Will your cats outlive you?
I’m 75 years old, and at this age my impending death is frequently on my mind. I wonder how my death will affect my cats Mindy and Grady.
Not responsibly planning ahead for my cats would be the ultimate betrayal of their friendship, their loyalty, their trust and their companionship.
I keep putting it off. I ignore the subject. I have so many other things taking up my time. Isn’t providing shelter, food, vet care and friendship enough?
Do I love my cats? Yes, of course I do. Genuine, deep love calls loudly from within to plan ahead, to be responsible, and to make sure, to the best of my ability, that my cats are cared for well into the future.
When ‘it’ happens my cats lives will be turned upside down. They will undoubtedly be shocked to their core. Since I live alone with my cats, they are likely to spend days in my apartment by themselves, without food, followed by a stranger grabbing them up and taking them to an unfamiliar, strange place called a ‘shelter.’ They will be locked in a cage where, for days on end, they’ll have to endure unfamiliar sights and sounds. They’ll be adjacent to other cats they have never met before. They will feel ‘alone’ as they’ve never felt ‘alone’ before, all in addition to whatever degree of grieving they will be going through. It will be a horrible experience for the very cats I love, the cats who have given me so much love in return.
This subject is almost too painful to contemplate. I know the words of this message must be difficult for you to read, but this is such an important message to think about. What concrete plans do you have for your cats when you pass?
Michael Broad is one of the foremost ‘cat-scholars’ of our time. Over the years, in his Pictures-of-Cats.com website, Michael has given us many, many articles about cats, and he has written at least two common-sense commentaries pertinent to today’s subject. I encourage you to read both:
• Asking a Relative to Look After Your Cat on Your Death
• How to Better Protect Your Companion Animal on Your Death
In one article Michael writes something which I think is brilliant. He’s talking about planning ahead… “Of course, you want certainty for your cat on your passing, but I don’t think you can achieve certainty. What you can achieve is the best possible outcome based upon the information that you have at the time.” Ponder that statement.
In her ‘Food for Thought Podcast’, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau discusses ‘Pet Trusts & Bequests: Planning for the Care of our Animals.’
She writes, “My worst nightmare is that my cats would be homeless should something unexpectedly happen to me. In this podcast episode, I talk about how putting plans in place is the best thing to do for our beloved companion animals.”
Colleen goes on to say, “I know it’s hard enough to plan your day to day LIFE without thinking about your eventual DEATH, but putting plans in place for the unexpected and the inevitable will give you peace of mind now and the right care for your beloved animals later.”
Another podcast pertinent to the subject is from Certified Feline Training & Behavior Specialist Molly DeVoss. In a ‘Cat Behavior Solutions’ ’Cat Talk Radio’ episode, Molly discusses ‘Cat Settlements’, – more formal planning regarding both divorce and estate situations – with Robert Greene, co-founder of LifePet.Care.
I realize now that planning for my cats’ future is just as important as feeding them their dinner tonight.
I urge you to read the articles and listen to the podcasts mentioned above, and take action on your cat’s behalf. Estate planning, i.e. wills, living wills, trusts, power-of-attorney, and health-care directives can all make a difference. You can attain peace-of-mind for yourself, and make a world of difference for your cats.
I love my cats Mindy and Grady, and I appreciate the benefit they bring to my life. It’s time I do something to make sure they are properly cared for later, when ‘it’ happens.
– Doug Hines, publisher of CatNewsHeadlines.com
