All this talk about pets and animals this week, makes me want to know what kind of pets do you have, how long have you had them, and where did you get them. Names are great too. All your pet stories today.
It's not a secret that I'm not a pet person *L*. My philosophy is that if you lick your own asshole on a regular basis, you don't get to live in my house ;)
We have a mini schnauzer, she is 5 years old and is named Buffy the mouse slayer. We bought her from a friend to kill the mice in our trailer and now she belongs to my children.
I used to have two cats, Bird and Claus. Claus passed a couple of years ago and Bird, aged 19, just passed in March. I still miss her terribly. But my fiance has two cats, the mom and the kid, Ginger and Henry. They make me smile!!
I have two cats, Sammy and Luna. Sammy is the older cat(who is my icon) and Luna is the baby(i submitted her picture last summer i think). Although I love both I think Sammy is the closet one to me. When we were moving we had her stay with my parents until the place was complete. We ended up getting a call from them to get her because she would not eat until I was there.
We have Mucha (pronounced moo kuh), a very sweet Siamese. We got him the same day that we adopted Toulouse, my beloved cat that died unexpectedly last year.
It took a year to finally decide on another cat but last month we adopted Gaia (pronounced guy-uh), a beautiful Maine Coon cat whose history we don't know. She was found starving with missing teeth and a broken tail. The Purebred Cat Rescue that services Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and other surrounding states rescued her from a shelter and nurtured her back to decent health. We've been doing the rest and she is finally feeling safe, happy and playful! She is 36" long, most of it tail! Her feet are huge so she tiptoe-stomps through the house. Darling.
Yes, our pet names are affected. Toulouse and Mucha are named after vintage poster artists and Gaia is named after a character on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
Speaking of Spartacus - anyone have updates on Andy Whitfield's health?
she was a stray that some friends found but their other cats didn't get along with her so we took her in. best thing we've ever done.
she's an endless source of entertainment. she steals our socks and hides them, lays on her back spread eagle most of the time, sounds like a pigeon when she meows and only likes being petted or brushed while she's eating. what a lovely little weirdo.
I have a 7 year old chow mix, she's very pretty and knows it....her mother was rescued by Mighty Mutts a great organization here in New York...her mom and all her sibs were adopted quickly, but I got lucky because she was waiting for me. I only rescue...there are so many animals in need of homes...
I have a yellow lab, Sonata. We got her almost a year ago from a breeder when she was 2. She loves picking up the socks that the kids leave lying around the house and chewing (but thankfully not ingesting) them. Have you ever stepped on a wet sock in the middle of the night? Ick, Nast! She snores and she is scared of feet and sometimes scared of tile flooring, but she's awesome with kids and is a sucker for a belly rub. She's my third and final child -- my fur baby. :D
Chico the blue heeler (aka Aussie cattle dog) is 12.5 yrs.
Lucy was my dog & Chico my husband's when we met walking them at the same park. After months of seeing one another & chatting, the two of us without fur went on a people date. The rest is history. We got married outdoors & the dogs were in our wedding--ushers walked them down the aisle resplendent in rose-wreathed collars. Red for Mr. Chico & pink for Miss Lucy.
They are our world & I wouldn't have it any other way.
Both dogs were purchased from breeders as puppies, but we have committed to getting future dogs from shelters or rescues-just seems like the right thing to do.
We have a 4 year old miniature schnauzer named Clara (my m-i-l's dog). We also have 3 cats. Puddy is 14, Luke is 10 and Logan (our first rescue) just turned 1 year old. He's my pride and joy, and the torturer of cats named Luke.
I think it must be a really slow news day or else Enty has something more exciting to do that he is leaving us to amuse ourselves talking about our pets. (It better be something fun...)
I currently have 3 rescue kitties - two were mine that I adopted from Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association here in Vancouver (great organization) and they came together as a package deal. Both male, named Lentil and Toa (Maori name that means "warrior"). My heart swells about three times every time I see them groom each other.
My boyfriend also brought a kitty into our relationship - a female tabby named Hazy.
One day I will live in a big house or maybe a farm somewhere...I will have as many shelter-adopted animals as I can afford, and will spay and neuter each and every one :)
I once purchased dogs through breeders but the 2 dogs I have now were rescues, they were both purebred owner surrenders, my sheps owners had to go back through the breeder in order to surrender him since they wanted to make sure all of their dogs have good homes.
Wiemaraner - Daisy 9 y/o ( I cant remember the agency ) She's been with us 5 years
Patron - German Shepherd 5 y/o (GSD Rescue) He's been with us 1 year.
I have had dozens of pets, all with crazy names. Right now I have 2 rescue cats, a Himalayan named Poppet and a tuxedo cat (my favorites) named Capt. Jack.
JoElla, so sorry for your loss. It is heartbreaking when a furry friend dies. Just awful. I hope you've heard the Rainbow Bridge legend. If not, google it. It gives me peace when I think of my dog Cash running around up there waiting for me.
I have a 9 year old lab/rottie/cattle dog mix named Sadie. (Popular nicknames: Sadiebug, Boo Boo, Fathead.) She is my first dog and I adopted her when she was 4. She was FAT when I got her because her foster family stopped caring about her and let her eat what she wanted. She lost 20 pounds the first year she lived with me, and I lost 13. BONUS! ;) She is SUPER chill and the love of my life. A great spooner (though she snores LOUDLY) and always makes me happy when i walk in the door after work and see her smiling face.
I got my cat Diablo the summer after I graduated college, and I soon adopted Frances (another cat) afterwards, because I didn't want Diablo to be lonely when I went to work.
About a year later, my friend found a cat and assumed it had worms, but she turned out to be knocked up. My friend still named the cat Wormy, and the kittens were dubbed Tapeworm, Mealworm, and Ringworm. I adopted Ringworm, but I renamed him Nigel.
And THEN, my boyfriend took in a kitty when he and I first started dating, and she turned out to be pregnant. Peeper gave birth to three kittens and we raised them until they were old enough to give away, but it's basically impossible to give EVERY kitten away. Thus, we kept Buster.
THEN, a teensy little fluffy and white longhaired kitten appeared outside our apartment during a rainy night a couple of summers ago. He was covered with fleas and mange, and it looked like he'd been burned and that part of his fur had been cut off. :-( I took him to the vet, nursed him back to health, and the thought of giving him away was agonizing, so...
...now we've got SIX beautiful catchildren. And I adore them. We're pathetic whenever we go on vacation, because we spend the whole entire time worrying about the cats and wondering what they're doing.
Yep. I'm *that* lady. Or like the character from The Simpsons: toss a cat at me, and it'll stick.
I'm only slightly ashamed. But not really. I'd have goats, dogs, horses, lambs, EVERYTHING if I could. I love (non-human) animals more than anything. :-)
I had a Siamese named Milo who got killed, I have never loved anyone as much as I loved him.
I have two Pugs that I purchased from breeders, on retrospect, I know that is supposed to be bad, but there lives were not so great there so I am glad that I got them out when I did. Pepito who is seven and Maisy who is three. They are my great loves as well.
One snow white cat with a black tail named Wanda who was in animal control when I saw her picture. A friend took it when picking up another animal there in 2005. Gigi adopted from Papillon shelter online when she was 7 yrs old in 2007. My friend's husband found a tiny kitten in there yard last August who is now named Pixie. Two ferrets and fostering four sick ones from the shelter that were part of 30 confiscated from a hoarder. She had 100 assorted animals.
I'm a cat person. I grew up with three cats. When I moved out on my own many years ago I never bothered having any pets but my family had three cats at different times. The first two died early but the third one lasted 14 years. He probably would have lasted longer, had he not been hit by a car. Drivers suck.
I don't like dogs. Back in the summer of 89' I was out walking one day in shorts when a dog decided to just come up and wrap his mouth around my ankle just for something to do. Two of his teeth sunk there way into my flesh. Wasn't a biggie - but I've not liked dogs ever since. If I was to get a pet in the future it'd be another cat.
Two cats. A neurotic, talkative, unaffectionate, non-purring attack calico named Iris, for Iris Murdoch, my all-time favorite author. Got her as a kitten from a friend of a friend. Other cat is a laid-back, quiet, loving, constantly purring tuxedo named Broadway. She's named after the street where she was found by a rescuer.
I'm also a cat socializer at my local shelter, and, since it's kitten season, I encourage everyone reading this to get down to your shelter and adopt a cat or three....
I have a mutt named Sam. He's almost 9 years old and my longest relationship thus far. ;) He is sweet & mostly well behaved. I definitely treat him like he's my child.
We have a rescue wirehaired pointing griffon named Siggurd, after captain Sig on Deadliest Catch. It was a dragon slayer in Norse mythology. He's a hunting dog, so it fit. We've had him for 4 years.
Next up is my daughter's tortoise, Sarah. She was a birthday present 2 years ago.
Last August, we adopted a little black kitty who we named Jasper. He's fun and he sleeps on my feet at night.
Last October, we adopted a black lab named Sadie. She belonged to a coworker of my husband who just didn't have time to train her. We took pity and took her. She is the sweetest little girl but she had never been in the house before so we had to teach her house manners.
Both the dogs play great together but the kitty rules the roost. It's pretty funny to see 80 and 50 pound dogs jump back from the cat when he takes a swing at them!
I'm thinking of getting another cat but not sure if there is a proper way to go about that. (i was a dog person until i got my cat last year:)
i think my cat would like the company while we're out/away but how do you know your cat isn't just gonna kill the other one or hate it so much that you cause more issues for her? i don't wanna traumatize her any more than she has been.
am i just over-thinking this?
any tips/advice you guys have would be much appreciated :)
@pwner - It will take a little bit of time but cats do warm up to each other. But at first, they will hiss and snarl. If it keeps up for some time it's probably not a good idea to bring another cat into the situation. Usually As long as there's enough food for both of them in the cat dish, they're happy. ;)
I don't have any pets of my own but I grew up with cats. We had 3 most of my life.
My family had a cat named Jet before I was born. My dad found him at a Jets game at Shea Stadium and brought him home. He died when I was like 3 or so so I don't remember him.
Samantha or Sammy, who we got from a client of my dad's (dad was a CPA, client was a vet). She was short-haired, gray and white and affectionate when she felt like it. She developed quite a belly over the years though she didn't really eat much. We got her when I was about 5 or 6.
Garfield was my girl (yes, girl). She hung around the elementary school bus stop with us and started following my mom home. My mom fed her and she stayed. :) The neighborhood kids named her (she was orange and black and would eat ANYTHING). We posted a notice and no one claimed her so we adopted her. She got very sick in her older years and my mom took care of her as if she was a human child.
Finally there was Cappy, Captain Midnight was his 'real name'. He was all black, long hair, yellow bright eyes. We got him from my brother's friend whose cat got pregnant. He was probably too young to have been weaned from him mama. He didn't really know how to clean himself at first and he was afraid of EVERYTHING! As a little kid, I thought it would be fun to throw him into the snow like a foot outside our front door. He didn't like it. lol. He LOVED mint and fresh dill...like catnip for him. One night we heard a thump in the kitchen and found that he had knocked over the trash can and was ROLLING in the fresh dill that my mom had used to make chicken soup. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. :)
Thanks, Enty for letting me relive and share these moments!
I got my cat Sparky when I left the Lunatic From Hell. It was just she and I in an old drafty, 100 year-old house with no furniture. She was with me as I built back my life, reclaimed my kids, and was with me when I moved through three different states. She was a gorgeous silver-blue with green eyes, seven toes, and I loved her as much as I love my kids. She used to sleep on my neck when she was a kitten, and the night before she had her first and only litter, she slept on my neck and I could feel the babies moving inside. :*)
When my mother entered the end stage of terminal breast cancer, I left Sparky in the charge of my "best" friend. Five days after my mother passed, this friend emailed me and said she couldn't care for Sparky anymore (I was 300 miles away) and dropped her off in the country somewhere. I'd had her for 11 years.
Of all the fucktards I have dealt with in my life, I have hated no one and I've worked hard to be in that place. I figured hatred only hurts me. But this woman -- I hate. It was probably one of the cruelest things that's ever happened to me.
It took me three years, but I just recently adopted a cat from the local shelter. I saw her online and it was meant to be -- her name is Athena, and I just finished my first novel titled "Athena's Promise".
She's not Sparky, but she's crazy and we have come to be quite fond of each other :)
Two dogs: Mae (Beagle/Dalmation) who I adopted from a county shelter for $20 & 8 years later I adopted Lulu (Maltese/Yorkie) I adopted from a vet who also ran a shelter. Both were basically ditched by their shitty owners. Lulu was definitely neglected...she was malnourished & pregnant and the owner didn't want to pay her vet bill.
And for the people who don't like pets or don't get how people can love animals, all I can say is: thank you for not owning one. At least you are honest!
And if you *insist* on being breed specific, please check out rescues devoted to that one breed. A little research & patience will pay off.
I live with 3 cats; 2 are rescues, the other one I got from an ad in a grocery store. The youngest is about 1 1/2 years old, her name is Britney. She was rescued from the streets by a rescue organization. My middle cat is 12 years old, and his name is Chandler. I rescued him from my friend who couldn't find a home for him and was on her way to have him put down. I took him and said that I would continually tell my mother I was looking for a home for him until she fell in love with his kitten face-she did. My eldest was from a home that didn't spay the queen, and had a "free to a good home" ad up in the grocery store. She's 13 years old and has been living with through Boston, NYC, and now in FL. She's an absolute sweetheart.
@Netta - your old "best" friend is an absolute shit, and I don't blame you one bit for hating her. I volunteer for a shelter here and we are sick to death about all the animals that just get dumped off in fields or on highways. If you're going to be an asshole and abandon your animal, at least take it to a shelter where it has a fighting fucking chance.
@pwner - how old is your current cat? Sometimes, if the current cat is older, it can be hard to adjust. Issues of jealousy and possessiveness, mostly. On the other hand, if they're VERY old, sometimes they just don't care. And if it's a pretty easy going cat generally (how does he/she react with strangers? other animals), he/she might not mind at all.
When my boyfriend moved his cat in, my alpha male had a seriously problem with it, and every now and then (2.5 years later) they still have a hissing/swatting fight, but it's been getting better. They're between the ages of 2-5.
She's about 2 1/@ right now. My gut instinct is to get a cat that's younger than her because she has this really overt motherly, nurturing quality to her personality.
I'm sure it does take awhile for all cats to adjust. It's just that I've known people who've brought a new cat into the house only to have it not work out and they end up sending the cat away, which I just couldn't do once I brought it in.
I have three cats - Misty and Elmo - sisters who I adopted from a rescue. Their mother was a pet cat which was apparently abandoned when she was pregnant. They are five years old. And Coco, our Maine Coon Cat... I think she is something like 12 pounds and that is not even being overweight - it is just the sheer size of the breed. She is three and the boss. Hobbies are enjoying bellyrubs, eatin and sleepin.
@jbdean79 -- thanks! :-) Does *your* Buster also weigh close to 20 lbs? I swear he wasn't that fat when we named him...
I also love your advice to JoElla:
"There are so many animals out there in need of good homes and while the pet you lost can never be replaced, neither can the people willing to give animals the affection they deserve."
I think that loving animals is almost a healthy addiction. You can't stop or prevent yourself from doing it once you've started, but it's just such a rush and it's so rewarding. And the people who mourn their pets the hardest are often EXACTLY the kind of people who you'd want to see keep adopting others.
@JoElla, I'm so sorry. You're allowed to be as sad as you want, and don't let anyone trivialize your loss.
@Netta -- that is THE saddest story I've read in a really long time. If you ever find the identity/whereabouts of that monster who called herself your friend, let me know. I'm not above putting sugar in a gas tank or poop on a doorstep.
There are SO many reasons why I honestly like animals better than people.
@pwner -- you mentioned you have a female cat. I have to ask: is she a Calico? I've known more than a few examples of that breed who REALLY like to be the only one. Ditto with Siamese.
In my experience, it's easier to introduce a male to a female than it is to introduce a female to a female. They either fight ferociously, or ignore the hell out of each other.
I'd recommend a kitten if your other cat is still fairly youngish. If the cat is elderly, I'd adopt one that's sluggish and less likely to jump on senior and annoy the piss out of him.
Regardless, I've used the same exact method each time I've brought a cat home: leave the new kitty in his carrier and let your other cat/s sniff him, circle him, hiss at him, smack the carrier, etc. It's weird, but once they have that introduction, I've found the new one can become assimilated pretty quickly.
Of course, EVERY CAT is different. Any lover of felines can attest to that. Good luck! :-)
One of my rescue stories...I have Cookie, he is a St. Bernard chow mix who will never grow into his feet or size. One day we found a dog having a seizure in the road, we took him home and then to the the animal emergency hospital where we put him down. The vet said he was probably hit by a car at one time and was having liver failure. In all of the animals I have rescued he was the worst one I have seen. He actually had a protruding bone out of his skin that was healed around the opening, he was super thin and very mangy. I was sad that we put him down but glad he was not alone. About a month later a dog shows up to our property looking like that exact same dog. He was super thin, he had dreadlocks on his chest that were so tight it was pulling his skin. Long story short, he got trapped in our garage with our Lab/Pit mix named Muggles (who used to invite all of the neighbor dogs and strays to come over for food and yes I think I have a sign on my forehead that only animals can see for "feed me"). He was so scared of us petting him he was shaking and peeing, needless to say that was all he needed to know we were ok even though he was scared, we still have him, his name is Cookie and he is one of the best dogs we have ever had, he has no real manners yet he is always polite. Anyways, we think he is the brother of the first dog we found, and that he followed his brothers scent to our house. He also used to sleep in the shavings I had in my horses stall, so when he would run away (this was in the beginning) he was a huge fluff ball of hair and shavings. Now he is a house and ranch dog, he is quiet on his feet and he gets along with everybody!
I also have a poodle named Romeo, three cats named, Tara, Jo Jo, Newton and an obnoxious parakeet named Birdie, all are boys and I fix everything. I have had numerous animals and I have lots of stories, and Cookies story is one my favorites. My picture is of my last horse named Wintergreen who passed away several years ago.
Sputnik -a huge feral born rescue cat, he is tall enough to look into the bathtub and rest his chin on the edge with ease and weighs about 30 pounds. He likes to sleep in the tub. He is also a big baby and is scared of everything.
Frosting - a grey and white rescue cat with white paws, she is the self-appointed mother of all of our animals.
Daisy - Our shelter dog, Daisy died two years ago. She was half American Eskimo and half Queensland Heeler and 100% crazy-seriously the dog was schizophrenic. We all swear she heard and saw things that weren't there. The vet said she was surprised that we kept Daisy all her life, but we could not give up on her. I still miss her and her quirks.
Rocko- a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a sweet, loveable, lazy eight year old.
Scout- a tall lanky Boston Terrier with meat protein allergy, skin and pollen allergies. He's a vegan. My husband's favorite. Scout is the dog alpha-he sees my husband as the pack alpha. Scout is amazing and takes care of the other animals. One day we were playing with our Bostons and our female Boston's stomach was growling. Scout left the room and came back a few moments later with a mouthful of food that he dropped in front of Lola. He also opens doors and is too smart for his own good.
Lola-our short and stocky, red/white Boston Terrier. She is full of "spit and vinegar" as my grandma-in-law would say. She loves everyone, thinks she is a big dog and loves to play. She is almost Scout's opposite, except she is also too smart for her own good.
A few weeks ago she had to be hospitalized for a few days because of an intestinal infection. She was so ill, but stayed is such a good humor. It broke my heart to see her so ill, she vomited every few minutes and was bleeding internally -Lord help me, I am crying as I remember it.
It was a horrible week, right before that my oldest daughter spent the night in the hospital with an intestinal infection similar to Lola's. Strange, right? We were wondering if it could be a spider bite-we have lots of spiders here.
We reacted to her illness like she was one of our daughters. Luckily we received our tax refund before she got sick, so we were able to afford her treatment. It breaks my heart to think of other animal owners who may not be able to afford such treatment.
We have always donated what we could to our local shelters and non-profit animal hospitals, but this just made us realize how truly fortunate we are and how important it is for us to try to donate what we can.
We would have gotten a shelter dog, but my grandfather had a wonderful Boston Terrier when I was about 3 or 4 years old.
I loved playing with Buttons and those memories lead us to adopt a Boston from a really wonderful breeder in Modesto, CA. Both of our Bostons are from this breeder and with the exception of Scout's allergies, our dogs have no health problems that many Bostons have.
@RQ,Ida and jbdean: it was bad enough I was going through the death of my mother, but to lose Sparky too just about killed me. When I returned home eight weeks later (my daughter gave birth to my first grandbaby -- he was my mother's first g-grandbaby -- just three weeks after she passed, can you say fucked up?) I looked for her but she had moved. I called, I emailed, I drove past her former house...she deleted her Facebook, and just dropped from the planet.
I can only hope she is burning in hell even as we speak. I will never, ever forgive that. What made it even worse is when she went out of town for training on a job, I took care of her little shit-zu through potty training and a bout of disgusting worms, and I don't even like dogs. But I treated that puppy like he was a baby, he was so cute.
I have to believe what goes around comes around. I still cry over Sparky, almost as much as my mom.
I have horses right now, and a baby quail that I rescued. So we have have a pinto pony named Pepper, quarter horse mare named Cookie, and her baby named Crumb. The quail's name is Quincy. I have always been an animal person, and in the past have had cats, dogs, rescue birds, more horses/ponies, lots of rats, hamsters, mice, skunk, cockatiels, parakeets, bunnies, and other ones I have forgotten about. The bad thing is that my husband is very anti-animal, and he claims allergies every time I bring something new home with me. He suffers!!
My child and I adopted a female australian cattle/boxer mix who was 8 months old, 34lb and had had a rough life when we got her 3 yrs ago. I'm happy to report Callie Mae weighed 55 lbs this year at her vet visit and she is a happy healthy part of our family :)
@Ida- I loved your story :) @Netta- I literally gasped out loud when I read that. :( Sorry love.
~Although I did rescue both cats Leo's story is a bit out of the ordinary. When I was walking through the parking lot toward the shelter to adopt a pet 10yrs ago an Asian woman came up to me and in broken english asked if I wanted a cat. I confusedly looked around cause the woman had no cat in sight. Thats when I noticed a laptop computer box with sounds emitting from it. I immediatly grabbed the box (because it had no holes) and nodded yes, I would take the cat.
It turned out to be a mancoon little terrror of hell who had bright red streaked hair and the most gorgeous eyes you ever saw- mint colored green. He was malnorished, worms, the works. He was only a few months old but looked wayyyy bigger. I named him Leo, cause he looks like a lion and he is mean as shit, like he owns the whole world, and were just living in his place or something :)))
Starla has a cigarette size bald spot on the nap of her neck. I adopted her as a friend for Leo when I went back to school. Big mistake. He still hasnt forgiven me and its been 5 yrs. Sometimes I catch him sideyeing me and when I DO get him to cuddle if she comes near he hisses at me and stalks off. Dude holds a grudge, is what Im saying :P But whatevs, sometimes they run around together and play and I think its worth his 5 yr pissy mood just for that.
For some reason unknown Starla WILL NOT let people touch her with hands. She rubs against feet and will sleep on my feet when we both go to bed but no hand touching, her pupils dilate and she runs away. I suspect its got something to do with that cigarette shapped bald spot. Thats why I adopt- to find homes for animals but also to love on the ones who were hurt by the assholes, ya know?
Thanks for doing this Your Turn, enty, I feel like were all one big love fest right now <3
That's really weird about Starla and feet, because Athena is the same way. She'd been in the shelter about five months, and they couldn't tell me anything about her. She won't let me hold her or cuddle her, but she will rub all over my feet and let my toes scritch her. I thought she was just a freak with a foot fetish, because she'll roll all over my shoes, too. Sometimes she sleeps with one arm stuck in my slipper. Heh.
She's better than she was -- she used to sleep at the foot of my bed and no closer, but lately she's been approaching the head of it for a good old-fashioned skritching with fingers, although she won't sleep there.
Poor thing. I wish I knew her story. Then again, I think I'm just as glad I don't. :( She's ornery, loves to play with Q-tips and hair ties no matter how many toys I buy her, and I love the little freakazoid. Heh.
I agree with whomever said the more I learn about people, the more I love cats.
2 beagles. I got them from the local pet rescue. What some SOB's do to beagles that won't hunt is ---ghastly.
My grandfather raised beagles. I have been around them my whole life and have RARELY met a mean beagle.
My beagles are female (2yrs approx) and male (8yrs approx). The female use to take care of all her sick bunk mates at the rescue. When Sunshine met my sister; who has epilepsy; Sunny sat on my sisters feet. It was like Sunny was "saying" that my sister was hers. So I adopted Sunny to help watch my sister.
Please don't SHOP for your next dog. Please ADOPT.
I have 3 dogs and a cat. My oldest dog, Smokie, is a border collie/shepherd mix that my late husband and I adopted from a family. She is 11 years old and blind, but is able to find her way around. My other two dogs - Shadow and Spirit - are Karelian Bear dogs and I got them from a breeder when we were having bear problems on our property. They are super intelligent and have their primitive instincts intact so they are great trackers and hunters.
Finally, Minos (means "cat" in Cree) is an exotic shorthair cat that I also adopted. Previously, I had 3 other cats that were from shelters/rescues.
@ Netta- thats interesting about your cat liking feet too. My theory is perhaps they both learned that hand = pain so they have it in their memory banks to avoid. And since feet have no such negative connotations its nothing to fear. Starla will quite literally walk all over me :0 The minute I lay prone she comes from under the bed (where she hides a lot from Leo lol) and walks up my legs, up my butt, and all the way to my neck and sort of paws around. It's not uber comfortable but if I try to put my hands anywhere near her to push her back down she FREAKS, so i sorta roll my shoulders in attempt to get her off, I dont wanna scare her, ya know?
Your cat liking your slippers THAT much might mean there is a foot festish thang going on as well, which is adorable. I love little weird quirks in animals :)
And I count me as part of your posse if you ever track that bitch down. I'm not a violent person but abadoning an animal (especially a domesticated animal not used to the outdoors) deserves some tire iron action to tha face.
We have a 3 1/2 year old husky/shepherd/lab named Drake (after Tim Drake, the most recent Robin, NOT the rapper). He's a 100lb lap dog, who adores our 14 month old son. We used to have two rabbits - Corrigan (after Jim Corrigan, the original Spectre - yes, we're big comic geeks) and Raistlin (from the Dragonlance series of books - geeeeeeeeeeeks :D). Sadly, Corrigan passed away at the age of 3, and about 6 months later we gave Raistlin to a family who had recently lost their bunny.
Deseased parents yorkie mix Boomer. Rescue male cat Killer indoor outdoor boy he uses the toliet! 2australian shepards tater and bandit very smart very demanding,Love them all
@Jasmine -- I read somewhere that cats hate being approached with an open hand because they think it leads to being picked up and they hate that, heh. So, the article recommended you approach your cat with a closed fist and THEN pet them. I tried it with Athena and it really worked. Slowly she's getting more comfortable, I just have to remember to be patient and it's never going to be like Sparky, but she's still lovable and I just love the way she's coming out of her shell bit by bit.
She is crazy. She plays with Q-tips and hair ties -- I mean, she goes nuts over them. It's so funny to watch her, and it's been a long time since I laughed liked that.
I'm with you on the tire iron. Honestly, this is the first time I've really talked about it (so incredibly sad, the last couple of years have sucked the hairy nut sack of Lucifer) and I'm really touched by all the support. I'm bawling because I'm a schmuck, but thanks so much. I miss my mom so much, but I miss Sparky just as much. She was a really special cat.
@Netta- awwwwww. I'm sad your crying, but let it out if you must :) In the Jewish culture we/they light candles to remember the deceased and I've found that (although Im atheist) there is something really really cathartic about lighting a candle, saying something about whomever your thinking about, feeling the warmth of the candle almost like the soul of whomever your missing, and slowly letting the candle go out. The cycle is visual and symblic enough to really capture loss of what you are feeling in a beautiful way. You should try it. But I would light two, cause they both deserve one for each of them. And I think they would have liked you doing that, dont you? :)
I have one cat right now, Jezebel, who I adopted about a month after my previous cat Mojo died. Mojo was a gray/brown tabby who I got from a friend's litter when he was barely old enough to be taken from his mom; he was an indoor/outdoor cat by his own EXTREME insistence, but was always very careful around cars. When he was 7, he was diagnosed w/hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and although I tried to give him his meds, he was too clever for me. Unfortunately, his bad heart slowed him down terribly, and he ended up being hit by a car in our parking lot; it still kills me just thinking about it, but I know he would have been miserable getting weaker & weaker before finally keeling over, so perhaps he preferred going instantly like that.
Anyway, back to Jezebel--I adopted her from the local cat shelter where she'd been brought w/2 of her littermates; the staff named them Isadora (long-haired calico), Esmeralda (long-haired tortie) and Jezebel (very thick-haired tortie). I swear she picked me and not the other way around; I almost went w/another half-grown kitten, but the shelter was closing for the night. I came back in the AM, & while the other little cat ran away & hid, Jezebel just snuggled up in my arms, purred, and looked at me as if to say "you want ME, don't you?" She's 15 now, w/a world-class case of "tortietude", and really is my baby. I also adopted a former roommate's cat, Delenn, after he moved out; she was a teeny little gray & white tabby who would start to groom Jezebel, only to then try to smack her around; she also did this adorable routine of lifting up one paw at a time, alternating them, while sitting down. She ended up diabetic, and try as I might, we couldn't get it under control; she went downhill rather suddenly a few years ago, the vet thought she might have cancer, and I ended up having to have her put to sleep. So Jess is an only cat now, and I think she likes it that way--she's extremely possessive of me!
Lux isn't a Calico or a Siamese which, I have also heard from people, don't like to have other cats around.
My first instinct is to go with a kitten since it will satisfy her motherly instincts and also let her be the alpha in the house, lol.
I think you're right Ida about the male vs. female stuff. Perhaps a little male kitten would be the best bet.
I thank everyone for their advice :)
I've done lots of research, but there's just so much info out there I feel it's better to rely on the advice of people who have had the experience. People here are obviously animal lovers so I trust your opinions wholeheartedly.
Your story broke my heart and gave me a very angry WTF moment. I am glad to hear that you have adopted another companion and about your book. Is it on Amazon? I've just started reading after five years of being unable to read anything more than short blurbs-long story why.
So if you don't mind, I would like to learn more about it.
I'm sorry for the WTF moment. I didn't think I would ever have another cat, ever. But it just seemed like serendipity when I saw Athena online and the name of my book. And of course, when I saw her that was it for me. Heh.
"Athena's Promise" is out to the beta readers right now, then revisions. I'm shooting for a September publishing date if all goes well.
I have a flash fiction collection available on Amazon called "Not Nice and Other Understatements" and a few short stories also listed there. Just search for Annetta Ribken and you'll find them. :) Not Nice is available for the Kindle and in print, and it's also on Smashwords.
I looked it up on my Kindle. Did you know that everyone's that has reviewed your book so far has given it 5 stars? Nice!
I just purchased it and will read it this week. I'm a Kindle book NUT. I go through a book every few days (and somehow still manage to have a life, LOL)
Always looking for new reads, so thanks for that! :)
I have a crazy story about our cat Frosting. She caught a mouse in the garage, brought it into our bedroom and the mouse ran behind the dresser. Second time this happened, so we were ready with a catch and release trap. We filled the trap and caught the mouse.
Mel, our oldest daughter, walked across the street to the park to release the mouse in the bushes. She let the mouse go and instead of running into the bushes it ran the opposite way into a grassy area. With Mel standing there watching, a hawk swooped down, grabbed the mouse and took off.
Mel came back after being gone for a half hour completely stunned saying "no way that just happened".
We still laugh about how the absurdity of the situation.
Last year Mel's yellow parakeet killed her blue parakeet-okay, so maybe not, but we wouldn't put it past the yellow bird that was called Penelope.
After Darwin* died, we did some checking. We found out that Penelope was male and really could have killed Darwin. Before Darwin died, the yellow one would push Darwin off his perch or chirp loudly in Darwin's face. We thought he was just a bully.
So instead of Penelope, I call the yellow one Stalin or Killer, Mel calls him Steve.
Weird things always seem to happen to our family, we're a weird bunch so that's okay with us.
*(the blue one who was also super annoying and squawked constantly and truthfully I couldn't totally blame Stalin. Darwin was that annoying)
oh and, as for the story about your cat, i have to say you are a much better person than I.
I would've hunted this lady down, threw her in my car and dropped her off in the middle of nowhere (preferably somewhere in the Ozarks) so she could see how well she fared.
However, one bad deed should not beget another so kudos to you for having the ability to move on and adopt another furry friend.
Thanks, I will look for it. The WTF moment was directed more toward your cat "sitter". Unbelievable.
Really, really cruel behavior that shocked me and I'm the wife of a former Bay Area cop and current federal law enforcement officer
(I've heard some really horrific stories- including people literally trying to kill my husband)
Not much shocks me, but that struck me as horrible, misanthropic behavior under any circumstances, more so because of your situation. I lost my mom too.
@pwner Thanks! I hope you enjoy it. Not Nice was really a labor of love, and I had a blast putting it together. I'll be really interested in your thoughts about it :)
You know, I have had many fantasies about what would happen if I ever see her again. Then, I remember many lessons I learned about holding a grudge and I try to let it go. But I'm not saint. I've been through a lot (like who hasn't, right?) and I really do try to take the higher road. But if she ever walked in front of my car her ass would be dead and I'd be in prison. I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire, unless I knew it would sting. Like I said, I really REALLY try not to hate on anyone but Sparky was my CAT. I hate that woman and I can't seem to let that go. *sigh*
@Ellebee OMG that is HILARIOUS. Poor Darwin. Maybe his name was an omen, heh!
I am so sorry for your loss. I know I thought I was prepared, you know? My mom was ill with breast cancer for four years. We talked about death a lot; we had a very special relationship. I thought I was prepared.
I had no clue. None. I'm a pretty strong person but that knocked everything right out of me and I didn't see it coming. To lose Sparky on top of that AND learn my judgment about a "best" friend was so off...plus my daughter giving birth three weeks too late...it was too much. Stick a fork in me.
In an email, besides. I've lived through some cruel shit, so I have, but that is at the top of the list for me. And that's saying something.
Actually, I just welcomed a new family member a couple of months ago. His name is Ollie, and he's the most adorable almost all white kitty ever. He's my little guy and has turned out to be best friends with my youngest son, Walt. It's truly been a blessing having him here and I'm so glad things aligned the way they did. He was meant to be with us :)
Stalin/Steve struts around the cage now like he is the king of the cage. Oh and I totally forgot, Stalin/Steve was calmly eating millet next to poor dead Darwin when we found him.
He is the bird version of an asshat/douchebag. Seriously.
@Netta totally love my Kindle. I will get your book.
My husband and I are working on compiling all of his street stories from over 20 years in law enforcement in San Francisco and Oakland.
He heard the best story about Dianne Feinstein from a retired SF cop when she was acting mayor. She and her driver performed CPR on someone who they saw collapsing on a corner as they drove by. There are some gory details, bottom line... she is awesome.
Just wanted to mention that if you have a pet emergency, Care Credit is a great resource. Not all vets accept it, but it is a credit card specifically for medical procedures, including veterinary costs. Interest free for 1 year, so you can spread the cost out. My kitty had $2500 of issues in November and we wouldn't have been able to afford it without Care Credit.
We have a chocolate lab, Nova, and a black cat, Fletcher. Both 2yrs old. We're also a foster family for the Humane Society and we have a semi-feral 1 yr old black lab mix named Trust living with us right now. He's been with us since November and just today rolled over to have his belly scratched for the first time!
Is it bad I'm still gigglesnortin' over the bird thing? Asshat/douchebag hahahaha!
That sounds like a fascinating project. I've been in the writing biz for a hot minute or two (like, a decade, heh) so if you need any help buzz me anytime.
@Em
I think THEY choose YOU, not the other way around. Congrats on your new family member :)
OMG Netta. I was appalled at what happened to Sparky. I am so sorry. Reading it made me cry.
I have two rescue cats, Tabitha who is 14 and Katie who is about 5. They are complete opposites and Tabitha barely tolerates Katie and her nonsense (Katie is a punk!) but I love them both dearly.
Thanks for credit card info, we will look into it.
Lola's vet bill came to $3300 for three days of care, treatment, testing and IV fluids. Luckily this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it really packs a wallop.
I have a mixed breed - part anatolian shepherd- named Jack. He was a semi rescue - the people that had hiM were pregnant and left hiM on a chain outside for 10 hours a day... don't get Me started.I had lost MY POMMY kEESHA months before. The second night we had Jack, he woke us up when the fireMen couldn't. The second floor (i aM on the ground) apts were on fire. Since then he's been our "special paper eating- take a bullet for Me, afraid of the rain hero.
and to any who have lost your pets... My heart breaks for you. it is like losing a faMily MeMber! (sorry for the cap M's...soMETHing is wrong with the keyboard and I can only type the M's in caps.)
We have four of our own kitties, plus four orphan kitties who live on our porch. One of the porch kitties is temporarily an indoor cat, after she came to our door with one of her two newborn kittens. One of those kittens died, but the other (we've named him Chunk) is nestled on my shoulder as I type this. He's just now ready to be weaned.
Netta, wouldn't it be something if Sparky had a crazy country "camping" kind of adventure and then found a home in the country with a family that loved her as much as you did? That's what I'm going to believe happened.
I've adopted several cats over the years, I currently have 2. My first cat was Ebony and he made himself known by wandering onto the property where I worked at the time as an older kitten, he came to visit often and when it was certain he didn't belong to anyone I claimed him for myself and we were together for 24 years. When Ebony was 9 I thought he might like a little companion so I adopted Oreo, a kitten who Ebony hated, at best he tolerated the newcomer. The kitten wanted to play all the time and Ebony was more mature at that point and just wanted to relax. Eventually I adopted another younger cat as a companion for Oreo, Black Magic. Then about a week later I adopted a senior female named Tabitha who broke more stuff around the house than every other cat combined. She loathed the younger cats and would swat their faces but she adored Ebony and he felt the same about her. Oreo got sick and died and Black Magic had no-one to play with and was infringing on the senior cats for his entertainment so I adopted another cat close in age as he was and named him Black Jack. All was well for several years and then Tabitha died. Ebony was senile at that point and I don't think he noticed she was gone. For the next few years he held a place of esteem in the household and I never knew if I would find him alive when I left for work in the mornings, he got extra love and all the good food treats. Eventually after years of good health, he had a stroke from which he never recovered. It's still strange to me that he isn't around after all those years. I've often said I could live in a house full of cats :)
My cat Harley Ray recently passed at the young age of 26. I'm convinced my mom's lab puppy was the cause. She was a bit rough and he was stubborn and insisted on waiting at the back door. He would play dead so that she would leave. I recently adopted a 20lb cat. My dogs (all small breeds) were terrified of him. He's actually very active & can jump!
My husband and I have 15 rescue cats; one is mostly blind, & goes to work with me as a therapy cat for preschool children who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and trauma. A lot of people think we are insane to have so many cats, but they enrich our lives every day.... and working with children & families, I know that 15 cats are still cheaper (and a LOT less messy) than having human children. :)
God Bless you, Pelham. Panda - where have you been? Enty's been doing this type of post since the beginning! And Rocket - I know you love me, too...
I have a small menagerie. Tiger is a beautiful 12-year old calico cat that was brought to me by 2 girls one day. My neighbor, who works around the corner at the vet, send the girls. My then 4 year old daughter quickly put the kitten in the stroller and walked her around the house for the next year.
Imagine this - the one day my now 6 year old decides to help me sweep out the garage we find three small kittens. Yeah, jackpot! She, of course, kept the most skittish one. Her original name was Tiger the second, but the kitten responded to Kitty, and so she is named.
We had a big old gray cat we rescued named Smoky, who thought he was a dog, for 8 years before he developed a brain tumor and to be put to sleep. A couple years later we replaced him with a gray kitten named Spanky. He's my son's cat. Remember that huge cat that was in the news? Spanky can give that cat a run for it's money.
And now for my 2 children. I did not understand dogs until I watched The Dog Whisperer. And now I think I'm an expert. - First my absolutely beautiful 1 year old named Chester. He is a miniature long-haired dachshund, and he is blond. I am not kidding you when I tell you that people will stop me in the street to pet him. Even had someone shout from their car. He is very chill, loves to sit in the window like the cats and surgically gut stuffed animals.
Finally, we have Diego, a rescue puppy we got from North Carolina. What do you get when you mix a standard dachshund with a Jack Russel? Turbo-dachshund! He leaps like a cat, runs like a maniac, and is solid muscle (which is a relief, because he almost died of a parasite). He pulls me down the street when we go out for a walk. He has a nasty bark, and can look mean, but all he wants to do is lick you and sniff your face.
Add me to the list of people wanting to join the Sparky Posse & find Netta's friend & "cat care taker". That story filled me with rage and broke my heart for you. I kept thinking of all the alternatives she had...find someone else, or hell if things were that bad, put her at a boarding place.
My animals: Sullivan, 9.5 lab mix; got him right after college from a co worker, whose purebred lab had gotten pregnant, he was furious that he couldn't sell them & was going to take them to the kill shelter. Sully is a bit like Marley...but he has provided me with great entertainment.
Mason, 8; adopted from a rescue group; he'd been abandoned by a dumpster.
Saluda, we think is 5; beagle/dachsund (guesstimate) my sister's neighbors son was farming & she stumbled out the woods, covered in ants/ant bites. His mom rehabilitated her & gave her to my sister. I fell in love with her over Christmas & since my sister does not have a fenced in yard, has lots of land & let's her dogs run free I was terrified she'd get hit so I stole her. ;) She is my soulmate.
I volunteered for 4 years with a local rescue & fostered both dogs & cats. I had to stop b/c life was getting way chaotic with work + school but I'm done now & hopefully I can resume volunteering again. My goal is to make enough money now so I can one day own a huge house & a Tom of land & continue fostering, rescuing, etc. Also I want alpacas.
i have one rescued calico kitty named The Critter. She is 11. When I adopted her, she was feral, couldn't be touched, would attack and hiss and screech and bite. For 9 months whenever i came home i would put on welding gloves, pick her up, and walk up and down the hall while singing to her. After 9 months and no small amount of despair that she'd never really be a "pet", i came home one day to find her waiting for me. i knelt down and she jumped into my arms and purred. i tell my husband that i love him second best of all things in this world, cause he knows i love Critter best.
@Beca, you rule. Calicos can be super ornery, but it sounds like you found your soulmate. Your husband is a nice fella for accepting his second place status. :-)
I love these comments so much.
CDAN needed this badly, in my opinion. Thanks, Enty. <3
I'm working all day but I had to sneak over here. :)
@Mango, thank you. Your cats are very lucky :)
@The Black Cat -- that is an excellent way to look at it, and I so hope it's true. I'm going to believe that from now on.
@MCH That's what really bugged me up, too. Alternatives. A real friend would have explored those, or offered an option to me. I will fully admit I wasn't thinking clearly at the time (too much going on) and I beat myself up I didn't just jump in the car and drive the 300 miles to go get her. Hindsight.
@Beca I think that is one of the sweetest stories I have ever heard. Bless your heart! My kids used to joke that Sparky was the favorite child, but the funny part? No joke. :)
My kids just pooled their birthday $ to buy a puppy last Thursday. Her name is Lucille and she's an 8 wk old "shorkie". The cutest little black puppy ever! We also have a 3 year old poodle mix named Mr MacGregor and 2 yr old black fluffy cat named Seymour, both adopted from the local kill shelter. We originally went to get a kitten during their "we have too many kittens" promotion and came home with Mr. Mac, too. My husband never had any pets as a kid and really wanted our kids to have them. We always had pets, dog, cats, birds, fish, mice when I was growing up.
Two cats - Jack, a 6 year old rescue from the MSPCA in Boston and Katia, a 3 year old rescue from the NC SPCA in Raleigh. I love them to pieces, even though neither of them turned out to be a lap cat. Katia is a gorgeous tortie with black and caramel colored fur and Jack is a grey tabby with huge, gorgeous eyes. Quite simply they are my heart. I don't have kids, so they get all my love.
Think i love animals more than people so a "Thank you" to everyone who's posted here. Millie, a tri-colored Sheltie, currently rules this house. We've had a number of cats and dogs, both adopted and purchased, and think we'll stick with Petfinder.com or a local shelter from this point on.
@jbdean_79. What a lovely story about your kittles. Gives me hope for mine, Lucy and Ethel. They are my babies. I got them from a friend and they're Bombay's; Black American Short Hair and Burmese. Lucy adores my husband and Ethel and I are inseparable. But when OP (my husband)takes a nap both will snuggle with him. It's just so adorable. They are now 16 and I wish that they live as long as yours.
I have a black Maine Coon kitty called Molee. She's about 13 now, we got her on Valentine's Day years ago and she was this tiny little scaredy cat. (The name Molee is because when she was born, she was black and wee and blind, like a mole.)
Now she's a total diva cat, runs the entire household and if she doesn't like something, by god she will let you know about it!!
The Decision Maker and I have five cats in our house. Two of them were adopted from animal shelters, Delilah and Alice (I used to have D's pic as my blogger icon, but somehow it was scrubbed...gotta look into that).
The other three we found in our alley last August, apparently a litter of a truly wild mom cat. We were able to trap/fix all of them, and we had to let the mom go, but the other three - Zsa Zsa, Gimli, and Samantha - we are keeping in the house as part of a domestication program and are currently looking for owners. It's been a learning experience for both of us, but I couldn't imagine my life without hanging with my cats.
P.S. - I read many of the stories above, and was encouraged to see so many people who are involved and/or inclined toward working with their local shelters to adopt pets of their own. Good work to all o' you!
A little late on this one---we have one rescued parakeet named Elvis, one rescued cat named Bootstrap and one rescued dog we got a month ago named The Dude. The Dude was kiced out of training class on Thursday because he has emotional issues that we need to help him with by doing private classes. Love them all but they are a lot of work.
I have a six year old Siberian Husky named Jax. I lived off a street named Jackson Ave when I got him so hence the shortened name Jax. He's been a joy from the get, so sweet and friendly with everyone not to mention beautiful with his all white coat and blue eyes. I like to call him my number one stunner!
It's not a secret that I'm not a pet person *L*. My philosophy is that if you lick your own asshole on a regular basis, you don't get to live in my house ;)
ReplyDeleteApollo is my 3 year old pug. He is my soulmate.
ReplyDeletePugs are amazing dogs, and I recommend them to anyone who wants a new member of their family. They really have little human personalities.
We have a mini schnauzer, she is 5 years old and is named Buffy the mouse slayer. We bought her from a friend to kill the mice in our trailer and now she belongs to my children.
ReplyDeleteI have 5 pets, all of them rescue animals.
ReplyDeleteSquidge - a calico that had been set on fire as a kitten, she's 10 years old now.
Kitty Girl - abandoned as a kitten, she's 4 years old.
Nicky - Rat Terrier mix, breeder decided to dock his tail with wire cutters, almost died of infection, he's 6 years old now.
Sam - Basset mix, had both back legs dislocated by over zealous children, several surgeries later he's a happy 2 year old.
Buck - Heinz 57, found with broken jaw that hadn't healed correctly, almost starved because he couldn't eat. He's 7 years old now.
Don't buy a puppy, visit the animal shelter and adopt!!!!
I have a 7 year old pitbull. Jade. Most well behaved dog ever, but she has caught on to the recent trend of gluten-free! :)
ReplyDeleteI used to have two cats, Bird and Claus. Claus passed a couple of years ago and Bird, aged 19, just passed in March. I still miss her terribly. But my fiance has two cats, the mom and the kid, Ginger and Henry. They make me smile!!
ReplyDeleteI have two cats, Sammy and Luna. Sammy is the older cat(who is my icon) and Luna is the baby(i submitted her picture last summer i think). Although I love both I think Sammy is the closet one to me. When we were moving we had her stay with my parents until the place was complete. We ended up getting a call from them to get her because she would not eat until I was there.
ReplyDeleteLauren, pugs are fantastic! Rescued Bianca from a caged life in 2007. She loves Her People (my husband and me) and we love her back.
ReplyDeleteWe have Mucha (pronounced moo kuh), a very sweet Siamese. We got him the same day that we adopted Toulouse, my beloved cat that died unexpectedly last year.
ReplyDeleteIt took a year to finally decide on another cat but last month we adopted Gaia (pronounced guy-uh), a beautiful Maine Coon cat whose history we don't know. She was found starving with missing teeth and a broken tail. The Purebred Cat Rescue that services Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and other surrounding states rescued her from a shelter and nurtured her back to decent health. We've been doing the rest and she is finally feeling safe, happy and playful! She is 36" long, most of it tail! Her feet are huge so she tiptoe-stomps through the house. Darling.
Yes, our pet names are affected. Toulouse and Mucha are named after vintage poster artists and Gaia is named after a character on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
Speaking of Spartacus - anyone have updates on Andy Whitfield's health?
i live for my Jack Russell terrier. She is 14 years old now, still going strong- my favorite face to look at in the world!!!!
ReplyDeleteI don't understand people who don't like or have pets. I just can't grasp not wanting that love.
i have a cat named Lux.
ReplyDeleteshe was a stray that some friends found but their other cats didn't get along with her so we took her in. best thing we've ever done.
she's an endless source of entertainment. she steals our socks and hides them, lays on her back spread eagle most of the time, sounds like a pigeon when she meows and only likes being petted or brushed while she's eating. what a lovely little weirdo.
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ReplyDeleteI have a 7 year old chow mix, she's very pretty and knows it....her mother was rescued by Mighty Mutts a great organization here in New York...her mom and all her sibs were adopted quickly, but I got lucky because she was waiting for me.
ReplyDeleteI only rescue...there are so many animals in need of homes...
I have a 4 yr old yellow lab. Her name is Annabelle. I got her at the lab rescue. She is a great dog.
ReplyDeleteI have a 2.5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lola and she is my heart.
ReplyDeleteI have a yellow lab, Sonata. We got her almost a year ago from a breeder when she was 2. She loves picking up the socks that the kids leave lying around the house and chewing (but thankfully not ingesting) them. Have you ever stepped on a wet sock in the middle of the night? Ick, Nast! She snores and she is scared of feet and sometimes scared of tile flooring, but she's awesome with kids and is a sucker for a belly rub. She's my third and final child -- my fur baby. :D
ReplyDelete2 dogs who are our children, just furry.
ReplyDeleteLucy the black labrador is 10.5 yrs.
Chico the blue heeler (aka Aussie cattle dog) is 12.5 yrs.
Lucy was my dog & Chico my husband's when we met walking them at the same park. After months of seeing one another & chatting, the two of us without fur went on a people date. The rest is history. We got married outdoors & the dogs were in our wedding--ushers walked them down the aisle resplendent in rose-wreathed collars. Red for Mr. Chico & pink for Miss Lucy.
They are our world & I wouldn't have it any other way.
Both dogs were purchased from breeders as puppies, but we have committed to getting future dogs from shelters or rescues-just seems like the right thing to do.
We have a 4 year old miniature schnauzer named Clara (my m-i-l's dog). We also have 3 cats. Puddy is 14, Luke is 10 and Logan (our first rescue) just turned 1 year old. He's my pride and joy, and the torturer of cats named Luke.
ReplyDeleteI think it must be a really slow news day or else Enty has something more exciting to do that he is leaving us to amuse ourselves talking about our pets. (It better be something fun...)
ReplyDeleteI've got nothing against pets -- we have 6.
Great post, Pelham123!
ReplyDeleteI currently have 3 rescue kitties - two were mine that I adopted from Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association here in Vancouver (great organization) and they came together as a package deal. Both male, named Lentil and Toa (Maori name that means "warrior"). My heart swells about three times every time I see them groom each other.
My boyfriend also brought a kitty into our relationship - a female tabby named Hazy.
One day I will live in a big house or maybe a farm somewhere...I will have as many shelter-adopted animals as I can afford, and will spay and neuter each and every one :)
@MISCH - your post about being lucky made me tear up a bit ;)
ReplyDeleteI once purchased dogs through breeders but the 2 dogs I have now were rescues, they were both purebred owner surrenders, my sheps owners had to go back through the breeder in order to surrender him since they wanted to make sure all of their dogs have good homes.
ReplyDeleteWiemaraner - Daisy 9 y/o ( I cant remember the agency ) She's been with us 5 years
Patron - German Shepherd 5 y/o (GSD Rescue)
He's been with us 1 year.
Rescued animals make great pets!
Calvin, 6 year old poodle mix (rescue)
ReplyDeleteOscar, 6 year old poodle mix (little rescue dog)
Varro, 7 year old GSD
Phire, 6 year old Hanoverian gelding.
No human kids here!
I don't have any pets... I lost my beloved cat named Mouse last month.
ReplyDeleteShe was 16 and still cry when I think of her ;(
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ReplyDeleteI have had dozens of pets, all with crazy names. Right now I have 2 rescue cats, a Himalayan named Poppet and a tuxedo cat (my favorites) named Capt. Jack.
ReplyDeleteJoElla, so sorry for your loss. It is heartbreaking when a furry friend dies. Just awful. I hope you've heard the Rainbow Bridge legend. If not, google it. It gives me peace when I think of my dog Cash running around up there waiting for me.
ReplyDeleteI have a 9 year old lab/rottie/cattle dog mix named Sadie. (Popular nicknames: Sadiebug, Boo Boo, Fathead.) She is my first dog and I adopted her when she was 4. She was FAT when I got her because her foster family stopped caring about her and let her eat what she wanted. She lost 20 pounds the first year she lived with me, and I lost 13. BONUS! ;) She is SUPER chill and the love of my life. A great spooner (though she snores LOUDLY) and always makes me happy when i walk in the door after work and see her smiling face.
I got my cat Diablo the summer after I graduated college, and I soon adopted Frances (another cat) afterwards, because I didn't want Diablo to be lonely when I went to work.
ReplyDeleteAbout a year later, my friend found a cat and assumed it had worms, but she turned out to be knocked up. My friend still named the cat Wormy, and the kittens were dubbed Tapeworm, Mealworm, and Ringworm. I adopted Ringworm, but I renamed him Nigel.
And THEN, my boyfriend took in a kitty when he and I first started dating, and she turned out to be pregnant. Peeper gave birth to three kittens and we raised them until they were old enough to give away, but it's basically impossible to give EVERY kitten away. Thus, we kept Buster.
THEN, a teensy little fluffy and white longhaired kitten appeared outside our apartment during a rainy night a couple of summers ago. He was covered with fleas and mange, and it looked like he'd been burned and that part of his fur had been cut off. :-( I took him to the vet, nursed him back to health, and the thought of giving him away was agonizing, so...
...now we've got SIX beautiful catchildren. And I adore them. We're pathetic whenever we go on vacation, because we spend the whole entire time worrying about the cats and wondering what they're doing.
Yep. I'm *that* lady. Or like the character from The Simpsons: toss a cat at me, and it'll stick.
I'm only slightly ashamed. But not really. I'd have goats, dogs, horses, lambs, EVERYTHING if I could. I love (non-human) animals more than anything. :-)
I had a Siamese named Milo who got killed, I have never loved anyone as much as I loved him.
ReplyDeleteI have two Pugs that I purchased from breeders, on retrospect, I know that is supposed to be bad, but there lives were not so great there so I am glad that I got them out when I did.
Pepito who is seven and Maisy who is three. They are my great loves as well.
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ReplyDeleteOne snow white cat with a black tail named Wanda who was in animal control when I saw her picture. A friend took it when picking up another animal there in 2005. Gigi adopted from Papillon shelter online when she was 7 yrs old in 2007. My friend's husband found a tiny kitten in there yard last August who is now named Pixie. Two ferrets and fostering four sick ones from the shelter that were part of 30 confiscated from a hoarder. She had 100 assorted animals.
ReplyDeletethere/their sorry
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ReplyDeleteI'm a cat person. I grew up with three cats. When I moved out on my own many years ago I never bothered having any pets but my family had three cats at different times. The first two died early but the third one lasted 14 years. He probably would have lasted longer, had he not been hit by a car. Drivers suck.
ReplyDeleteI don't like dogs. Back in the summer of 89' I was out walking one day in shorts when a dog decided to just come up and wrap his mouth around my ankle just for something to do. Two of his teeth sunk there way into my flesh. Wasn't a biggie - but I've not liked dogs ever since. If I was to get a pet in the future it'd be another cat.
Two cats. A neurotic, talkative, unaffectionate, non-purring attack calico named Iris, for Iris Murdoch, my all-time favorite author. Got her as a kitten from a friend of a friend. Other cat is a laid-back, quiet, loving, constantly purring tuxedo named Broadway. She's named after the street where she was found by a rescuer.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a cat socializer at my local shelter, and, since it's kitten season, I encourage everyone reading this to get down to your shelter and adopt a cat or three....
@Heatherhug: We have a Cavalier as well, an 18 month old tri-color named Piper.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a, ahem, "mixed" breed named Dixie... she is 13 years old =)
I have a mutt named Sam. He's almost 9 years old and my longest relationship thus far. ;) He is sweet & mostly well behaved. I definitely treat him like he's my child.
ReplyDeleteWe have a rescue wirehaired pointing griffon named Siggurd, after captain Sig on Deadliest Catch. It was a dragon slayer in Norse mythology. He's a hunting dog, so it fit. We've had him for 4 years.
ReplyDeleteNext up is my daughter's tortoise, Sarah. She was a birthday present 2 years ago.
Last August, we adopted a little black kitty who we named Jasper. He's fun and he sleeps on my feet at night.
Last October, we adopted a black lab named Sadie. She belonged to a coworker of my husband who just didn't have time to train her. We took pity and took her. She is the sweetest little girl but she had never been in the house before so we had to teach her house manners.
Both the dogs play great together but the kitty rules the roost. It's pretty funny to see 80 and 50 pound dogs jump back from the cat when he takes a swing at them!
Looking for some advice from the cat peeps:
ReplyDeleteI'm thinking of getting another cat but not sure if there is a proper way to go about that. (i was a dog person until i got my cat last year:)
i think my cat would like the company while we're out/away but how do you know your cat isn't just gonna kill the other one or hate it so much that you cause more issues for her? i don't wanna traumatize her any more than she has been.
am i just over-thinking this?
any tips/advice you guys have would be much appreciated :)
@pwner - It will take a little bit of time but cats do warm up to each other. But at first, they will hiss and snarl. If it keeps up for some time it's probably not a good idea to bring another cat into the situation. Usually As long as there's enough food for both of them in the cat dish, they're happy. ;)
ReplyDeleteI don't have any pets of my own but I grew up with cats. We had 3 most of my life.
ReplyDeleteMy family had a cat named Jet before I was born. My dad found him at a Jets game at Shea Stadium and brought him home. He died when I was like 3 or so so I don't remember him.
Samantha or Sammy, who we got from a client of my dad's (dad was a CPA, client was a vet). She was short-haired, gray and white and affectionate when she felt like it. She developed quite a belly over the years though she didn't really eat much. We got her when I was about 5 or 6.
Garfield was my girl (yes, girl). She hung around the elementary school bus stop with us and started following my mom home. My mom fed her and she stayed. :) The neighborhood kids named her (she was orange and black and would eat ANYTHING). We posted a notice and no one claimed her so we adopted her. She got very sick in her older years and my mom took care of her as if she was a human child.
Finally there was Cappy, Captain Midnight was his 'real name'. He was all black, long hair, yellow bright eyes. We got him from my brother's friend whose cat got pregnant. He was probably too young to have been weaned from him mama. He didn't really know how to clean himself at first and he was afraid of EVERYTHING! As a little kid, I thought it would be fun to throw him into the snow like a foot outside our front door. He didn't like it. lol. He LOVED mint and fresh dill...like catnip for him. One night we heard a thump in the kitchen and found that he had knocked over the trash can and was ROLLING in the fresh dill that my mom had used to make chicken soup. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. :)
Thanks, Enty for letting me relive and share these moments!
I got my cat Sparky when I left the Lunatic From Hell. It was just she and I in an old drafty, 100 year-old house with no furniture. She was with me as I built back my life, reclaimed my kids, and was with me when I moved through three different states. She was a gorgeous silver-blue with green eyes, seven toes, and I loved her as much as I love my kids. She used to sleep on my neck when she was a kitten, and the night before she had her first and only litter, she slept on my neck and I could feel the babies moving inside. :*)
ReplyDeleteWhen my mother entered the end stage of terminal breast cancer, I left Sparky in the charge of my "best" friend. Five days after my mother passed, this friend emailed me and said she couldn't care for Sparky anymore (I was 300 miles away) and dropped her off in the country somewhere. I'd had her for 11 years.
Of all the fucktards I have dealt with in my life, I have hated no one and I've worked hard to be in that place. I figured hatred only hurts me. But this woman -- I hate. It was probably one of the cruelest things that's ever happened to me.
It took me three years, but I just recently adopted a cat from the local shelter. I saw her online and it was meant to be -- her name is Athena, and I just finished my first novel titled "Athena's Promise".
She's not Sparky, but she's crazy and we have come to be quite fond of each other :)
Two dogs: Mae (Beagle/Dalmation) who I adopted from a county shelter for $20 & 8 years later I adopted Lulu (Maltese/Yorkie) I adopted from a vet who also ran a shelter. Both were basically ditched by their shitty owners. Lulu was definitely neglected...she was malnourished & pregnant and the owner didn't want to pay her vet bill.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the people who don't like pets or don't get how people can love animals, all I can say is: thank you for not owning one. At least you are honest!
And if you *insist* on being breed specific, please check out rescues devoted to that one breed. A little research & patience will pay off.
I live with 3 cats; 2 are rescues, the other one I got from an ad in a grocery store. The youngest is about 1 1/2 years old, her name is Britney. She was rescued from the streets by a rescue organization. My middle cat is 12 years old, and his name is Chandler. I rescued him from my friend who couldn't find a home for him and was on her way to have him put down. I took him and said that I would continually tell my mother I was looking for a home for him until she fell in love with his kitten face-she did. My eldest was from a home that didn't spay the queen, and had a "free to a good home" ad up in the grocery store. She's 13 years old and has been living with through Boston, NYC, and now in FL. She's an absolute sweetheart.
ReplyDeleteAll 3 are my loves.
Really enjoying these stories.
ReplyDelete@Netta - your old "best" friend is an absolute shit, and I don't blame you one bit for hating her. I volunteer for a shelter here and we are sick to death about all the animals that just get dumped off in fields or on highways. If you're going to be an asshole and abandon your animal, at least take it to a shelter where it has a fighting fucking chance.
@pwner - how old is your current cat? Sometimes, if the current cat is older, it can be hard to adjust. Issues of jealousy and possessiveness, mostly. On the other hand, if they're VERY old, sometimes they just don't care. And if it's a pretty easy going cat generally (how does he/she react with strangers? other animals), he/she might not mind at all.
When my boyfriend moved his cat in, my alpha male had a seriously problem with it, and every now and then (2.5 years later) they still have a hissing/swatting fight, but it's been getting better. They're between the ages of 2-5.
I would say go for it :)
Thanks Jason and RQ :)
ReplyDeleteShe's about 2 1/@ right now. My gut instinct is to get a cat that's younger than her because she has this really overt motherly, nurturing quality to her personality.
I'm sure it does take awhile for all cats to adjust. It's just that I've known people who've brought a new cat into the house only to have it not work out and they end up sending the cat away, which I just couldn't do once I brought it in.
sorry that's supposed to say "2 1/2"
ReplyDeleteI have three cats - Misty and Elmo - sisters who I adopted from a rescue. Their mother was a pet cat which was apparently abandoned when she was pregnant. They are five years old. And Coco, our Maine Coon Cat... I think she is something like 12 pounds and that is not even being overweight - it is just the sheer size of the breed. She is three and the boss. Hobbies are enjoying bellyrubs, eatin and sleepin.
ReplyDelete@jbdean79 -- thanks! :-) Does *your* Buster also weigh close to 20 lbs? I swear he wasn't that fat when we named him...
ReplyDeleteI also love your advice to JoElla:
"There are so many animals out there in need of good homes and while the pet you lost can never be replaced, neither can the people willing to give animals the affection they deserve."
I think that loving animals is almost a healthy addiction. You can't stop or prevent yourself from doing it once you've started, but it's just such a rush and it's so rewarding. And the people who mourn their pets the hardest are often EXACTLY the kind of people who you'd want to see keep adopting others.
@JoElla, I'm so sorry. You're allowed to be as sad as you want, and don't let anyone trivialize your loss.
@Netta -- that is THE saddest story I've read in a really long time. If you ever find the identity/whereabouts of that monster who called herself your friend, let me know. I'm not above putting sugar in a gas tank or poop on a doorstep.
There are SO many reasons why I honestly like animals better than people.
@pwner -- you mentioned you have a female cat. I have to ask: is she a Calico? I've known more than a few examples of that breed who REALLY like to be the only one. Ditto with Siamese.
In my experience, it's easier to introduce a male to a female than it is to introduce a female to a female. They either fight ferociously, or ignore the hell out of each other.
I'd recommend a kitten if your other cat is still fairly youngish. If the cat is elderly, I'd adopt one that's sluggish and less likely to jump on senior and annoy the piss out of him.
Regardless, I've used the same exact method each time I've brought a cat home: leave the new kitty in his carrier and let your other cat/s sniff him, circle him, hiss at him, smack the carrier, etc. It's weird, but once they have that introduction, I've found the new one can become assimilated pretty quickly.
Of course, EVERY CAT is different. Any lover of felines can attest to that. Good luck! :-)
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ReplyDeleteYay an animal "Your Turn"!
ReplyDeleteOne of my rescue stories...I have Cookie, he is a St. Bernard chow mix who will never grow into his feet or size. One day we found a dog having a seizure in the road, we took him home and then to the the animal emergency hospital where we put him down. The vet said he was probably hit by a car at one time and was having liver failure. In all of the animals I have rescued he was the worst one I have seen. He actually had a protruding bone out of his skin that was healed around the opening, he was super thin and very mangy. I was sad that we put him down but glad he was not alone. About a month later a dog shows up to our property looking like that exact same dog. He was super thin, he had dreadlocks on his chest that were so tight it was pulling his skin. Long story short, he got trapped in our garage with our Lab/Pit mix named Muggles (who used to invite all of the neighbor dogs and strays to come over for food and yes I think I have a sign on my forehead that only animals can see for "feed me"). He was so scared of us petting him he was shaking and peeing, needless to say that was all he needed to know we were ok even though he was scared, we still have him, his name is Cookie and he is one of the best dogs we have ever had, he has no real manners yet he is always polite. Anyways, we think he is the brother of the first dog we found, and that he followed his brothers scent to our house. He also used to sleep in the shavings I had in my horses stall, so when he would run away (this was in the beginning) he was a huge fluff ball of hair and shavings. Now he is a house and ranch dog, he is quiet on his feet and he gets along with everybody!
I also have a poodle named Romeo, three cats named, Tara, Jo Jo, Newton and an obnoxious parakeet named Birdie, all are boys and I fix everything. I have had numerous animals and I have lots of stories, and Cookies story is one my favorites. My picture is of my last horse named Wintergreen who passed away several years ago.
Love all the animal stories!!
Crazy Cat Lady:
ReplyDeleteSeamus
Finnegan (Finny)
Lilah
Fallon
Padraig (Paddy)
Preceded by:
Bailey
Callie
Gaelen
Connor
we have two rescue cats--
ReplyDeleteSputnik -a huge feral born rescue cat, he is tall enough to look into the bathtub and rest his chin on the edge with ease and weighs about 30 pounds. He likes to sleep in the tub. He is also a big baby and is scared of everything.
Frosting - a grey and white rescue cat with white paws, she is the self-appointed mother of all of our animals.
Daisy - Our shelter dog, Daisy died two years ago. She was half American Eskimo and half Queensland Heeler and 100% crazy-seriously the dog was schizophrenic. We all swear she heard and saw things that weren't there. The vet said she was surprised that we kept Daisy all her life, but we could not give up on her. I still miss her and her quirks.
Rocko- a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a sweet, loveable, lazy eight year old.
Scout- a tall lanky Boston Terrier with meat protein allergy, skin and pollen allergies. He's a vegan. My husband's favorite. Scout is the dog alpha-he sees my husband as the pack alpha. Scout is amazing and takes care of the other animals. One day we were playing with our Bostons and our female Boston's stomach was growling. Scout left the room and came back a few moments later with a mouthful of food that he dropped in front of Lola. He also opens doors and is too smart for his own good.
Lola-our short and stocky, red/white Boston Terrier. She is full of "spit and vinegar" as my grandma-in-law would say. She loves everyone, thinks she is a big dog and loves to play. She is almost Scout's opposite, except she is also too smart for her own good.
A few weeks ago she had to be hospitalized for a few days because of an intestinal infection. She was so ill, but stayed is such a good humor. It broke my heart to see her so ill, she vomited every few minutes and was bleeding internally -Lord help me, I am crying as I remember it.
It was a horrible week, right before that my oldest daughter spent the night in the hospital with an intestinal infection similar to Lola's. Strange, right? We were wondering if it could be a spider bite-we have lots of spiders here.
We reacted to her illness like she was one of our daughters. Luckily we received our tax refund before she got sick, so we were able to afford her treatment. It breaks my heart to think of other animal owners who may not be able to afford such treatment.
We have always donated what we could to our local shelters and non-profit animal hospitals, but this just made us realize how truly fortunate we are and how important it is for us to try to donate what we can.
We would have gotten a shelter dog, but my grandfather had a wonderful Boston Terrier when I was about 3 or 4 years old.
I loved playing with Buttons and those memories lead us to adopt a Boston from a really wonderful breeder in Modesto, CA. Both of our Bostons are from this breeder and with the exception of Scout's allergies, our dogs have no health problems that many Bostons have.
@RQ,Ida and jbdean: it was bad enough I was going through the death of my mother, but to lose Sparky too just about killed me. When I returned home eight weeks later (my daughter gave birth to my first grandbaby -- he was my mother's first g-grandbaby -- just three weeks after she passed, can you say fucked up?) I looked for her but she had moved. I called, I emailed, I drove past her former house...she deleted her Facebook, and just dropped from the planet.
ReplyDeleteI can only hope she is burning in hell even as we speak. I will never, ever forgive that. What made it even worse is when she went out of town for training on a job, I took care of her little shit-zu through potty training and a bout of disgusting worms, and I don't even like dogs. But I treated that puppy like he was a baby, he was so cute.
I have to believe what goes around comes around. I still cry over Sparky, almost as much as my mom.
Athena makes me laugh, and I love her for that.
Thanks, ladies <3
I grew up with lots of dogs.
ReplyDeleteI love Pomeranians and Jindos.
I have horses right now, and a baby quail that I rescued. So we have have a pinto pony named Pepper, quarter horse mare named Cookie, and her baby named Crumb. The quail's name is Quincy. I have always been an animal person, and in the past have had cats, dogs, rescue birds, more horses/ponies, lots of rats, hamsters, mice, skunk, cockatiels, parakeets, bunnies, and other ones I have forgotten about. The bad thing is that my husband is very anti-animal, and he claims allergies every time I bring something new home with me. He suffers!!
ReplyDeleteMy child and I adopted a female australian cattle/boxer mix who was 8 months old, 34lb and had had a rough life when we got her 3 yrs ago. I'm happy to report Callie Mae weighed 55 lbs this year at her vet visit and she is a happy healthy part of our family :)
ReplyDelete@Ida- I loved your story :)
ReplyDelete@Netta- I literally gasped out loud when I read that. :( Sorry love.
~Although I did rescue both cats Leo's story is a bit out of the ordinary.
When I was walking through the parking lot toward the shelter to adopt a pet 10yrs ago an Asian woman came up to me and in broken english asked if I wanted a cat. I confusedly looked around cause the woman had no cat in sight. Thats when I noticed a laptop computer box with sounds emitting from it. I immediatly grabbed the box (because it had no holes) and nodded yes, I would take the cat.
It turned out to be a mancoon little terrror of hell who had bright red streaked hair and the most gorgeous eyes you ever saw- mint colored green. He was malnorished, worms, the works. He was only a few months old but looked wayyyy bigger. I named him Leo, cause he looks like a lion and he is mean as shit, like he owns the whole world, and were just living in his place or something :)))
Starla has a cigarette size bald spot on the nap of her neck. I adopted her as a friend for Leo when I went back to school. Big mistake. He still hasnt forgiven me and its been 5 yrs. Sometimes I catch him sideyeing me and when I DO get him to cuddle if she comes near he hisses at me and stalks off. Dude holds a grudge, is what Im saying :P But whatevs, sometimes they run around together and play and I think its worth his 5 yr pissy mood just for that.
For some reason unknown Starla WILL NOT let people touch her with hands. She rubs against feet and will sleep on my feet when we both go to bed but no hand touching, her pupils dilate and she runs away. I suspect its got something to do with that cigarette shapped bald spot. Thats why I adopt- to find homes for animals but also to love on the ones who were hurt by the assholes, ya know?
Thanks for doing this Your Turn, enty, I feel like were all one big love fest right now <3
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ReplyDelete*maine coon
ReplyDeleteAww, Jasmine, that is so sweet.
ReplyDeleteThat's really weird about Starla and feet, because Athena is the same way. She'd been in the shelter about five months, and they couldn't tell me anything about her. She won't let me hold her or cuddle her, but she will rub all over my feet and let my toes scritch her. I thought she was just a freak with a foot fetish, because she'll roll all over my shoes, too. Sometimes she sleeps with one arm stuck in my slipper. Heh.
She's better than she was -- she used to sleep at the foot of my bed and no closer, but lately she's been approaching the head of it for a good old-fashioned skritching with fingers, although she won't sleep there.
Poor thing. I wish I knew her story. Then again, I think I'm just as glad I don't. :( She's ornery, loves to play with Q-tips and hair ties no matter how many toys I buy her, and I love the little freakazoid. Heh.
I agree with whomever said the more I learn about people, the more I love cats.
2 beagles. I got them from the local pet rescue. What some SOB's do to beagles that won't hunt is ---ghastly.
ReplyDeleteMy grandfather raised beagles. I have been around them my whole life and have RARELY met a mean beagle.
My beagles are female (2yrs approx) and male (8yrs approx). The female use to take care of all her sick bunk mates at the rescue. When Sunshine met my sister; who has epilepsy; Sunny sat on my sisters feet. It was like Sunny was "saying" that my sister was hers. So I adopted Sunny to help watch my sister.
Please don't SHOP for your next dog. Please ADOPT.
I have 3 dogs and a cat. My oldest dog, Smokie, is a border collie/shepherd mix that my late husband and I adopted from a family. She is 11 years old and blind, but is able to find her way around. My other two dogs - Shadow and Spirit - are Karelian Bear dogs and I got them from a breeder when we were having bear problems on our property. They are super intelligent and have their primitive instincts intact so they are great trackers and hunters.
ReplyDeleteFinally, Minos (means "cat" in Cree) is an exotic shorthair cat that I also adopted. Previously, I had 3 other cats that were from shelters/rescues.
@ Netta- thats interesting about your cat liking feet too.
ReplyDeleteMy theory is perhaps they both learned that hand = pain
so they have it in their memory banks to avoid. And since feet have no such negative connotations its nothing to fear.
Starla will quite literally walk all over me :0 The minute I lay prone she comes from under the bed (where she hides a lot from Leo lol) and walks up my legs, up my butt, and all the way to my neck and sort of paws around. It's not uber comfortable but if I try to put my hands anywhere near her to push her back down she FREAKS, so i sorta roll my shoulders in attempt to get her off, I dont wanna scare her, ya know?
Your cat liking your slippers THAT much might mean there is a foot festish thang going on as well, which is adorable. I love little weird quirks in animals :)
And I count me as part of your posse if you ever track that bitch down. I'm not a violent person but abadoning an animal (especially a domesticated animal not used to the outdoors) deserves some tire iron action to tha face.
We have a 3 1/2 year old husky/shepherd/lab named Drake (after Tim Drake, the most recent Robin, NOT the rapper). He's a 100lb lap dog, who adores our 14 month old son. We used to have two rabbits - Corrigan (after Jim Corrigan, the original Spectre - yes, we're big comic geeks) and Raistlin (from the Dragonlance series of books - geeeeeeeeeeeks :D). Sadly, Corrigan passed away at the age of 3, and about 6 months later we gave Raistlin to a family who had recently lost their bunny.
ReplyDeleteDeseased parents yorkie mix Boomer. Rescue male cat Killer indoor outdoor boy he uses the toliet! 2australian shepards tater and bandit very smart very demanding,Love them all
ReplyDelete@Jasmine -- I read somewhere that cats hate being approached with an open hand because they think it leads to being picked up and they hate that, heh. So, the article recommended you approach your cat with a closed fist and THEN pet them. I tried it with Athena and it really worked. Slowly she's getting more comfortable, I just have to remember to be patient and it's never going to be like Sparky, but she's still lovable and I just love the way she's coming out of her shell bit by bit.
ReplyDeleteShe is crazy. She plays with Q-tips and hair ties -- I mean, she goes nuts over them. It's so funny to watch her, and it's been a long time since I laughed liked that.
I'm with you on the tire iron. Honestly, this is the first time I've really talked about it (so incredibly sad, the last couple of years have sucked the hairy nut sack of Lucifer) and I'm really touched by all the support. I'm bawling because I'm a schmuck, but thanks so much. I miss my mom so much, but I miss Sparky just as much. She was a really special cat.
@Netta- awwwwww. I'm sad your crying, but let it out if you must :)
ReplyDeleteIn the Jewish culture we/they light candles to remember the deceased and I've found that (although Im atheist) there is something really really cathartic about lighting a candle, saying something about whomever your thinking about, feeling the warmth of the candle almost like the soul of whomever your missing, and slowly letting the candle go out. The cycle is visual and symblic enough to really capture loss of what you are feeling in a beautiful way. You should try it. But I would light two, cause they both deserve one for each of them. And I think they would have liked you doing that, dont you? :)
That's beautiful. Thanks for the suggestion -- I'm not particularly religious myself, but this sounds perfect.
ReplyDeleteYes. They would. They were quite a pair. :*)
*hugs* Thanks.
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I'll go back to lurking ;)
Your welcome :)))))
ReplyDeleteHugs back
(from one crazy cat lover to another)
I have one cat right now, Jezebel, who I adopted about a month after my previous cat Mojo died. Mojo was a gray/brown tabby who I got from a friend's litter when he was barely old enough to be taken from his mom; he was an indoor/outdoor cat by his own EXTREME insistence, but was always very careful around cars. When he was 7, he was diagnosed w/hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and although I tried to give him his meds, he was too clever for me. Unfortunately, his bad heart slowed him down terribly, and he ended up being hit by a car in our parking lot; it still kills me just thinking about it, but I know he would have been miserable getting weaker & weaker before finally keeling over, so perhaps he preferred going instantly like that.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, back to Jezebel--I adopted her from the local cat shelter where she'd been brought w/2 of her littermates; the staff named them Isadora (long-haired calico), Esmeralda (long-haired tortie) and Jezebel (very thick-haired tortie). I swear she picked me and not the other way around; I almost went w/another half-grown kitten, but the shelter was closing for the night. I came back in the AM, & while the other little cat ran away & hid, Jezebel just snuggled up in my arms, purred, and looked at me as if to say "you want ME, don't you?" She's 15 now, w/a world-class case of "tortietude", and really is my baby. I also adopted a former roommate's cat, Delenn, after he moved out; she was a teeny little gray & white tabby who would start to groom Jezebel, only to then try to smack her around; she also did this adorable routine of lifting up one paw at a time, alternating them, while sitting down. She ended up diabetic, and try as I might, we couldn't get it under control; she went downhill rather suddenly a few years ago, the vet thought she might have cancer, and I ended up having to have her put to sleep. So Jess is an only cat now, and I think she likes it that way--she's extremely possessive of me!
Thanks Ida and jbdean_79!
ReplyDeleteLux isn't a Calico or a Siamese which, I have also heard from people, don't like to have other cats around.
My first instinct is to go with a kitten since it will satisfy her motherly instincts and also let her be the alpha in the house, lol.
I think you're right Ida about the male vs. female stuff. Perhaps a little male kitten would be the best bet.
I thank everyone for their advice :)
I've done lots of research, but there's just so much info out there I feel it's better to rely on the advice of people who have had the experience. People here are obviously animal lovers so I trust your opinions wholeheartedly.
Cheers and happy Friday to all.
Netta
ReplyDeleteYour story broke my heart and gave me a very angry WTF moment. I am glad to hear that you have adopted another companion and about your book. Is it on Amazon? I've just started reading after five years of being unable to read anything more than short blurbs-long story why.
So if you don't mind, I would like to learn more about it.
Thanks
Hi Ellebee,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry for the WTF moment. I didn't think I would ever have another cat, ever. But it just seemed like serendipity when I saw Athena online and the name of my book. And of course, when I saw her that was it for me. Heh.
"Athena's Promise" is out to the beta readers right now, then revisions. I'm shooting for a September publishing date if all goes well.
I have a flash fiction collection available on Amazon called "Not Nice and Other Understatements" and a few short stories also listed there. Just search for Annetta Ribken and you'll find them. :) Not Nice is available for the Kindle and in print, and it's also on Smashwords.
Thanks so much for asking. :)
Netta,
ReplyDeleteI looked it up on my Kindle. Did you know that everyone's that has reviewed your book so far has given it 5 stars? Nice!
I just purchased it and will read it this week. I'm a Kindle book NUT. I go through a book every few days (and somehow still manage to have a life, LOL)
Always looking for new reads, so thanks for that! :)
I have a crazy story about our cat Frosting. She caught a mouse in the garage, brought it into our bedroom and the mouse ran behind the dresser. Second time this happened, so we were ready with a catch and release trap. We filled the trap and caught the mouse.
ReplyDeleteMel, our oldest daughter, walked across the street to the park to release the mouse in the bushes. She let the mouse go and instead of running into the bushes it ran the opposite way into a grassy area. With Mel standing there watching, a hawk swooped down, grabbed the mouse and took off.
Mel came back after being gone for a half hour completely stunned saying "no way that just happened".
We still laugh about how the absurdity of the situation.
Last year Mel's yellow parakeet killed her blue parakeet-okay, so maybe not, but we wouldn't put it past the yellow bird that was called Penelope.
After Darwin* died, we did some checking. We found out that Penelope was male and really could have killed Darwin. Before Darwin died, the yellow one would push Darwin off his perch or chirp loudly in Darwin's face. We thought he was just a bully.
So instead of Penelope, I call the yellow one Stalin or Killer, Mel calls him Steve.
Weird things always seem to happen to our family, we're a weird bunch so that's okay with us.
*(the blue one who was also super annoying and squawked constantly and truthfully I couldn't totally blame Stalin. Darwin was that annoying)
oh and, as for the story about your cat, i have to say you are a much better person than I.
ReplyDeleteI would've hunted this lady down, threw her in my car and dropped her off in the middle of nowhere (preferably somewhere in the Ozarks) so she could see how well she fared.
However, one bad deed should not beget another so kudos to you for having the ability to move on and adopt another furry friend.
@Ellebee
ReplyDeleteTHIS:
"So instead of Penelope, I call the yellow one Stalin or Killer, Mel calls him Steve."
ALMOST MADE MEPEE MYSELF!!!!
@Netta
ReplyDeleteThanks, I will look for it. The WTF moment was directed more toward your cat "sitter". Unbelievable.
Really, really cruel behavior that shocked me and I'm the wife of a former Bay Area cop and current federal law enforcement officer
(I've heard some really horrific stories- including people literally trying to kill my husband)
Not much shocks me, but that struck me as horrible, misanthropic behavior under any circumstances, more so because of your situation. I lost my mom too.
@pwner Thanks! I hope you enjoy it. Not Nice was really a labor of love, and I had a blast putting it together. I'll be really interested in your thoughts about it :)
ReplyDeleteYou know, I have had many fantasies about what would happen if I ever see her again. Then, I remember many lessons I learned about holding a grudge and I try to let it go. But I'm not saint. I've been through a lot (like who hasn't, right?) and I really do try to take the higher road. But if she ever walked in front of my car her ass would be dead and I'd be in prison. I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire, unless I knew it would sting. Like I said, I really REALLY try not to hate on anyone but Sparky was my CAT. I hate that woman and I can't seem to let that go. *sigh*
@Ellebee OMG that is HILARIOUS. Poor Darwin. Maybe his name was an omen, heh!
Four doggies, all rescues.
ReplyDeleteTwinkie, Snap, Snickers, and Scruffy. All varying sizes, shapes, breeds and colors.
@Ellebee
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your loss. I know I thought I was prepared, you know? My mom was ill with breast cancer for four years. We talked about death a lot; we had a very special relationship. I thought I was prepared.
I had no clue. None. I'm a pretty strong person but that knocked everything right out of me and I didn't see it coming. To lose Sparky on top of that AND learn my judgment about a "best" friend was so off...plus my daughter giving birth three weeks too late...it was too much. Stick a fork in me.
In an email, besides. I've lived through some cruel shit, so I have, but that is at the top of the list for me. And that's saying something.
Actually, I just welcomed a new family member a couple of months ago. His name is Ollie, and he's the most adorable almost all white kitty ever. He's my little guy and has turned out to be best friends with my youngest son, Walt. It's truly been a blessing having him here and I'm so glad things aligned the way they did. He was meant to be with us :)
ReplyDelete@pwner
ReplyDeleteI swear that is totally true.
Stalin/Steve struts around the cage now like he is the king of the cage. Oh and I totally forgot, Stalin/Steve was calmly eating millet next to poor dead Darwin when we found him.
He is the bird version of an asshat/douchebag. Seriously.
@Netta
totally love my Kindle. I will get your book.
My husband and I are working on compiling all of his street stories from over 20 years in law enforcement in San Francisco and Oakland.
He heard the best story about Dianne Feinstein from a retired SF cop when she was acting mayor. She and her driver performed CPR on someone who they saw collapsing on a corner as they drove by. There are some gory details, bottom line... she is awesome.
Just wanted to mention that if you have a pet emergency, Care Credit is a great resource. Not all vets accept it, but it is a credit card specifically for medical procedures, including veterinary costs. Interest free for 1 year, so you can spread the cost out. My kitty had $2500 of issues in November and we wouldn't have been able to afford it without Care Credit.
ReplyDeleteWe have a chocolate lab, Nova, and a black cat, Fletcher. Both 2yrs old. We're also a foster family for the Humane Society and we have a semi-feral 1 yr old black lab mix named Trust living with us right now. He's been with us since November and just today rolled over to have his belly scratched for the first time!
Is it bad I'm still gigglesnortin' over the bird thing? Asshat/douchebag hahahaha!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a fascinating project. I've been in the writing biz for a hot minute or two (like, a decade, heh) so if you need any help buzz me anytime.
@Em
I think THEY choose YOU, not the other way around. Congrats on your new family member :)
OMG Netta. I was appalled at what happened to Sparky. I am so sorry. Reading it made me cry.
ReplyDeleteI have two rescue cats, Tabitha who is 14 and Katie who is about 5. They are complete opposites and Tabitha barely tolerates Katie and her nonsense (Katie is a punk!) but I love them both dearly.
I'm off to go hug my cats.
@Anna
ReplyDeleteThanks for credit card info, we will look into it.
Lola's vet bill came to $3300 for three days of care, treatment, testing and IV fluids. Luckily this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it really packs a wallop.
Had a sweet kitty named Lucy who lived to be almost 22.
ReplyDeleteI have a mixed breed - part anatolian shepherd- named Jack. He was a semi rescue - the people that had hiM were pregnant and left hiM on a chain outside for 10 hours a day... don't get Me started.I had lost MY POMMY kEESHA months before. The second night we had Jack, he woke us up when the fireMen couldn't. The second floor (i aM on the ground) apts were on fire. Since then he's been our "special paper eating- take a bullet for Me, afraid of the rain hero.
ReplyDeleteand to any who have lost your pets... My heart breaks for you. it is like losing a faMily MeMber! (sorry for the cap M's...soMETHing is wrong with the keyboard and I can only type the M's in caps.)
We have four of our own kitties, plus four orphan kitties who live on our porch. One of the porch kitties is temporarily an indoor cat, after she came to our door with one of her two newborn kittens. One of those kittens died, but the other (we've named him Chunk) is nestled on my shoulder as I type this. He's just now ready to be weaned.
ReplyDeleteNetta, wouldn't it be something if Sparky had a crazy country "camping" kind of adventure and then found a home in the country with a family that loved her as much as you did? That's what I'm going to believe happened.
ReplyDeleteI've adopted several cats over the years, I currently have 2. My first cat was Ebony and he made himself known by wandering onto the property where I worked at the time as an older kitten, he came to visit often and when it was certain he didn't belong to anyone I claimed him for myself and we were together for 24 years. When Ebony was 9 I thought he might like a little companion so I adopted Oreo, a kitten who Ebony hated, at best he tolerated the newcomer. The kitten wanted to play all the time and Ebony was more mature at that point and just wanted to relax. Eventually I adopted another younger cat as a companion for Oreo, Black Magic. Then about a week later I adopted a senior female named Tabitha who broke more stuff around the house than every other cat combined. She loathed the younger cats and would swat their faces but she adored Ebony and he felt the same about her. Oreo got sick and died and Black Magic had no-one to play with and was infringing on the senior cats for his entertainment so I adopted another cat close in age as he was and named him Black Jack. All was well for several years and then Tabitha died. Ebony was senile at that point and I don't think he noticed she was gone. For the next few years he held a place of esteem in the household and I never knew if I would find him alive when I left for work in the mornings, he got extra love and all the good food treats. Eventually after years of good health, he had a stroke from which he never recovered. It's still strange to me that he isn't around after all those years.
I've often said I could live in a house full of cats :)
i have 3 cats, 1 dog, 1 guinea pig, 1 pygmie goat, and 2 donkeys...yes, i have acreage
ReplyDeleteThe majority of my pets are adopted from shelters.
ReplyDeleteHedgehogs, cats (8), dogs (4), turkeys, ducks, a goat (Sir Humphrey BoGoat), chickens, 2 Guinea pigs & rabbits. Yes I live in the country.
I delivered 2 healthy shih tzu puppies today :) now its time to spay the momma.
My cat Harley Ray recently passed at the young age of 26. I'm convinced my mom's lab puppy was the cause. She was a bit rough and he was stubborn and insisted on waiting at the back door. He would play dead so that she would leave. I recently adopted a 20lb cat. My dogs (all small breeds) were terrified of him. He's actually very active & can jump!
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have 15 rescue cats; one is mostly blind, & goes to work with me as a therapy cat for preschool children who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and trauma. A lot of people think we are insane to have so many cats, but they enrich our lives every day.... and working with children & families, I know that 15 cats are still cheaper (and a LOT less messy) than having human children. :)
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you, Pelham. Panda - where have you been? Enty's been doing this type of post since the beginning! And Rocket - I know you love me, too...
ReplyDeleteI have a small menagerie. Tiger is a beautiful 12-year old calico cat that was brought to me by 2 girls one day. My neighbor, who works around the corner at the vet, send the girls. My then 4 year old daughter quickly put the kitten in the stroller and walked her around the house for the next year.
Imagine this - the one day my now 6 year old decides to help me sweep out the garage we find three small kittens. Yeah, jackpot! She, of course, kept the most skittish one. Her original name was Tiger the second, but the kitten responded to Kitty, and so she is named.
We had a big old gray cat we rescued named Smoky, who thought he was a dog, for 8 years before he developed a brain tumor and to be put to sleep. A couple years later we replaced him with a gray kitten named Spanky. He's my son's cat. Remember that huge cat that was in the news? Spanky can give that cat a run for it's money.
And now for my 2 children. I did not understand dogs until I watched The Dog Whisperer. And now I think I'm an expert. - First my absolutely beautiful 1 year old named Chester. He is a miniature long-haired dachshund, and he is blond. I am not kidding you when I tell you that people will stop me in the street to pet him. Even had someone shout from their car. He is very chill, loves to sit in the window like the cats and surgically gut stuffed animals.
Finally, we have Diego, a rescue puppy we got from North Carolina. What do you get when you mix a standard dachshund with a Jack Russel? Turbo-dachshund! He leaps like a cat, runs like a maniac, and is solid muscle (which is a relief, because he almost died of a parasite). He pulls me down the street when we go out for a walk. He has a nasty bark, and can look mean, but all he wants to do is lick you and sniff your face.
OK, I'm done.
LOL, we have 5 dogs and 4 cats in our house! I have:
ReplyDeleteIsabell: Tabby Cat, from a feral cat litter, 14 years old.
Cosmo: Black Lab/Springer Spaniel Mix, 13 years old.
Abbey: Jack/Rat Terrier Mix, 7 years old.
Molley: Beagle/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mix, 2 years old.
We don't have children, and my animals mean everything to me. <3
Add me to the list of people wanting to join the Sparky Posse & find Netta's friend & "cat care taker". That story filled me with rage and broke my heart for you. I kept thinking of all the alternatives she had...find someone else, or hell if things were that bad, put her at a boarding place.
ReplyDeleteMy animals:
Sullivan, 9.5 lab mix; got him right after college from a co worker, whose purebred lab had gotten pregnant, he was furious that he couldn't sell them & was going to take them to the kill shelter. Sully is a bit like Marley...but he has provided me with great entertainment.
Mason, 8; adopted from a rescue group; he'd been abandoned by a dumpster.
Saluda, we think is 5; beagle/dachsund (guesstimate)
my sister's neighbors son was farming & she stumbled out the woods, covered in ants/ant bites. His mom rehabilitated her & gave her to my sister. I fell in love with her over Christmas & since my sister does not have a fenced in yard, has lots of land & let's her dogs run free I was
terrified she'd get hit so I stole her. ;) She is my soulmate.
I volunteered for 4 years with a local rescue & fostered both dogs & cats. I had to stop b/c life was getting way chaotic with work + school but I'm done now & hopefully I can resume volunteering again. My goal is to make enough money now so I can one day own a huge house & a Tom of land & continue fostering, rescuing, etc. Also I want alpacas.
*own a TON of land
ReplyDeletei have one rescued calico kitty named The Critter. She is 11. When I adopted her, she was feral, couldn't be touched, would attack and hiss and screech and bite. For 9 months whenever i came home i would put on welding gloves, pick her up, and walk up and down the hall while singing to her. After 9 months and no small amount of despair that she'd never really be a "pet", i came home one day to find her waiting for me. i knelt down and she jumped into my arms and purred.
ReplyDeletei tell my husband that i love him second best of all things in this world, cause he knows i love Critter best.
@Beca, you rule. Calicos can be super ornery, but it sounds like you found your soulmate. Your husband is a nice fella for accepting his second place status. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love these comments so much.
CDAN needed this badly, in my opinion. Thanks, Enty. <3
I'm working all day but I had to sneak over here. :)
ReplyDelete@Mango, thank you. Your cats are very lucky :)
@The Black Cat -- that is an excellent way to look at it, and I so hope it's true. I'm going to believe that from now on.
@MCH That's what really bugged me up, too. Alternatives. A real friend would have explored those, or offered an option to me. I will fully admit I wasn't thinking clearly at the time (too much going on) and I beat myself up I didn't just jump in the car and drive the 300 miles to go get her. Hindsight.
@Beca I think that is one of the sweetest stories I have ever heard. Bless your heart! My kids used to joke that Sparky was the favorite child, but the funny part? No joke. :)
My kids just pooled their birthday $ to buy a puppy last Thursday. Her name is Lucille and she's an 8 wk old "shorkie". The cutest little black puppy ever! We also have a 3 year old poodle mix named Mr MacGregor and 2 yr old black fluffy cat named Seymour, both adopted from the local kill shelter. We originally went to get a kitten during their "we have too many kittens" promotion and came home with Mr. Mac, too. My husband never had any pets as a kid and really wanted our kids to have them. We always had pets, dog, cats, birds, fish, mice when I was growing up.
ReplyDeleteTwo cats - Jack, a 6 year old rescue from the MSPCA in Boston and Katia, a 3 year old rescue from the NC SPCA in Raleigh. I love them to pieces, even though neither of them turned out to be a lap cat. Katia is a gorgeous tortie with black and caramel colored fur and Jack is a grey tabby with huge, gorgeous eyes. Quite simply they are my heart. I don't have kids, so they get all my love.
ReplyDeleteThink i love animals more than people so a "Thank you" to everyone who's posted here. Millie, a tri-colored Sheltie, currently rules this house. We've had a number of cats and dogs, both adopted and purchased, and think we'll stick with Petfinder.com or a local shelter from this point on.
ReplyDelete@jbdean_79. What a lovely story about your kittles. Gives me hope for mine, Lucy and Ethel. They are my babies. I got them from a friend and they're Bombay's; Black American Short Hair and Burmese. Lucy adores my husband and Ethel and I are inseparable. But when OP (my husband)takes a nap both will snuggle with him. It's just so adorable. They are now 16 and I wish that they live as long as yours.
ReplyDeleteI have a black Maine Coon kitty called Molee. She's about 13 now, we got her on Valentine's Day years ago and she was this tiny little scaredy cat. (The name Molee is because when she was born, she was black and wee and blind, like a mole.)
ReplyDeleteNow she's a total diva cat, runs the entire household and if she doesn't like something, by god she will let you know about it!!
But she's my baby and I totally adore her.
The Decision Maker and I have five cats in our house. Two of them were adopted from animal shelters, Delilah and Alice (I used to have D's pic as my blogger icon, but somehow it was scrubbed...gotta look into that).
ReplyDeleteThe other three we found in our alley last August, apparently a litter of a truly wild mom cat. We were able to trap/fix all of them, and we had to let the mom go, but the other three - Zsa Zsa, Gimli, and Samantha - we are keeping in the house as part of a domestication program and are currently looking for owners. It's been a learning experience for both of us, but I couldn't imagine my life without hanging with my cats.
P.S. - I read many of the stories above, and was encouraged to see so many people who are involved and/or inclined toward working with their local shelters to adopt pets of their own. Good work to all o' you!
ReplyDeleteAwesome Your Turn :) A heart thank you from me and all the animals to the animal lovers who have commented. It did my heart some good!
ReplyDeleteA little late on this one---we have one rescued parakeet named Elvis, one rescued cat named Bootstrap and one rescued dog we got a month ago named The Dude.
ReplyDeleteThe Dude was kiced out of training class on Thursday because he has emotional issues that we need to help him with by doing private classes. Love them all but they are a lot of work.
I have a six year old Siberian Husky named Jax. I lived off a street named Jackson Ave when I got him so hence the shortened name Jax. He's been a joy from the get, so sweet and friendly with everyone not to mention beautiful with his all white coat and blue eyes. I like to call him my number one stunner!
ReplyDelete