I'm calm tonight. No flames erupting for me. I got at least 6 sleep hours sleep over last night and today. And I'm about to go for a martini and another nap.

You know I love you, Jody. Your remark really hit me wrong when I was feeling extremely low physically and depressed. Plus Mercury simply won't let me sleep. If something doesn't change there, I don't even want to contemplate that I might have to give him away. I love my baby. But I have to sleep. But he is MY responsibility (since Fox didn't take him when he left -- Mercury was HIS cat) and if I did give him away and someone else had trouble with him, I'm afraid they might put him down.

So I'm struggling here. I need a kitty whisperer.

This morning he slid some of my papers (I got taxes I'm working on) off my desk so I slid him off my desk (I did not hit him--won't do that ever). He landed in the trash can and temporarily couldn't get out. He DID get the point. He left my papers alone. Right now I'm trying to figure out where he hid my blood pressure cuff. He's probably slid it off the table where I keep it handy and now, God knows where it is, because I don't.

I do not agree with what you stated and never will. I have too much empathy for people. I'm watching these resilient people make their own chopsticks from bamboo they picked themselves, cart snow down from the mountain to melt for water, take care of their ill who are cut off from medicines, find rice for food and basically take care of themselves until the things they need can be brought in. They're not whining, they're just surviving instead of just waiting for rescue. And so I'm in awe.

And yes, ants will do the same thing, simply rebuild and survive, but the difference is, ants aren't self-aware. Cats and dogs are a step up because they will grieve for their people. They're nearer self-aware.