It's funny that this topic should be brought up, because I've been thinking lately....and for some reason I think like this...not often, but kind of on a regular basis, and I believe everyone should think like this so they make plans ahead of time.

Anyway, I've been thinking about T & P if something should happen to me. The logical solution would be for Terry to just continue to care for them. However, I don't know if that would work since he is out of town so much with work, and he is a big baby when it comes to the cats. He can't even watch me give them a pill because all he can think of is them gagging on my finger. So I don't know if he could ever give them their pills - and for some reason I really can't see him cleaning the litter or the puke spots either. And I don't believe he would pay someone to come in everyday to give T & P their pills and clean the litter, so they would have to be re-homed - and that brings up the question of where. Like most of you have said, who's going to take a 15 or 17 year old that needs to take pills everyday? It's hard enough finding a home for a healthy oldster much less one that is already starting to fail.

So, this brings me to what I've been thinking. I'm sure Tubby would do fine wherever he found a new home. I certainly wouldn't want to see him in a shelter, but I believe he could be happy there if it came to that. Peanut on the other hand, would be extremely traumitized being put in a shelter. She is afraid of loud sounds and people. When we have company, if everyone is relatively quiet, she will eventually come out, but kids and anything loud and she's in hiding for the duration. I don't think she would do well with other cats around either. She tolerates Tubby, but any new critter - dog or cat, and she would be upset - which is another one of the reasons I haven't pushed the new cat for me thing.

But I have honestly started thinking that if anything happened to me, the best thing for Peanut would be to have the vet come to the house and have her quietly put to sleep as she sat in Terry's lap. It would be very un-traumatic for her, and would spare her so much stress that I honestly think it would be worth it. The only problem with this is that Terry is such a baby, there is very little chance that this would happen. He's already told me that when it's time for either one of them, he's going to go out of town for a week so he won't know exactly when, where or how it all happens, so the chances of Peanut being in his lap, well.... But I honestly think if I talked to him about it, he could do it for her....

So anyway, I'm just not sure how to answer the poll. It would totally depend on the personality of the cats themselves. If they are easy going and could handle the change without too much stress, then there is no reason to be PTS. But if they are like Peanut, and would be more traumitized than helped, then I say putting them to sleep would be the most humane thing to do.

Oh, and since K & L is so in love with Peanut I've even thought about sending Peanut to her if anything happened to me. But seeing as how she's in AZ and I'm in IL, the trip alone would be enough to send Peanut to the loony bin, so I sort of threw that option out.

Sorry for being so long, but this is really a tough call when all you want to do is what's best for them, but you're not around to do it.