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We love to talk about our cats and dogs, show off cute pictures and brag how smart and clever our pets are. Even when we complain about stepping barefoot on nasty hairballs or cleaning up puppy potty accidents, we do so with affection. But unless friends share our furry passion, dog and cat conversations often raise eyebrows or spark disbelief about our pet devotion. Here are eight things friends often don't "get" about our relationship with our cats and dogs.
1. No matter what, dogs have to be walked. And though it may seem annoying to friends who want to party, a pet's toilet needs trump a never-ending night on the town. Petless friends don't understand that walking the dog can't wait.
2. Grooming is a health issue and a household necessity. Friends roll their eyes at talk of the poodle salon, kitty lion cuts and doggie sweaters because they don't understand that grooming isn't a luxury, it's a requirement. Keeping fur in good shape prevents painful matting, skin irritation and parasites. Brushing keeps fur off furniture. Sweaters protect dogs' nether regions from freezing. Hair bows and nail polish? Well, they are simply value added.
3. My pets may not like you -- and that's fine. Sometimes the people and the animals we love have bad chemistry and don't get along. I hope you like each other, but it's enough that my dog and cat love me and that you love me. And I understand if you don't love my pets.
4. Pets (OK, their owners) like when you give them gifts. Friends sometimes don't understand why anyone would give a dog or cat a silver-plated food bowl when the pet would happily eat off a paper plate. And it is true, pets do have simple tastes. But really good friends understand that by indulging the animals in my life they are making me happy. Even if you don't get why my dog needs a monogrammed sweater, know that I will think of you every time I put it on him.
5. Pets take priority in the household budget. Petless friends don't always get why I'm willing to spend serious money to treat my dog's or cat's serious illness. They act offended that those funds aren't being spent on helping humans in need. But you really don't want to get me started. When my friends give up spending on pricey new golf clubs or shiny new cars, they can talk to me about what I choose to spend my money on.
6. Some friends really don't get cat and dog shows. They think they're silly beauty pageants and a waste of time. They don't get that competitions are social occasions with other people who appreciate dogs and cats the same way that I do. Dog performance competitions and even cat agility events reward pets for excelling at what they were meant to do.
7. Dogs and cats are great listeners. Friends offer well-meaning advice when I'm depressed, but my cat and dog simply listen. They don't judge my tears or rants. They love me despite smelly feet, bad hair days or dumb mistakes -- and eagerly change my mood with silly games. Friends don't understand that just being with my cat or dog cheers me up when I'm sad, because a wagging tail or purr offers powerful emotional medicine.
8. People without pets don't understand the depth of grief I feel when a pet dies. A lost love deserves mourning that honors and respects that loss. Even if they've never experienced that level of connection with an animal, good friends support me through my grief. They listen to my tearful memories as long as it takes, because that's what I need.
We choose our friends because we enjoy their company, and we choose to share our lives with pets for the same reason. And hopefully, eventually, our good friends will begin to understand the place these animals have in our lives.
Amy D. Shojai also appears on Animal Planet's "Cats-101" and "Dogs-101" and lives in North Texas with a senior citizen Siamese and a smart-aleck German shepherd. Read her blog on Red Room.
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hey i spend good money on my cats because they love me all they have to do is purr at me and i melt they love me unconditionally they do not judge me or berate me or get mad at me if i am a little late getting home in the morning they arent mean to me nor do they call me names or have any expectations beyond feeding and loving them this makes it worth it all
Taking care of a loved one like my cats is a priority one! But I will be the first to admit that sometimes I feel a little worn out by the ever rising expense of caring for a pet. S AV E C R E A T I V E L Y had some awesome pet food and treat s a mples as well a c o u p ons and more to help with my s hopping. Now I can love them in high style.
Your kitties are strange. Mine get upset with me if I'm 5 minutes late getting their canned food out. The house fills with the meows of their rage. They jump on me in bed , with their loud demands informing me I have overslept 5 minutes and am into their breakfast time. They howl and drag their water bowl around if it gets low and flip it if it's empty. IO have bitch bitch bitch kitties. But even though I am frail and weak, they still love me and forgive my slackard ways daily. I love our interactions. You are blessed with nice kitties. I am blessed with bitchy kitties from hell and they are cursed with me. :)
Not only do dogs, cats need to be well taken care of. So do birds, fish, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs and Bunnies!!!
"Make mine Chocolate" at Easter is what we who have bunnies say~ They can live for 10-12 years. Need nail trimmings, have teeth grow their entire life, so need lots of hay/wood toys. They need a clean environment, INSIDE a home. Check out HRS.org before you "impulsively" get a bunny at Easter!
I love this! Well, yes I love animals. Simply because they are not cruel like humas are. No matter what you do...yeah smelly feet, bad hair day, bad breath, wrong choice of man/woman...they love you. They don't critcize, nag, complain, or grumble. They don't care how much money you spend, or how late you are coming in. Most of all, they don't ask you where you have been or who you have been with. I love it when my cat is jealous if another animal gets around me! I am his and he is mine. He loves me unconditionally. How many human relationships can boast of this??
No one in my family understands when I have to run home by a certain time to feed my dog (she's a Yorkie). She's not allowed to come with me to my family's homes. She won't eat unless I am there to feed and be with her. She is my special baby!
I have found the people that have come into my life that don't like dogs are the ones that are soon out of my life. If a person doesn't like pets in general they have a big flaw in their character and soon it shows through.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. My friends don't have to love my cats, but anyone who says they wouldn't have an "animal" in their house because they are too much trouble, dirty, smelly, shed, have to cleaned up after, and any other thing which may inconvenience them, never become closer to me than an acquaintance. Oh, and the haters who claim cats are "sneaky", have obviously never been around a "curious" kitty who follows you from room to room convinced adventure is lurking around every corner!
And people don't seem to understand that our pets are part of our family. My friend thinks dogs and cats should be banned to a separate room or out in a pen, and she has a dog of her own! Her dog is kept either in an outdoor pen or in the back room where the dog sits or lays looking sad because she can't join the family! I love my pets and will feed them first before I eat.
I honestly think that people like your friend should not even have a pet. What is the point if you are not going to include them in the family. I think that is cruel. The same goes for people with their "prize" hunting dogs, when the only time they get any attention is during hunting season. Otherwise, they live in a kennel 24/7.
Why do these people even have pets if they are only going to ban them to a backroom. Do they do this to their small children before a guest(s) come over because they might get to excited, squeel or jump up and down. They think of and treat their pets simply as a piece of property and not a family member. Why don't they just get some stuffed animals and place them around the house were they can look cute and not move or make a sound.
I generally don't have friends who don't understand pets...because usually those are pretty selfish people overall. I can't imagine life without a dog or a cat. They give so much for a small investment of time and money.
And there's nothing wrong with presents for pets. My pets are a present to me everyday! :D
I can understand most of the points made on the site today but never ever the reason some have to take their pet to a competition for which one is the prettiest or the fastest or smartest. IT is the same when you take a child under the age of 16 and run them through beauty contests and spend money better spend on education and medical care. Part of the family ,yes!. Living better than the entire family or having more pets than financially affordable, no!
James,
Here's one reason. To raise money for charity. For 12 years I had a pure bred Siberian Husky. Huskies only "really" love to do three things. "Run," "pull" and "run and pull." I used to go to dog meets with a standing offer; to race any distance the other dog owner wished and the loser would donate $25 (or $50) to the winners' favorite charity. In the six years we did that, we raised over $1,000 for Cystic Fibrosis. We lived in a community where it was legal to use golf carts on the streets (All Sun Cities). She would start off at 25 mph and gradually slow down. 20 miles was the longest we ever raced, but she did two 10 mile races after the 20 mile, that same day. Those who know nothing about Huskies will say that's cruel. Any Husky will gladly do that and then ask to run some more. The golf cart? There is no way a human can run fast enough to keep up with these dogs. Lots of dog breeds like to run but it's the "sled dogs" that do it best.
I am truly humbled by the sheer privilege of having had pets in my life, all these many years. Their love for you is so PURE, so NOT JUDGMENTAL, it's amazing.
No words can ever convey the honor I feel . My three adult sons also carry on our tradition of rescuing , and caring for these wonderful pooches.
No matter what, we have never turned our back on them. No matter if they are little scamps, or no matter how sick they get. We are committed to their well being .
We love dogs that are in need of a forever home. They are the ones that we gravitate towards, and we love them as unconditionally as they love us ;0).
I have always had good dogs. In some ways, remarkable dogs. Everyone wants a dog like Gladys, Sparky, or Lady. What they do not realize that it takes effort to train a dog well( in some cases, train a dog at all!) . Having an animal is a responsibility. I wonder how many dogs wind up in shelters because there owners couldnt keep up(How I got Sparky)
I like dogs, but I love cats. Many people dislike them, some people fear them, and some people have an irrational hatred of them. My late mother always said, "Never trust anyone who doesn't like cats." Amen.
My motto exactly Frankie: " there is definitely something disturbing about people who doesn't like or love animals!!" Terrible to say; but I love animals more then I do some people!! Animals (dogs and cats) are fragile, all they want is someone to love them; and they will reward you with the love in their hearts that they have to give and offer!! They could teach some people a thing or two about "unconditional, devoted love"!!
We just spent 1,200.00 on our 12 1/2 year old dog for needed surgery. It wasn't life threatening, but to make her more comfortable. Never blinked, she is my child. We lsot two older dogs last year and I still grieve for them. We did get 2 pups at 8 weeks old, now 13 months old. Life without a pet or 3 would be empty and unbearable!