Awww, y'all makin' me blush... (& I paid them hardly anything at all!) snork. The Belton swap was a blast! The swap was loads of fun, the people were friendly & outgoing, the site was on the east side of the building under trees, the Master Gardeners loaned tables & chairs- & took us on a greenhouse tour that was just mind-boggling! found homes for every one of my plants & most of the seeds in the famous seed box, & came home with a carload of wonderful stuff, some for my own gardens & some that I'll bring to the November swap in Ft Worth. Belton's just at the south edge of Temple, about a 2 hour drive from just south of DeSoto, easily do-able for most of us. (& the route goes *right past* the outlet mall in Hillsboro!) & for those who want to stay the night to prowl Salado's to-drool-for antique stores, one of the master gardeners & her husband have a bed & breakfast on wooded acreage...with gardens to make your mouth water! The accomodations are self-contained storybook cottages with their own baths & kitchenettes, just adorable, with metal roofs, big porches, all-weather fireplaces, big hydro-tubs, etc. Thanks, guys, looking forward to your spring swap!

No, I wasn't trying to convey hopelessness; I was trying to convey the uselessness & the insensitivity of making judgments about people whose resources are at low ebb, whose mental functions are compromised by powerful addictive substances, whose boots we never have had to even try on. Obviously, one has to exercise willpower to get anything done. I tell myself that every morning when the cat is sleeping on my head & I do not want to move... but I get up, partly because I am confidant that I *can* get up, & partly because there's not an addictive substance in that pillow that has made my body dependent upon it. Addictive substances are potent, & combined with genetic or metabolic predispositions, they're devastating. Alcoholism is a physical addiction; withdrawal has terrible physical consequences & some dangers. A registered nurse who worked at the Dallas County jail once told me that part of her job was to interview people who were going to jail, & she had to ask them about alcohol & drugs. She said that alcoholics had to be more closely monitored than people who habitually used cocaine; they might be called cocaine "addicts", but that addiction was mental, while alcoholism is a physical addiction: Withdrawing cold-turkey from cocaine might not make you happy, but withdrawing cold-turkey from alcohol could kill you. Something that can kill you is not something that "willpower" alone can overcome. Again, it's like telling a diabetic to just get over it; there's no more insulin, they need to exercise their willpower to keep going & functioning. An addicted person's willpower is at a very low ebb anyway, since they are at the mercy of their drug; expecting or demanding someone in that position to just break the habit (or saying it's an "obligation") is unproductive & uncompassionate at best, counter-productive & mean-spirited at worst.

OP, as you already understand the cultural norm in the US for our pets end of life issues is different than in other places in the world. I grew up in 50s-60s when most people in the US still lived on farms and barn cats just went away to die on their own - they never lived long, and it was like one day you just didn't see them. Things have changed. Something happens when you live with and love an animal for 10-20 years, the bond is incredible as well as the sense of responsibility and obligation - that sense of moral responsibility I think is behind people's strong feelings about not letting their animals suffer - as well as their own personal emotional needs. My own cat was back and forth for many months and in the end it was starting to come down to a choice of either I watch my cat die what would probably be a slow torturous death (breathing issues) or choose to end it via euthanasia. My previous cat died relatively peacefully on her own, fading away over a period of several months. But that was simply NOT an option with my Kashka. As much as I would have wanted that for her. Niether was letting her go off and die on her own like a barn cat. It was not "quality of life" question anymore. It had come to what is the quality of death. In other words - neither option I can say was a "good" one, or even the "right" one. It just boiled down to which was the least awful for her and for me. Sometimes in life that's how it is. BTW my vet was so helpful - completely frank when I asked about what would her death be if I did nothing and how would she experience it. As time goes on this becomes more of a known thing that your vet can and should talk to you about and describe for you - if you haven't already had that talk with him or her. All the best, I wish you and your kitty peace.

I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree. I'm not sure how to argue "insane!" as it appears to be industry practice by me. I could equally argue that an agent's commission shouldn't be based upon the sale price of the house as it is really no different in the amount of marketing between selling at 300K vs 400K vs 450K, but again its industry practice so why bother. In my area, lets say a normal listing is 5%, with 2.5 going to the LA and 2.5 to BA. if the listing agent brings in the buyer, they normally will reduce to 4%. So if they sell it themselves, they get 4%, if they don't they get 2.5%. I'm not a RE agent, but I'm sure its not double the work if they are acting as duel agents, especially if its from someone calling off a sign etc. Again, it may matter to the buyer, but as a seller its not really my problem, even if the net were equal there is a definate incentive to both the seller and the LA to sell to the LA buyer. More transparancy to the buyers, easier situation to control etc..