and has been a wonderful addition to our lives. I absolutely love her.
Anyway, to get to the point: the problem is that my husband and I still plan to go travelling overseas in the near future (in around 12 month's time, and likely for one year minimum). This has been a dream of ours for a long time and it might be our only big trip before we settle down. But we are, of course, worried about our Puddy.
Our plan is to find her a good temporary foster home with someone we know, who will be willing to give her back when we return. We have one person in mind but we have yet to broach the subject with them. We think Puddy would be happiest living with someone who works from home or is retired, as my husband and I both work from home and hence, Puddy is used to having a lot of company. The person we have in mind is retired and lives in the countryside, and Puddy is also used to living semi-rural.
But aside from the issue that the person we have in mind might say no, my big concern is: will my baby cope with being separated from us and the big change in her routine? I can't bear to think of her heartbroken and pining for us, feeling abandoned and unhappy. I get upset just thinking about it.
So....does anyone have any experience in this area? Any tips on our plan to find Puddy a temporary foster home and how to ease the transition for her would be greatly appreciated.
And please don't think we are abandoning our baby...we never planned to get a cat but she came to us as a stray and we couldn't turn her away and leave her homeless and skinny in the winter cold. We never expected to get such a wonderful, loving animal, and we hope she will grow old with us. But at the same time, we always planned to travel and this is a dream we'd still like to fulfill....if only we could take Puddy with us. Sigh.
Any help appreciated. Thank you. : )
