Tell us about your pets.... I'd love to read your stories...

mom2collegekids · March 26, 2010, 7:50pm

As some of you know, we lost our beloved 7 year old cat, Mittens, on Wednesday…

But, I want this thread to be a celebration of our pets…the ones we have and yes, if you want, mention the delightful stories and traits from the ones we’ve lost.

BTW…one thing that especially pains me is the realization that I don’t have many pictures of Mittens…I don’t know why I’ve been bad about taking pics of the pets (I’m actually bad about taking pics, period). So, let this be a wake-up call for all to take more pics of your pets…

Our pets…

Sammy - Dachshund male - age 7 - loads of personality…loves to sit up on his tail…loves to eat (a bad Doxie trait). Sammy likes to sleep in bed with people…either under the blankets at their feet, or with his head on the pillow and body under blankets, just like people.

Missy - Chihuahua & Yorkie mix - “a chorkie!” - age 7 - alpha personality with other pets, but quite shy with people. But a real doll.

Since the dogs and cats were babies at the same time, the dogs learned to lick and clean themselves by watching the cats! Funny and weird! Sammy also covers his “business” with dirt because he’s seen the cats do it.

Princess - Tortie Cat - age 7 - a real mouser - not a lap cat - loves to sit in the yard to make sure that no rodents from the nearby wetlands come to our home. When she kills one, she brings it as a gift to my door…lovely

Mittens - Gray-striped Tabby with beautiful markings - eye makeup - age 7 - passed away on Wednesday. Lap cat and just a loving cat. Tolerated Missy batting stuffed toys in his face. We miss him terribly.

_____________ My new kitten that I’m getting tomorrow (I hope!) I’ll let you know what he/she is. I want to find a dear one like my Mittens.

Now…tell me about your furry babies… :)

ellebud · March 26, 2010, 8:46pm

I am so sorry for your loss. It hurts…plain and simple.

We have two goldens, both adopted.

Buddy came down in the world when we adopted him. He was living in a guest house and swimming pool area all alone. He lived across the street from Tom Cruise. (Yes, that Tom Cruise). He almost drowned three times and drank pool water to get enough water. He was VERY underweight. (The people who owned him didn’t know how to take care of a dog. They weren’t cruel on purpose.) He now is a senior (we got him at 8 months) but you would never know it. He reminds me of the high school quarterback…big, blond and dumb.

Annie was adopted from the Golden Retreiver Rescue. She is a little red golden, tough and loving. hates all dogs but Buddy. Loves people. I think of her as the Mafia enforcer. We adopted her when she was five or six…but again, full of love and life.

I wish you many happy and healthy years with your new baby.

cnp55 · March 26, 2010, 10:18pm

I have, at home three Shelties, 5 months, 10 years, and 13 years. At the stable, I have a horse. And at work – I’ll have to do inventory there! Hamsters, gerbils, bunnies, guinea pigs, a ferret, three parrots, miscellaneous keets and tiels, and assorted reptiles. Also, normally about 25 bettas and a few tanks of goldfish!

I am having fun fun fun with the new puppy … planning to do compete with her in the breed, obedience, and agility rings.

kelsmom · March 26, 2010, 10:28pm

I am so sorry for your loss. It’s so hard to lose a beloved family member.

We have 2 wonderful cats. They are sisters who were found abandoned at a very early age. We got them at 7 weeks, and they were so teeny & amazingly cute! They used to climb up my leg, and they were so light I didn’t always feel them. One night, I heard a strange sound & finally figured out that it was coming from the refrigerator. One of the kittens had climbed up my leg & ended up in the fridge … and I hadn’t even realized it. Thanks heavens I heard her!

The cats are about 8 now. My son is so attached to them. He is already thinking about how much he will miss them when he goes away to school in the fall. He will miss them more than he will miss me & his dad, I think! We are all in love with those cats, but he has a special bond with them.

aibarr · March 26, 2010, 11:40pm

I’m so sorry, m2ck.

My darlings are two kitties.

The first is Tori (short for Terzaghi), a spoiled little princess, part Siamese, who’s incredibly smart and incredibly beautiful. She pretends to despise my husband, who has taken it upon himself to feed her, pet her, brush her, console her, play with her, and dote on her as much as he possibly can in order to make up for the terrible fact that he married me and moved into Princess Tori’s life completely uninvited. She scolds him and hisses at him. He lovingly coaxes her towards her fresh tuna. I wonder sometimes whether I’m not just hell on wheels to live with, that DH is such a shameless glutton for female punishment. ;)

Our other baby is Shoss, short for Shostakovich. He is monstrously large. Part tabby, part monster, all Chicago Street-Cat. He’s a yard long, tip to tail, and he’s 21 pounds (and only a pound or two overweight, says the vet… he’s larger than my stepmother’s sheltie). TINIEST little meow you’ve ever heard, and he’s such a ham. He’s a complete lap cat, but he’ll easily take up three laps. He’ll scootch under floor rugs and lie in wait for you, with half his butt hanging out (21 pound lump under the rug: not good at hiding).

His favorite thing in the world are Q-Tips, and he’ll climb into latched cupboards, open containers, find the Q-Tips, and pilfer dozens at a time, hiding them under furniture as he goes. What does he do with these Q-Tips? He takes them one at a time, drops them in his water bowl, waits until they absorb as much water as possible, then he fishes them out with his paw. He rips all of the wet cotton off the sticks and eats the cotton, then he plays with the leftover stick until he gets bored.

He’s a strange, sweet cat-monster. He insists upon sleeping under the quilt with us, preferably being hugged like a stuffed animal so he can wrap his front paws around someone’s neck, snuggle up underneath their chin, and purr himself to sleep.

I was very sick with pneumonia once in grad school, and my now-husband was living out of state at the time. I woke up feeling awful, but someone was comfortingly kneading my back through the quilt. I opened my eyes, disoriented and wondering how on earth DH had gotten from Louisiana to Illinois and into my apartment without my knowing, and turned to look at him… It was not my husband rubbing my back. It was a very concerned Shoss, looking upset and using all four paws to massage me.

Tori and Shoss both will go and get my husband if I’m sleeping poorly or am having a nightmare. If my husband’s sick, they’ll perch like little gargoyle sentries on either corner of the bed’s foot, making sure he’s all right. They’re sweethearts, both of them; they make us laugh and they take care of us as we take care of them, and there would be a tremendous hole in my heart if I lost either one of them.

<a href=“http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v466/aibarr/tori.jpg[/url]”>http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v466/aibarr/tori.jpg</a>
<a href=“http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v466/aibarr/shoss.jpg[/url]”>http://img.■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■/albums/v466/aibarr/shoss.jpg</a>

icedragon · March 26, 2010, 11:53pm

my dog jenny (11).

She is a toy poodle, but doesn’t act like one. Or act her age for that matter.

She is allergic to dog food whatever they put in it so she has a special diet.

She has my grandmother buffloed and trained. She does wines for what she wants to eat what have you and my grandma does it.

She is a pain to groom when my mom does it, but she isn’t for me.

She loves easter eggs. I bought her a new bag of them the other day and she was in 7th heaven she doesn’t get them all at once

She is very vocal and its very easy to understand her.

She also has an addiction to peanut butter and popycock.

She can be as sweet as pie, then turn around and be a brat.

She is an escape artist so each floor i kid you not has a baby gate.

She is afraid of anything that clanks mostly silverwear to dish noise

She had eye surgery about 2 years ago to be rid of cateracs.

She can be very possessive.

She hates snow. With a passion.

But loves to chase the squirrls around in the yard.

She has seizures due to dog food, we (with help from vet) figured this out so no dog food = no seizures.

She has to eat about 3 times a day, because she’ll loose weight.

According to her vet, she has a 6 pack.

this is her:

it was taken a while back :)

bookiemom · March 27, 2010, 12:07am

We have two dogs:
Frieda, miniature Schnauzer, age 5. Very spunky, fearless, can jump onto anything, likes people, charms my H, curls up by my side under the covers at night. She likes to look out the window and bark at birds. She is my favorite of all the dogs I’ve had. I’ve had miniature Schnauzers most of my life, since I was 15.

Petra, German shepherd, age 4. Beautiful coloring, loyal, follows me around the house, smart, hates other dogs, especially the daschund next door who would like to be friends. She is petrified of the vacuum cleaner. She carries her ball with her on walks.

Having my dogs is one of the most important things in my life.

mom2collegekids · March 27, 2010, 7:13am

@ EVERYONE!!! Such great stories! I’ve enjoyed reading each one!

@Ellebud…thank goodness that Buddy now has you for a mommy!

@CNP…where do you work that you have such a menagerie! :)

@aibar & icedragon…thanks for sharing the pics!

@bookiemom…"curls up by my side under the covers at night. " Don’t you just love it!!!

kelsmom quote: They used to climb up my leg, and they were so light I didn’t always feel them. One night, I heard a strange sound & finally figured out that it was coming from the refrigerator. One of the kittens had climbed up my leg & ended up in the fridge … and I hadn’t even realized it. Thanks heavens I heard her!

My goodness! Wow! she must have been attracted to a food smell in the fridge. Thank goodness you heard her!

Yes…fear of vacuums, fear of clanking noises, love of Q-tips, love of peanut butter, etc…don’t they each have traits that amuse us and make us love them more and more!

Others…please share. :)

Rachacha · March 27, 2010, 7:46am

I am so sorry for your loss!! We have had Shetland Sheepdogs over the years, all named after single-malt scotches, the first, Glen (short for Glenlivet) was the best.dog.EVER!! I brought a picture of him into the labor room as my “focal point” - still have it!!

One night during one of our crazy Western New York whiteouts Glen went out to do his business and wandered off. After a few hours we started to get concerned and thought that he was hopelessly lost. That was when we got a call from the tavern in the village a few miles away - “Come get your dog, he is sitting at the bar eating prime rib and listening to acoustic guitar”

Fast forward a few years - one day after school D1 noticed that a raccoon was playing around on our porch. Now most of us rural folk know that, if you see a raccoon in the light of day and it is acting friendly, chances are it is rabid. Of course D was thinking “oh, let’s let the cute raccoon in”. Glen, who normally was a docile as a dog getting up in years would be, goes totally ape and REFUSES to get D get close to opening the door. Needless to say, the wildlife agent we called in killed the raccoon, and it was confirmed that it was indeed rabid.

A few weeks later Glen (who was the mascot of D’s soccer team) collapsed during a game. We rushed him to the vet, and he waited for me to get there from my office before going over the Rainbow Bridge. He gave me this look that said “OK, Mom’s here - I can go now” No other dog we have had has come close - it isn’t fair to compare (just like it isn’t fair to compare your children), but we really were lucky to have had Glen…

PS - My D wrote her college admissions essay about the day she was home sick and our second dog, Abby (short for Aberlour, another good scotch) crawled in her lap and died in her arms - she had suffered from lung cancer and it was never detected. All the essay books advise against writing about pet death (BIG TABOO), but she insisted, it was actually crafted quite well, and it ended with that Dr Seuss quote “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened”. Keep remembering your pets, and keep smiling!

kitty56 · March 27, 2010, 8:38am

I’m so sorry about your Mittens. It is so hard to lose them, especially when they are so young.

All our house pets have been rescues. We currently have 3 cats and a St. Bernard. Two of the cats are about 14 (one looks it, one does not) and the other is about 6. I love my cats! The pet I really miss is our previous dog Bernie - part shepherd, part St. Bernard. We adopted him from a rescue when he was about 1 1/2. We were told he had been returned 3 times because he was too energetic. So they advertised him up here (rural) where he would have room to run. He was absolutely the best! So grateful to have a forever home! Great with the kids (3 and 8 at the time). Totally lovable, but protective. Never complained. They told us he had a tender tummy because he threw up in the car all the time. We think he was just nervous about going back to the shelter since that happened so many times to him. Well, after I would take him thru the drive thru at McDonald’s a few times and he found out that hamburgers came out their window and in through ours, and he realized he was staying with us, the car was just fine! We lost him October 5, 2006 and just typing that has me with tears again. But for a large dog, he lived a very long time - 15 years. We were blessed to have him for 13 1/2 of those years.

We have 3 horses in our barn - one is my D’s 26 yo Thoroughbred and the other two, a 30 yo Welsh/TB pony and a 23 yo TB/Qtr. horse are boarders. We lost D’s 28 yo blind pony 3 years ago (we lost her and Bernie exactly 5 months apart).

Now if we are counting our animals at work - that would be 15 more horses, plus another wonderful dog! And I have even said to my boss, I feel like each one of them is one of mine because I spend so much time with them and know them as well as I know my own animals. I know all their quirks and know immediately if one is not right just by looking at them.

So, yeah, animals are a big part of my life. Love reading all these stories!

michone · March 27, 2010, 9:05am

I am so sorry to hear about Mittens - pets are such a big part of our lives.

We have a six year old black lab/border collie mix that we adopted from a shelter. She has a border collie face, black body, white paws and tummy. She also has quite the personality! She communicates very well by different types of barks and if she doesn’t get what she wants, she stomps her front paws on the ground - a dog version of a temper tantrum. She has all service people in our neighborhood wrapped around her paw - the garbage men, UPS driver, mail carrier all stop to play with her and give her treats. She is so attached to the postal woman that she will sit in the same spot on our front lawn when she sees her truck across the street, and wait in that same spot for 20 minutes until the truck stops at our mailbox. The postal woman has the same amount of affection for our dog - and will always get out of her truck to play with her and give her a treats. Since we have an invisible dog fence, she can safely wait for all her “friends” to stop and say hello to her!

binx · March 27, 2010, 9:29am

2 cats.

Frank, our blue-point Siamese, is 18½. He is a fraidy cat. He is S2’s cat, stays in S2’s room - only rarely venturing out, and then very timidly. Lets out horrible wails every evening to let us know how much he misses S2. When S2 is home, he doesn’t leave S2 alone (except when he is practicing, as that horn is LOUD.) My piano students, who never see Frank, hear him wail and think it’s a baby.

The other day I was at the library, and heard wailing. I thought, “Why in the world is someone bringing their cat to the library?” Then realized, of course, that it was a baby. Definitely a sign that I need more children in my life and fewer cats!

Wish is D’s cat, all white, blue eyes. She is 15. She is perhaps more appropriately called a cog, or a dat? She thinks she is a dog. She walks on a leash, comes when called, begs, etc. She answers when I speak to her (but not my H). She loves, loves, loves, my piano students, and sits by the front door every afternoon waiting for them. She sprawls on the back of my teaching chair, and “comments” as they play. She likes it best when siblings come, as she can cuddle with one student while the other plays. When we go out of town, I have several students who contest for the right to care for her.

Prior to moving to Germany, Frank, Wish, and Joe (Frank’s litter mate, and S1’s cat - now deceased - Frank and Joe were named after the Hardy Boys) were all friends. But when we moved to Germany, Frank and Joe went to live with one of my sisters, and Wish went to live with another. Since we’ve come back - 3 years ago now - they’ve never warmed up to each other. They tolerate each other, but ignore each other.

PackMom · March 27, 2010, 10:14am

Our 14 yr. old dog Jack is a dog pound rescue.

He is a uniquely handsome cross of Basset Hound and Black and Tan Coonhound.

A neighbor once said “he’s half a dog high and a dog and half long”

Jack is a World Champion Dog Farter…there is no equal.

Jack hates the UPS/FedEx trucks fiercely. We have a path worn in our wood floors between the living and dining room windows from Jack’s relentless daily pursuits when the trucks go by.

He is also terrified of the vacuum cleaner, leaf blower and weed eater,running to hide in my closet when those hated machines come out.

Jack loves to eat paper of any kind, hence all trash cans (and toilet paper) in the house must be out of his reach. Also have to hold on tight to the napkin while eating dinner as he is known to snatch them right off your lap.

Jack loves to meet other dogs when out on a walk. If he spots one, he will lie down in the road and wait to meet the other dog. No amount of tugging on the leash will move him (weighs 65 lbs.)

We got Jack when our boys were 7 and 10 years old. He slept in younger S’s bedroom forever, enjoying late night episodes of The Simpsons and Family Guy w. S2 during the h.s. years. When S2 left for college, Jack seemed a little lost. Now he comes in DH and my bedroom every night at bedtime. He stays for a few minutes after the lights are out, just to make sure we are settled and not leaving. Then at some point, he ambles back down to S2’s room and settles on his bed…waiting for The Simpsons.

Jack is old now. He is blind in one eye, his joints are stiff and fatty tumors make him look like a mishapen stuffed animal. Prednisone stuffed in peanut butter is his daily fix. Still, he is a happy dog and so smart…understands more words than several people I know.

DH and I have already decided that when Jack leaves us,we will be at peace with it. There will be no replacement.
There’s not another Jack out there.

Silvermoonlock · March 27, 2010, 10:46am

Pets are family members. I understand the loss. I have great memories of all the dogs (and turtles) I’ve ever had. :)

My current is a West Highland White Terrier – Westie for short. The name is bigger than the dog. I’ve learned that the Westie is an earth dog, with a tail bred for pulling them out of holes. Tell you what…if you the tail of our Westie, be prepared to lose a finger. Westies are not lap dogs because they are always on the hunt. Sure…my Westie seeks out any available lap. Sure the Westie looks small, but she sure is heavy. We affectionately call her our little cinderblock. :)

She is clearly my daughter’s dog. They miss each other when the kid is away. Daddy and I are non-entities when the kid is home. I am truly at peace when I see the kid laying asleep on the couch and the dog is asleep on the kid :)

oaklandmom · March 27, 2010, 11:00am

I’m so sorry for your loss.

Our pets:

Kit, my beloved 9 year old border collie mix. She is the best dog I’ve ever had. She gently herds our cats. If I ask her to find one of the cats, she finds that cat. She has a huge vocabulary, in addition to knowing the cats by name, she knows the names of her toys(and of course DS and my girls). When I come home, she wraps a paw gently around my leg to give me a doggie hug. She’ll do the same if I’m sad, its almost as if she understands human emotions. But watch out for her butt. When she wants attention, she’ll bump me with her butt. Now that she’s older, its ok, but as a pup, she’d come flying across the dog park and whack me with her rear, sometimes almost knocking me over. I took her to herd sheep for her birthday this year - she did great for the first few minutes, but then started to worry to much about what I was doing, so much for trying out sheep herding.

Attie, is a chow mix. She was found in an attic 3 weeks after hurricane Katrina. She was brought to California a few days after she was found and came straight to me as a foster, she was so thin when she came to me, she looked like a bag of bones. She had heartworm and it was very apparent she’d just had a litter of pups. But she survived the heartworm treatment, got spayed and has fattened up nicely. She’s sweet, but not very bright. It always surprises me when we’re out for a walk or at the dog park that people fawn over her (for me Kit is the best, so its hard for me to understand). She’s very loyal to me but I often refer to her as Kit’s poor step sister. We think she’s probably around 8 or 9.

Whiskey - our old man, he’s a white and gray tabby cat we’ve had since he was a kitten. He’s around 12 years old. A neighbor used to call him the elephant cat because he’s so big. For many years, Whisky lived across the street with the neighbor, coming home from time to time to say hello and remind us he was our cat. When the neighbor passed away, Whiskey moved back home. Whiskey is very vocal and demanding.

Mogget - a small gray tabby cat. She’s sweet and cuddly. She’s probably about 8 years old. Though because she’s so small, people often think she’s a kitten. She belongs to DS and he’s announced he’ll be taking her when he lands a job and finds his own place after graduation in June. Kit however will be sad, as Mogget seems to belong to Kit.

Cowpi (yes, that is the correct spelling - my son a mathematician named her). A calico cat. A big shy girl who is sweet, but very much afraid of strangers. I fostered a litter of kittens a few years ago and had to keep one. My son and the neighborhood kids all wanted Cowpi to stay with us, so she did. She’s 5 now. Cowpi has become Attie’s cat. They’ll often curl up together to sleep.

Serafina is an 8 month old kitten. In the fall, I’d been reading about the huge number of cats being euthanized at the local animal shelters. Since black cats have the hardest time finding homes, I decided I would adopt a black kitten. I’m so glad I got Serafina. She’s cuddly, lively and is always entertaining me. If I play fetch with the dogs, Serafina plays along (though the dogs always beat her to the toys). Though I thought I was crazy getting a 4th cat, Serafina is my kitten. If I had more time, I really think she could be trained to do tricks - she is so smart.

Jigsaw - well, he’s not mine but I do spend a lot of time with him. He’s a paint gelding. He belongs to a friend that recently had a baby. I get to ride me as much as I’d like in exchange for walking her dog. I’m a novice when it comes to riding, so while I think Jig can be a real pain sometimes, its probably more my inexperience with horses (he takes advantage of me). But I’m really growing to love him. And the time I spend with him makes me think about a finding a place with more land. I’m not sure I’d buy a horse, but having a mini around could be really fun.

Sammy_the_dog · March 27, 2010, 4:24pm

Great stories- I’m sorry you lost your kitty. Even though we know they’re going some day, we really miss them when it happens.

For all the dog lovers- just read “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein. This is the story of an old dog and he narrates the entire book. Great book, well worth reading.

bookiemom · March 27, 2010, 5:39pm

There is a movie of the story coming out in 2012, starring Patrick Dempsey. He is a race car driver himself.

mom2collegekids · March 27, 2010, 6:05pm

Rachacha: “Come get your dog, he is sitting at the bar eating prime rib and listening to acoustic guitar”

LOL…almost like Dogs Playing Poker! :)

Kitty: after I would take him thru the drive thru at McDonald’s a few times and he found out that hamburgers came out their window and in through ours, and he realized he was staying with us, the car was just fine! We lost him October 5, 2006 and just typing that has me with tears again.

Of course…we never get over our losses. Thankfully, we have such sweet memories to hold on to! Love that he figured out about McDonalds hamburgers.

Michone: She communicates very well by different types of barks and if she doesn’t get what she wants, she stomps her front paws on the ground - a dog version of a temper tantrum.

It’s a good thing she doesn’t have a dream college that she’s demanding to go to. LOL

Binx: The other day I was at the library, and heard wailing. I thought, “Why in the world is someone bringing their cat to the library?” Then realized, of course, that it was a baby. Definitely a sign that I need more children in my life and fewer cats!

LOL…We need more kids AND more cats! As for the sounds…there was a dog at the vet the other day that sounded just like a moose…

Packmom: *
Jack is a World Champion Dog Farter…there is no equal.
Jack hates the UPS/FedEx trucks fiercely. …He is also terrified of the vacuum cleaner, leaf blower and weed eater,running to hide in my closet when those hated machines come out.*

I think my doxie Sammy shares that title…we have to keep boxes of matches around to light whenever he lets one go.

And, Sammy hates, hates, hates those little girl electric Barbie cars that the little neighbor girls have. I don’t know what he thinks they are.

Silvermoonlock: I am truly at peace when I see the kid laying asleep on the couch and the dog is asleep on the kid

I hope you take plenty of pics of that! That is a Kodak moment, for sure!!!

Oaklandmom *When I come home, she wraps a paw gently around my leg to give me a doggie hug. *

Awww…How absolutely sweet! Never heard of a pet doing that. So cute.

*
Serafina is an 8 month old kitten. In the fall, I’d been reading about the huge number of cats being euthanized at the local animal shelters. Since black cats have the hardest time finding homes, I decided I would adopt a black kitten.*

I didn’t know that…is that because of superstition?

I feel bad now because we went to the shelter this morning and brought home 2 kittens. We don’t have names, yet…we’re still trying to find the right name for the personalities. If I had known that black cats have a harder time finding owners, I would have looked for one.

Thanks for all your stories…keep them coming! :)

aibarr · March 28, 2010, 12:41am

GOOD. DOG. We approve. =)

Yep. In fact, a few shelters I know about in Chicago refuse to adopt out black cats from mid- to late-October because… well… bad things happen to those cats on Halloween. I can’t even come up with anything to say beyond that; it just hurts my heart. My first two cats were black cats, but then Shoss adopted me so I ended up with a tabby in the mix, or I’d have another black cat.

mousegray · March 28, 2010, 1:54am

Our family dog is a little mutt. We love her but what I love best is how much my grown man-son loves her. When he comes home for a visit, all he wants to do is cuddle with her on the couch. When we went on vacation, he came by to pick her up to stay with him and watching the two of them walk down the hall together, she looking up at him adoringly as she trotted beside him, well it warmed my heart. We got her when my S was a difficult teenager and she kept us all together.

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