Which decision would you regret not taking in five years?
That's an excellent question, and I'm going to seriously consider that aspect.
Thank you for the insight.
Alternatively, roll a die to determine which action you will take. If your gut reaction is then relief you got that result or you start justifying re-rolling to get the other result, you know which one you prefer.
This is too important a decision to leave to something like that. Adopting a cat means at least a 15-year commitment (only one of my cats has ever lived longer than 15 years). Sometimes it takes awhile to decide. My current cat and the previous one were Freecycle adoptions - they needed a home because something wasn't working out with their first family (in Chloe's case, she and the dog didn't get along and the dog had priority; in Maddy's case, a family member was allergic to cats and they didn't know before they got her). In both cases the timing was exactly right, and something just told me, "this is the right thing to do."
I was looking at the Kijiji ads tonight, and there's a male tuxedo kitten, about 5 months old, being rehomed due to allergies. In a case like that and some others, it makes me wonder if it's really an allergy or if the person suddenly realized they have a largeish vet bill coming up (for spaying/neutering).
Vet bills are something I'm going to have to consider carefully. If I do get this kitten, she (I'm pretty sure I'd want another girl) doesn't get in this door until she has her shots and a checkup. There's $100 right off the bat, more if there's a problem (Maddy needed medication for ear mites). Then five months later it's another $150-$200 for the spaying. Add to that an extra litter box, more cat litter, a new collar (I've already got plenty of food and cat dishes), food suitable for a kitten up to 6 months old, hopefully this one will use a scratching post instead of the furniture or me...
Yeah, I'm already halfway talked into it. Probably. But this time I'm trying not to let myself be dazzled by a cute face. I told Maddy, "It's too bad you can't look at these ads and give me your opinion."
Some of my cats have found me, and I couldn't say no. One just marched right into the house, glanced around, and gave my grandmother a look that was basically, "Looks fine. I'll take it." That was Maggie, who went on to have kittens under the back porch (she was pregnant when she moved in), and ten months later one of those kittens had kittens... (we did get everyone fixed eventually).
Moderator Action: Two sequential posts merged together. ~ Arakhor 
