I’m sorry for reviving this very old thread, but it’s the only post I’ve found where people are going through something so similar to what I’m experiencing. I lost my cat Meph, who I loved very much. Rachel, I also didn’t trim his nails often because he hated it so much. Timothy O’Connor, I also didn’t give my cat as much attention as he wanted due to depression and tiredness. I loved having him sit beside me (he wasn’t a lap cat) every evening, and I knew he wanted a substantial amount of petting, but I needed my hands to read things to distract me from my own thoughts, and I was tired. I really don’t think I can do much better, though. It seems like it would be selfish for me to ever adopt another pet again if this is the best I can do, but, like you, Rachel, I would feel guilty if I got another pet and treated him better than my precious Meph.

Rachel and Timothy, did you ever sort out your guilt? Did you ever adopt a pet again? If so, do you think it was the right thing to do, or the wrong thing to do?

Thank you for any insight you can share.