'As much as I would love to keep him...': Apartment-dweller makes the tough decision to rehome a street kitten, finding a meowpropriate home for a snuggly orange stray despite loving him instantly

When it comes to cat discovery, timing is everything.

This apartment-dweller knew that her building had a "No Pets" policy, but when she heard the sad cries of an orange kitten on the street, she swooped in to save him anyway. However, her act of heroism was short-lived because she was then faced with a hard decision. Should she keep this cuddly cat and hide him away in secret, or should she give this little fluff the life he deserves with a family who has a home that could accommodate him appropriately?

Whether it's the purrfect timing of a homeowner serendipitously discovering a kitten in their sprinkler system or a cat lover wandering by a city bush at the exact moment a cat in need meows, there are times when the Cat Distribution System is in perfect harmony with our lives. But there are other times, more somber times, when cats come into our lives, and there's nothing we can do, at least, not right now.

There's always a meowment of hesitation when a cat lover finds a feline, especially a smol one who needs medical assistance or a purrmanent mama. We wonder, "Can we handle this responsibility right now?" The wise thing is to assess your own life, bandwidth, and legal acceptance of a new pet in your life, but even when logic gives you a clear answer, the ways of the heart muddle your choice. The heart wants to keep the kitten, while logic says it's not the right time right now.

Alas, as every cat lover is forced to channel the memories of being told "No" at the pet store in front of the kitten display, this cat lover made the wise call, the responsible call, to rehome a kitten in need. Although she loved him and bonded with him instantly, this was clearly the right decision, no matter how much it hurt to part ways with the snuggly, friendly kitten. Instead of clinging to the idea of a cat, she decided that this kitty deserved a fuller life experience with a family ready to take on the experience of cat ownership.

Her time will come again one day, just not right now.

"Feeling guilty [for] rejecting CDS"

via fruitbasketinabasket
Yesterday I was coming home from my walk when I found a small kitten crying and hiding under a parked car next to my house. No other cats were to be found and he was so close to the street and hiding under the tire, so I took him in.
Unfortunately I do live in a housing situation which allows for no pets and my life is too unstable to have a pet at this time (financially and location-wise) so I knew immediately, as much as I would love to keep him, it is not the right time for me to have a pet and he would need another home.
via fruitbasketinabasket
After panicking for a few minutes 😂 I took him to the vet (healthy clean unchipped 3-4 week old boy) and asked my friends if someone could take him in.
A friend of mine who often helps animals in need said she is closely connected to an animal sanctuary and they would absolutely take him in, to care for him until he is big enough to be adopted, or he could even just stay with them.
This sounded like the most appropriate solution as most of people I reached out couldn’t take him (we live in Japan where pet-friendly apartments are more of an exception) and we arranged for him to be picked up the very same day.
via fruitbasketinabasket
Now that he is gone (and I had him for only one day!!!), I feel absolutely devastated and don’t even know how to be normal about it. Despite knowing in my brain that it was the only choice, it does feel like someone took my baby that I had for years. Maybe it’s the initial protective mode that kicked in when I had to figure out what to do, but I couldn’t stop crying about it today. The fact that he is absolutely adorable and cutest boy ever didn’t help.
I hear so many cat distribution system stories that are successful, but I am not sure what mine is. I guess successful because he is safe now, and at the same time it broke my heart in a span of a day? Someone I know actually messaged me saying “ooh I wish that happened to me” and I couldn’t help but feeling a bit bad that he ran into someone who couldn’t even give him a home instead of someone who could 😭
I am also not regretting finding him a new home, I just don’t know how to handle the loss of him within hours after finding him.
Any advice how to be at peace with all that or any similar CDS stories would be appreciated 🧡
THANK YOU all so much for the kind and thoughtful comments, it took a lot of weight off my chest reading them!
TLDR: found a kitten, but had to find him another home as it wouldn’t be responsible for me to keep him. Now I am feeling very guilty and heartbroken