How do you feel about pets?

I am a bit scared of them, especially of dogs. When I was a kid, I was attacked by a stray dog, and since then I am afraid of the animals. My wife is a cat lover. And I came to a conclusion that I love her too much, and I have to fight my fear, so we can get a cat. I started to read pet blogs, to visit websites, just to make my fear disappear. I am not going to lie it is helping me, I started to know more about pets, and how friendly they can be. So the information that I read is helping me. By the way, if you are interested I can leave you the website link.

https://petspetz.com/

I have transformed into a big fan of cats. At least the cats that I have befriended. Used to consider having pets as having slaves.

The less I have grown to like humans over the years the more I have appreciated animals. The kitties I share my life with now are friends. They are open, honest, purrrsonable (no matter what anybody says!) and each relates to me in individual ways.

That's nice.. Are they your cats or cats you see outside? They do have their own personalities.

My favourite animal is a tie between golden hamster and pigeon.

I do not like Russian hamsters, winter white hamsters, dwarf hamsters, Roborovski hamsters or any of the smaller ones.

I like European hamsters but you cannot keep them as pets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkZ6gzyg7yY&ab_channel=BBCEarth

If you never owned a good pet you can have no conception of the depth and complexity of their emotions.

Its really the height of human arrogance to think that humans are the only animals capable of complex emotions such as affection and loyalty.

So often they aren't looking for food or other material reward, they just want to be With and please their owners.

That's truth.

Which are you referring to? Because some aren't like that. I suppose as with humans there's variety.

My partner have taken in stray cats over the past 20 years, and we continue to provide food and shelter to several feral kitties and a string of passers-by. But we took in 3 kittens from a rescue service in Sacramento and they stay indoors. Except I built a "catio" for them that has a portal from our bedroom window to an outside cage/run of about 10'x14' with some grass and an "apartment with "floors". Its covered but open to sunlight and wind. They love it and have "open gangplank" 24/7!

Dan: word!

jamese wrote:

My partner have taken in stray cats over the past 20 years, and we continue to provide food and shelter to several feral kitties and a string of passers-by. But we took in 3 kittens from a rescue service in Sacramento and they stay indoors. Except I built a "catio" for them that has a portal from our bedroom window to an outside cage/run of about 10'x14' with some grass and an "apartment with "floors". Its covered but open to sunlight and wind. They love it and have "open gangplank" 24/7!

That's nice. The catio sounds cool, can imagine them there in the sunshine! Glad they are happy. When I was in Spain there were a lot of cats that seemed to belong to everyone, they were kind of communal cats that would visit places to get food but they didn't really have a fixed owner.

Man...I love dogs!

Pugs, Labs, Beagles, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers are all my jam.

However, I cannot own one. I travel too much and I’m too busy to train one properly. They are expensive. Me owning a dog is a bad deal for a dog, I don’t want to deal with the heartbreak of their death either.

This pug is running a marathon (.262 miles).

My fave.

Wish we could resize these to make them tiny.

800minutes wrote:

Man...I love dogs!

Pugs, Labs, Beagles, Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers are all my jam.

However, I cannot own one. I travel too much and I’m too busy to train one properly. They are expensive. Me owning a dog is a bad deal for a dog, I don’t want to deal with the heartbreak of their death either.

My wife and I have a couple cats because of the travel issue. Cats vary greatly in their ability for interpersonal relationships. We happen to currently have two cats that are very dog like and affectionate.

Since I have retired, our cats have has bonded one more with my wife and the dominant one has bonded more with me. As far as your comment about death that is true. The cat who has bonded with me has aged and can't do somethings it used to do. In a weird way I find myself identifying with the cat. The cat is just showing, in a quicker version, the natural transition of life and aging.

But maybe the most important part of this life lesson, the cat seems happy, loving and enjoys companionship. So the future can be good even for old folks.

Respect your decision! Too many people take in "pets" out of misguided impulse, and then do not care for them or relate to them sufficiently (and some not at all !)

I feel this is as tragic as the instances in which people discard cats and dogs, dump them in some country area and expect them to survive. (They can not, unless by a slim chance of being rescued!)

Yes, "tragic." Pity and fear to me applies to the treatment of our furry relatives, and their lives matter.

Humans are the cruelest, most invasive species.

Handsome dog!

My granddaughter had a similar fellow, and he was accepted and respected, loved, by all of the other dogs (and even cats!) In her household! No prejudices applied.

(But she did not assume that some outside critters, like coyotes and mountain lions would be so...comradely!) :(

I have never desired to have a pet on my own; just too lazy I guess. BUT my whole life some member of my family wanted one so I have lived with them always. For an unknown reason I have always become close with the critters and end up being a devoted caretaker and friend of them. Once I had to be away from home for a few weeks, but the minute I parked in front of the house there were four faces in the window tails awaggin'. When I stepped out of the car the howling and yipping could be heard for blocks. While walking across the lawn the front door opened and I was gang tackled and smothered with dog slobber. Have never been so loved by a human, not even my wife.

jamese wrote:

Handsome dog!

My granddaughter had a similar fellow, and he was accepted and respected, loved, by all of the other dogs (and even cats!) In her household! No prejudices applied.

(But she did not assume that some outside critters, like coyotes and mountain lions would be so...comradely!) :(

That's a cool story. Good that the dogs and cats got on! That's worrying about the animals. I know here one of the biggest difficulties for the very small dogs is the cold. I often see them in kind of pyjamas but I guess they're not suited to the environment here.

fromtheheart that's a lovely story too. They loved you!