Discussion: Animal Companions

[Ryrin]

                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

Do you have any? 

 

Would you have any if it were possible?

 

What is your favorite things about them?

 

What is your least favorite things about them?

 

Would you like an unusual companion? If so, what?

 

How we talk about "pets?" Are you an "owner" or a "caretaker?" A "companion?"

 

Are they important for children?

 

 

Feel free to post pictures too!

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

Always have had animal friends. Favorite thing is love. Least favorite is death and loss.

 

I've had unusual animals and I didn't like that. They weren't necessarily domesticated so they didn't enjoy human companionship. The goats did, they were fun.

 

Companion feels truer but owner doesn't offend them, and it doesn't offend me that they own me.

 

They're important for some children but I'm not sure everyone is born to be an animal person.

[Cross]

love me my doggy. i've always had one pet or another. one dog was here before i was, then we had a cat briefly, then another dog, along with some fish and lizards. then now my dog. oh and a tortoise that's been around long before i was here. she's wandering the backyard. 

 

there's just something so pure about the relationship between owner and pet, a total trust, and pure love. i dont even mind cleaning up after her. though sometimes she wants rubs a BIT too much

[Ryrin]

Always have had animal friends. Favorite thing is love. Least favorite is death and loss.

 

I've had unusual animals and I didn't like that. They weren't necessarily domesticated so they didn't enjoy human companionship. The goats did, they were fun.

 

Companion feels truer but owner doesn't offend them, and it doesn't offend me that they own me.

 

They're important for some children but I'm not sure everyone is born to be an animal person.

 

When I was little, I loved tree frogs. Not much of a relationship but I did love them. I consider my 3 dogs, two birds, and two cats as companions but kitties seem to own their humans. Lol. I'd love goats. We had some friends who had two goats. They would take them to the park at night and the goats would go down the slides and across the bridges.

 

Yeah, they never, ever live long enough.

 

 

love me my doggy. i've always had one pet or another. one dog was here before i was, then we had a cat briefly, then another dog, along with some fish and lizards. then now my dog. oh and a tortoise that's been around long before i was here. she's wandering the backyard. 

 

there's just something so pure about the relationship between owner and pet, a total trust, and pure love. i dont even mind cleaning up after her. though sometimes she wants rubs a BIT too much

 

I think the tortoise is cool. Yes, I think animals, especially dogs, can have this pure love. I'm actually fascinated by them.

[Ryrin]

Do cats love?

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

Cats are pure love. They do almost nothing else. They just love us.

[JamesBrown]

I grew up with dogs, but my wife is allergic to them. I'm allergic to cats, and my wife doesn't like them, so we have no pets.

 

A pair of cats would be my choice, because they're so independent. I also love how creative people build high perches and walkways for their cats.

 

As long as we're dreaming, I'd love to have a big cat for a companion, like a panther or a jaguar. Something that can take care of itself, but when I whistle it would spring out of a tree and kill the attackers who were about to murder me.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

Big cats make bad pets but they are beautiful. My toddler niece has a Siberian therapy cat, and he's pretty big and somewhat protective but more of a support animal.

 

Before I got cats I always had dogs, and after my last one died I was a few years without pets. My family talked me into cats because then someone would care when I got home from work. They told me these animals were independent. Um. Lol.

 

My babies have always been clingy and needy and complete mushy cuddle bugs. If I'm home, I'm under a cat. They expect to be babied and they look and act like babies, they use their purring and excellent communication bordering on hypnotism skills to get all the affection and snuggles they want, which is way more that I ever expected.

 

I suppose they may not all be as friendly or outgoing as dogs so to people that don't have cats they may seem independent. But my boy kitties have always been puppy cats and have sought attention from any passing human. The girls are shyer but will warm up to people they know.

 

I don't really believe in hypoallergenic cats but the reason my sis got the Siberian for Brianna was their reputation for being hypoallergenic despite the long hair and their therapy cat program, which really does produce amazing temperaments.

 

Might be worth a visit to a breeder for an allergy challenge. These are height loving kitties so especially appreciate the perches up high.

[LilyElizabeth]

I personally have 4 cats and 2 dogs. My son's dog also lives with us. Believe it or not, this is down from a much larger number. I have always loved animals, and when I no longer had a landlord, and owned my own home, I went a little nuts. I love my pets and they love me, unconditionally - something I really need. In a way, they are therapy animals, particularly the cats. 

 

This is my Blackjack. He's my everything. 

 

This is Angel (the most misnamed cat on the planet) and why I no longer have houseplants. 

 

Photobucket is giving me trouble, so I'll post the others later. 

[LilyElizabeth]

Pookie

 

 

 

 

And Ringo

 

[LilyElizabeth]

Sorry the pics are so big. I don't know how to edit on imgur, which is what I ended up using for those last pics. 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

They're all gorgeous

 

One way or another cats teach us not to have plants in the house mmmhmm.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

This is Mister asking for belly rubs and getting nose to nose with the iPad.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

This is Bela who is a daddy's girl and I think a forever kitten

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

The tortie was Murphy, and the house panther was Bugsy, very loving and sweet babies, both passed away in the last year

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

This is Duncan, the therapy cat, holding Bree's doll at her request while she plays with a lite brite drill set. It is a loud toy but he was raised to be with her with the respiratory therapy vest so he's basically bomb proof.

 

 

This is Duncan when he was a baby kitten still. He's over 20 lbs now at just over a year and siberians grow for five years.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

And this is Mister when he was a tiny baby, and Bela when she was a tinier baby (Mister is about a year older and going on 17 lbs; Bela is probably a few months shy of a year and won't ever be much bigger than her current 7 lbs).

 

And that's them snuggling each other which is why we brought Bela home to our little Mister, who was grieving for our Murphy girl terribly.

 

And... I'll try to control the baby pix... I'll fail but I'll try.

[JamesBrown]

Yeah, I suppose I shouldn't talk about cats, having never had one.

 

But I've seen how some dogs pine and stress when their owners are gone, which seems like borderline cruelty. I don't see how apartment dwellers can have large dogs that have no room to run around and stretch their legs. My impression was that cats are less likely to need people around all the time.

 

But what do I know?

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

I think it depends on the cats and the dogs and the people who raised them. I raised these the same as I raised the dogs so except for being aggressively protective, they act mostly the same.

 

I would say it's much harder to do things like medicate cats without their willing participation. I could put my hand down a German shepherd's throat to get a pill into them and know I'd get it back, but I've never had a pillable cat.

 

Like dogs, though, they spend most of the day were not home sleeping and act like we had just come back from abandoning them when we get home. They get very upset bring left overnight.

 

But other people say their cats are cool with it, so it may be more the kinds of cats I've had and the way we treat them?

 

I hope you get kitties some day, it sounds like you'll enjoy them. And the missus will prolly come around :).

 

Idk what your lawn situation is but a goat will mow an acre for you and they really are sweet and fun.

[LilyElizabeth]

I agree with you on the dogs issue, James. I wouldn't get one until I had a yard. I've not been without one since. 

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

 

Speaking of high shelves, we had to install this one to keep the boy cat from riding the flat screen on the swiveling wall mount. He's quite the cowboy.

 

Now they like to hang out on it like pride rock.

 

I wish I could do the cat tunnel and walkway thing... but we rent :(. The cats would love that. And a catio, man would they love to get closer to the birdies.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

I agree with you on the dogs issue, James. I wouldn't get one until I had a yard. I've not been without one since.

 

Definitely. I might consider a dog if I had a fenced in yard. And if the cats were ok with it... I have no idea there.

[JamesBrown]

I doubt I'll ever get a cat as I'm allergic to them. I spent a weekend at a friend's home last month, and they have a cat, and my eyes itched the whole time. it was a struggle to not rub my eyes into jelly.

 

But I would love to build some of the catwalks and shelves as I've seen on the show Catification.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

I wish I could hire someone to do that. Some shelters hire people to do that, they probably show them on the show? The cats look so happy in those environments.

[Mrs. Cindy Gill]

Those are awesome. I love the real tree looking one...

 

Brianna is allergic to cats, but she doesn't react to the Siberian. Her pulmonologist and cf specialists monitor her, and she's not having issues with him. She gets used to grandmas cat too, it probably depends on a lot of factors.

 

If you ever change your mind I might could hook you up