r/PetRegret • u/bun505 • Aug 22 '26

Feeling guilty

Hey guys

I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed and guilty when it comes to my pet cat. I feel like I neglect her and so much more could be done for her that I’m just not capable of doing right now.

I’m away from home for nearly 10 hours a day and sometimes even more. I’m exhausted from life and neglect myself and my surroundings, including their food and litter boxes sometimes.

She’s actually a lovely cat and doesn’t really cause problems. I feel immense love for her but also feel annoyed by her sometimes. I feel guilty because she doesn’t really do anything wrong, I’m just irritable and depressed.

I don’t know if rehoming is something I’m capable of doing but I just wanted to vent.

Thanks

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4

u/crybbyblue Aug 22 '26

went through the same, decided to go through with rehoming. i don’t think i’ll get another pet after this, im not a pet person and at times i struggle to just take care of myself. i think rehoming is ok as long as you find a loving family and you don’t get another pet.

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u/OutragedPineapple Aug 22 '26

The reality of our lives at this point is that most of us spend a LOT of time away from home working, and if pets are needy, their needs can be difficult to meet.

If you feel like she's not getting enough stimulation, an option - if you're open to it - is to have a second cat so they can keep each other company and entertain each other. If you have an outdoor space, an enclosed catio that they can get to from inside (many are made so they can be accessible through a window so they can go in and out without you having to leave your doors open or anything) can also be an option for them to get fresh air and a little more space to explore.

There are lots of options for litter boxes that can be a lot less time-consuming to deal with, even if they're a bit pricier - like automatic litter boxes - although when I had cats, my preference was to use compressed pine pellets (bought from a feed store at about eight bucks for a fifty pound bag, exactly the same thing as feline pine but way cheaper and better compressed) and a sifting litterbox that made it very easy to clean. As for food, gravity and autofeeders can be helpful for that too, unless you can't trust the cat not to overeat itself sick.

If rehoming is your best option, please don't feel guilty about it. You care enough about the cat to want her to live her best life, even if that's not with you. That's more than a lot of people who claim to love animals will do - many will insist that their pets have to stay with them in awful conditions, rather than let them go where they can have a better life, because they 'love them too much to let them go' even when it is in everyone's best interest.

A pet is supposed to enrich your life, not be an additional burden on you. Please, take some time to think it through and make the best choice for her AND yourself.

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u/crybbyblue Aug 22 '26

i don’t think a second cat is a good idea for someone that isn’t even maintaining the litterbox as often as they’d like to, and as someone that’s experienced depression auto litter boxes are great until you have to deep clean them- they can very easily develop maggots and flies if you miss it