So, I'm reviewing my blog from last month. The one where I was basically talking myself out of adopting a pet.
Pretty sound arguments I decided as my new kitten nibbled on my toes.
Yup, I went from 0-60 in 30 days.
I have a new pet.
Here she is, the little darling. Her birth name was Chaos. While somewhat accurate, I thought it too negative a connotation. So, I changed it to Cricket. Still appropriate as she bounces from couch, to wall, to perch, to recliner, to floor and back again. Whew, I get exercise just watching her!
Now remember, I hadn't had any type of pet (fish don't count...not really. You can't pet a fish) since I was a child. I didn't really realize how I'd have to kitten proof the house. The first time out of her carrier? She headed straight to a kitten size opening I didn't remember I had under my cabinet. Got her tail in the nick of time.
She loves to snuggle and perch on my knee. She's starting to pay attention to the birds outside and is onto my kitten evasive manuevers.
Some things I've learned in 2 weeks:
1. Cats don't care that you want to eat alone.....they want to help.
2. She'll require a manicure more often then me while I.....will need more Bandaids and Neosporin.
3. You THINK she's in the carrier while you vaccum???? Ha!
4. That's not a horse you hear galloping around your house....it's a manaical cat. I should have called her "My Little Pony."
5. She knows the mousie on a stick is not real...but plays with it to amuse you.
But she snuggles and is good at night. Is using her "big girl" litter box and greets me at the door.
We've often taken polls here in the Lair. What about you? Cats or Dogs? Or "other". What's your favorite type of pet? And names. What is your pet's name and why?
Pretty sound arguments I decided as my new kitten nibbled on my toes.
Yup, I went from 0-60 in 30 days.
I have a new pet.
Here she is, the little darling. Her birth name was Chaos. While somewhat accurate, I thought it too negative a connotation. So, I changed it to Cricket. Still appropriate as she bounces from couch, to wall, to perch, to recliner, to floor and back again. Whew, I get exercise just watching her!
Now remember, I hadn't had any type of pet (fish don't count...not really. You can't pet a fish) since I was a child. I didn't really realize how I'd have to kitten proof the house. The first time out of her carrier? She headed straight to a kitten size opening I didn't remember I had under my cabinet. Got her tail in the nick of time.
She loves to snuggle and perch on my knee. She's starting to pay attention to the birds outside and is onto my kitten evasive manuevers.
Some things I've learned in 2 weeks:
1. Cats don't care that you want to eat alone.....they want to help.
2. She'll require a manicure more often then me while I.....will need more Bandaids and Neosporin.
3. You THINK she's in the carrier while you vaccum???? Ha!
4. That's not a horse you hear galloping around your house....it's a manaical cat. I should have called her "My Little Pony."
5. She knows the mousie on a stick is not real...but plays with it to amuse you.
But she snuggles and is good at night. Is using her "big girl" litter box and greets me at the door.
We've often taken polls here in the Lair. What about you? Cats or Dogs? Or "other". What's your favorite type of pet? And names. What is your pet's name and why?
100 comments:
Aweee... Chaos is too cute! :X But I'm a dog person, especially after last summer. Even despite the fact that Charlotte did her best to kill my macbookpro, and *did* kill my Canon SD600 T_T
Joan - I feel you on the bandaids and neosporin. I consider myself an animal person, and love pretty much anything cute and soft and fuzzy. (And that's saying a lot since I'm pretty much allergic to them all.) And they love me. Even the mean insane dogs. But last summer, I visited some friends and one of their stupid cats slashed me! And broke skin and drew blood and anyway I took it very personally. It's the first time anything like that had happened to me before.
She's really my sister's dog, but the family likes to claim her. As I said, her name is Charlotte, but her "technical" name I guess would be Kaya de Labrise. Yup, she's a retired show dog that had to be placed, so my sister got her for $1 :) She's darling and perfect.
I want to get a dog some day, and name it Theodore :D Likely a Pyrenean Shepherd. I'm totally sold on them.
The only pets we have right now are fish in a pond in the yard but they all do have names. I just have problems keeping up with their names, since there's about 16 fish out there. I know we have a Rhett Butler, carrot top, spotty, darlin, judy, bubby, susie, trixie, herman because he is butt ulgy, that's all I can think of right now! We have had cats before but son has an alergy to them! Also have had a few birds before which make nice pets but they are very messy!
Cricket is so cute. I've only had "pet" fish. I never had a dog or cat or even a hamster when I was a kid, but I think I'm more of a cat person.
Again lime he really loves you have fun with him
Joanie she is so beautiful and I love her name I love dogs and cats but it is a while since we have had a cat they really do make a mess of the furniture more so than dogs and as the saying goes they own you not you them LOL. We have 2 dogs now we had to have our big dog Blocker put to sleep about 2 months ago he had bone cancer and it was spreading really fast and we miss him so much but we still have Brandy and the boss Tootsie who is really showing her age now I don't know what I am going to do when we loose her she was my Mums dog and has been with me since I lost Mum 8 years ago and rules the roost here.
You are going to have lots of fun with Cricket they really are loving pets
Have Fun
Helen
Cricket is SUCH a cutie, Joanie T! I can see you're a proud momma under all those scratches and bites!
I'm pretty much a dog person, although a cat with personality will get to me every time. Our dog is a Great Dane Ridgeback cross and her name is Monty. She's a girl but she's named after Monty Burns on The Simpsons because when she was a puppy she used to make these effortful noises like Mr. Burns when he's trying to beat someone up. She's getting on in years now and I'm going to miss her a lot when she goes.
I love dogs and cats both but two cats live with me due to training issues. You don't train cats as a rule, they train you. The oldest is called Angel, she isn't. The youngest is Shadow, he is. Angel is a mixed calico meaning her markings aren't as bright plus she is a long hair rather than a short hair, I know there is a cat under there because she is evil. A better name for her would be Bi**h but well, I can't be yelling that name all the time. She got along fine with my other two cats when I had them but she is rough on my Shadow. Shadow is a solid gray short hair, he makes very little sound and is invisible most of the time. I know he is there when the water bowl or food bowl gets empty.
In our previous assignment, 4 cats "adopted" my house as their abode. Four years later, we found homes for two and brought two with us to Hawaii (after jumping through hoops to avoid quarantine). The cats are curious about the mongooses that are prevalent on the island ... and I can only imagine what they would do if the wild hens relocated from the gas station on base over to the housing area. Perhaps the Golden Rooster would like to defend these wild hens from predators!
Aww - welcome to the Lair, Cricket!
I hear you on the mad cat, scratches and general chaos of life with cats! But, they are so loving, when they want to be *g*. And, they know when you're down or ill and make a fuss of you.
Yes, I'm a cat person. We currently have two - Jersey Girl and CC - both rescue cats. You can see pics of them on my website. We adopted them in the US after our two UK-born boys passed. Jersey Girl is called that as we lived in NJ and CC is after our favourite place Charleston in (South) Carolina.
Our two boys were called Kookaburra (after my ex-husband's Kookaburra cricket bat *rolls eyes*) and R2 - short for Ratty Twoy, who was my first cat Ratty's nephew.
I think I've mentioned before that we make a deliberate effort to adopt black cats as they are so often abandoned and abused. (as our Jersey was).
Our girls have loved being in the UK and settled in well - especially as they can go outside and wander in the fields. In the US that wasn't possible.
As for personality - they both have heaps. Then again, I've never had a cat who hasn't *g*.
Congrats on your new addition, Joanie. She is adorable.
I so had to laugh at the galloping horse in the house. The other day I was alone in my house and above my office is my son's room, it sounded like a wild animal was up there. Misha was jumping from his bed and racing out of the room only to run back into the room a moment later. What's so strange is when she gets so wild she will go running through the house with this weird growl. It's almost scary.
Needless to say, I'm a cat person!
Look at your baby!! I am a huge cat person. Right now we have just one, which is kinda weird for us. We've raised him from a three week old. He sleeps with me. By the morning he's usually against the back of my neck. And he's super fond of my computer keyboards and my writing arm.
Limecello, congrats on the rooster!
I feel for you on the cat thing. As a teenager, I had an unfortunate encounter with the one cat our family ever owned. It bit me. Really. The only animal ever to do so, though I think that was because I came along after my sibling and her friends had gotten it kind of excited and I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.
It also gave everyone in our family except my grandfather ringworm, even the dog.
My parents gave it away to some people better equipped for cat parenting.
JT, congratulations on your new arrival! She's a cutie, and we've enjoyed your progress reports among the bandits.
I am a dog person, as you might've guessed from my comment to limecello. I'd be willing to give cats another chance, except I'm now allergic to them, as I discovered shortly after I got out of school and acquired a friend who was a cat person.
Also, there's that whole "get on your lap, circle around, and use CLAWS" thing they do. Dogs do the circle around part (though usually not on your lap if they happen to be big, like Herself) but sans the claw penetration.
Though we did once have a thunder-phobic golden who leaped over the arm of a chair to deposit all 100+ pounds of himself in the dh's lap.
That was an interesting moment. The dog looked almost as surprised as the dh.
AAAAAWWWW such a cute little kitty. love kittens except the fact they become cats. Some cats are cool, but overall, not a cat person.
My puppy girl is 13 1/2 but still has her "puppy" moments. She had been my ex-bf's but kept her & ditched him ~9yrs ago. Bought doggy steps last month as she stopped hopping up onto the bed due to age & I missed my night & morning cuddles. Her name is Cinnamon due in part to her color but it fits her personality too. She's a sweetie but a little sassy too. One of the reasons I liked the name among the choices put out was that she'd by "my little cin" -- thought it was cute and if she was the worst of my sins, I'd be in pretty good shape :)
Enjoy the new baby and congrats to becomeing "mom" to a buddle of unconditional love and tons of smiles. :)
:X Also guess I should mention- I'm used to pets having multiple names, and it just felt that Chaos was more fitting. [Slashing claws and all and hiding in places.]
But more... sorry I just hate all bugs. Couldn't bring myself to coo over something named "Cricket" even though she looks perfectly darling.
Dang Lime...how big IS Charlotte? Did she EAT the Canon?
Cricket is in her "baby" stage and the chewing...I hope...is just like teething.
I bought some of the apple bitter stuff that they are not suppose to like (mainly for my electrical cords) but a bit on my hand...she licked it off!
And Theodore....after the chipmunk?
Oh.....Virginia! That's so cute! Naming all your fishies. And poor Herman....is he like a catfish or something? I think they are not (cover your catfish's ears) good looking at all...
I'm sorry Jane. I did have a hamster as a child too...Sanford. Which we had to change to Sanfordetta when we found out she was a girl.
The wheel....ANNOYING....
Oh, Helen...I'm so sorry about Blocker.
I know I worry (like any new "mom") about Cricket already. Why ISN'T she running around? Is she sick? How do you tell a kitten has a temp?
Sigh...being a Mom isn't easy is it?
Wow Christine..Monty sounds bigger than Charlotte. Could she eat your desktop computer?
I love that old movie about a Great Dane that thinks she's a dachsund (?sp) The Ugly Dachsund....
Congrats to you and Cricket, Joanie!
I have a cat: Nosey. For obvious reasons. :-) We should have named her after some noted hunter, because she is the fiercest predator we've ever had.
Right now she is standing in the hall, meowing loudly to tell me that unless I come and stop her, she's going to get into Number 1 son's bed to sleep--where she knows she's not allowed. If I walk that way, she'll go and find another spot to curl up in, but if I stay here at the 'puter, that danged bed is fair game.
Gotta go...
:-)
Wow Dianna,....sounds like Angel is quite a handful.
We get people into the hospital every now and then with infected cat/dog and yes, human bites.
One lady had taken her cat to one of those blessings of the animals? When the Holy Water hit her cat it went berserk, bit her hand, scratched her face and took off up a tree.
She told me "Clearly, that cat needed Holy Water"
Cricket is adorable, Joan!
No cats for us as I'm terribly allergic to them but we're hoping to get a dog soon :-)
When I was growing up we always had a dog (or two or three) and I really miss having one around *g*
Cricket is just adorable, Joanie! We have a dog and cat, and I enjoy them both, but what I'd really like to complain about is the GUINEA PIG.
No one warned me how loud, stinky, and expensive these things are! He whistles loud enough to wake the children when he hears you coming, you have to change the cage daily, or it's absolutely rank, and that special "odor absorbing" bedding is hugely expensive -- at least $10 a week. Not to mention the food. Wow. Who knew!!?!
So I'm telling you all what no one would tell me. Stick with the dogs and cats and leave those cute little rodents and cavies for the schools. ;-p
Joanie...Cricket is a cutie...from afar.
As cute as I think kittens and cats are, I like breathing better. So the answer to your question is...DOGS.
And of course there is Rocky-the-wonder-dog, who is currently in the dog house (figuratively) with the man of the house for tearing a hole in the fence and going for his own excursion. Seeing how comfortable he is at the moment curled up beside my desk chair, I'd say he isn't too worried about the male master's aggrevation.
Cricket is so cute. I am a cat person. I have two Bengal cats named Max and Harley.
Christine: She's getting on in years now and I'm going to miss her a lot when she goes....
Sigh. I fear this with Rocky, who is 10 & 1/2. I have a feeling hubby will take it harder than anyone.
Wow Kim....do mongooses and cats LIKE each other?
For some reason, I always thought mongooses only lived in like India.
When I took Cricket to her first vet visit someone had a ferret.
I can't imagine one of those slinky things. I have trouble enough holding onto her!
Hey Anna!!!
Anna along with Christie and Cassondra and others have been my "go to" source for "What the heck do I do about this!" cat advice. The next? How do I clip claws?
Poor little black cats. I went back by the pet store where I had adopted Cricket and they had two. They were gorgeous with THE greenest eyes....
But ones enough thank you.
I'm a Cats person (though I don't have a pet, since I'm typically pretty allergic and it's easier not to have a pet than to figure out more medications to take); however, my neighbor has a chihuahua or something, who is the smartest, funniest little dog I've ever seen. I wouldn't mind petting it and feeding it treats--though I'd never have a dog because a) they're too needy and b) they have to be walked WAY too early in the morning. Without fail. I prefer cats. Less like having a toddler, more like having a teenager. A blissfully silent teenager.
LOL Christie.
Last night I watched Cricket run from across the living room and LEAP into this pile of tissue paper,plastic bag....like it was a pool of water or something.
Then she'd head back .....and whoosh...do it again.
It was cute.
This morning she's discovered my pink toenails...NO CRICKET!
Okay...anyone ever have weird pets?
My brother and I raised mice. While in high school. Yep, my mother actually let us, but it didn't last too long though. One got loose and ran up my daddy's back in the middle of the night, in bed. All the mice were gone by morning. Sigh.
Then there was the time my son pet sat a friend's pet hedgehog for a month. OMG!! Those things are mean!!! and you can only hold them with quilted potholders on your hands. Cute and cuddly they're not!!
Gillian,
I'll have to confess I'm not keen on sleeping the little dear...esp. now as she is so tiny I wouldn't sleep for worry I'd roll on her.
I still need to get my writing/computer room straigtened and kitten proofed more. Especially all those wires! I've go bitter cherry spray to try for that.
Yes Nancy, but once they circle and settle and you give them their suckle blanket...they PURRRRRR
LOL on the 100 lb dog leaping.....
Cinnamon is a great name, gamistress......
I've seen those ads for doggy steps in airline magazines. Poor pup.....
And why yes...I was smiling this morning when Herself did a particulary malodorous elimination....blech
Hey Joanie T! I just adore your new little ball of fluff. She's adorable and makes me miss having cats around to sit on me and purr. Grins.
I'm a dual appreciator. I've had as many as two cats and six dogs at one time. (Yes, Louisa, we are sisters in more than being Duchesses!) Now I'm down to three dogs.
I had Siamese cats for a long time, and a roomie with three mutt cats. One was mostly Maine Coon which mean BIG. I loved that cat though.
Now, it's the three hell hounds. Grins.
The Dalmatian is Remy
Remy = Snow Hill and Ovations' R. Steele for Remmington Steele. The whole litter was named for spies.
The Irish Water Spaniel is Diver
Diver = O'Malleigh's I'm Diving In (Hey, he's a water spaniel!)
The husky/lab/rottie/shepherd mix is Sweet Pea. And she is sweet as pudding pie, even tho' she looks and sounds like she'd tear your head off. Grins. I love her to pieces.
Rem's 14 and creaky. Diver's 5 and bouncy, Sweet Pea is living with us through the summer. I love 'em all!
Fun post, JT and COngrats on the GR, Lime!
Run Deb run!!!!
I think I'm pretty clever with distraction methods. Some are working like her favorite toy on a stick while I eat breakfast...rolling bell ball down the hall AWAY from her target.
I'm definitely a cat person, because cats require less attention (although many would dispute that!) and they don't often smell bad. Fortunately, our dog isn't stinky and he's a real sweetie.
However, dogs are a lot of fun. I like writing about them because they participate. Not that cats don't participate, but not usually in the way you want them to. (Although there are definite possibilities in that scenario.)
Is there really such a thing as an attack cat? (Not just a kitten that latches onto your leg with all its claws. I've had one of those. Yikes!) I wouldn't mind writing about an attack cat...
I'd briefly considered a puppy Beth but...I've never had a dog and would not relish getting up to let it out in all kinds of weather.
Kristen....we had a guinea pig when we were little. One of those classroom rejects. His name was Lucky. Mom must have gotten tired of him for the same reason cause we gave him to a guy my Daddy worked with...
I have few memories of ole Lucky
Rocky the wonder dog is a fine specimen of dogdom....having met him and had him lie on my feet :-)
I hope he got a few extra points for adventurism though...
All of which reminds me - I read a book (contemporary) recently with a heroine who doesn't like cats and this cat adopts her. I can't for the life of me remember who wrote it, but it was sooo funny. The cat was perfectly written.
Does that ring a bell for anyone? It's driving me nuts!
Wow Crystal...Bengals? I saw pics of those in my "Kitten" magazine I bought to..yanno...learn everything there is to know about kittens.
They are striking animals....figuratively and literally I imagine :-)
Did you name all your mice Suz???
Did you sing "Hickory Dickory Dock" to them?
And hedgehog!!! I've got a Beanie Baby one staring at me right now.
MsHellion,
Teenager??? Kittens turn into teenagers??
When? When?
Cricket's settling down fairly well. Real quiet right now. But...it could be a ploy. She could be right outside the door patiently waiting to sneak past me.
Sigh
Got to dash out for a cavity to be filled (Ugh). Will be back soon.
Running count (including those who are double dippers)
Cats 12
Dogs 9
Meow......
Lime has her favorite pet in residence today! Talk about Chaos!
Joanie, Cricket is a DOLL! She's so cute! Yes unfortunately those scratches and bites are part of the process. I have four cats - three boys and a girl. (All fixed, thank you very much!) My boys weigh in at 24 pounds, 19 pounds and 17 pounds each. My little girl, Rebecca, weighs about six pounds. Guess who is leader of the cat pack? Yep! They do not mess with the fastest paws in the West. She can slap them three times before they know what happened. Once you have Cricket spayed she will calm down A LITTLE BIT ! LOL My boys are Tigger, Pooh (born deaf - smoky white with BLUE eyes) and Bagheera (24 pounds of long black haired tailless wonder!) Rebecca is the talker. She will come and stand up by my computer chair, put her paw on my knee and complain in a loud voice until I come and see what the trouble is. (Food or water dish empty or HORRORS, one of the boys used HER litter box.)
My horrible chihuahua is named Frodo because as a puppy he always had this serious, worried look on his face. His name is something of a red herring as he is more like and Orc marauder than a hobbit!
Boudreaux is my Katrina rescued 60 pound basset hound. What else would you call a blues singer from New Orleans? He weighed less than 15 pounds when they brought him to me from the rescue group. Now he gets tummy rashes from his gut dragging the ground. I just can't resist those sad eyes!
I have dachshund sisters - Adelaide and Sassafras. Addy is named for the heroine of my first novel.
I have a whole other crew of outside dogs with names like Clyde, Zorro, Daisy, Lily, Velvet, Bodie.
So, I am definitely a dog AND cat person
She could be right outside the door patiently waiting to sneak past me.
See, this sounds like teenage behavior right there. Not acknowledging your presence; thinking you're only here to do their bidding; staying out all hours; making noise late at night; sleeping all day... TEENAGERS.
Hilarious post, Joan! Cricket is a darling kitten.
I'm a cat person. I feel I should turn into the little old lady with fifteen or twenty cats running around her house.
When I was a girl we had a cat named (originally enough) Tammy. I think I chose it because of all those old Debbie Reynolds movies -- Tammy and the Bachelor, etc.
I'm back...forgive me if I have typos....the whole left side of my face is numb!
Jeanne...I see why you favor Romantic Suspense.....Siamese??!!!
My cousin had Siamese (if you please) when I was a girl...meanest, hissing cats!
Your dogs (what I saw of them in DC) are sweet and cool and perfect match for their mistress...
You used to show dogs, right? Maybe I can show Cricket??
On a leash???
Following commands???
Um, maybe not.
Barbara...I suspect there ARE cats who would attack. See reference to Angel the devil cat that Dianna owns.....
Cricket is getting into more of a routine....so I suspect things will even out.
Now, must go run with mousie
Joan wrote, "For some reason, I always thought mongooses only lived in like India."
The sugar growers brought them from India after seeing trainers feed rats to those in captivity. The planters assumed the mongooses (not mongeese!) would take care of rodent in the sugar fields. But the mongooses day creatures and don't care for rodents who are night creatures. The mongooses woud rather feast on the eggs laid in ground nests by the nene, the Hawaiian sacred bird. As a result, the mongooses and rats continued to populate, but the nene was almost extinct.
The state has eradicated mongooses from Kauai and the nene is now thriving on the island. So are the wild hens. They are the result of Hurricane Iniki, which destroyed the farm pens and sendig thousands of chickens into the wild. Nature has a funny sense of humor.
Karyn...
I LOVE the name Pepsi! And so would...is it Jo???
My brother suggested Cricket. The night we brought her home though she kept falling asleep in his or mine arms. I thought maybe I should have named her Coma....
As I said, Chaos was a bit on the negative side though...I found it interesting when I picked up Lori Handiland's new book "Chaos Bites"
She certainly does....yow....
Wow Louisa...I knew you had a few pets but my goodness.
Cricket IS spayed already. The Humane Society said she was 2 mo. old but the vet thinks a bit younger. She also has a microchip too.
She had sneezes which shelter cats get so I've been giving her meds twice a day for 10 days. 4 more to go on the one...she still sneezes once in a while but seems active, healthy and stalking. She's eating and protecting me from stray paper bags..
Hey Jo!
Tammy...Tammy...Tammy's in love....
I've gotten some cracks from people at work saying I would turn into an eccentric who hoards cats. Thinking...not.
One litter box is more than enough thank you!
Wow Kim...interesting.
I know I'd seen shows talking about species introduced into places like Hawaii...Florida etc.
If you need Cricket....she'll be glad to help (Of course I'D have to come with her :-)
We recently got a dog. A very spazzy dog. A dog that can complete a circuit around the entire house, without ever touching a horizontal surface. I drove 1100 miles in a single day through ice and snow in a rear-wheel drive car to rescue this dog from a kill shelter in Clayton Co. Georgia.
She's acclimated to her new home now. And... she is bonkers.
She does this thing...
See, she loves the couch. Ever since I first started allowing her on it, she does this. She'll fly onto the couch from a wall. (remember, no horizontal surfaces are touched) She will rotate herself in the air to a proper (for her) "sitting" position. Plop. She will decide that she'd rather be laying down. Now, a NORMAL dog would just lay down, right? No. Not this dog. She springs airborne about two feet, rotates her body in about three planes, then lands "laying down."
Repeat.
I mean, it's funny to watch. Until you happen to be sitting beside her on the couch with a cup of coffee and she decides to reposition. Because, that ends with a cup of coffee in your lap and a sore jaw resultant from impact of dog hip and the associated rotational inertia of a Siberian Husky at 700RPMs.
Yeah. Pet ownership. One of those mixed blessings.
Barbara...I suspect there ARE cats who would attack. See reference to Angel the devil cat that Dianna owns.....
Oh yes. We have an attack cat outside. I call him "The Great White Hunter." Solid white.
If he likes you, he'll ignore you or let you pet him for a minute before he bites you. If he doesn't like you... lookout.
I sat on my porch in stitches as he chased my sister down the driveway and down the road. And, I've seen him attack deer. A whole herd of them. He thinks he's a tiger.
Hey Joan - Cool that you got a cat, and it's so nice that she lets you share the house with her (grin).
I've had cats and dogs and love them both for different reasons. Cats are certainly less maintenance (though you might doubt that now). Both manage to steal your heart.
It's been a year since we put my old dog down (sniff), and I've thought of getting another - but not yet. Husband and son are allergic to cat dander so a little kitten is old for me. We have a beta fish with no name and a snail named Killer. Killer is really quite active and fun to watch - but he's (or is it a she? Or (shudder) is it a both!) isn't exactly pettable.
No pets at this time, have had a
puppy and a kitten at different
times. Two of our children brought
in a kitten when they were in their college band. The kitten was part of a litter born in a box of pom poms in the band storage room.
They had a friend they described
as "goofy!" His name was Gerald.
When they saw the kitten's weird
behaviors, they decided to name
him after this friend. (At one
point, the other kittens were
nursing at the appropriate site,
Gerald was latched onto his mom's
paw!) The "original owners" moved
on, but the cat stayed with us
for some thirteen years. When he
became very ill, the children plus
one spouse sat on the living room
floor, singing to him and talking
to him prior to his leaving us.
Pat Cochran
Joanie, congratulations on Cricket!
She's adorable.
I love all animals actually (except pigs. I do not enjoy pigs--cute when they're little but when they get big....well, I admit that I'm wary of them. I can handle big cattle, but not hogs. Nope, not me.)
Anyway we have dogs and cats and birds and a hive of honeybees. We had chickens until very recently. Actually we ran a geriatric home for chickens is what we did, but they've all gone to the big henhouse in the sky and so we are left with dogs, cats and honeybees.
Dogs....Jager, Kali and Mako--all German Shepherd Dogs or mixes of GSD and something similar.
Cats...I have Amon (Ahhhhhh-muhn) and Umbra.
The honeybees--all 150,000 of them--do not have names for logistical reasons...
I cannot imagine life without dogs or cats. It would seem...I dunno...lonely. We don't have kids, so maybe that's part of the reason we attach so powerfully to animals.
We can't afford horses or I'd have a couple of those too.
Yup, we're animal people.
Cricket is absolutely adorable. I've been reading about her on Facebook and finally get to see her. So pretty.
I've had my orange tabby for exactly a year now and thank the stars he's starting to calm down. "Starting to" being the important part of that sentence. And as they get heavier, that galloping gets louder.
My boy is Bumblebee. It was actually the name he had when we met him, but kiddo and I are fans of the Bumblebee Transformer so we kept it. Most of the time I call him Bumbles or Bubby or various other names that are not appropriate in polite company.
I still long for a pooch, but I'm not one for walks and poop scooping, so that's not happening. The two times I've had dogs during my life they had their run of the land. No walking or scooping involved.
Best toy ever is this bungee string that clips over the top of a door. Keeps him entertained without needing me to wind or swing anything, and watching him play with it is entertaining for me. :)
Suzanne said, "Okay...anyone ever have weird pets?"
Likely I mentioned this before but my son Tyler had a blue ribbon snake. It was actually quite beautiful, but kept getting out of the terrarium and terrorizing my three girls.
It also got lost at school one day when Ty took it for Show and Tell. Quite the hit with the kiddies!
Barbara said, "Is there really such a thing as an attack cat? (Not just a kitten that latches onto your leg with all its claws. I've had one of those."
Ooooh, I'd like to know about this too! We had a cat once who literally was the one with nine lives. He was a huge calico, beautiful, but pretty mean, put the neighbor cat in the hospital.
He got hit by a car one day and crawled off before anyone could get to him. Was gone 3 weeks. Sometimes animals do that -- go off to die. We were all sad, but privately relieved.
Then, just like the song "The Cat Came Back"! He returned and lived four or five more years.
I love these animal names -- Cricket, Nosey, Cinnamon.
Ours was named Shoo-shoo because I was always telling it to shoo when it got into my things.
P226 said, "I sat on my porch in stitches as he chased my sister down the driveway and down the road. And, I've seen him attack deer. A whole herd of them. He thinks he's a tiger."
ROTFLMAO, this is hilarious. Even though a fierce cat is no laughing matter.
We had a giant black lab who used to toy with the baseball team (the high school diamond backs up to our back yard). When they'd jump our fence to retrieve a ball, Ebony would wait until they'd picked up the ball, then retreat, and at the fence he'd growl and run after them.
We got a lot of baseballs during the years we had Ebony.
Joanie, Cricket is adorable. I have 2 cats (Mr. Bean and Farouk) and 2 dogs (Frodo and Rufus). I love them all, but I must admit that I spoil my dogs a wee bit more. :-)
That being said, all of my animals are pretty spoiled. They are all rescues, and I remind them regularly that they should be grateful our family adopted them. It's quite a life--play, eat and lounge around wherever they please. *g*
We got a lot of baseballs during the years we had Ebony.
LOL
Trophies!
p226
Maybe your dog is a mix...part Siberian Husky, part alien!!!!
The visual, ROFL
As to the cat....my first thought was...why did you not save your sister????
Killer the snail?? Is ACTIVE???
How long do you have to watch it to know????
I'm worried about furballs...you have to worry about slime trails!!!
Awww Pat...what a sweet story. Goofy went out knowing he was loved!
Honeybees are people too, C!!!
We can do it! Come on people...let's think up names! I'll start....
Stinger
Honeybunny...
My brother has an orange cat too, Terrio....
Cricket just had a visit from my little 7 and 6yo girlfriends....
They were MAD for each other!
Upside is...Cricket will nap and so will I :-)
Yeah, the dog walking, poop scooping in the yard kind of did it for me when making my choice. Though I've never had a dog and that added into the equation....
As to the cat....my first thought was...why did you not save your sister????
Because... well... she's my little sister. And as an older brother, when hilarious things happen to her, it is my duty to stand there and laugh. :D
Shoo Shoo?? Love that name Jo!
Gannon, I guess since you mentioned a leaning preference to your pooches, I'll mark you down on the Dog side.
Current Rating:
Cats 17
Dogs 13
Mongooses 0
Because... well... she's my little sister. And as an older brother, when hilarious things happen to her,
Hmmmm....strange coincidence...that's the same reasoning my "little" brother gives me....it's his duty to laugh at his older sister...hmmmm
It is a sacred duty Joan. And we take it seriously.
"Anyone have any strange pets?"
Well, we had two pet rats. They were beyond amazing--smart as a tack, and I swear they stretched out their little heads and almost purred when you petted them. The girls and I cried when they passed on last year, only one day apart from each other. Did you know some rats have been trained to find land mines? They are brilliant and unappreciated little critters.
I'm thinking Louisa has had quite the variety of animals. :)
(Everyone's comments are killing me. The girls want to get another kitten so badly, but I swore we were done for now. The cat and dog hair in this house is ridiculous, and their medicine costs more than mine does, and the kids are never home, and...and...I'm caving, I really am...)
Jersey Girl would like to add ...
Jersey Girl 2
Mice 0
(though, I should mention the mice are alive and well and back in the field after being rescued by yours truly).
And CC would like to say that mice aren't nearly as dumb as chipmunks!
The record in the last summer before we came home was CC and Jersey Girl 12, chipmunks 0 (ditto about the rescues from yours truly - though honestly, chipmunks are truly dumb!)
I currently have 6 cats inside and care for ferals/strays outside and have been doing this for 15 years. I will tell you what I think is my best named cat - Pita - (I had a litter of 4 born to a feral - Pita, Prescious, Pokey and Patches) Pita stands for Pain in the @ss lol. she was the only one of that litter that I took in because she developed pneumonia (13 now). I found a home for Prescious (a black and white cat that looked like she had a mustache) and Pokey (chubby and slow) and Patches (black & white) went on their way. I fix all the outside females now!
We have also had two dogs but the cats sort of took over lol. There is nothing cuter than a baby of any kind!
Congrats, Joanie! Cricket is adorable. I look forward to many sweet kitty stories for years to come. :)
I'm a dog person. They suit my personality better and then there's that whole "allergic to cats" thing. I'd prefer to not go through life wheezing and with swollen eyes.
Cassy and Rachel are the two canines currently in my life. They follow me everywhere but especially enjoy following me to bed. :)
and...and...I'm caving, I really am...)
Gillian...resistance is futile.
Cricket had visitors today. 6 yo Ella and 7 yo Paige. They were MAD for each other, especially Paige. I predict their Daddy won't have a moments peace once they tell him about Cricket.
Ok Anna....the girls can NOT come with you to the conference.
What would happen if they got hold of Chip and Dale???
Ahhhh catslady...I knew I could count on you to raise the poll total :-)
Those are cute names. When my childhood cat Pebbles had babies I named them Panther (all black), Scout (black and white) Brownie (brown and white) and Squeaky...calico.
PJ...I thought you had more than 2 furbabies....
How did they get their names?
What do you call your turtles? :-)
What do you call your turtles? :-)
LOL @ Joanie! I think she should call them Truly Scrumptious! *g*
What a cute kitten. I love both cats and small dogs. I have a long-hair chihuahua named Carlos. Talking tiny here, only 4lbs, much smaller than cats that we have had. In fact my 2 year old niece calls him a kitty meow whenever she sees him. Oh well, guess I got the best of both.
PJ wrote: They follow me everywhere but especially enjoy following me to bed. :)
I bet they follow you to the table at mealtime, too?
Melanie, isn't it great the way kids "talk" to animals?
Anna S., I had to laugh at your chipmunk tally. Our late golden retriever-Irish setter mix was a ratter. One week she killed six. We called her The Mighty Huntress.
We live in an old neighborhood in a city, and we have old pipes around. Erosion uncovered a broken one, and she realized it was a rat highway, so she staked it out.
The dh, thinking this was not good, having a rat highway terminus in the yard, got some fast-drying concrete and plugged the pipe.
Later that evening, the dog came inside with concrete bits in her paw fur. He went outside and discovered that she had dug out the concrete before it set--apparently didn't want him interfering with her happy hunting ground.
She was not fast over distance, as the male golden we had at the same time was, but she was explosive in the sprint. Unfortunately, she had a tendency to want to carry around her dead prey. Eeew!
Joan wrote: What would happen if they got hold of Chip and Dale???
I am so slow. I sat here looking at this and thinking "Chip and Dale? What do they have to do with anything?"
Disney! Duh!
Aw, Joanie, that Cricket is a doll!
As for me, I don't have pets. I have kids. :-)
Dog vs. Cat? Nah. Know what I want? Chickens. Yep. I want me a pair of chickens for the back yard. I'll name them Soup & Stew & have fresh eggs on Sunday mornings.
Now, to talk my husband into it...
Joanie, Monty's not as big as a Great Dane and finer boned than a Ridgeback. She has the Harlequin Dane colouring and the ridge on her back--she looks a little odd! But she is the most graceful, fast runner. She's amazing. And she plays a game with little dogs where she runs up and springs, sailing through the air towards them. You can just hear that poor little doggie thinking oohhhh noooo! But she's incredibly gentle.
Suz, my dh is going to feel it terribly, too. When our other dog died it really was like losing one of the family.
LOL Melanie....kitty meow.
Cricket played for over an hour with Paige and Ella...and has been sleeping ever since!!!!
While grateful for a bit of respite...I'm not thinking she's TOO quiet..
Sigh...the travails of motherhood.
Dog vs. Cat? Nah. Know what I want? Chickens. Yep. I want me a pair of chickens for the back yard. I'll name them Soup & Stew & have fresh eggs on Sunday mornings.
And I imagine these chickens would have nervous ticks with names like that, LOL
Why am I suddenly craving dumplings?
Well off to bed in prep for another 12 hour day.
Thanks for sharing about your pets and the final tally...
Cats 20
Dogs 15
Chickens 2
Hedgehog 1
And poor mongooses still 0 :-)
PJ...I thought you had more than 2 furbabies....
How did they get their names?
:-)
Nope, just two furkids right now. Cassy was named by the five people (including me) who were involved with her adoption. We just started tossing around names until we found the one that "fit." Wendy was the name leading the pack until she threw up all over the back of the car in the parking lot of Wendy's not more than 10 minutes after I adopted her. We took that as a sign that Wendy was not supposed to be her name! lol
Rachel was already named when I adopted her and had been trained with that name so I didn't want to change it and confuse her.
Joan, heh. Charlotte is actually a very small dog. Around 15 lbs - but she looks bigger than that (tall etc)- no she didn't eat the camera, but she caused the destruction. And the macbook she killed by streeeetching up to the desk and knocking over the glass. Sigh. Sometimes she's too tall for her own good. Giant dogs probably wouldn't have done that - I once pet sat a Great Pyrenees - who could/would be 6'+ if he stood on his hind legs. And was under weight at 100 lbs.
Nancy - blech! I... don't know if I'd give a cat a second chance. That whole claw thing. Meh.
Late to the game, but had to stop in and share my pet love :-)
We have two dogs, 4 cats, a parakeet and a turtle. We're overachievers in the pet category!
My dogs are Sierra the Shepherd, because she was supposed to be huge (and isn't). And Tinkerbell the Rottweiler, because she was supposed to be a runt (and isn't).
My cats are Persephone (Queen of the Underworld), Rhea (Zeus's mom -we lost Zeus), Gypsy (she roams) and Spike (James named him).
The bird is Melody and the turtle is Chomper :-)
I'm way late but wanted to add my oohs and aaaahs to little Cricket's debut! She's too cute, Joanie, and I hope the two of you have many adventures together.
Growing up, my pets were Felix the cat, Suzie the dog, and Kimby the goldfish. I can't wait to quit the day job and get another doggy. The name Scruffy comes to mind, but I'll have to wait and see if it fits its personality. I would also love a kitty cat but the DH is allergic. :-(
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