Moving Impossible: Sunday
We treated ourselves to a well-earned sleep-in that Sunday morning. Or at least it felt like it; these days a sleep-in for my body is anything after 8 a.m.! Either way, I was well rested for the day ahead. The house was near-empty, but still a mess, and we were still waiting anxiously over the Trade Me auctions, hoping our big items would sell and be picked up. Everything had to be out by that night!
First on the agenda however was our beloved Zebby: our precious baby who we’ve watched grow from a tiny wee kitten to a full grown cat. Knowing that we wouldn’t be able to take him with us on our overseas journeys, we sought a home for him with either friends or family.
But with both mine and McCee’s families owning pets already, and none of our friends keen to adopt, we were forced to lose him forever to strangers by listing him on Trade Me. Here’s what I wrote about Zebby in the description:
This guy is quite the character. Zebedee is his full name but he goes by Zebby. He’s adventurous, curious and has a lot of spirit. A wild imagination serves him well and sees him galloping around the house frequently.
While he may seem distant at times, this is just for show. Deep down he’s a big softie and loves his cuddles. He’ll be there waiting for you when you get home from work and will shower you with loving nudges. Affection is strictly at his discretion however, but it makes it more special when he does let his guard down to show you he loves you.
A warm spot at the foot of your bed is where he likes to sleep; he is much like a dog in the sense he’ll follow you wherever you go. He’ll give you a few goodnight kisses before promptly resting at your feet – no matter how much room there is on the bed, he’ll always want to keep near you.
Some may say he has a pampered diet. He enjoys a handful of biscuits and a spot of milk for breakfast then a Fancy Feast for dinner. He’ll more than likely sneer at any other wet meat – we’ve had no luck with the larger Chef’s or Whiskas cans as they go a bit funky in the fridge after first use. Indulgent? Perhaps. But nothing that’ll break the bank.
He is neutered, flea/worm treated, and micro-chipped. We have taken very good care of him. This cat was born toilet trained – literally! Our first night with him he knew exactly what to do and we’ve never had to teach him anything. He enjoys the outdoors but is very much an indoor cat overnight. In fact, it is preferred he stays inside overnight as to avoid any (mis)adventures he may have.
We love our Zebby very much but we are moving to America and will be travelling from there onwards for an unknown length of time. Zebby can’t come with us and it breaks our hearts. We have tried family and friends but no one has a place for him. So we hope you will have a big enough heart to take in this little guy and love him as we have loved him.
He’ll come with some of his belongings so he has some familiar things in his new surroundings (bowls, toys, a pillow he’s claimed as his), and any food for him we have left over. Zebby deserves the very best home so if you’re ready to welcome a new member into your family, please get in touch.
We hated the idea of shipping Zebby off to strangers – unable to track his growth and maybe one day take him back as our own (unrealistically selfish, I know). We put off listing him as long as possible, but within minutes of posting we had people interested. I was quite surprised to see such keen adoptees as there were a number of cats that had been up there for a few days.
As this was Labour Weekend we decided to invite people over on the work-free Monday knowing that it’d be the best chance for everyone to see Zebby. The first woman quickly fell in love and declared “I want him! Can I have him?” Awkward...we’re screening people here lady, we aint giving away our baby willy-nilly!! (Though, to be fair, she did seem lovely).
The next woman was a bit more abrasive. I didn’t warm to her at all. And when I told her ideally we’d want to hold on to him until our last day in the house, she picked up a fuss and said “Well I’d only really be able to take him home today” ... Goodbye.
The last potential Zebby-adopters were a young family with a 2-year old daughter. They had just bought a house in Beach Haven they were renovating which meant they weren’t moving out anytime soon. We were sitting on the front lawn enjoying the sun, McCee on guitar and me reading, when they showed up and joined us. Zebby was roaming around, not taking too kindly to all these strangers showing up by this point, keeping his distance. We got to chatting with the couple, lovely people, who told us about the various animals on their big jungle of a property. It sounded fantastic and a great place Zebby would love to explore. McCee and I gave each other knowing looks. Then, just to seal the deal, their daughter picked a flower from the lawn and put it in front of Zebby. Naaaawwww ~!! SOLD.
So this was the family we were taking him to that Sunday morning. We got his things ready (bowls, toys, left-over food) and put him in his cage. I drived while McCee sat in the back with him (we tend to let him out of his cage while driving). Needless to say there were lots of tears shed on the trip over.
We arrived at the house and walked down a pathway that featured two rabbits in separate cages. At the front door there was an open enclosure that was home to another rabbit and a turtle. Zebby’s new dad got the turtle out of his pond and put him on land. The rabbit swiftly hopped over to greet his turtle friend. CUTE!!
Inside we let Zebby out of his cage and he quickly set about nervously exploring. A yellow canary started letting out alarm-squawks but Zebby was too busy dealing with his own fears. Meanwhile we got a view of the wild land that would soon become his playground. We also had a look at some axolotls and their hundreds of baby eggs that this couple just casually happened to own as well. I hope I can have so many pets one day!!
After spending quite some time there we knew we had to be off – lots to do. We almost weren’t able to give Zebby goodbye hugs since the explorer found a hiding place in a cluttered storage room where no-one could find him. Luckily, after much coaxing, Zebby let out a few faint meows that helped us pinpoint his location to drag him out. Hugs and kisses were abound and we left him in the good care of his new owners. We knew he’d grow to love this place so we were as happy as we could be letting him go.
Back home it was the little things that reminded us of him; we knew we wouldn’t get a warm welcome coming home and reversing out the driveway our “keep an eye out for Zebby” mentality had no relevance anymore. But there was much to do around the house that kept such emptiness and depression at bay.
We began packing our belongings into the car with McCee making trips back and forth from the house to her Aunt and Uncle’s. While she was gone I would prepare the next load and clean, clean, clean. Our Trade Me auctions all had success by this stage, so we were expecting pick-ups throughout the day. They all went without a hitch, and though we were somewhat bitter about the prices they sold for, we were mostly happy to have them off our backs.
It was a long day and the sun was out in full force compounding the exhaustion. We were working well into the night, but come nightfall everything was done. I was beyond amazed as I was sure we’d have to come back the following evening to finish the job. We both felt odd; even in emptiness this was our house, our home. But we said our goodbyes and headed over to our temporary living situation where all I wanted to do was CRASH.
This was our Moving Impossible Weekend – made possible. Long days, hard work, little rest. These posts don’t do any of it justice, merely offering a glimpse. One thing is for sure though: I am NOT doing this again. I am so glad to now be living out of a suitcase and am in no hurry to settle and amass more things to tie us down. If moving is a bitch, then moving to another country is a raging c*nt (*gasp* !!) ~ ...srsly...
It’s been a full-on past couple of weeks that have flown by. But now I predict these next three weeks will slow down a little, the calm before the OVERSEAS ADVENTURE. Oh how I wish it would speed up now though...
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