Charlie’s Deadline April 29, 2005
I realised this morning that I had slipped into thinking of Charlie as a permanent part of our household without even noticing it. That I had decided that she was staying for as long as it takes to find her a home, knowing that no other home would be good enough.
This cannot be.
Apart from the fact that we are at our legal limit for cats and dogs, the resident cats hate her, I don’t trust the dogs around her and one tiny kitten, plus one toddler is a very delicate equation - apart from all that - it’s not fair to Mark to keep her.
In 2 and a bit weeks I will be having fairly serious surgery. I will be hospitalised for 8 or 9 days during which Mark will have to manage animals, toddler, uni, hospital visits and general household stuff on his own. Once I come home there’s a fair chance that I will be unsteady on my feet and largely useless around the house for a week or so. Mark will still have to manage most stuff on his own. I can’t ask him to take care of a small animal that has to be contained or watched all the time she’s in our house.
I don’t want to take Charlie to the RSPCA, Lort Smith or any other shelter because, cute as she is, there are far more cute kittens than there are homes for cute kittens and hundreds of cute kittens die (euthanised, put to sleep, given the green dream - pick your euphemism) every year because of this. But I will.
If Charlie has not found a home by this time next week I will take her to a shelter. It will upset me, because I really, really don’t want to do it, but I will.
So, my friends, shit or get off the pot. If any of you want Charlie, hurry up and say so. If you don’t, help us find someone who does. If you can’t do either, I don’t want to hear/read, ’she’s soo cute, but…’ or ‘I’d love to, but…’. Say yes or say no. Don’t equivocate or bore me with bullshit.
And if the above offends, tough, I don’t have the bandwidth right now to care.
Friday the 6th of May is it for Charlie.
