Long-Term Planning for Kitty

I know many of you are thinking “Ugh. I do NOT want to deal with this.” I get it. Unfortunately, I have read and heard about more and more cases of a sugar mama or dada that passes and the people left with the sweet kitty think their only option is to euthanize Kitty. In these times, we need to prepare. It is not fun, but I am going to try to give you some pointers on choosing a potential long-term or permanent caregiver.

Pick someone who loves Kitty already. This does not have to be a family member! Consider those that know Kitty’s condition, have seen you testing, dosing, etc., so they know it is not a matter of daily wrestling matches with Kitty with fur flying and the potential for heirloom or furniture destruction. It helps to consider those that know Kitty’s quirks (demands) and habits. If there is already a familiar relationship between Kitty and a potential long-term caregiver, they will be less intimidated, and Kitty will adjust better as well. Kitty may move houses, but that is a lot less stressful if they have their “stuff” and a person they have already accepted as part of their domain.

Once you have someone in mind, or maybe a few, talk to each of them alone and see what they think. “If this were to happen, would you be willing….” Now, most people are going to say oh yeah sure to be polite. If these people are on your list, please refer to the previous paragraph and begin again. I am not talking about the nice neighbor lady who shows up and coos at Kitty just because she happens to be there and thinks this will invariably charm you. NO. We all have that neighbor or acquaintance, and since you are now thinking of them, remove them from your list! Preferably we someone who has taken care of Kitty before and is comfortable with all things sugar Kitty – or at least most things. Getting their permission ahead of time helps in that you can continue to update your designated person, let family members and other friends know where Kitty is to go in dire emergency or demise, and make any other provisions.

Naturally, if you have done this work of choosing a person or persons, told everybody, and educated your caregiver, you may think all is well, and you are good to go. NO! NO! NO! I mentioned provisions above and I mean literal provisions! (Under the law, at least in the US, pets are considered property no matter how much we love them.) As it turns out, you can add provisions for basically anything or anyone into your will. You can even add stuff on to a living will to make plans if you are hospitalized or unable to care for Kitty properly for a while. In addition, having a little savings or trust account for Kitty is actually a very easy thing to set up (took me 10 minutes), and you can designate that account to your chosen caregiver with as much detail as you want on how it can and cannot be used. Plus, to be honest, it is a lot harder to give up on an animal if there is money there to help take care of them. Not everybody can do this, especially if you are on a fixed income or financially struggling. Regardless of your financial situation, your chosen caregiver should be given all things Kitty – journals, toys, Kitty’s furniture, litter boxes, leftover foods, all medicines, and diabetic supplies. Even if Kitty has to move to a new house, they will at least have their “stuff” and a person they know. The vet should also have the caregiver’s name to allow for seamless care should the worst happen. It seems like overkill, but again, a long-term illness is going to be a lot easier if you know Kitty is with a good caregiver. This is also one less thing for your family to deal with if the worst were to happen.

So if you are thinking hey, I have plenty of time! I am young and healthy, or why bother because I am broke. Look up some backlogs on a lot of probate court dockets (pre-COVID). You are going to find a whole different story. Without a will, things can get stuck in probate for months or even years and cause an unnecessary rift in family relationships that are hard to repair. This is not the case in every area, but it is more common than you think. Regardless of age, health, or financial situation, it is a good idea to make up a will not only because it will provide instructions for how things should be, but also, you avoid leaving it to your family to make these choices for you which can be extremely distressing. Your wishes are granted, and Kitty can be re-homed to someone you handpicked and trust. I have re-homed more than one animal in this situation. It came down to me or a shelter, and my husband and I just were not having that. It was a bit more difficult in dealing with the vet the first couple of times because they had no idea who I was. It took us much longer to really understand their behaviors and preferences, and the animals were very stressed for a time.

Planning will make things so much easier on the designated Kitty caregiver. They will know what to do and your preparation will make their transition a lot easier too which leads to a much better outcome than a random family member feeling as though euthanization is their only choice. It is an unpleasant topic that we do not ever want to talk about, but it is extremely important to make a plan. I am the grand queen of procrastination in all things unpleasant or involving paperwork (I hate THAT the most), but I can get it done with the incentive of a glass of lemonade, tea, or wine after I am done.

Next week, I will give tips for the receiving caregiver on how help the new family member adjust to new surroundings and other surrounding issues that may pop up.

I wish all of you and your fur babies the best of health going forward!

*Update: If you have ordered supplies online or are planning to, most shippers are overwhelmed and it is taking at times up to five days or longer past the usual estimated delivery windows.

As always, the Feline Diabetes Support Group on FB is a wonderful resource with great admins and community members who are caring and very, very helpful.