Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Must Love Dogs. And Cats.



I've realized that, for the most part, people are either cat people or dog people. There isn't a lot of inbetween.

Dog people seem to love dogs because:

They are energetic
They are trainable
They love you unconditionally
The are always excited to see you
They take care of business on their own
You can take them with you when you go places
They seem to find life fascinating

Cat people seem to love cats because:

They are independent
They are self sufficient
They aren't smelly
They aren't needy
They will curl up on your lap and sleep
They don't require exercise
They are devoted to you without being annoying about it

But both have their downsides which both cat lovers and dog lovers are able to ignore: the in-your-face-ness of dogs, the fickleness of cats, the poop all over the yard of dogs, the extreme shedding of cats, the stinky breath of dogs, the aloofness of cats, the smelly fur of dogs, the litter box of cats, the drooling of dogs... I'm sure there are more.

Me? I'm a cat, dog, bird, mouse, fish, gerbil, snake, and rabbit person. Just about any living thing is adorable to me, and my fondest dream would be to live on a farm where I could be surrounded by all kinds of furry, feathery, skurrying things. I've tried out just about every kind of pet. There was Thumper, the dwarf rabbit. Soft as can be. Adorable and tiny. But he pooped all over the house. And he ultimately met his demise when my dad "accidentally" left him in his outdoor enclosure for three days while the rest of us were on a trip. No doubt the racoons got to him. We never saw Thumper again. And there were my serveral gerbils: Speck, Junior, and Whatsitsname. After they gnawed their way out of the plastic cage my mom built and nibbled their way through every edible thing in the house, we got a better cage. I think they eventually killed each other off. Frances was my pet gopher snake. I had to feed her/him live mice. Sometimes she/he would go on hunger strikes for months on end and the mice would live in her/his cage along side him/her. While I was abroad, my mom let Frances slither around in the Christmas tree. One day Frances was gone. My mother didn't see her/him again until April when she stepped out of bed in the night to use the bathroom and her foot landed on a snake. I guess Frances was done hibernating in the walls of the house. Anyway, I've had my share of pets. But for now I just have a cat. I'm still looking for the perfect breed of dog (and the perfect way to get my husband to agree to one). But my dreams of living on my own version of Animal Farm are still alive.

What about you? Are you a cat person, dog person, or the rare every-animal person?

11 comments:

tiburon said...

Dog person all the way. I freaking hate cats. I actually hate any animal that by definition goes to the bathroom in my house. That includes but is not limited to:
gerbils, hamsters, cats, guinea pigs, bird, snakes, rabbits and fish.

Siiiiiiiiiiick.

Hildie said...

Cat. Totally. Although I'm fond of chickens too.

Jen said...

When I was young we were in 4-H and had tons of different animals (well even before 4-H) from dogs, cats, rabbits, hampsters, ducks and others that I cant remember right now. I was also going to tell you that we have a new cat condo, new cat bed and a new cat toy that we got a couple months before getting rid of Bucu. If you are interested in them I will bring them down for you when we come in November. We have been looking for someone who as a cat that may want them. If not no worries. I just thought I would check. :)

Chelsea said...

I'm an every animal person too. Growing up we had dogs, cats, birds, horses, etc. And I'm really sad that I don't have any pets right now. Once I'm no longer a renter I'll be starting my own zoo. :)

Kristine said...

I am a nothing person believe it or not! I love other peoples animals. I don't ever want one for myself! I don't like shedding, slimy drool, and poop. I'm allergic to cats. Snakes and rodents scare the crap out of me! And basically anything with teeth freak me out. Someday we may have a dog, but that is a long way off!

Mindi said...

playing catch up, so here goes:

i want a cinnamon roll. please.

love the mosiac--wish my stupid computer would let me make one.

don't own a braun. {hangs head in shame} wish i did.

didn't know you were a clooney fan--that man is sex on a stick. (just what is that? now that i typed it i'm not entirely sure....)

and i have always been a cat person. obviously catty already knows that. i love that they take care of themselves. but they are always a tad bit snotty.

Judi said...

I am so a cat person! That is where my blog name comes from :o)
Hoping I can always land right side up like a cat!

Sara said...

I'm surprised Kelly doesn't want a dog, we grew up with a dog, a cat, bunnies, gerbils, fish, and probably some other things I can't think of. I would say I am a cat and dog lover, but not so much the little stuff that usually stays in a cadge.

Devri said...

I am not an animal person, we tried having a pug at this house, kids and dad went to go get him, they loved it till it wasn't a puppie anymore, so I had to take care of him, so I sold him on Ksl, bought a tramp with his money..

Mia said...

We never had pets growing up and the ones we tried to have were shot lived. I never got attached to an animal and have a hard time doing so now. I might be able to handle a dog, but for me right now they are just too much work.

Kay said...

Well, I like dogs better than cats. I like pure black cats though.

I love most animals, but don't think all animals should be pets.

I do want a pet chipmunk or squirrel though.