Get kittens. Put Prozac in hubby’s food. End of story.
Yeah, I agree with the rest of the board. It’s all over, Athena; enjoy your new kittens. I, too, was suckered into a new kitten when I took my older (and very grumpy) cat to the vet. What do I see in the corner but a lone kitten in a wire cage in the corner! Turns out some asshat had dropped off a box of kittens on the vet’s doorstep with a note attached: “Please euthanize these animals.” This little kitten was the last one left, the runt, and no one seemed to want her (well, all the employees wanted her; she was the darling of the clinic, but they each had too many cats already). My powers of resistance were still strong–I had not come for a kitten, my other cat would hate it; besides, it was a tortoiseshell, which I’d always thought were rather odd looking (an unfair prejudice I have since abandoned. I LOVE torties now). I glanced back a second time–after all, it was a KITTEN, and they’re cute no matter what markings they have. The little minx was hanging from the top bars of the cage by her paws, with her little feet dangling off the ground, and she seemed to be saying, “Take me home! I’m the cutest kitten EVER! Look at me! Aren’t I irresistable??” Well, who could say no to an acrobatic kitty like that?
Update:
Mr. Athena looked at the pics. He is NOT enthralled at the idea of getting kittens. And neither am I when I think about litter boxes.
However, we’re going to look at 'em pretty soon.
I’ll keep you guys in the loop.
Athena, please remember two things:
You love Mr. Athena and want him to be happy.
Kittens grow up to be cats.
-Bumbawetblanket
They make self-cleaning litter boxes.
And long-haired Himalayan cats would make excellent footwarmers on long UP nights.
They can also be trained to use the toilet, so no need for litter at all. 
Self-cleaning litterboxes still must be emptied. I know, my brother and SIL have one. AND they have a cat that REFUSES to use it UNLESS it’s emptied every time she uses the box. At all. So she mostly does her bidness on the floor.
Athena, how about this:
(perspective of a Dog Person - yes, I admit it already, I do not * like cats. She asked for help in * not liking these cats. Here goes.)
The self-cleaning boxes need to be emptied as well, and I gotta tell you, those things STINK.
Plus there’s the whole “will they get along with Dog” thing, which has SO many scenarios, including “Dog Decides Kitties Are His Lovely New Play / chewtoys”, or “Kitties Take Great Exception To that And Now Dog Has Permanent Holes In His Nose”.
Plus it’s a TON more money for vaccinations, flea treatments, etc., and since they’re LONG-HAIRS, you’ll probably need to shell out for a groomer every so often. That long, fine hair needs a LOT of maintenance and attention or you’ve got one big snarled-up hairball that used to be your lovely cat on your hands.
Plus if they got outside at all, you’d have to de-clutter their fur every time.
Your dog will probably decide that Kitty Food tastes better than Doggy Food…and then we won’t even get INTO the whole dog decides that stuff in the litter box must be new treats for him.
Oops. Sorry.
That enough?
If not, then hows about: Hope you weren’t too terribly attached to the way your furniture looks. Or your carpets. Or your curtains. Or your walls. Because of course they’ll snub all $400-worth of new cat toys and claw-sharpening devices you just bought them and use the aforementioned Household Furnishings for their claws instead.
will that do it?
Besides THAT, I agree with what bumbazine said: They Grow Up To Be Cats.
And cats are GREAT.
Got both a dog and a cat, so no species-bias here.
OK, just went to look at 'em and I decided NOT to get 'em.
Why? Well, they just weren’t right. The big thing was that they had not been raised by their mother, which is a big warning sign to me. A mother cat teaches her kittens lots of stuff, litter box usage one of the big ones. These kittens had been picked up by animal control at 4 weeks old, and had been in the shelter ever since. I’m sure that someone with time and patience could assure that they grow up to be well behaved house cats, but I’m not willing to take that on right now.
Also, I have to admit, I wasn’t impressed with the shelter. It appeared fairly clean (no animal smell) but the kittens themselves were a bit grimy. Now, that could be the kitten’s fault, not the shelter’s (I think grooming is another big thing that a mother cat teaches and does for her kittens), but I just got a bad vibe. Also, the shelter was quite cluttered, with boxes and cages and supplies stacked everywhere. I just got a really bad feel from the place.
For what it’s worth, we were regulars at the shelters in our area in Colorado, and I think they were doing an incredible job. I never got the heebee jeebees there. I don’t want this to turn into a shelter bashing thread, so I just wanted to mention that.
That was probably a good choice Athena. It’s best to avoid the heebiie jeebies.
Long-haired cats are a pain in the neck. They shed everywhere and you have to brush them all the time.