My nth question about cat ownership

Post date: 2021-04-08 10:55:11

I would like a pet cat so much, but I have overwhelming anxiety about biting the bullet and going ahead with it.

I've posted previously about various logistical questions I have about cat ownership issues.

Although an anxious person, I'm mostly ok at managing my anxieties because I avoid triggers. The problem with thinking about adopting a cat is that it brings me face to face with so many of my triggers. tl;dr: does this level of anxiety mean I should just forget about getting a pet?

I love cats. I want a cat. I think frequently how nice it would be to have a feline friend to keep me company at home. But although I have the financial wherewithal, love of animals, and sense of responsibility necessary to be a good cat guardian - I cannot get past my obsessive worries about the minutiae of cat ownership logistics and the claustrophobia of committing to being responsible for the wellbeing of another living creature. Is it normal to feel this way? Shouldn't it be something I feel uncomplicatedly excited about, as opposed to conflicted?

My worries are extensive and I hesitate to write them out, because that would make this question ridiculously long plus they aren't really the point. I think my anxiety is spoilt for choice for things to latch onto about cat ownership.

While my allergies and the adequacy and size of my living space (tiny and carpeted) is a key factor in my worries I do not know if my anxiety about getting a cat will get better if I move to a bigger apartment with more bedrooms, wooden floors (for ease of cleaning up accidents plus better for allergy-sufferers) and a garden. (I realise that most Mefites do argue that cats don't need a lot of space!)

I also worry about once I actually acquire a pet - whether I will then be eaten alive by anxiety every time it barfs or pees in the wrong place or whatever. I spend time on cat forums (and on AskMe) reading all the cat questions and there just seems like so much that can go wrong. But then I also know that interacting with cats (and dogs, which I actually like better, but my lifestyle will totally not allow me to even consider) does make me actually feel calmer and better, so maybe getting a cat would be GOOD for my mental health? I don't know.

I realise that fostering could be a temporary option but living in a one-bedroom apartment means that I am not eligible to apply to be a foster carer. Most rescues insist on the foster cat having its own private space to settle down in, which necessitates at least one spare bedroom.

Moving to a bigger place is something that's on the cards for me, eventually. Should I just wait till then to reconsider the cat thing and see if it continues to trigger the same anxieties? Or are these anxieties an indicator that I shouldn't even bother getting a pet because I'm just going to be even more anxiety-ridden once I get it?

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