Pets

[pandapple6]

I was just wondering if anyone had any adorable pets that the would like to share about! I have a almost 14 year old cocker spaniel. He is adorable!!! He has pretty much taken over the house with places he likes to sleep in. He has many pet beds and rugs since he has a little arthritis and we want him to be comfortable at all times and not straining himself since we have tile floors. His name is Huckleberry and he is practically part of the family! 😄 

[Anonymous]

@prettyinpa  Thanks!  She likes to investigate my makeup brushes when I clean them.  Lanndan will bring her to my apartment to visit me and Doobie.  She tried to take off with my blush brush lol.

[anaa]

That is so adorable Katie!  One thing for sure they all have distinct personalities and are always full of surprises!

[katie1724]

Aww, thanks, anaa! She has SUCH a personality...I think she really thinks she's a princess. The only person she adores is my mom, second to my dad -- she follows her everywhere. She's a good cat, though -- she never whines or meows -- though she did kind of tear up the furniture, and my parents give her free reign to climb everywhere. The last time I was home, I came downstairs in the morning to find my dad doing a crossword puzzle...and Doris was sitting ON his newspaper on the kitchen table. He was like (shrug), "What can I do?" hahahah

: )

[Anonymous]

@katie1724 I love those pics!!  She reminds me of a youtube vid called When Cats Pray.  It is hilarious! The cat is in this same pose. You may want to look it up sometime for kicks.  Make sure the cat's name is William in the info so you know you found the right one.  There are also a couple of sequels to it as well.    

[shyvicki]

I have two gerbils. Their names are Ivory and Horizon. They do a great job of keeping me entertained as well as keeping me company since I live by myself.

[Anonymous]

 I've been really sad because I had to have my 16 year old kitty put to sleep this past Friday.  Her chest cavity filled full of fluid and the vet said she was going to suffocate to death probably by that night or the next day if left as she was.  Her chest was so filled with fluid (over a pint) that the doctor couldn't even see her heart, but he felt sure that at her age she probably had a tumor causing the fluid buildup and even if we tried draining the fluid off that it would only be a matter of a few days (if even that long) before she filled up with fluid again.  The doctor said she didn't have much time before she wouldn't be comfortable any longer and would start gasping for air so my husband and I decided to let her go before she started suffering.  It was a really heartbreaking thing to do because I thought I was taking her to the vet that day to get some medicine to make her well and bring her back home, not taking her to the vet to say goodbye and bring her home to bury.  As for cats, now I only have my 6 year old kitty left and she is not handling being alone very well so far.  My husband said we'd give her a week or two and if she doesn't start adjusting to being by herself then we may get her a buddy.  Oh well, we'll see how things work out. 

[Anonymous]

@tenngal  :'(  I am so sorry to hear that about your cat.  I know that was a tough decision to make, but just know you and your husband made the right choice.  If she could speak to you, I'm sure she would thank you since she didn't have to suffer in pain.  She's in a place now where she'll have all the kitty toys she could ever want and roads lined with catnip plants.  She'll always have her eyes on you all from above.  If you ever need anyone to talk to, your BT friends are just a post or message away.

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who posted kind words regarding the loss of my precious little kitty when I needed to hear them most.  It really meant a lot to me that all of you felt I did the right thing in letting her go and that you told me so.  She was part of our family for 16 years, which is a long time and it feels very strange around our home now without her.  My 6-year old kitty is still adjusting to being the only cat in the house now, too, so there is a lot of adjusting going on for all of us right now.  But reading the posts from all of you helped corroborate that letting my kitty go was the best thing to do and really helped me so much.  Thank you, my fellow pet lovers, for being there and understanding.

🙂

[prettyinpa]

@kimmi- I think a story about our departed pets would be nicely theraputic and a lot of fun!

[ohhenri]

@tenngal: Sorry to hear about your little kitty :S I know how hard it is to go see the vet when it's time to say goodbye.

@anaa: what a sad story!!!!

As some of you may know, I recently move a couple of hours away from my hometown, to go live with a friend (and with better hopes for my career). I have 2 cats, but my friend didn't want me to bring them (it pissed me off, I almost stayed home!), b/c she has one already. My parents were kind enough to babysit (or should I say catsit!!!!!!!!) for a few months, the time for me to get my own place. Anyway, when I arrived at my friend's house, I instantly knew something was up: there was a little kitten sleeping on my bed! 2 of my friends found 2 kitties (not on the same day) while  riding their horses through the woods. Fortunately, the 2 kitties are in top shape, but my friend decide to keep one of them, as a gift for me. While I appreciate the fact that they rescue a cat from a certain death, it doesn't change the fact that I already have 2 cats and I don't want to give them up!!!!! At least, with my new little kitten, I don't miss my 2 big ones as much!!!

[Anonymous]

@ohhenri  Now your two big kitties have a new lil brother or sister!  🙂

I have not yet had to let go of one of my own pets.  I know that day will eventually come, but no one wants to think about it.  However, my close family members have lost pets and that hit me just as hard as if they were my own.  My granny's dashhound named Scooter passed away when I was in middle school.  He's known me ever since the day I was born.  Before my parents took me as a lil baby to Granny's, they gave her one of the sleepers I wore.  Granny gave it to Scooter so he could smell it and recognize my scent.  Later on, my parents took me over to Granny's house.  I assume Scooter was close enough to smell me without being all in my baby face lol.  Of course, my parents and Granny were right that keeping a close eye on Scooter.  My parents told me that he never barked, growled, or anything like that to me.  I have actually seen a picture of me on my Granny's bed with Scooter sitting nearby as if he was my bodyguard.  It's just amazing the connection animals can have for people and vice versa. 

[katimae]

@Tenngal:  I'm so sorry; I just read this.  Oh that is just the worst dude! I've only had one cat and he is alive and spunky as anything but I have lost a few dogs and it was heart breaking. Pets are part of the family.  And you can't let them suffer when they only have a few 24's left anyhow. It's just cruel. You absolutely made the right decision. And I am sorry deeply. You and your family are in my thoughts.

[Anonymous]

@tenngal  You are more than welcome.  If you ever need to share a story of her or anything, you know what place to come to 🙂 

[pandapple6]

@tenngal I am soooo sorry for your loss 😞

I know several people who have lost their pets in the past year 😞

[prettyinpa]

Oh tenngal, my deepest sympathies on the passing of your wonderful cat!  It is truly hard when you take them in to the vet's with what seems to be a minor symptom that turns out to be terminal. Please know that you did right in letting her go, easing a pet's suffering is the ultimate kindness, even though it breaks our hearts.

Getting a buddy for your other cat may be just what you both need. The new friend won't take the place of your dear departed one, but it does feel good to know that you are giving a good home to your new cat and it may rejuvenate your other one. Some friends of ours had one of their dogs pass and they got a puppy that just totally rejuvenated their old dog. The old dog now plays with the puppy all day and really looks better than it has in years.

[anaa]

It's so hard to say goodbye to our furry companions.  Just reading your post brought tears to my eyes.  About three years ago we lost a little beauty at 2 yrs old around Easter.  We took her to the vet and at first they didn't know what the problem was, she had stopped using her litter box and eating.  They asked if she possibly could have gotten into some antifreeze in the garage because she was having kidney failure.  Well she never went anywhere near the garage or the cars so we finally figured out we had brought an Easter lily into the house and she had inhaled some of the pollen.  She didn't ingest the plant at all, but it turns out that the lily pollen is lethal to cats and within hours of being exposed, their kidneys start shutting down.  We took her to the University of PA vet hospital to see what if anything could be done but it was too late and she had to be put down.  I try to spread the word about plants and cats.  I have had other cats who may have been hardier and survived with Easter lilies in the house, but I won't take a chance again.  My condolences to you tenngal.  I have gotten 3 kitties since she passed from the local shelter but it's still a painful memory.  She was born in my backyard and she was the only one who would come near us out of the litter and kind of adopted us.

[gabidee]

My family owns a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lucky. He's been with us for 5 years, now! I think he's got a tad rebel in him, because ever since he's been 5, he runs around the block by himself because he's memorized the route! I remember when we first got him, he was afraid of sidewalks. He had never seen such an odd thing in his life! He refused to walk on it, so his first month of walks was cautiously on the grass. And we had to pick him up and carry him over driveways. I can't believe it's been 5 years already! Haha. He's very spoiled. Sometimes he's on the couch laying while I'm on our huge "Dog Pillow". He hasn't used that pillow once, I swear. He's definitely our 6th family member!

[ohhenri]

@tenngal: I learned that actually, going to the litter box isn't instinctive as I first thought. The mom shows to her kitten where they're supposed to go, although cats are pretty "clean" by nature. And their mom used to go everywhere (she's a stable cat after all !!!!). I wish my cats would meow like yours to tell me to clean their litter box!!!!! She seems like a cool cat 😉

[Anonymous]

@ohhenri:  Well, she's 16 years old, so it's taken her a while to get so smart, ha ha.  I'm sure your little fur-balls will learn to potty where they're supposed to if you just work with them and give them time even though it's frustrating.  Good luck with the litter-box training!

🙂

[Anonymous]

I love reading these! So precious! I have a one- year old mixed breed doggie from the shelter. He naps under the couch and loves to swim in the pool! He keeps me very busy-- I am always cleaning shredded doggie toys, and non doggie toys-- meaning my chemistry book (which I was not too thrilled about!). He brings me so many smiles and laughs each day. What a great topic!  🙂

[glamournut]

I am also glad to see so many people who love their pets! I have a boxer who thinks he is human. He even sleeps under the covers with his head on the pillow! Lol. I also have a cat that my sister gave me because she had 6. I would love to have more pets but I live in a very small house.