Hey, penntucky!
No, I don't think that early trauma can change your dna. And your dna has not very much to do with your upbringing. The "falling to pieces" experience I know. You won't fall to pieces. I know that. Stay close to your cat and make his leave as easy as possible. Just by staying close. If he or she asks for it. And continue to dig deeper, as you do already. Even if that will ask for another bottle of wine. Or two. I'm rather amazed about your skipping to and fro. In between your cat's going away and your past. I'm really amazed. But perhaps I totally misunderstand you. Anyway- if I would live next door, I guess I'd like to accompany you two. I have been there, if I'm not wrong. My best to you!

I know that early trauma can do lasting damage. I have Bipolar Disorder
and the doctor said it's part genetic and part from trauma.

But yes, if you weren't so alone and poor you WOULD react differently.
It's hell to be alone and poor, I know because I am too.

I think your dentist did have a very good upbringing. Some people are lucky.

Glad you get to have your cat for a while longer. Thanks for keeping
us updated.

Forget the "I fall to pieces" and try this one below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTP4hZRFsUo

My cat comes over to the screen as if to say "what the hell are you doing to my computer to make it complain like that??"

Penn I know how close you are to that cat and how old and frail it is getting now....I know you will have a trauma again sometime but hopefully you do not Fall to Pieces...I had issue with my old dog that I took him to vet to be put down and now what about 6weeks later he is still with me having the time of his life...he indeed did not need to be put down at that time as doctor said it was not his time....

problems like this tear our hearts out....it is easy to think of falling to pieces...maybe get another cat now to allow the two to get to know each other before the older one is gone....that may ease the pain...I did that with my third dog that I brought in last year when I thought the old dog would not make it thru winter....he is standing tall!

Everyone has something that will make them fall to pieces. No matter how good your upbringing was. I think those of us who had rotten childhoods just learn to pick those pieces back up after they fall. We don't "bounce back" necessarily, but we have the strength to keep on going and build ourselves up again.

hi, calibanshour,

i read, somewhere of early trauma re-wiring a person's brain, but such medical news probably changes every few years....i was eating egg whites for a few days, cause the up and down news of egg whites suddenly being good for you---and then a few days ago i woke as though i was ready for a heart attack, from old news of eggs being bad for you.:)

thanks, for your reply.

thanks, heretic.

i know from your posts that you have it really rough.

hoping the best for you.

thanks, billwfriend,

i know from your older posts about you and your dog are akin to how i feel with my cat.

months ago, i started feeding my downstairs neighbor's outside cat---now there are 3 other cats outside, from somewhere, i feed....and now worry about; i think that agrevated my situation with my cat.

i do have a 2nd cat, from 2006 shelter, that gets treated like a 2nd class citizen; when the worst does happen, i'll be treating him better.

i'm still playing "i fall to pieces", even if it is a love song, and not about general trauma.

hi, again, tehdreamer,

i have some screensavers about "bouncing back"; i put such stuff into a visual search engine, and make self-help screensavers.

some of my old memories do at least burn out of me when i bounce back from some of this stuff.

me playing "i fall to peices", though its not really about my situation, the way people think "every breath you take" is a love song, and gets played at weddings!

Reminds me of the Huey Lewis song "I Want a New Drug".