Denise, Pearl and Bella are sooooo precious. They won't fill the void left by your special Samantha but will bring a new joy into your life.

Annette

You're right, Annette. I've been SO entertained and laughed SO hard watching these little cuties... I'd forgotten how much fun kitties were. I was just a teensy bit concerned about our 92-lb German Shepherd, Lucy, and how she would be with them, but I've been calling her my "co-mommy" by the way she's been acting. She seems to be absolutely enthralled with them!

What fun...

Denise in Omaha

Denise!

Congratulations! Pearl and Bella (I LOVE THE NAME!)are precious! And, yes, I do believe in fate. They were meant to be with you, just as momma kitty was meant to be with your coworker.

Keep us posted on how they and big co-momma are doing!

Kelly

Awww,
They could be sisters to my bunch. I have 5 b/w kittens which have found out that I get up quicker if they run laps over me, all 5 of them at once. Pretty Girl, the mama is about ready to give them up, but I'm not. Aunty Handful will be happy when they are gone though.

Toad & Spotty kittens would have a ball with two new playmates. We haven't named the others because they would become part of the family.

It's funny your baby is named Bella, I named my baby dove Hoya, lol.

Denise, that is a calendar picture if I ever saw one! I believe our pets are ordained, too. Congrats to all of you for finding each other!

Mentha,

And that's why I always get my kittys spayed/neutered - if I had a litter, I could never part with ANY of them. Which is why, until they were actually in my possession, I didn't get too attached to the idea of them being "mine." I was a little worried that my friend (or her kids) would get very attached and decide she couldn't part with them. They're such little sweeties, I don't know how she did it!

I'd forgoteen how adorable, silly, playful, ornery and sweet baby kitties could be. We're having a ball at our house, to say the least!

Denise in Omaha

P.S. Here's a shot of Lucy with the kitties (it's hard to tell there are two there, but they're in "play" mode, rolling around in a ball...)

Denise,Your kitties(I love their names by the way) are just ADORABLE!! And what a nice story that's attached to it... Its great that your dog gets along with them...They are soooo cute, thanks for sharing!!

Denise, I am happy you found 2 babies. They are so adorable!!!!

Denise,
Those kitties are so adorable, I like the fluffy one, it looks so soft I just want to reach through my computer and cuddle it up. You dog Lucy looks very loveable too. And of course we don't mind a detour!

shanna

Thank you for posting this, I just had my dog put to sleep today and I needed a bright spot in the darkness. Thank you, enjoy your new babies!

Hannabella-
I'm so sorry. Been through it and I know how painful it is.
Hang in there.
Kelly

Hannabella,

Oh, that is one of the most painful things in the world to go through... I'm so sorry. We lost our last Shepherd, Remo, just before Thanksgiving '06. He had cancer in his nasal cavity and it was so painful to make that decision, but also so hard to see him suffer. I missed him so much, I could barely stand it. A week or two later, my husband found an ad in the paper for Shepherd puppies and the next thing I knew, we had Lucy. My intention was to get kitties at the same time so they'd grow up together, but within 3 weeks of getting Lucy, my husband started having serious health issues that turned into a 6 month ordeal. So with a puppy and a sick husband, I just didn't need to add another element to the mix of my already frazzled life. But I'm so glad I've finally got kitties in my life again...

I hope you have other pets to help ease the pain. I usually have multiple pets, but when we lost Remo, he was the only one at the time and I think it was just TOO quiet in the house for me. I needed that special love you get from pets and missed it terribly... I'm sure there are many of us here who have been through what you're going through 'cuz it seems like plant people also tend to be animal people.

Denise in Omaha

Denise, congrats on the new additions, they are beautiful!! I really do believe that certain animals find their way to us through fate, and when I lose an animal, I go out and adopt another right away, not to forget the one I lost, but to give another one a home in HONOR of the one I lost.

Kittens ARE fun! My two most recent cats were either shelter adoptions or strays, but we have 2 semi feral kittens (about 3 months) right now that we are trying to tame so that they can be adopted...I could watch them play for hours!! They were born in my next door neighbor's woodpile, one day he was moving the wood around, got to the bottom of the pile and found one of them, it was about 5 weeks old, at a very easy age to tame. The other two must have escaped before he got to the bottom of the pile, and continued to hide out until they were a bit bigger, which is when they showed up at my back door, eating the food I keep out for another older stray, Simon, who I expect is their Daddy. They are both sleek solid grey with pointy little faces...so is Simon, and he seems to like them, stands back and lets them eat his food, plays with them etc.. I hope I can find homes, it is so hard right now, because there are kittens up for adoption everywhere.

Wish me luck, and good luck with your new babies!!

Hannabella, I'm sorry for your loss of your dog! I've been thru it, too, and I certainly know how hard it is. I hope time will help heal the wound and that you can find another one to love and to care for.

Denise, I love your kittens, they're so cute! And the fact that Lucy likes to play with them is a real bless. They all look lovable! Thanks for posting.

Xuan

oh, hannabella, I didn't even see your post. I know how you feel, and just want you to know that the pain does get less intense after time. Try to focus on the good life you were able to give your dog, that is what really matters, that he or she was loved and cared for, especially in a world where so many animals are suffering. Take care.

Thanks everyone to all of the support! It's nice to know when others share your experiences (and have survived them!) I think it's great that the kittens and the dog like each other. I am sure they will all be best friends! I just keep thinking about those sharp little "new kittie" claws, yikes!

Denise, your post brought me great joy.
I, as has Hanna, lost my girl two weeks ago Thursday. We had to use chemicals because there was no clear cause for her malidies, and invasive tests to find out would have only prolonged and caused.

Your babies are ADORABLE. Let me be the first to say, they may end up looking much different.
My girl, Jasmine Marie added her mustache after several years. I would be interested in why you call them 'cow' colored, and after you see her picture you will understand completely.

This cat was my spirit shadow and mirror. I am struggling to come to terms with a 'best decision' stance.

Both your dog and your kitties are so beautiful!

Jasmine Marie, 16 years young, and much loved.

Cena,

Jasmine was a real beauty! I'm sorry to hear you've lost her. They become such a huge part of our lives. My sister, whose also a cat lover, has had a hard time with getting cats who end up with feline leukemia, which means she's ended up losing a few at a pretty young age. I get so attached so fast, it would just break my heart. At least when they're older, you know they had a long, good life... Not that it really makes it easier. I lost my two before Samantha at 17, so about the time she turned 15 or 16, I started to prepare myself mentally for "the dreaded day." Well, I was lucky to have her a few more years, and one day, she woke up from a nap, acted weird for a few minutes and I realized she was suddenly blind. I'm sure she'd had a stroke as she couldn't walk quite right and was running into things. Of course, when I took her to the vet, I knew what had to be done, and he just HAD to suggest some tests. I told him, "You know, it seems obvious to me that I shouldn't put my very dear and very OLD friend through a battery of tests when I know in my heart that it's the end of her life..." I know they probably have to suggest it, but wouldn't you think that they'd have a little more compassion for putting the equivilent of a 96-year-old human through invasive tests...

As for the reference to "cow kitties," that's how a lot of people refer to white cats with black spots. The lady who has the momma kitty to mine called them "cow kitties", but in my book, they aren't as "cow" as my male cat, Baby, who I had from 1977 to 1994. His spots were more random and roundish, dark black. I'll have to dig out an old photo and scan it to post a pic. He was the most photogenic cat I think I've ever seen! To me, he was a REAL cow kitty!

Denise in Omaha

That happened to me last year with my 19 year old dog. Aggie was a good size girl at 65 lbs and had been having problems the vets couldn't identify since the day before the dog food recall (she had eaten quite a few cans of recalled food in a 4 month period). She just wasn't herself- panting much of the night (she'd never been a panter), etc. On May 1st I came home and found her collapsed by her bed. She couldn't get up. Got her to the vets and a younger vet who had never seen her came in, started poking and prodding, asking if maybe she was out running around in the heat and had gotten into something (she was 19! She hadn't run around in probably 4 or 5 years), saying they should keep her for a couple of days on IV fluids and run some tests. I finally asked to see an older vet. She and I agreed that it was time. It's still painful to think that moment. I highly suggest whenever you have to make that decision to ask for the animal to be sedated prior, so that you just see them fall asleep first. That's more for us than them, just because....
I'm very fortunate to have a wonderful oil painting of her. It was from a HSUS Best Friend's Photo Contest where her picture (a hound wearing a tiara and rhinestone necklace) got 3rd place.
They really are a part of the family.

Kelly,

I'm glad you mentioned the part about having them sedated first. For any of you who haven't been through this before, take heed! When the time came with all my other pets, I'd had this one vet I just love. He's such a dear and always eager to give me ALL the information and options and kindly supportive of my decisions. And he always sedated pets before the final injection. Well, he was out of the office the day I had to take Sammy in and I got a younger vet that didn't sedate her. Of course, had I been thinking straight, I would have requested it, but you know how you are under those circumstances - being distraught, I think, keeps your brain from working coherently... Well, without going into detail, it was very traumatic for me in Sammy's final moments. I still (3 years later) can't think about it without feeling like having a good bawl... But please also know that I will never, EVER regret being there in all my pet's final moments. I hope not to have to leave this earth surrounded by strangers, and would ask no less of my precious best friends...

Denise in Omaha

It does help to hear how other's have been through the same when it comes to losing pets. I like to think that if there really is a heaven, it is a place where I will be reunited with all my animals someday. What could be better than that?

And yes, we MUST be there with them when they go, leaving them alone with strangers is not good, and for anyone afraid of it, it isn't that bad..of course it is painful, but think of it from their perspective. As hard as it is to deal with, I feel we owe it to them to be a comfort in that moment.

Denise, it has been almost 9 years since my sweet and beautiful shelter cat Daphne got cancer and had to be put to sleep. Nine long years and i could still cry when I think of her, she was such a good girl. We went thru 14 years together...I kind of feel sorry for her sometimes because those were some of the most chaotic and crazy years of my life - quite a bit of it she probably spent hiding under my bed!! But she was my baby, and I still miss her so much. I can't wait to see her again..