Sad Things Make Me Sad

Whew... Have not blogged in a while and I apologize. This time of year gets to be a little hectic, but I now seem to have a handle on my shopping, our work Christmas parties have past and things are starting to seem manageable. There is a ton of catching up I could get into, but instead I am dedicating the rest of this post to a rant about something that really bothered me today.

So at work I get a lot of time to think right. Well that also means that I at times get to brood, or like today be an emotional mess. Someone I know has been trying to get rid of their cats. They have been trying unsuccessfully to give them away, but finally decided that the SPCA was the only option for them. It devastates me to think that they are there tonight. If I could have taken them I really would have, hubby and I discussed it and really tried to see if we could fit them into our family, but being responsible pet owners we realize our limitations and the perfect balance of pets we now own. So I know that these poor cats, after being in a home for 6 years are now alone in a cage somewhere, through no fault of their own. Maybe there will be some magical happily ever after for them, adopted quickly, together, to a home that will love them forever. Unfortunately I know that's probably not the case. They're not cute kittens, people usually only adopt one cat at a time, the shelters are filled with animals and the number of people looking to adopt doesn't come close to meeting the supply. Cue Sarah McLochlan's Arms of an Angel and I was a horrible weepy mess, hiding in my spray booth crying into my respirator. Did I mention one cat has a reoccurring eye condition that has made the area by his eye and nose bald? Who picks the weepy eyed cat over all the other choices? Even though she is one of the most cuddly, loving cats you could ever meet. Weepy. Emotional. Mess.

The only thing that got me through was channeling my attention past the sadness to the anger. A pet is forever. If you're not able to make that commitment then don't get a pet. End of story.

I am trying to be vague and nonjudgmental here, but it is really hard. Sometimes people's actions just completely change the way you look at them. Needless to say I hugged all my furbabies a little bit harder tonight. I think they know how lucky they are.

On a happier note, I present the 2012 Hickey family photo (note how none of the pets really seem to get the concept of posing):