There are 3 stray cats using my home as their residence.
One of them has given birth here twice!
The cat & its kittens now run around the home, mewing from behind the bookshelf etc.
I want them out.
Is it wrong to do so ?
I don't wish to harm them, but they're inadvertently creating a general nuisance!
If they go out on the street, and later die, am I karmically responsible ?
—Som, Ind
Dear Som, I do feel for you, and have been in similar situations myself where I had a hard time making a tough decision. I can’t help think, though, of a humorous short story by PG Wodehouse, entitled Goodbye to All Cats. It’s a fun read!
But getting back to your immediate problem, think of it this way – if the cats continued to live with you, giving birth to even more kittens, it would soon reach a place where they would be overrunning your house! Are you willing to be so passive as to let this happen?
It’s just so hard because they can be so cute, though, yes?
Being a passive doormat for everyone to walk over us is not what God has meant for us to be.
First of all, is there any place where you can take them, like an animal shelter?
How you respond to them, or rather re-act to the cats is paramount. You can still love them, wish them well, but be firm about your own boundaries. If you respond with anger, though, you are only strengthening the karmic bond between yourself and the feline freeloaders, and will have to face this test again. This seems to be a test for you to see how you will respond. Will you be able to move them out with love and firmness?
Good luck!
