Loss of a loved one.

My father-in-law is that strong silent type you hear about. He's a man of few words, but he knows what he wants and, though very nice, can be a little intimidating at times. The reason I say this is that I was surprised when I found out he takes in stray cats and loves them. The other day when I was there, he showed me the litter of six that had just arrived. He was so proud of them. He let the mother cat climb up his leg to his chest where he gave her a playful rub. This afternoon we got a call from him, saying the mother cat had just been run over and he's trying to give away the kittens, whose eyes still haven't opened. We weren't sure. We don't do well with pets. But we decided to give it a shot. After we made the decision and told the kids about it, we got another call. Aparently a neighbor has a cat that just lost a litter of kittens. So they're going to let her adopt them. I'm relieved. I love animals but we're just not the type of family to care for animals, especially ones that needy, the way we should.