After my second cat, I really spent a long time thinking I was an unfit cat parent and should be barred from ever owning another pet, having rehomed 2 previous cats. The first cat was left to an ex-boyfriend through a mutual decision when I broke up with him and moved in with an allergic roommate, though I had originally acquired the cat separately from the boy. The second cat was rehomed just prior to the birth of my daughter.
That cat was either a bit of a wild nightmare, or I didn't play with it enough to prevent it going crazy - probably a bit of both. But I didn't trust the cat around a newborn, or, more accurately, myself around the combination of a newborn and the cat. After an ad I placed on Craigslist detailing all of my cat’s behavioral issues resulted in an instant pick up offer, I took it down immediately as I realized the cat was probably going to be used for target practice. Thankfully, a friend's disabled aunt was excited to adopt the poor bugger - I figured they were a…