Yes, the whole situation is unfortunate, and yet repeated over and over and over in every corner of our country... BUT, you are doing the right thing! Rabies is fatal. And you CANNOT assume it won't happen to you, or in your area. So as bad as it is to quarantine a stray dog on your porch for 2 weeks - HANG IN THERE. The ONLY alternative is to euthanize it and send it's head in for testing, which indeed you will probably have to pay for. Think about the farm family thats 6 month old lab puppy was found playing with an almost dead bat in the yard. The bat was tested - positive for Rabies. The puppy was euthanized...it had never been vaccinated against Rabies...but they couldn't take a chance with their childrens lives. It was negative. But the kids lost their puppy for lack of a $15 vaccination. Or the family that brought a sickly barn kitten into the kitchen to warm it up and feed it. I bit one of their toddlers in the heel. The next morning it had died...they had it tested and it was positive for Rabies. The child was treated and survived due to the quick action of her parents. Or the teenager that awoke in the night to find a bat mixed up in the sheets in his bed...it tested positive for Rabies...he never knew if he'd been bitten - the bite wound can be so tiny. But he was treated for Rabies. Or the Farmer and his 2 sons that bought a few small steers to feed out on their farm. A week later the vet was called out to treat one that wouldn't eat. Well it couldn't eat, or swallow...it tested positive for Rabies. All 3 had to be treated for Rabies...but THEY'RE ALIVE. True stories from our vet clinic in the past couple years. We process and send in 6 or 8 samples (read dead animals) to the state lab every year. Most are negative. Most are wild/feral bats or cats. But the saddest are the beloved pets...all for the lack of a cheap vaccine. VACCINATE YOUR PETS AGAINST RABIES! Even if they never go outside! In most states it's the law! Can you imagine having YOUR Kitty killed and tested for Rabies 'cause the neighbors 5-year-old brat grabbed her by the tail and Kitty lashed out with a "nip"? Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox now...And Cath, I wish you and DH and your stray a clean bill of health. Then you can find a home for...ah, what's her name now? :) Sarah

I really think you might be surprised when you're finished. The farmhouse sink is not there but you can still have the bridge faucet, assuming you find the right sink. But you'll need to measure BEFOREHAND very carefully. And stick with your shiny finishes. Get classic hardware and maybe some crystal knobs thrown in. With the right countertop, I'll bet you'll have an end result that's pretty darned close to what you pictured. I think everyone makes compromises along the way. I wanted a kitchen with a light, marble like colored countertop. This clashed with DH's vision. He was iffy about white from the start. But the kitchen means more to me. Yet to help make him more comfortable, I did a lighter stone on the island but dark around the perimeter. And my shiny bridge faucet didn't happen the second I mentioned side spray. So I'm doing the beautiful Woodmere pull down that I found. But it doesn't come in polished nickel...only chrome and stainless. I've seen plenty of GWers combine stainless with Polished Nickel and it works fine since the tones are warmer. But it wasn't my original vision. I had also envisioned cabinets to the ceiling. But it added so much to the cost that I couldn't justify it. Now that everything is in place, I'm glad. I think it might have overwhelmed the room. The hood to the ceiling and the window seat cabinets will balance the area nicely. I think compromises do get made along the way for various reasons. And that's fine. I just read an article from a kitchen designer that said she never wants clients to pick everything at once up front because the clients' vision may not fit with what ends up in the space as things change once the room starts forming together. It may have been on Houzz? It was really good. It said the certain things to do at certain times but that based on how things looked during that phase, it could change what ends up in the kitchen in the end. So it's GOOD to not be completely "married" to everything and to be flexible. You will end up with a better kitchen for YOU!

Thank you for the responses. I should have given more info. I can sum up the contents of that thread: I trapped the cat in a Havahart trap early in November and took her to the vet. They tested her for feline leukemia (negative), gave her a rabies shot, treated her (Revolution) for fleas and ear mites, gave her a long-lasting shot of antibiotics for her eyes, and spayed her. I took her home to recover in a dog crate in my guest room and worked on taming her. When she got to the point where she would let me pet her head, and she purred (a couple of weeks), I let her out into the guest room. I had little contact with her there, as she mostly hid under the bed. When I saw the discharge on the bedding I realized her eyes were no better. I lured her back into the crate, and then into a cat carrier, and we went back to the vet. Another treatment with Revolution, another long-lasting antibiotic shot. Plus he cleaned out her ears. He told me to treat her eyes with ointment twice a day for a week. I took her home and put her back in the dog crate, which my son and I moved atop the bed (with a new tarp underneath to protect the bed) so I can reach her easily. The week is more than up, and her eyes are no better. She still sounds congested, and is still sneezing. She eats well. Has diarrhea, but that's probably from the antibiotic. I don't think she's grooming. I know our animal shelter very well, and she wouldn't stand a chance there. They are nice people, but have too many to care for already. I have l-lysine in the house and could try mixing it with canned food. The latter might add to the diarrhea, but I suppose it's worth a try. Do you know how much to give? My tablets are 1,000 mg.

Daisy- You must be so worried! I’ve helped recover a few lost cats and this is my best advice: Typically, cats are only one to two doors away, but they get disoriented easily when lost and often will hear calls but they are too frightened to run out from a hiding spot, due to this disorientation. Put your kitty's bedding, toys, litterbox, your worn clothing/sheets, etc. outside ASAP. Scent skills are #1 thing that will help lost animals. Most important: You have a much, much better chance of finding your cat at night than during the day for two reasons: #1: they are scared but need food and water so will tuck away during the day, and then come out at night when it's quiet, and #2: it's easier to see their glowing eyes at night than to see their bodies during the day. WALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD AT NIGHT with a flashlight and an open can of tuna. After you’ve walked and called for her at night, if you return home without sight of her, leave your garage door open just six-inches or so when you get home. Leave water and your worn items in the garage, but do not leave food because it will attract possum and raccoons and endanger your cat. If she hears you but is too scared to come to you, this will allow her to return on her own terms. I’ve known of a number of instances where the cat shows up in the garage the next morning. If you are fortunate enough for this to happen, resist approaching her too quickly. Ideally, secure the closing of the garage door before you approach. Almost everyone I know who has found their lost kitty has done so at night. All the best to you!