The person I miss the most since my divorce isn’t a person at all.
It’s my beloved cat, Galaxy. She’s still partly my cat, but when I moved out in August, we decided as a family that Galaxy would stay at the house.
We primarily decided this because I was moving to a condo with our two dogs, and it didn’t feel fair to take Galaxy to a home so much smaller than the one she has. Cats notoriously hate change, while dogs are usually fine as long as they have their person or pack.
I know we made the right decision but I miss Galaxy every day and I love visiting her anytime I can.
It’s a little awkward, because I want to see her, but I don’t want to encroach on my co-parent’s space. I also don’t want to make things harder for Galaxy.
For a while, I was sad because whenever I went back to the house, Galaxy acted like she missed me a ton. I cut my visits back from weekly to less frequent, and now she is a little bit less likely to come running and give me love. Still, I can always remind her who I am by pulling out her favorite treats and then she gets cozy with me for treat time. Gods, I love that cat!
Because Galaxy seemed to be sad and missing me and the dogs, my coparent adopted a rescue kitty named Tobias. I am super happy to see how Galaxy clearly adores her new brother, plus both E and Z have been great about sharing photos of Galaxy and Toby interacting, so I still feel close to her.
I’ve had the heart-wrenching experience of having to re-home beloved cats before, and that is a pain I never want to feel again. This isn’t quite that bad, because I know that Galaxy has the best life ever in the spacious, familiar home she loves. She even has a brother now, and I love that for her.
But it was still hard leaving her behind. It hurts when I think about how she might feel about why I took the dogs and not her. I wish I could have taken her, but I know it would have been purely selfish and wouldn’t have been right for her. I chose what was best for Galaxy and I can find comfort in that – and in our visits, which are very special to me.
Recently, I was reflecting on my undying love for Galaxy and I decided to make her a part of me forever by getting a tattoo of her from the amazing Janine Ramos. This way, Galaxy can be with me always. I’ll share photos once her portrait is complete!
Have you ever lost custody of a beloved pet and, if so, how did you keep the relationship going or comfort yourself when you found yourself missing them? I’d love to hear your pet tales of divorce in the comments below or over on Facebook or Instagram.
