The don't know they're "just" fosters, and neither do I

I am happy to report that today was not one of those days, not for me anyway. It wea the second hardest kind of day.

Casey was with me for zix months, and earlier this evening i sent him on his way to his forever homw with a nice family in Prnnsylvania. I know they will love him, be patient with him while he is settling in, and I know that they will love him.

But he felt like my cat, so when I put him in the carrier to load him up in the car so I could send him away, the feelings I had were that I was doing somethng wrong.

Casey was not an easy cat to deal with despite a basially gentle nature. He hates to be groomed and he is very quick to defend himself with his teeth and claws if you go too far. He came to me with some medical problems that ended up costing quite a bit, and he was aggressive with my gitls from time to time.

Still, he had a sweet little chirp, and he wanted to be near me most of the time. As much as I love them, my girls can be a little frosty at times. It was very refreshing to have a cat in the house who demonstrated that he liked me on a daily basis.

Casey, I will miss your beautiful Coon face, your wide whiskers and your big paws. I will miss your voice and your calming purr. I will miss the way you curled up against my leg at night. I hope that you find some legs to curl around with your new family.

So much has happened between the time Louann and I brought Casey back from Baltimore on that cool Saturday. I guess the most notable thing is that Amelia has become more outgoing. She let Rob pet her earlier thus week, and that's unusual. She spends less ime on top of the fridge, and she feels like a mamber of the family more than an occasional visitor.

As for me, I say "no more fosters" right now. but I already know there will be others. Helping these cats feels like some kind of karmic payback, but in a good way. It's a debt I don't mind paying.

before - after