A Good Camera For Pet Portraits?

[misskisskiss]

I am looking to replace my broken digital camera. I mainly take shots of my pets. Cats, Dogs & Small Critters too, Including itty bitty fancy Mice. With my old camera, either the shot is too far away to see the mouse good, or its a white blur if too close. What are some good cameras that will take decently close up shots of such a small animal and be clear & showing all the detail in the fur coat?? I need something with a fast shutter since animals wont hold still. I prefer an ultra compact model with a rechargable ion battery (since I go broke buying AAs all the time) However I may settle with something larger if it takes better quality pictures. Also I am new to the site, I posted once, but I am lost and cannot find my message. So if you will be so kind to help me out with my camera dilemma, please send a message rather than posting.

[Jaedon]

Sounds like a good fit for you would be the smaller DSLR bodies like the Canon Rebel xsi or maybe even the Olympus E330 or E410/420. Canon has a higher price point but is reknowned to be worth every penny. On the other hand the Olympus E-System is known to be one of the best "bang for the buck" camera's out there.