I doubt she is pregnant. Anyway, you will LOVE having two cats cause it's so much fun to watch them play, and it's so sweet to watch them cuddle. Usually, the younger the new kitten is, the easier it is for him/her to get along with the resident cat. I introduced a 5-month old kitten to my cat (after having the vet check her out and give her a clean bill of health), and it took only 24 hours for them to be friends. I didn't really hover too much over them; I just let them sort it out between themselves. The first 24 hours wasn't that fun, but it wasn't too bad either. Also, don't feel bad if once they're introduced they become friends and ignore you! The ignoring part is just short-term. It happened with mine for about the first month they were in a "honeymoon period" and didn't come to me for any affection! Once the novelty of each other wore off, they were back to their loving selves with me. LaurieF's recommendation for the L-Lysine is a good one. It works amazingly on cats with upper respiratory infections caused by the herpes virus (which a large majority are). I would give it to both cats. I think you're correct to wait a little while to spay the new kitten, until she's settled in. But don't wait too long. I had mine spayed at about 6 months. As was pointed out in another thread (I think by Meghan), every time a female cat goes into heat increases her risk of breast cancer later in life by a very large percentage. I am so glad you have another cat in your life. And I am sure Dustin is too.

My Dad was an abusive alcoholic. Not to put too fine a point on it, it was a tremendous relief when my parents divorced when I was 13 and he left. I had no contact from him after that, not that I was bothered. Then, when I was 16, I had finished school and was spending a year travelling. Since I would be passing through the city in which my Dad and his new wife lived, my mother insisted I should at least visit him for an hour or two between landing on the plane from home and boarding the ship for overseas. I didn't particularly want to but my mother was a hard person to argue with. So, he and his new wife picked me up from the airport and took me to their apartment for afternoon tea. It was awkward. I was too young to really ask the right questions. Like, why did you hit me? That said, he was so locked into lying about everything I doubt I would have got a truthful answer. New wife had some adult children from a previous relationship who were older than me, who apparently would like to have met me but were unavailable. So I had to speak with them on the telephone, again an experience I wasn't all that keen to have. They chastised me for being an ungrateful daughter: according to my Dad he had been sending me birthday and Christmas cards and gifts, money, the whole works, and not once had ungrateful me replied or sent thanks. This was more fantasy on Dad's part: I never received anything and have no reason to think that my scrupulously honest mother would have prevented me receiving anything that had been sent. I disabused them of the fantasy. Eventually our awkward afternoon tea drew to a close and they took me to my ship and I left and never saw him again. When he died some years later I reacted to the news with total indifference- he was out of my system. I think this was due to my mother insisting on our final meeting, I got to see him with more mature eyes and process my feelings about him. So, I think you might consider at least one meeting with your father.Ask him any questions that have always niggled (and there are always niggly questions after the end of any relationship). If you suspect he is being fast and loose with the truth, let him know you're not interested in hearing BS. But I do think you'd benefit from hearing him out, even if you decide afterwards never to see him again. At least then you won't have any "what ifs" that can never be resolved after his death, wondering how things might have gone if......they are the hardest things to deal with after a person dies because then there is no hope of there ever being a resolution.

Looks like Dracaena 'Lemon Lime.' I'm wondering if it was potted-up vs. repotting? Roots need oxygen & moisture at the same time to function. Just air = shriveling. Just moisture = suffocation & rotting. Either will cause root death and desiccated foliage because the roots have been unable to deliver moisture. Having to let soil dry, as if ones' tropical jungle plant was a cactus, is an unnecessarily stressful coping mechanism for non-desert dwelling plants in soil without enough oxygen for the roots to stay healthy when it is moist and can lead to premature loss of older leaves and in extreme cases, dry shriveled roots/dead plant. The ability of roots to be able to function properly depends greatly on the soil structure/texture, which can change over time. Potting soil tends to be very dense, mostly peat, with very little air in it. Any kind of organic ingredients decompose into smaller bits over time, and roots fill air spaces over time as they grow through soil. Replacing soil periodically is usually necessary to keep plants healthy because of these reasons. Negative experiences in regard to potting-up, where an undisturbed root ball is placed into a bigger pot with more soil around it, vs. doing a repotting as described above, can give rise to old wives' tales about plants not liking to be repotted/disturbed. Potting-up a root-bound plant that has roots surrounding the outside root ball often lead to this negative experience because those roots had adapted to accessing oxygen around the outside of the root ball and surrounding them with more dense, soggy-but-airless potting soil will likely lead to suffocation.

It's not a cactus, it's a haworthia which is a type of succulent. Gabby is correct, gravel at the base does absolutely nothing for drainage, and, you really do need a pot with at least one hole. What mix is it planted in, it looks dark? Dark = peaty and water retentive in most instances, that fact, combined with no holes will certainly rot any plant and that is where your problem lies I'm certain. I don't know if haws prefer a specific mix, but one with much faster drainage than you currently have may well be needed. The haw growers will advise....sorry, I'm not one of them :-) Is the stem of the haw soft where the leaves have been removed? If you decide to repot into a better pot and mix, you will have to check each of the stems and roots for soft/rotted portions before repotting. Come back if you need further info. Gill