I once had a Kitty. She was a long haired cat that just hung out and was my buddy. One day the kids called me at work to tell me Kitty was sick. I got dropped off at my house and as I made the long walk up the driveway, I could see her crawling slowly and with her last breaths of air seeking me. I picked my girl up, and she died in my arms.That's the memory that I have of my pet...Beautiful, loved, soft and kind. There's never again been a cat like Kitty. She was one of a kind. I never cared much for cats after that and now I'm highly allergic to them. So that's that.. The cats that they have here in Afghanistan are a wild bunch. We're warned not to pet them because the risk of rabies is so high..#1 in the world. So I'm sitting outdoors watching as this huge mangy ball of fur walking in authority through the base. My cat hating buddy throws a rock at it and it scampers away. Not even 5 minutes later it walks proudly in the middle of the compound carrying a big rat...to be stored under the entertainment tent. 10 minutes later, again I see it walk regally by with another rat. And then a third time this happens...who needs Vector. Did I mention that the forbidden rat catcher had a rhinestone collar on? I really hate rodents so maybe this pet is OK, but I still won't be touching it.Ok, so no petting or killing Garfield. But I went to movie night at the entertainment tent and it had a smell in there. Plus, I'm trying the Atkins Diet and all that meat and the memories of fresh kill is making me gag. Back to Noodle Roni for me in the sandbox.