[PenultimateManStanding]

My neighbors are frantic. Their beautiful black and white cat has gone missing. I had one like that that got eaten by coyotes. Not a pleasant thing. People can form a loving relationship with their pets. We had a Newfoundland dog when I was a kid. What a marvelous dog he was. I was there when he was dieing. He wagged his tail feebly for me before he died. I loved that dog.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('GASMON', 'I') love dogs, had a black labrador many years ago.

Hate cats - especially the one that sh*ts in my garden. I will hapilly wring the barstewards neck if & when I catch it.

Gasmon

[Waterthrush]

I can understand missing a cat! There is nothing like that quiet presence and understanding! A cat is fundamentally a wild creature that we approach as an equal. I have always had cats and always expect to. They often live a long time and become closer and closer to their human.

[PenultimateManStanding]

I had a plain one who knew when I was coming home at night at 11:30. That cat jumped on the hood of my car every night to greet me.

[Ludi]

Cats are horrible human-eating monsters! See my avatar of one feasting on my foot!

Just call me "Stumpy" now!

[Narz]

That's from when I first moved in with my partner & her cats & mine with both kittens so they took to each other pretty quickly (after a week or so of hissing & standoffishness).

How do you know coyotes got your cat PMS?

BTW, love the new smiley --->

Got my cats with me know after being without them all year. They're kind of the opposite of babies, they love stillness & will get cranky if you move around too much while you're holding them whereas babies love activity & get cranky if you just sit there. I went to the "Survival Center" in town (free food & household items - kind of like a free thirft store) and got 52 lb of free food, I gave the cats all the meat (including a 15oz can of salmon) & they're lovin' me for it.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Narz', '
')How do you know coyotes got your cat PMS?

[Ferretlover]

Dogs? Cats? There's Nothing like having FERRETS!!

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Ferretlover', 'D')ogs? Cats? There's Nothing like having FERRETS!!

[coyote]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'I') had one like that that got eaten by coyotes.

[frankthetank]

I prefer cats, never had dogs. I just like how laid back cats are. Some (most?) dogs are just too energetic for me. They constantly need attention. I guess my personality fits the cat lifestyle more I only have birds right now (they aren't bad either).

[gnm]

I've had both - it crawls with both coyote and cougar out here and we had an old smelly bad tempered cat named "Freud" who outlived generations of neighbor cats (eaten by coyotes) - once he struggled back choking from a swollen neck with coyote hair and blood crammed in his claws. Bad night I expect! He had slobber and small puncture wounds on his body but from the looks of it he gave em what for! He lived another 3 years till 21 at which point we had to put him down mercifully as age and a variety of diseases and taken their toll. Damn tough cat. He always had a nice bed inside but liked to roam and hunt even to age 19. I don't think we will get another though since my wife is somewhat allergic. I like dogs and have had some good loyal ones. Basil the 90 pound border collie cross liked to go on walks. His last walk he could barely make it to the porch, But he struggled on for the last 1/2 mile and then fell over - I carried him inside and stayed with him overnight -we had to put him down the next day. Congestive heart failure at almost 16. -sigh-
The dog we have now was abused as a pup (we adopted him when he was already grown) and is to this day paranoid of adults but nice enough. Very protective of children though. Once saved my young son from 2 viscous strays - came flying out of the woods and intercepted one coming down the street right for him - he (the dog) got chewed a bit as they fought but they got mostly hair as he is a husky cross. Gave us time to get my son to safety. Real good guard dog too. But he's scared of cougars - had one in the yard and so I grabbed the gun and went to run it off - he stayed about 20 feet back - he could smell it and was apparently thinking - "You go right ahead that things dangerous!"

-G

[uNkNowN ElEmEnt]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '&')quot;You go right ahead that things dangerous!"

[WildRose]

Yeah, it's tough to be missing a pet, I'm sure. I know from first-hand experience how close a relationship a person can have with an animal.

I've had several dogs in my lifetime and have mourned the passing of each one. But the death last year of my beloved German Shepherd was very difficult for me. She was 16 and really didn't slow down much until about age 14, and we were constant walking buddies. I cried every night last summer thinking about her. It's hard to put into words exactly what she was to me - not like a child, not exactly a friend, but more of a comfort, a companion through life's ups and downs, of which I had had plenty during the course of her 16 years. I'll never forget my love for her.

I have a new puppy now, who arrived in our city from way up north in ice road territory. Her mother was a rescued dog, had been held in a pound and slated to be injected when she was sprung from there by a SCARS volunteer. She was pregnant when in the pound. A few weeks after arriving in our city, she gave birth to her puppies and we adopted one of them. Our puppy is five months old now, very energetic, beautiful, with much to learn. I'm having lots of fun playing with her and walking her, but yesterday I was so upset with her! I had her in the van with me, running a few errands. When I got to the video store to return a movie, she jumped out of the van and wouldn't come back when I called her! So there she was, running around the parking lot, barking at people and I was so afraid she was going to run into traffic. I eventually corralled her into a nearby Starbucks with the help of a nice young couple. Sigh of relief.

PMS, I hope your neighbors get their cat back. Lots of cats are wonderful companions, too.

[PenultimateManStanding]

That Newfoundland dog I mentioned had an interesting story. My parents bought him cheap because he was the runt of the litter. Turned out the sellers, in New Mexico, made a mistake. The dog grew impressively and became a champion show dog at a remarkably young age. Something like 6 months, barely lost his puppy fur. Won best of show several times. He didn't even have the short snout Newfoundlands are expected to have. But he was tall and graceful and clearly enjoyed the whole dog show scene. Hammed it up for the judges. His name was Lucky. Terrific dog. Only once saw the fierce side of him. We had a Newfie bitch in heat and some neighborhood mutt came around. If it wasn't for the fence, Lucky would have ripped that mutt to pieces. Whatever happened to blisteredwhippet? I'm sure if he was still around he'd tell us the folly of close emotional attachments to pets. Reminds me of that bumper sticker that says, "The more I know people, the better I like my dog." I was just a little kid when my parents brought Lucky home. He died when I was in high school. A sad, sad day. If there is a heaven and my dog isn't there then I don't want to go.

[PenultimateManStanding]

The cat came back! They were out looking for it for 2 days. Dave the Fisherman and his crazy wife who cut him once have their beautiful cat back. Yeah, she gave him a big scar for drinking. He doesn't drink anymore. That broad is no enabler. I like Dave. The wifey doesn't much care for me, though. Dave works part time on charter fishing boats. He says business is bad. I don't know how they make ends meet. My guess is the wife has a little inherited money.

[Madpaddy]

Our cat was hand reared by us as his mother abandoned the litter. We tried to save them all but only Rocky survived. He has repayed our kindness in full by annihilating the local rodent population. We were surprised by this as he had no other cat to teach him to hunt.

Here he is playing with our kids when he was a kitten and they were cubs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzFYtVCNk-U

[PenultimateManStanding]

The cat probably thought the little car on the track was a mouse. Instinct kicking into gear.

[WildRose]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', 'T')he cat probably thought the little car on the track was a mouse. Instinct kicking into gear.