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Old March 17th, 2012, 01:03 PM
mtlguy123 mtlguy123 is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Montreal, QC
Posts: 3
Cat - to keep or not to keep?

Hello all,

In September 2010, I adopted Kit-Kat, at the time an indoor 11-year old black cat, from my brother and sister-in-law. She was unhappy at their home since they got a new dog, and was spending her days hiding under the bed. Needless to say, she is now a very happy and extremely healthy cat, who loves to play, snuggle and, of course, sleep!

However, I accepted a job offer in Porto Alegre, Brazil, for two years and will be leaving on July 20th. However, I'm not sure if I should bring Kit-Kat along. I have two colleagues that have volunteered to take her in, both already with one or two cats, all with experience living with other cats, including my own Kit-Kat who had two companions for many years.

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Here are the pros and cons for Kit-Kat if I do bring her:

Pros:
- She will feel safe with me.
- She will keep her same routine.
- She doesn't like going out on the balcony when's there is snow, but I won't have that issue in Brazil! (Although I'm not sure I will have a balcony)
- With a certificate from my vet, I can bring her to Brazil and there won't be any quarantine - she'll come straight to the apartment with me.

Cons:
- To get there from Montreal, it's 3 flights over a 24-hour period. She could potentially be in the cabin with me, but it's not guaranteed. How will she hold herself for 24 hours...?
- Once in Brazil, even though I'm working, I will probably travel a lot locally, and back to Canada twice a year for periods of two to three weeks. Although I already travel a lot, I always have someone stay at my house here. What if I can't find anyone to take care of her while I'm there?
- By the time I leave Brazil, she'll be almost 15. What if she's not healthy enough to fly back...?

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Pros and cons if I leave her in someone's care here in Canada:
Pros:
- She'll be with a loving family.
- She won't have any upsets for food or water.
- She might enjoy the feline companionship.
- I can get her used to the new home's smells before she actually moves.

Cons:
- Changing homes at almost 13 will be traumatic (but then again, she adapted quite well with me even though she had spent 11 years with the same family).
- What is she doesn't get along with the new cats? She doesn't have claws, but they do.

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Any insights would be greatly appreciated, as I'm on the fence for this one. I want to do what's best for her, not me.
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