"These little furballs are just like our own kin. " Freeloaders all! ;-) But the world would be a lot sad-er place without them! Personally, I think cats are getting smarter every generation and dogs more "owner" look a-like than ever. I amazed when I see women carrying a small dog in their purse while shopping at malls or eating lunch at a well know restaurant.

Well we've heard the dog stories and we've heard the cat tales (pun intended). Here's a new twist on this great thread. A couple months ago we had to put down our miniature llama, Black Jack. One might think you can't get attached to a llama and for the most part that's true. When we first got our two llamas they fought each other for dominance. The younger, but bigger one, came out ahead. In the process Jack hit one of the boulders in the field. As a result he could no longer stand up straight. He wasn't in any pain at all and was happily eating and was fine for about 5 years. Then one week prior to this incident I noticed something odd (I'll spare you the description). I had my wife call the vet on Monday. He had severe nerve damage and everything was shutting down. We were looking for a way to take care of the situation. Sorry this is so long, I'll wrap it up. I had planned on getting some video of him. Prior to work on the last day of his life my wife came in and said, "I think we waited too long." I walked out and he tried to stand up as he did so many times before when I would come out. His legs collapsed under him. He was breathing hard and obviously struggling. I walked back in the house with tears flowing and instructed my wife to have him put down. It was the right thing to do. True I wasn't as attached to him as the last dog I lost, or the one before that, but it was still difficult for me.