D'artainyen - I can empathize, for I was forced to grow up without a cat - although I did pull off an elaborate scheme at the age of 10 that won admission of an extraordinary dog into our home; a dog that stayed with us until it disappeared the same year that I married. But no cat - in fact, I was even brainwashed into believing that I did not like cats, perhaps even hated them and was actually alergic to them. Decades would pass before by cat by the name of Kaboodle would capture myself and family and introduce into my life something important that had always been missing.

Your parents are your parents and I can not challenge them from thousands of miles away, but I am with you on this and hope they utlimately will relent. If they do, they might be shocked to find that they come to love the cat as much as will you. Even if they do not give in, I predict that there will be some fine cats in your future - a future that you will find yourself in much quicker than you can possibly believe at this moment.