Will You Eventually Hate Your Cat After Adopting?
When faced with these challenges, most cat owners turn to learning about their feline companions first, striving to better understand their physiology and psychology. Instead of resorting to punishment or even abandonment when their kittens misbehave, they seek knowledge to nurture their pets. I hope new cat parents will take a moment to read the story of one such cat owner before deciding whether to bring a cat into their lives.
In my home, we have a little family of four feline friends.
The first is Taki, whom I found abandoned beneath our apartment complex.
The second is Mianmian, a stray cat saved by a friend from a local hospital.
The third is Hua Hua, adopted through a pet adoption platform.
The fourth is Burger, also adopted from a platform, and she's the one that gave me the most trouble.
Burger was found near a trash bin, near death, and the rescuers thought she wouldn't make it.幸运的是，她生命力顽强。The rescuers mentioned she wasn't very affectionate, but I didn't take it to heart. Once she came home, she quickly adjusted and became quite the troublemaker, jumping around and causing mischief. However, I noticed her meows were unusually hoarse, unlike any normal cat's. Despite her odd meows, her eating and drinking were normal, so I didn't worry too much. She had a particular fondness for our neutered male cat, and the two of them were always together, with Burger chasing him around the house. She would even share a nest with him, constantly showering him with affection.
For a while, she would also nurse on the male cat's nipples, nuzzling and kneading as he allowed it. It seemed she had fully embraced her role as a mother figure, and Burger was quite content living with us for nearly a year. One day, I noticed her breath was rather unpleasant, which was strange considering she was barely a year old and our cats were regularly given mouthwashes and dental care. Upon inspecting her mouth, I found the gums were inflamed, and the cheeks were red and swollen, with a painful sensation upon touch. My first thought was that she had stomatitis, and indeed, a quick visit to the vet confirmed it. Stomatitis is a condition that is difficult to fully cure, and in severe cases, tooth extraction might help. However, the vet mentioned an abnormality in her chest, possibly pectus excavatum, which would require a risky surgery.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that Burger's health was quite poor, with issues popping up everywhere. I was anxious, not daring to anesthetize her for a tooth extraction, which meant I had to opt for conservative treatment. But I knew this would only delay the inevitable. Moreover, with four cats in the house, it was likely they had all been infected. That period was incredibly stressful. Even though I had been a cat owner for many years and had raised four cats, facing such a situation was still devastating. To prevent the spread, I bought her a threelayered cat cage for temporary isolation and treatment. However, the situation worsened when she started to act out after taking her medication daily, breaking the bond we had formed.
At first, I had to cajole and trick her into taking her medicine, but soon she started to hide from me. When I finally managed to catch her, she would scream and struggle, biting and scratching, sometimes escaping. Feeding her medicine became a battle every day. When I tried to touch her without giving her the medicine, she was also afraid, crying, with her ears laid back and her body tense, sometimes even attacking me. When the other cats in the house started showing symptoms of stomatitis, I decided to let Burger out of her cage, thinking that perhaps she felt unloved because she was isolated. I continued to give her the bitter medicine every day, which made her even more afraid of me. This constant state of stress was not conducive to her recovery. I thought that allowing her to roam freely might help, but unfortunately, it didn't work out that way. Burger remained fearful, hiding everywhere from under the tea table to behind the bed and the toilet, screaming in terror at the sight of people, and even started to defecate everywhere. The smell of feces seemed to permeate every corner of the house.
Under such emotional turmoil, both humans and cats were driven to the brink of madness.
This was when I first considered rehoming Burger, thinking that a change of environment might be better for her. I posted adoption notices on various platforms, but when the first person contacted me, I regretted my decision. I found it hard to believe that someone would choose a cat that couldn't meow, had pectus excavatum, stomatitis, defecated everywhere, and was extremely afraid of people, especially since she wasn't the most adorablelooking cat. I was worried she would be taken by a bad person, or that someone else wouldn't be able to care for her properly, or that she might not adapt to a new environment and her condition might worsen.
After much deliberation, I decided to stick with it. After all, once she came into my home, I should be responsible for her no matter what. Despite my patience and gentleness, she seemed to understand, and things started to improve. Burger's condition is now wellcontrolled, and she eats, drinks, and eliminates normally. She plays and sleeps on the sofa, runs around the house, and interacts with the other cats. She doesn't run away or scream in fear when she sees me, and she's even willing to eat from my hand. She still struggles a bit when I give her her medicine at night, but it's not as fierce, and she usually takes it without too much trouble. I admit there was a time when I really disliked her, but none of this was her fault!
With four cats in the house, each with their own personalities and bad habits, sometimes I really dislike them, but more often than not, I love them deeply.
