I voted YES because my hubby has put his foot down and said I can't get another cat.

(For the past month, leading up to my birthday, he has been asking "What do you want for your Birthday", and I kept answering "Thomas" - the tail-less Russian Blue at our shelter - to be renamed Sergei).................

Needless to say I DIDN'T get my birthday wish

He does have a couple of compelling reasons:

- I am working long hours and won't be around to handle the introduction
- We won't be in the Mid East forever, and the costs to ship animals are exhorbitant (he knows that once it's in the family it will not get left behind when we leave)
- We already have one cat which was not planned for (Ally just kind of "showed up", I got agreement from him to keep her until I could home her - but I didn't exactly try very hard).
- Ally WILL NOT take it well - she goes absolutely MENTAL whenever I have rescue kittens in our spare bathroom - so he anticipates real behaviour problems from her if we get another cat - and I am inclined to agree.

He is now VERY insistant that any strays I rescue (usually from dumpsters / side of road etc) go straight to the shelter as soon as possible.

My "head" agrees with his reasoning, but my "heart" just wants to open up our caring home to another shelter animal, and give it a better life!

I can tell you one thing however - If I was single, my house would have a lot less hi-tech home theatre equipment, cars and motorbikes, and A LOT MORE ANIMALS!

At the end of the day, I could probably maniputate the situation, throw a huge "wobbly" and get my own way. But I don't think anything in a relationship should be "won" by emotional blackmail. There are things I feel very strongly about, which he has compromised and given up for me (like Sky Diving)- I asked him to stop and he did. So I guess one of the keys to a happy marriage is the ability to compromise, in order to keep the peace!