Dear Audrey - please stay. I see you started this thread on the 7th June and I've only just seen it! I think a lot of threads disappear so quickly because of the speed of new threads being added! (Did that make sense?!)
I think the 'thing' about having friends on the board is a very new happening - I honestly think of everyone here as my friends. No matter what our ages or gender we have one thing in common - our love of animals. This is why we joined in the first place.
I often don't reply to a thread because what I was going to say has already been said by someone else - and nine times out of ten much more elequently (sp?).
I've fogotten how many times my reply to a thread has killed it stone dead I often think 'Oh yes another one hits the dust!' But hey that's not important - the fact is we've shared something with each other - maybe it was just a ' ' or a ' '.
How often have we laughed and yes cried together and shared stuff here we wouldn't even tell people in the 'real world'?
Mainly because they just think we're a cat (dog, horse, rabbit, lizard etc etc etc) nut!! People here care about each other - look at the threads when someone is ill - but more we adore our pets and this is where we come to discuss, query, laugh and shed the tears.
If you feel you have to go - so be it. You'll be missed because a much loved member of our 'family' isn't here - reconsider please and stay amongst 'friends' who love you.

Lynne