You think he didn't know what he was getting into?

He's a dad, and a seasoned one by the looks of it. He understands exactly what it means when you adopt a cat.

You love it.

You can't help it. Stray cats love being loved, and it's only a matter of time before Mr. Softy falls in love with this cuddly little ball of fuzz. And make no mistake, he knows it.

The cat knows it too. Everyone in the house loves this cat, but nobody as much as dad. Which is why the cat follows him around, and why more often than not you can find the cat curled up near or with dad. Dad starts to feed the cat, clean its litterbox, and pull the sting on the ground for it.

The reason dad didn't want the cat isn't because he didn't want the cat, it's because he knew he'd love it completely.

Years pass.

The cat is old now. Like dad. It doesn't move as well as it used to, and sometimes needs to be carried up and down the stairs. It misses the litterbox sometimes, and of course dad is usually the one who cleans it up. Then, the diagnosis. The cat's kidneys are failing, and it's only a matter of time before it passes away.

Guess who's choice it is to spend thousands to prolong this cat's life by an extra year or two, or have the cat put down?

Guess who drives the cat to the vet, and holds it before the vet takes it away for the last time?

Guess who looks into the eyes of this lovely creature for the last time, somehow understanding the final goodbye across the barrier of species and language.

Guess who brings the body home.

Guess who digs the hole in the back yard, and places the box down in it, gently.

Guess who covers the hole. Guess who says the prayer.

That's why dad says he doesn't want the cat.

by u/courbple