My mom and dad and some other people have come to see my new house, which is arranged like my grandmother's old house. They come in the garage and through the kitchen, and are admiring the house, but I'm interrupted. My black cat is bleeding heavily from the mouth.

I call her Milou, but she isn't my old cat Milou, she's a replacement. I knew she had this problem with her mouth and wouldn't be around long. But now she's bleeding puddles everywhere; the time has come to take her to the vet and have her put down. I tell my parents that I will have to do that. But I won't feel so bad about it, like I would if she was really my cat. I was just taking care of her a while at the end of her life.

But there's also a little black cat only a few weeks old who has the same problem. She's so cute and tiny, licking herself and getting blood all over her fur. I have to have her put down too.

My mom starts to say something, and I think her point is that I should just take care of them myself, and I think perhaps at least for the little cat, I should be able to do that. I'm considering it, but I don't really know how.