Hoovb, your pal is precious ! Each pet-pal has a way to endear themselves to us, and enter our heart... maybe it's a bird or a gerbil or a 'coon, I was in the pet-food store the other day and a guy came in with a possum riding on his shoulder, she had a harness and leash on and was just adorable, he found her as a baby and raised her and she lives with him, uses a litter-box and eats cat-food... her fur was soft like a kitten, they are almost blind but have extra senses like smell and hearing, etc., and she loved being petted...... so there you go, we all have our weaknesses..... and wouldn't give them up because they sustain us in our times of need...............sally

IÂm so, so sorry for your loss johnmari. I know how hard losing a pet can be. To me, losing a pet is as hard as losing a family member (because to me, they are a family member). And even though the choice you made was a terribly hard one, to me it was the right one. I went through a similar agonizing decision when our dog Jake had a cancerous tumor on his liver. I felt sick about making the decision, almost guilty, but realized that operating and the quality of life he may have lead afterwards (had he even survived) wouldnÂt have been worth it. He was old and having to go through chemo and radiation afterwards would have ravaged his body, and what kind of life would that be? It will be hard for a long while with out her there, but it will eventually get easier. Even though we have adopted two "fur kids" since, I still to this day (and itÂs been four years) get teary eyed thinking about Jake (he was my first pet of outside my parentÂs home) and donÂt think he could ever be replaced. Again, IÂm so sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your DH.

Thanks for those great photo imbedding instructions, Bi. I went ahead and posted Odessas pic on the thread about adopted pets of 2007. That is a beautiful story you tell about Siphon and Rosie.

I just lost my precious baby boy, Romeow, to FIP this morning. I had only had him for two weeks and he was only "normal" for about two days. Then the loss of appetite started, weight loss, lethargy. We took him to the vet (twice) where they gave us meds for hookworms and antibiotics for fever but he just became more and more lethargic and sad. I had to feed him with a syringe and give him the high-vitamin cat gel. Anyway, he just seemed worse and worse so I took him to the emergency vet this morning and his little tummy was so swollen, his third eyelids had been showing for the last few days and his gums were white. They drew fluid from his abdomen and they said it was likely that he had FIP. I had him put down because I didn't want him to suffer. I've been crying non-stop since then, and I also have five kids who are heart-broken. I AM SO ANGRY AT THE BREEDER. She eluded that something could be wrong with him (AFTER WE PURCHASED HIM). She wanted us to put him to sleep without even trying to figure out what was going on with him! I'm so sad I can't even think straight right now. Even in two short weeks he was such a wonderful little guy. I miss him so much.