I prefer dogs, but they are WAY too much work and we can't leave them alone for 2-3 days when we ski...we got two cats from a shelter about 10 years ago.
One of them passed away while we were off in Florida recently and my wife can't stop crying. He was a friendly boy and, like many fixed male cats, a little too interested in food. I used to think he must have been part dog because he liked to play fetch, but he seemed to forget about the bringing it back part as he got older.
The person minding the cats in our absence said it seemed like he laid down for a nap and just never got up, guess we will never know why he died when he wasn't even that old...I did mention his weight before, though. He wasn't immense, but the vets generally did recommend to get his weight down. He would just follow us around and yowl incessantly when we did limit his intake, plus he usually ended up with part of our other cat's food (she barely eats at all) unless we watched him like a hawk. We did get him down 1-2 pounds from his peak weight, but maybe he was still too big.
The house feels much different with just one small and quiet cat! She is really only super friendly with me so my wife and daughter really miss the big guy.
That's a GREAT picture!! My cat and my two turtles like to play with each other.
