Great thread, so I'll throw in something a little different. I'm a cat person. It still hurts to go through the photos, but I came up with one. This is Tom, my blind cat. He was with me for over 20 years until 7:45 a.m. on December 11, 2013 when he passed away naturally, on the boat, in my arms after I had held him for 40 hours straight. Never having had children, Tom was my son in every sense. His passing killed me.
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Due to potential guest allergies on the boat, I've chosen not to have another animal living on the boat for now. Instead, I sponsor a cat, Tiffany, who lives in her forever home at the Blind Cat Rescue & Sanctuary in St. Pauls, NC. She's just one of the 93 cats there. I get to watch her on Mondays on the ustream webcam, and on the daily tours they do twice a day. Ironically, she was rescued from the streets of Miami, FL. I am going up there in a couple of weeks to meet her and all of her brothers and sisters, and to participate in a charity event to benefit the cats. I also do short term foster for rescued cats and am a "conductor" on Underground Railroad Rescued Kitty Network - I help in transporting rescues to their forever homes when one comes through Miami or originates/terminates here. Until now, I've never been without a cat for more than about a couple of months, so this is the best I can do at the present time. At least I get some comfort in sponsoring Tiffany and helping the others who pass by my feet. At some point way down the road when I can have a cat again, I will adopt one who is "broken" - one who has been rendered homeless due to sickness, deformity, age, blindness, a positive FELV or FIV status, or otherwise.