No offense with the post...but ditch the P&S. They're junk. You can pick up a nice SLR for a decent price, and expand your skill with macro, wide angle, zoom, etc as you learn. The more you expand your skills, the more you can work on making something off of your photography. Say you have a breeder in your area...after you hone your skills, work out a trade with him for animals.... Say $50-75 per shot. In no time your photo equipment will pay for itself, and you won't have to drop continuous amounts of money into new projects. Just stop at a breeders if he's willing to work out a trade, pop off some shots, edit, send and viola.... new animal.

If I may, I recommend Canon. Sharper, faster, absorbs color better, and better customer service. That and their pro-line equipment is more widely available. Pick up a nice body at first, and a zoom lens. Don't be afraid to buy used either. Your not going to tuck it in to bed, and kiss it good night. Plan to use it Zoom lenses take good close ups. Not exactly macro, but sharp, and allows for good lighting. You can grab a consumer grade Canon SLR for $400 or less, depending on if you buy new, or used.. Here's an example of a shot taken with a zoom lens.