QUOTE (phran @ Jul 3 2008, 07:26 PM)

Ugh...not sure what to do:
I saw a friend today and her mama cat had kittens- goes without saying they're adorable. Friend can't keep 3 kittens and wants to give a home to 2 of 'em...
For those that don't know, I had to put my 16 yr. old cat down last November in an ordeal that was nothing short of horrific and it still brings me to tears thinking about it. All of you who lost a pet, recently or otherwise, have my deepest sympathies and understanding...
Basically, I'm scared to death of having to deal with that again and I don't know if I'm ready to go down that road...
I have some time to think about it since they're still weaning, but they kinda look like this:
They're long-hair Siamese- at least part of 'em is...
I'm aware that living in fear certainly isn't the way to go thru life and the cuteness cannot be measured when you see one chewing on the ear of a sleeping sibling...
(sigh....) I'll see what the next couple of weeks brings...
xoxoxo
Phran, I don't know the details of your loss (nor do I need to, that's private), but all I can tell you is I go through that every time I lose a pet. And I have lost a couple in some pretty horrific ways that have torn me apart inside.
Take your time, don't do anything you aren't ready to do, regardless of the cute factor. One thing I can assure you is there are always cats and kittens available. Except from December through February, cats don't usually mate during those time periods so kittens are scarce. Young kittens are anyway.
A friend and I had a similar discussion about taking in new animals when the economy is looking as bad as it is looking, but to some degree I feel it is time and will still do this. You'll know when you are ready to handle the joy of another kitty, even knowing that the pain of losing them will eventually have to be dealt with. To me, each loss continues to teach me how important it is to enjoy the days we do have them with us still.
It still sucks though. Big time sucks. So give yourself time to heal. It takes some people longer than others to be ready to do it all again, and some situations take longer to get over than others. You're the only one who can know when its the right time for you.
And friends will push when they desperately need you to do something for them. Don't allow yourself to be pushed into it unless you know you are ready.