Are you a cat,dog or ??? animal lover?

[heather6773]

Just wondering if you prefer dogs,cats or other types of animals?
I have a pug and 2 cats and I love my dog....he has more loyalty qualities than my cats...they just like me when I feed them:lol:

[Csara]

hmm, ya know I have always been a cat person. I just love them....even though many of them are pretty stingy with their affection. I just think they are gorgeous and interesting and very amusing. I have always liked dogs too b/c I just love animals in general, but never really had the desire to own one.

The only thing about cats is the litter. I cannot stand cleaning the litter box and I HATE HATE HATE that my kitty drags litter all over the house. GROSS!!!!! For that reason alone, I think our next pet might be a dog. I've never had one before, but DH grew up with dogs and my parents got their first dog a few years ago so I am more warmed up to the idea. I just feel like it's so much more responsibility than a cat. We'll see.......

[Mommytotwo]

I like them both, but if I had to choose, then I would pick dog.
We have a cat, a kitten, two dogs, and more pets.
My dad himself likes pets, so I have always grown up with animals.

[Sydneyp]

I love pretty much all animals except birds and ferrets. I've always had cats and my family always had dogs (two family dogs +12 years of raising seeing eye puppies.)

Now I have a dog. I've had to steel myself and harden my heart as the stray animal problem is extreme here. If I wanted a cat, here in my tiny village (8-10 families) there are more than 40 who need homes. 4 cats in the village have had kittens within the last 2 months, so I suppose there are more like 60 cats here now.

[Sexy Strawberry]

I love cats! They are sooooo cute and elegant! I don't like dogs at all.

[rdy2rac with]

I have always had & love dogs.

I actually had a couple cats the last few years I lived at home (w/my parents) but hubby is allergic so they couldn't move out with me. Otherwise we would have dogs & cats.

Parakeets are cute but if I get a birn I think I want something for substanial like a Cockatoo. But I don't think that will happen because I have heard the horror stories of how hubby trained a big bird like that when he was a kid (it would chase his brother around on command).

I also had hamsters as a kid & think they are cute pets for preteens.

Fish are cool (& we've had them several times) but we just don't have the room for them right now.


Other animals are cool too but thats all we've had.

[jana]

hmm, ya know I have always been a cat person..... I think our next pet might be a dog. I've never had one before, but DH grew up with dogs.... I just feel like it's so much more responsibility than a cat.

Ditto! I love dogs, but I am very picky about dog manners and would have to train it so it's well-behaved. I'm not so excited about the daily walks during the summer, and you lose a bit of flexibility in your day because you have to come home & let the dog out (unless you leave it in the backyard, which I'm not that happy about doing). Then trips...you have to either kennel it, get a petsitter or bring it with you, all of which have negatives.

Despite all that, I really would like to have a dog. Ds loves animals, and I think he would enjoy growing up with a dog. We'll revisit the topic in a few years and see if we're up for the responsibility. :)

[lilie0000]

Cats! And forever will be, I guess. Don't like dogs that much. They scare me to death, seriously.

[Turtleheadfred]

I guess most of you guys know that I love ALL animals! Absolutely everything - both land and water based! It doesn't matter what it is - I love them all. Right now we have both cats and dogs - not all of which belong to us, but they just sort of come to me (my husband says if there's such a thing as a past life... clearly I was an animal!)

My dogs aren't allowed in my formal living room, and they know it so it's really not a problem to keep them out of there. They will walk through but don't get on the furniture. They also don't jump on people... we've worked hard to be sure they have good manners. My cat is as well mannered as a kitty can be - and she doesn't get on the kitchen counters or table and doesn't strow her litter so again, I guess that's really good.

My neighbor's cat that has adopted us doesn't come inside except in the winter, and all in all is much better behaved with us than with them - but we love on him and they don't. (We also feed him.) And my other neighbor has the big great dane puppy who LOVES coming and staying at my house - which he does every day - and I don't mind... he likes being around my dogs and they like him too so it works out fine.

I also play with the donkey's just down the street at least once a week (there are 3 of them) - and have taken care of orphaned racoon babies, turtles, baby birds, you name it. Like I said - they seem to know they'll be save here!

(And in case you're wondering - no, my house doesn't smell like a kennel amazingly enough! but I have hardwood floors and brush the pups every other day and keep that litter box clean!) :D

[Sydneyp]

THF - Ever had an animal dislike/not care at all about you?

I ask because, like you, I am a magnet for animals. Animals love, love, love me (and I them, mostly.) But there is one dog who just doesn't care if I come or go, doesn't want me to pet it, isn't happy to see me, etc.

I'm so crushed. I even told this dog "but animals love me!" It made no difference to her at all! Has this ever happened to you?

[Sexy Strawberry]

Well let me tell you what happened to me and my dog. I had never liked dogs because I always feared them. Once an aunt of mine, who is a bit insane, decided to take to my grandfather's home a dog that she had found outside. My brother and me were playing with it all the time, she was sweet and small. My grandfather, who didn't have a heart, said he didn't want to have the dog at home and he'd give it to a man and this man didn't treat animals well. So my brother and me asked my mom to please let us have the dog. We live in a flat but since the dog was so small and my mom liked it too she said it was okay and we adopted the dog with the condition that my aunt helped to take care of it.
At first it was as if the dog was mine, I had to bath her, take her outside (I had to get up at 7am just because of the dog even in New Year grrrr), I had to watch her food and water... I complained but my dad used to say... didn't you want the dog? Now you have to take care of her, it's a lot of work but you should have thought of that earlier. Then, my aunt started to take care of the dog more often too, she started to take her outside and since she has nothing to do she kind of got obsessed with the dog and all she does is looking after the dog. Then I went to the university so I left my hometown and just came home on some weekends. Since my aunt is the one who takes care of the dog now the dog simply ignores me. Sometimes I call her and she comes, but that's just sometimes. It's not that I neglected her, no, but yea, she just looks at me when I offer her a piece of meat.
So that's it... I don't agree that dogs are so loyal. Cats are more independent but at least they have some personality...

[Turtleheadfred]

Syd - that is so wierd! I've never had one out-n-out ignore me. I have had one that had a difficult life be very particular about who came around it (same with an abused cat) but I just sort of let them make up their minds and come to me on their own terms... and usually they do. Those are generally the types though that aren't going to be super lovey just from whatever their own fears and hang ups are. But I figure that's okay - some people are that way too.

Strawberry - bless your heart! The dog may be the type that is a "one person dog" meaning that the particular breed tends to bond to one person more than anyone else. While you were the main caregiver - you were the one person. But when you went away and your aunt took over - the two of them because each others "one". I'm sure the doggie still loves you, it's just that it's bonded more strongly to your aunt because that's the person it's with all the time. It's strange, but some animals are like that by nature.

[Sexy Strawberry]

THF, that's interesting, I don't know much about dog personalities. Well, I guess she still loves me because she knows who I am, but she just ignores everyone but my aunt. Of course my aunt is guilty too because you can't treat a dog the way she does, but well, my aunt is not 100% healthy either so we have to understand her...

[Turtleheadfred]

THF, that's interesting, I don't know much about dog personalities. Well, I guess she still loves me because she knows who I am, but she just ignores everyone but my aunt. Of course my aunt is guilty too because you can't treat a dog the way she does, but well, my aunt is not 100% healthy either so we have to understand her...


Believe me SS - we ALL have people in our families that we just have to "understand"!

[Sexy Strawberry]

Yea... and in fact I have a lot of relatives like that... :silly: lol :)

[HeavenLeigh]

I love furbabies in general but have always liked dogs more than cats. I just gave 2 kittens away. They were adorable. I rescued them from a shelter but they were starting to roam. The neighbors dog cornered them, they almost got ran over by the garbage man, etc.... so I gave them to Tommy's aunt. She lives far away from a road and had 4 other kittens around their size to keep them company. I still have my black lab, Midnight and my adorable poodle baby Alexa.