Dear Faith,

My mother passed away recently and I found a wonderful family to take in her middle-aged cats, Chloe and Bella. I am very close to the cats, since I was at my mom’s house daily for the past two years and sometimes overnight. I couldn’t take Chloe and Bella myself because I have cats at home who don’t like other animals. When I visit my mom’s cats at their new home, they are always happy to see me. I have been visiting once a week for six months, hoping to help them adjust. A friend suggested that I might be doing the cats emotional harm and actually delaying their adjustment. What do you think?

~ VEXED ABOUT VISITING

Dear Vexed,

This question comes up quite often, either when an animal has been surrendered to a rescue group or adopted into a new home. Like most things in life, there is no simple answer. It all depends on the people and the animals involved. There is some truth to what your friend suggested. In some cases, not allowing pets to settle in with new people and new routines might

hinder the development of their bond to the new family.

I give cats a lot of credit in this situation, however. Based on my observations over the years, I suspect that the cats have worked it out already. Don’t forget that you were also passing through their lives in the last two years of your mom’s life. They adjusted. You are now seeing them once a week at their new home. They have adjusted. Maybe you will start to feel it’s not necessary to see them once a week and you’ll lengthen the time between visits. But if I were you, I wouldn’t worry about it. Do what makes you happy.