Moving away and heartbroken about leaving my stray cats behind
I’m from Varanasi, India, and I’m feeling heartbroken because I’ll soon have to leave behind the cats I’ve been feeding for over a year.
It started when I noticed an emaciated cat near a landfill looking for food. I had never cared for cats before, so at first I fed her cookies, but after learning they weren’t good for cats I immediately ordered proper cat food. Everyday she’d come to my place to eat, though she was terrified of humans and wouldn’t eat near me. After months, we slowly got comfortable with each other and eventually she allowed me to pet her.
Later, she brought her 2 kittens to me, so I started feeding them too. Those kittens are grown up now. A few months later she had 2 more kittens, who are still young. Sadly, the mother cat eventually died, and since then I’ve continued taking care of all of them.
I’m a student, so managing food for 4 cats has honestly been difficult financially, especially because my parents are against me feeding them and don’t really understand why I’m so attached. Still, I somehow kept doing it because I couldn’t ignore them.
Now I have to move away, and I’m genuinely scared about what will happen to them because I’m the only regular feeder. I’ve tried contacting shelters and pet care/rescue groups in my city, but most are inactive or not responsive at all. I feel extremely guilty and emotionally attached to them, and I honestly don’t know how to cope with leaving them behind.