Is it cat time?

A little over a month ago we had lost our beloved cat. We had him since the day he was born and of all the cats I've had in my lifetime this cat was the best! Olivia is a big cat-lover, and this cat was a big Olivia-lover. His name originally was White Socks, but Olivia was young when he arrived and she just called him Kitty. Eventually that became his name, with the nickname of Big Fat Fatty following because of his enormous size. But Fatty became sick and telling Olivia that he had passed on was the most difficult moment I've experienced as a parent so far. I cried all day just thinking about having to tell her, and when she shrieked out and latched on to Marei and just shook and sobbed-it was just horrible.

Since then she has been able to move on. We still talk about Fatty every day, and although we are able to smile at the memories we have of him, it still makes my heart hurt a bit to think that he is truly gone from our lives. Olivia has recently mentioned that she is ready to start looking for another cat. The baby will be arriving in less than a week and of course we will have to get settled in with the baby first before we bring a new cat into the house. I am thinking that an adult cat might be a better option for us. Kittens are fun and adorable, but there are so many adult cats needing to be adopted from pet shelters or being given away from their owners who for whatever reason cannot have them any longer. I'm nervous about it this time around. Normally when you get a pet you think of all the fun stuff, picking a name, playing with it, watching it be silly and making the kids laugh. But now all I can think of is...Is it healthy, How long will this 0ne be around for, what if it gets sick, what if it doesn't adjust to us or our dog? I'm so afraid of losing another pet and having to go through all of that again. I guess I just have to do some smart shopping this time, ask all the right questions, and pray for the best.