We have 2 cats, Gabe & Lucy, that I dearly love.

However, we now have Solomon who I love more. We rescued Gabe & Lucy from a shelter in Irvine when we first moved to SoCal 3 years ago. They were already seniors when we got them - Gabe was 10 & Lucy was 9 - so it isn't like they have a lot of miles left on them at this point. Lately, for the past few months, it's felt more burdensome to care for the cats. Pretty much since Solomon has become mobile. They are low-maintenance cats & don't really require that much work, but Solomon is a handful so any additional work makes things stressful. (Although I would never admit that to Jason as I badly want to have another baby now!) On top of that, Gabe is Solomon's favorite toy. He can't catch Lucy; she's too spry. He pulls Gabe's fur & tail anytime he's within reach. I can't say I feel that sorry for Gabe though because he practically asks for the beatings. He always wants to be where we are, knowing full well that the child is there too, & he doesn't make an effort to get away once the abuse ensues. I have to give him an ounce of credit though - he doesn't retaliate. Another thing, that never bothered us prior to having a child, is the cat fur. It's everywhere. Anyone who owns a furry pet is well aware that there is nothing you can do about it. Everything goes in Solomon's mouth, thus he's probably eating a good amount of cat fur in the process. Yuck. I refuse to get rid of them though! I told Jason we will not get rid of the cats because we made a lifetime commitment to them. We did not invite them to be a part of our family conditionally. The only way I'd be okay with getting rid of them is if we found one or 2 friends (or friends of friends) who would be willing to take them. Someone we can trust, who will love them & care for them. They will never go back to a shelter.