The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

The official student newspaper of University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire since 1923.

The Spectator

Giving cat up difficult

The heat must have gotten to us.

It was a sweltering day in early July when my roommate and I took a trip to the Humane Society in Dunn County to “look” at the cats – we did anything for a ride in the air-conditioned car.

As we knew well before setting foot in the modest building in Menomonie, the animals behind the cages are nearly impossible to resist, especially when they are meowing, playing, sleeping or anything else they do. We also knew our landlord didn’t allow pets in the house.

Yet we proceeded to enter the building.

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We chatted with the overwhelmed workers and volunteers at the Humane Society (that, by the way, doesn’t kill any of the animals turned into them). We searched the cat confines for the cutest, most playful or smartest one.

Then we started to think that taking just one of them wouldn’t hurt a thing. We tried to stretch our imaginations enough to justify taking a kitten home. `Maybe she’s too small to be considered a pet,’ we thought. `Or maybe we can just smuggle her to a neighbor’s house when we have word of the landlord coming over (they are supposed to give 12 hours notice before entering the house).’

We completely ignored the stipulation our landlord placed upon us. Apparently, he doesn’t want his already pricey apartments to get worse than they already are. The carpet must be as old as I am. Nonetheless, I’m sure it can be stretched out for another 20 years.

Admittedly, there were few good reasons to take an animal home.

But we took a tiny orange and white kitty home anyway.

Everything was going so well with the kitten.

We spent nearly three weeks trying to find an appropriate name for her. Beatrice was the name we stuck with – Bea for short. She seemed to adjust to our house well.

She left a mess or two outside of the litter box. Now, she only uses her litter box.

She gets along with all the roommates. And most of the time they like her.

I always like her even if she shreds the skin on my arms and shoulders with her razor sharp kitten claws and teeth when she is playing.

Her favorite toy is a makeup brush she claimed just days after she came home with us. She will actually play fetch with it for hours on end.

She has more than doubled her weight since we got her.

I want to keep her.

Too bad, the landlord found out about her and said I can’t.

Mysteriously enough, he hasn’t been to our house – or at least told us about it. But he found out about the cat and left a message on our answering machine in a stern voice that said we must “get rid of it,” with a pleasant-sounding “thanks” at the end. We are thankful he did give us some time to find her a new place to stay.

She will leave me soon and I’m crushed. I had a hunch getting the cat would come back to haunt us.

I hope someone will be able to take her on a temporary basis.

I could give her up forever if I knew she was in good hands.

But I can’t just give her to anyone. I need to know she will have a good home.

Hopefully I will still be able to spend time with my cat in a conjugal visit sort of way while she is under the supervision of whoever she ends up with.

I’ll be able to see her for an afternoon out of every week, maybe more depending on our schedules. Maybe if I do find someone to take her temporarily I can regain custody when I graduate and move in May.

Even though I have to give Beatrice up, I’m not sorry I got her.

Nothing has been hurt by having her, except maybe the relationship with me and the landlord.

Although I’m not sure exactly where the cat will live permanently, I know she will live in a good house.

I wouldn’t have known this if my roommate and I would have walked out of the Humane Society without her.

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Giving cat up difficult