how do you choose just one cat??

[NbyNW]

oh, my. what a tough decision.

[Catrin]

Allergies do get worse though, at least for some of us. I've always been allergic to cats but learned to deal with it because I love cats. A couple of years ago, however, my allergies got much worse and my beloved Jasmine had to go to another home. I can be around cats for short times, but can no longer live around them. Claritan, etc., just didn't help. The asthma attacks were just too severe. Since Jasmine went away, my asthma has completly disappeared...

I can't say how much I miss having a cat or two around, and there is no other kind of pet that I want... can't think of anything else that can curl up beside me or on my lap and purrrrr... Somehow the idea of a bird or reptile just doesn't do it for me, and they say I am also allergic to dogs

I am sure that people make all different kinds of excuses to get rid of a pet...

Badger, good luck on your decision - I wish that I could say something that would help with the decision. It is a tough one, for sure.

[PscyclePath]

My lady friends who have cats all say that if you're going to get _A_ cat, you might as well get two while you're at it. With two cats, they'll either play together and not pester you as much, or they'll both gang up on you and pester you anyway.

Sounds like you have an opportunity there for two good friends, if the budget will allow it...

Tom

[tulip]

Crankin, I agree with you. I grew up with cats. At one point we had 26, mostly barn cats and strays that stuck around. I had one favorite cat that I got when I was 10 and that died when I was 31 (okay so I had moved out way before then, but the cat stayed at my parents house and became my younger brother's cat). I loved cats; they slept on my head. We always seemed to attract pregnant strays that ended up having kittens in my closet.

I had a terrible time with what turned out to be allergies, although on one thought to actually take me to a doctor even after years of chronic bronchitis, chronic sinus problems, and trouble breathing (yes, it turned out to be allergy-related asthma diagnosed YEARS after I had moved away from home). I even lost sight in one eye due to no-one-knows-what. One theory is histoplasmosis or something similar, which can be related to cats.

If you have a baby, or if your child develops allergies, or if you end up having to care for an elderly relative who is allergic to cats, then yeah--the cat does not come first. I don't advocate abandoning the cat, but finding it a good home is perfectly reasonable.