Typo alert: "Along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Bennett . . . " It's Daniel Dennett, who died almost exactly a year ago.
Nice newsletter. I'm not a cat lover or a dog lover, but I like both cats and dogs (as long as they belong to somebody else). Dr Mardy, you say you're not a cat lover or a dog lover either. Is that disinterest or dislike?
Your newsletter about cats and dogs brought to mind the old saying "it's raining cats and dogs" when there is a heavy downpour. I wondered once why the reference to cats and dogs when they would be unlikely to ever be in the sky.
I found out that the origin of this phrase may come from Victorian times when street drainage was poor. Drowned pets strewn on the streets after rain storms made it appear as though it had been raining cats and dogs. That makes it a rather grisly remark instead of a whimsical one.
Thanks, John, I will correct that typo in the archives. Regarding my own situation, it's more a case of disinterest that dislike--and if I lean in one direction, it's toward dogs. Thanks also for the "raining" explanation, which was new to me.
Ceaser was our caramel colored cat. He was my pal. He was the only one home when I got home from the sixth grade. We fed a stray too who was too skittish to be pet yet. Big cat. We called him Mister Whiskers.
Sitting in the afternoon sun on the top step of the front porch. Four steps down to the walkway, out the gate to the sidewalk by the street. The low chain link gate was open.
Ceaser was at my right side. Sitting upright. Looking.
From seemingly nowhere a large dog raced in the gate barking wildly and was charging Ceaser and me.
Before I even reacted Ceaser leapt straight off the porch and onto the dog’s face.
The dog collapsed like a house of cards and scrambled to its feet, out the gate, and down the sidewalk from whist it came.
Ceaser watched the dog till it was gone, turned, and slowly walked back up the walkway, up the five steps, and sat where he was before it all happened.
1. I've never seen or heard of domestic cat, whose human companion has just said, "Oh, he doesn't bite," sneak up and take a chunk out of another human's calf. 2. I've never been kept awake half the night by a cat barking at nothing. I prefer coyotes and wolves to domesticated dogs. At least they're honest with their intentions..
No wolves or coyotes here in London UK, except in the zoo poor things! But plenty of cats. My last two hated each other. The ginger one never gave the black one any peace until Ginger fell ill and died, after which the black cat was able to relax and enjoy life.
In one of many trips to the US I loved Yosemite but we barely saw an animal, too many people to hide from I suppose.
Thanks, dj, your comment made me curious about the express "a hissy fit". Apparently, it has nothing to do with cats, but most likely comes from a shortening of “hysterical fit” or “hysterics." With regard to dire dogs, I think the expression about "let sleeping dogs lie” seems appropriate.
Excellent post, Mardy. I like both species but am very allergic to cats, I’m afraid. My dogs have been the best of companions and, were I not so old and frail, I should rescue another. Thanks for such a heartening article. All the best, John.
"Are You a Cat Lover or a Dog Lover?" = HUGE YES!!
I've had dogs all my life. A cat adopted me & he & the soon-to-be new puppy became best buddies. I took the cat to the vet to be checked out. When I picked him up, the vet said, "You know he's polydactyl?" - "NO, is that bad?" So I leaned of the extra toes. He had many extras - 8 on the front paws, 6 on the back, so he was more unusual. At the time, very unusual for where I was living. Years later my dog developed cancer so had her leg removed, becoming a tripawd, so I had a cat w/ extra toes, a dog w/ fewer legs. I've ALWAYS trained my dogs. This one was a quick learner & did many tricks as well as obedience. Dog & I were a trained therapy team, visiting nursing homes & hospice care. She was a little dog & w/ permission she would get on the client's bed. She never licked, but would snuggle, & look people in the eye. However, w/ cancer patients, she would not look them in the eye. The cat was an expert climber & hunter!! He would snuggle somewhat, on his own terms, but not overly affectionate. However, at one time, when I was experiencing some strong emotional grief, I would be at the computer & he would climb up on my back & wrap himself around my neck.
I have to admit, I can't understand people who don't like either. I can understand why someone wouldn't want to be a pet owner, due to the 'hassles' of such ownership, but, well, I'll leave it at that.
Thanks, dj, I was waiting to hear from someone who answered "yes" to both! The rest of your post was most interesting. I think all of Hemingway's cats in Key West were also polydactyl.
Mardy, great piece this week. Yeah, I'm a dog person. Many students have heard me talk about the superiority of dogs to cats in my statistics lectures. I think they tire of me showing how dogs always outperform cats in every simulated (and faked) data I use. No, dogs are not superior to cats but the cat lovers get so twisted out of shape by the slights that I cannot help myself.
Some questions: I wonder if preference for animal type shows a person's inner world. Are dog lovers more aggressive? Cat lovers more relaxed and passive? I don't know but the debate rages on after centuries. My guess, these preferences show nothing of ourselves nor are they predictive of much. The debate is fun though...
By the way, I love all animals but prefer dogs because they are easier than cats on my allergies. I also prefer animals living in my house to be invited and domesticated; thus, no rats, mice, or such roaming the halls of my house.
Thanks for your kind words, Patrick. I especially enjoyed your remarks about being playfully perverse with cat lovers. Psychologists have done a lot of research on the personalities of pet owners, and one of the most common findings is that dog owners tend to be more extroverted and cat owners more introverted.
23 years ago, I bought this old stone building in very rural Western Turkey...it had only being used as a barn to house sheep... 2' thick stone walls and a roof and 50cm of sheep poop! I restored it to be a 'mother and daughter' residence. My daughter lives on one side, with her 5 indoor cats (three are blind and can only be 'innies') and a rescue dog and I live on my side with my 3 dogs. If my two boston terriers weren't convinced that cats are living 'squeaky toys' I'd have a cat or two myself. (we also feed 15-20 village cats and a rescued Anatolian shepherd that guards our house, daily.) So what would you call us? Cat lovers or Dog lovers? And does it really matter? We have AMAZING furry roommates and find them a joy to live with....I love them and enjoy them more than I do most humans.
Hemingway's house in Key West at the tip of Florida is home to a colony of cats, mostly with more than the requisite number of toes and claws. They saunter about the place in a polydactyl manner, heads held high and mostly ignoring the tourists who are attempting to identify a single cat with only 5 toes to each paw. The trick is of trying not to take your eyes off the magnificent house, garden and Hemingway aura in order to gawp at numerous cat toes as they wander by in a suitably majestic catlike manner. It's definitely worth a visit to see Hemingway's desk in the room where he spun many of his tales, and of course the feline friends' descendants.
you gave me a clear visual of a cat w/ the tail held high - beautiful!!
when my polydactyl cat adopted me, I was only used to dogs, so I just thought he had big paws, you know, like a puppy does, to grow in to. He had huge thumbs!! If I could, I'd post a perfect pic of him on a picnic table, looking into the camera giving a "thumbs-up" 👍
I don't know if it's me or substack...........i started to reply to someone named Nikki who accused me of 'running away'...because I live outside the US...and lost the unfinished comment. I left the US because I was able to get a good job teaching... my educational Masters' Degree is in 'teaching English as a Second Language'...The first time I lived outside the US was because my late husband was in the USNavy and we had the wonderful chance to live in Athens, Greece. I wasn't then, nor was I in '88 'running away' from anything. And I have been so lucky because, had I stayed in the US, I'd probably be dead by now. Since my x-husband and I had divorced in the late '70s....I no longer had medical coverage from the gov't...after working here for 26+ years, I qualified for Turkish medical coverage. I'm still an American and vote in all US elections. It wouldn't have been possible to obtain medication in the US but I get it 'free' here. Sorry that you assumed I was 'running away'... not at all the case..I am sorry that I felt the need to respond...I don't usually do that to 'strangers'.. Why are so many people so angry and mean back there?
Good morning, Mardy. Seems you are coming along well (yay!) with your recovery. This week's issue brings forth bittersweet memories.
Max, unforgettable with his sojourns through the concrete canyons of New York. I'd brought him with me from Chicago, and as an "outdoor" being, he'd had to learn how to survive the City. He would go in and out of the building, waiting for someone to open the door. Once I found him perched on the windowsill of our fifth-story apartment, a heart stopping moment. Then one terrible day he didn't come home. I always hoped some kind stranger had stolen him.
Sam, who I adopted in Winter Haven, went through many traumas in his 13 years with me (losing body parts, turning feral when denied acceptance from a challenging mother-in-law.) I'm convinced he understood everything when I talked to him. He would come running up to the house in the early morning hours when I called to him, holding up his paw in greeting. I was at my desk working when his goodbye came cruelly by a phone call from the Vet, who'd set him on that Rainbow Road.
Punch, a German Shepherd, was the first dog I remember when I was a tiny girl at home. Then Spats, a mixed breed Boston Terrier for years, then pure-bred Spats II until I left Milwaukee. There are too many dogs of various breeds to list in the Dickerson years. Their acquisition - and eventual disposition - was a symptom, I thought, of his bipolar illness. It was heartbreaking to lose them.
Erin, a beautiful pure-bred champion Irish Terrier. was flown to me from Kentucky at 7 years, and I had her for 7 more. Teddy, an adorable Shih-Tzu, came to me with Jack and we had him for almost 17 years.
Now, at 93, I don't feel capable of giving a pet the care it deserves. But I simply can't pick a favorite species. I love them all.
Dr. Mardy's introduction on "Historical rivalries" is a wonderful way to break into this topic -- Coke v Pepsi, etc. Simply Wonderful. It belongs in a book on "Great Opening Lines!" Seriously!!
We have always had cats both before and after marriage, although we both had dogs as children.
Since we are traveling so much in our retirement, we can only have "part-time" pets; thus, we foster cats from the local Humane Society, where I have been volunteering for the past few years. We usually get older, less socialized, and, often, medically challenging cats. We are currently on our fifth foster in as many years, all of whom have found perfect Forever Homes. One of them even has her own Instagram page now.
The best part of fostering is that we can offer the cat a good home - often the opposite of where they might have come from - and a chance to live relatively luxuriously as they get a bit older. After all, how many cats have a staff of two loving, generous people to attend their every need and want?
When the Society, or we, come upon a "Forever Home," the hardest part for us is letting go.
The good news is that as we age out of our peripatetic ways and into a more sedate lifestyle (currently I'm at almost 86 and my wife is almost at 73), most likely in the next five years or so, we will provide a Forever Home of our own to some deserving cat(s).
BTW, I was particularly tickled by the Cartoon of the day. Perfect juxtaposition of thought!
Also, glad you are recovering so well. Stay healthy, my friend.
Thanks so much, Ed. While I was doing the piece, the idea of fostering pets never even came to my mind, so thanks for adding it to the mix. As soon as I saw that wonderful cartoon, I knew I'd be featuring it. And yes, I recovering quite nicely, thank you!
We have domesticated dogs, or at least they're clever enough to let us believe that. Truth be told, the reverse is likely closer to it. Cats, on the other hand, have never pretended to be anything but feral. They're willing to hang around with us when it suits them, even cosy up to us sometimes. But domesticated? Ever had a cat take a swipe at you, claws bared, seemingly simply because she was bored with you?
I love both but am a dog person now as our last kitty died a few years ago. I don’t like that cats are allowed to roam the outdoors and kill birds and defecate in others yards, also they carry and transmit feline diseases. We allowed our kitty to be outdoors but she was supervised and was an indoors pet for the most part.
I previously had a pet door with an invisible fence for the dog, an acre lot & the cat roamed further but stayed relatively close. He would, however, bring something home every day & usually chow down in the house. But, no joke, he would bring live chipmunks in, go around the house until he found the dog, sit in front of her & release that chipmunk. The chipmunk would go scampering & the dog would give chase! Almost always catching it unless it ran behind a bookcase… many times I’d open doors, move the cases (full, floor to ceiling so no easy feat) & with the help of a broom get that chipmunk outside or the dog would get it - give it the shake/shake/shake & take it outside.
Then I moved & I worried the cat would be too unfamiliar with the area, lots of coyotes & buzzards,, had a metal fence for the dog & no pet door, so kept him in. Oh how the cat wanted out! He accidentally got out a few times then like “froze” at the corner of the porch…
I’ve got a good friend whose kitty was busy like that. Brought in snakes and other critters, sometimes killing them there in the hallway and making a heck of a mess for her to clean up! Several of my friends who have kitties have built them a catio, a screened area that’s accessed via an open window so they can lounge about in the outdoors but are fully enclosed and safe.
Thanks, dj. A lovely reminder that so-called domesticated cats can be pretty savage hunters when they control the territory. Dogs, as you suggest, are more into chasing!
Typo alert: "Along with Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Bennett . . . " It's Daniel Dennett, who died almost exactly a year ago.
Nice newsletter. I'm not a cat lover or a dog lover, but I like both cats and dogs (as long as they belong to somebody else). Dr Mardy, you say you're not a cat lover or a dog lover either. Is that disinterest or dislike?
Your newsletter about cats and dogs brought to mind the old saying "it's raining cats and dogs" when there is a heavy downpour. I wondered once why the reference to cats and dogs when they would be unlikely to ever be in the sky.
I found out that the origin of this phrase may come from Victorian times when street drainage was poor. Drowned pets strewn on the streets after rain storms made it appear as though it had been raining cats and dogs. That makes it a rather grisly remark instead of a whimsical one.
Thanks, John, I will correct that typo in the archives. Regarding my own situation, it's more a case of disinterest that dislike--and if I lean in one direction, it's toward dogs. Thanks also for the "raining" explanation, which was new to me.
Tribute to my pal, Ceasar 1963-1968
By Brent Scott 2024
Ceaser was our caramel colored cat. He was my pal. He was the only one home when I got home from the sixth grade. We fed a stray too who was too skittish to be pet yet. Big cat. We called him Mister Whiskers.
Sitting in the afternoon sun on the top step of the front porch. Four steps down to the walkway, out the gate to the sidewalk by the street. The low chain link gate was open.
Ceaser was at my right side. Sitting upright. Looking.
From seemingly nowhere a large dog raced in the gate barking wildly and was charging Ceaser and me.
Before I even reacted Ceaser leapt straight off the porch and onto the dog’s face.
The dog collapsed like a house of cards and scrambled to its feet, out the gate, and down the sidewalk from whist it came.
Ceaser watched the dog till it was gone, turned, and slowly walked back up the walkway, up the five steps, and sat where he was before it all happened.
Thanks, Brent. A lovely tribute and a terrific story!
1. I've never seen or heard of domestic cat, whose human companion has just said, "Oh, he doesn't bite," sneak up and take a chunk out of another human's calf. 2. I've never been kept awake half the night by a cat barking at nothing. I prefer coyotes and wolves to domesticated dogs. At least they're honest with their intentions..
my cat woke me up hissing loudly enough at a neighbor's cat that was wanting to fight - so I guess he wasn't "hissing at nothing" 😏
& those playful tummy rubs that all of a sudden turn into a hand bite - well, guess us humans must learn when 'enough is enough!' 🐱
& where I live I also love hearing the coyotes! And how 'bout those dire wolves, hmmm?
No wolves or coyotes here in London UK, except in the zoo poor things! But plenty of cats. My last two hated each other. The ginger one never gave the black one any peace until Ginger fell ill and died, after which the black cat was able to relax and enjoy life.
In one of many trips to the US I loved Yosemite but we barely saw an animal, too many people to hide from I suppose.
Yes, we often think that dogs and cats hate each other, but I've more often seen one cat hating another one.
Thanks, dj, your comment made me curious about the express "a hissy fit". Apparently, it has nothing to do with cats, but most likely comes from a shortening of “hysterical fit” or “hysterics." With regard to dire dogs, I think the expression about "let sleeping dogs lie” seems appropriate.
Yes, the hissy fit, uh does (not 😉) ‘’fit” eta put into parentheses because hysterical was - is? - almost always applied to females
But Google Dire Wolves for the latest for cloning extinct dire wolves - Time Magazine May issue - Colossal Labs
Thanks for weighing in, Harvey.
Excellent post, Mardy. I like both species but am very allergic to cats, I’m afraid. My dogs have been the best of companions and, were I not so old and frail, I should rescue another. Thanks for such a heartening article. All the best, John.
Thanks, John, I appreciate your kind words. My wife is also highly allergic to cats.
"Are You a Cat Lover or a Dog Lover?" = HUGE YES!!
I've had dogs all my life. A cat adopted me & he & the soon-to-be new puppy became best buddies. I took the cat to the vet to be checked out. When I picked him up, the vet said, "You know he's polydactyl?" - "NO, is that bad?" So I leaned of the extra toes. He had many extras - 8 on the front paws, 6 on the back, so he was more unusual. At the time, very unusual for where I was living. Years later my dog developed cancer so had her leg removed, becoming a tripawd, so I had a cat w/ extra toes, a dog w/ fewer legs. I've ALWAYS trained my dogs. This one was a quick learner & did many tricks as well as obedience. Dog & I were a trained therapy team, visiting nursing homes & hospice care. She was a little dog & w/ permission she would get on the client's bed. She never licked, but would snuggle, & look people in the eye. However, w/ cancer patients, she would not look them in the eye. The cat was an expert climber & hunter!! He would snuggle somewhat, on his own terms, but not overly affectionate. However, at one time, when I was experiencing some strong emotional grief, I would be at the computer & he would climb up on my back & wrap himself around my neck.
I have to admit, I can't understand people who don't like either. I can understand why someone wouldn't want to be a pet owner, due to the 'hassles' of such ownership, but, well, I'll leave it at that.
In some cultures, a polydactyl animal is thought to bring good luck...I hope that this is true for you too.
Yes, I've heard that as well.
Thanks, dj, I was waiting to hear from someone who answered "yes" to both! The rest of your post was most interesting. I think all of Hemingway's cats in Key West were also polydactyl.
I found out the gene is dominant - don’t know about # of toes per paw nor # of feet however
Mardy, great piece this week. Yeah, I'm a dog person. Many students have heard me talk about the superiority of dogs to cats in my statistics lectures. I think they tire of me showing how dogs always outperform cats in every simulated (and faked) data I use. No, dogs are not superior to cats but the cat lovers get so twisted out of shape by the slights that I cannot help myself.
Some questions: I wonder if preference for animal type shows a person's inner world. Are dog lovers more aggressive? Cat lovers more relaxed and passive? I don't know but the debate rages on after centuries. My guess, these preferences show nothing of ourselves nor are they predictive of much. The debate is fun though...
By the way, I love all animals but prefer dogs because they are easier than cats on my allergies. I also prefer animals living in my house to be invited and domesticated; thus, no rats, mice, or such roaming the halls of my house.
Thanks for your kind words, Patrick. I especially enjoyed your remarks about being playfully perverse with cat lovers. Psychologists have done a lot of research on the personalities of pet owners, and one of the most common findings is that dog owners tend to be more extroverted and cat owners more introverted.
I’m 2 faced!!! I knew it!!!
23 years ago, I bought this old stone building in very rural Western Turkey...it had only being used as a barn to house sheep... 2' thick stone walls and a roof and 50cm of sheep poop! I restored it to be a 'mother and daughter' residence. My daughter lives on one side, with her 5 indoor cats (three are blind and can only be 'innies') and a rescue dog and I live on my side with my 3 dogs. If my two boston terriers weren't convinced that cats are living 'squeaky toys' I'd have a cat or two myself. (we also feed 15-20 village cats and a rescued Anatolian shepherd that guards our house, daily.) So what would you call us? Cat lovers or Dog lovers? And does it really matter? We have AMAZING furry roommates and find them a joy to live with....I love them and enjoy them more than I do most humans.
Thanks for a most interesting reply, Arlene. I'd say your are definitely BOTH!
As a dog enthusiast, I hearti;y agree. As a recent cat roommate, I thoroughly agree.
Very clever. Thanks, my friend,
Hemingway's house in Key West at the tip of Florida is home to a colony of cats, mostly with more than the requisite number of toes and claws. They saunter about the place in a polydactyl manner, heads held high and mostly ignoring the tourists who are attempting to identify a single cat with only 5 toes to each paw. The trick is of trying not to take your eyes off the magnificent house, garden and Hemingway aura in order to gawp at numerous cat toes as they wander by in a suitably majestic catlike manner. It's definitely worth a visit to see Hemingway's desk in the room where he spun many of his tales, and of course the feline friends' descendants.
you gave me a clear visual of a cat w/ the tail held high - beautiful!!
when my polydactyl cat adopted me, I was only used to dogs, so I just thought he had big paws, you know, like a puppy does, to grow in to. He had huge thumbs!! If I could, I'd post a perfect pic of him on a picnic table, looking into the camera giving a "thumbs-up" 👍
I'd like to see that "pic" as well!
Thanks, Christine. I visited the place many years ago, and your description of the place is quite apt.
I don't know if it's me or substack...........i started to reply to someone named Nikki who accused me of 'running away'...because I live outside the US...and lost the unfinished comment. I left the US because I was able to get a good job teaching... my educational Masters' Degree is in 'teaching English as a Second Language'...The first time I lived outside the US was because my late husband was in the USNavy and we had the wonderful chance to live in Athens, Greece. I wasn't then, nor was I in '88 'running away' from anything. And I have been so lucky because, had I stayed in the US, I'd probably be dead by now. Since my x-husband and I had divorced in the late '70s....I no longer had medical coverage from the gov't...after working here for 26+ years, I qualified for Turkish medical coverage. I'm still an American and vote in all US elections. It wouldn't have been possible to obtain medication in the US but I get it 'free' here. Sorry that you assumed I was 'running away'... not at all the case..I am sorry that I felt the need to respond...I don't usually do that to 'strangers'.. Why are so many people so angry and mean back there?
There are mean people everywhere, Arlene, but I do think the number of them in the U.S. has increased in the last ten years.
Good morning, Mardy. Seems you are coming along well (yay!) with your recovery. This week's issue brings forth bittersweet memories.
Max, unforgettable with his sojourns through the concrete canyons of New York. I'd brought him with me from Chicago, and as an "outdoor" being, he'd had to learn how to survive the City. He would go in and out of the building, waiting for someone to open the door. Once I found him perched on the windowsill of our fifth-story apartment, a heart stopping moment. Then one terrible day he didn't come home. I always hoped some kind stranger had stolen him.
Sam, who I adopted in Winter Haven, went through many traumas in his 13 years with me (losing body parts, turning feral when denied acceptance from a challenging mother-in-law.) I'm convinced he understood everything when I talked to him. He would come running up to the house in the early morning hours when I called to him, holding up his paw in greeting. I was at my desk working when his goodbye came cruelly by a phone call from the Vet, who'd set him on that Rainbow Road.
Punch, a German Shepherd, was the first dog I remember when I was a tiny girl at home. Then Spats, a mixed breed Boston Terrier for years, then pure-bred Spats II until I left Milwaukee. There are too many dogs of various breeds to list in the Dickerson years. Their acquisition - and eventual disposition - was a symptom, I thought, of his bipolar illness. It was heartbreaking to lose them.
Erin, a beautiful pure-bred champion Irish Terrier. was flown to me from Kentucky at 7 years, and I had her for 7 more. Teddy, an adorable Shih-Tzu, came to me with Jack and we had him for almost 17 years.
Now, at 93, I don't feel capable of giving a pet the care it deserves. But I simply can't pick a favorite species. I love them all.
Thanks, Pat. I'm doing very well; getting stronger every week. Thanks for weighing in on this week's theme. A most interesting reply.
Dr. Mardy's introduction on "Historical rivalries" is a wonderful way to break into this topic -- Coke v Pepsi, etc. Simply Wonderful. It belongs in a book on "Great Opening Lines!" Seriously!!
Thanks for your heartwarming words, Roger.
Great piece, Mardy!
We have always had cats both before and after marriage, although we both had dogs as children.
Since we are traveling so much in our retirement, we can only have "part-time" pets; thus, we foster cats from the local Humane Society, where I have been volunteering for the past few years. We usually get older, less socialized, and, often, medically challenging cats. We are currently on our fifth foster in as many years, all of whom have found perfect Forever Homes. One of them even has her own Instagram page now.
The best part of fostering is that we can offer the cat a good home - often the opposite of where they might have come from - and a chance to live relatively luxuriously as they get a bit older. After all, how many cats have a staff of two loving, generous people to attend their every need and want?
When the Society, or we, come upon a "Forever Home," the hardest part for us is letting go.
The good news is that as we age out of our peripatetic ways and into a more sedate lifestyle (currently I'm at almost 86 and my wife is almost at 73), most likely in the next five years or so, we will provide a Forever Home of our own to some deserving cat(s).
BTW, I was particularly tickled by the Cartoon of the day. Perfect juxtaposition of thought!
Also, glad you are recovering so well. Stay healthy, my friend.
Thanks so much, Ed. While I was doing the piece, the idea of fostering pets never even came to my mind, so thanks for adding it to the mix. As soon as I saw that wonderful cartoon, I knew I'd be featuring it. And yes, I recovering quite nicely, thank you!
The only flaw that dogs have is that they leave us too soon.
Very well said, Chuck. Thanks for the reminder.
We have domesticated dogs, or at least they're clever enough to let us believe that. Truth be told, the reverse is likely closer to it. Cats, on the other hand, have never pretended to be anything but feral. They're willing to hang around with us when it suits them, even cosy up to us sometimes. But domesticated? Ever had a cat take a swipe at you, claws bared, seemingly simply because she was bored with you?
Thanks, Blayney, that was a very well-articulated comment on both species.
I love both but am a dog person now as our last kitty died a few years ago. I don’t like that cats are allowed to roam the outdoors and kill birds and defecate in others yards, also they carry and transmit feline diseases. We allowed our kitty to be outdoors but she was supervised and was an indoors pet for the most part.
I previously had a pet door with an invisible fence for the dog, an acre lot & the cat roamed further but stayed relatively close. He would, however, bring something home every day & usually chow down in the house. But, no joke, he would bring live chipmunks in, go around the house until he found the dog, sit in front of her & release that chipmunk. The chipmunk would go scampering & the dog would give chase! Almost always catching it unless it ran behind a bookcase… many times I’d open doors, move the cases (full, floor to ceiling so no easy feat) & with the help of a broom get that chipmunk outside or the dog would get it - give it the shake/shake/shake & take it outside.
Then I moved & I worried the cat would be too unfamiliar with the area, lots of coyotes & buzzards,, had a metal fence for the dog & no pet door, so kept him in. Oh how the cat wanted out! He accidentally got out a few times then like “froze” at the corner of the porch…
I’ve got a good friend whose kitty was busy like that. Brought in snakes and other critters, sometimes killing them there in the hallway and making a heck of a mess for her to clean up! Several of my friends who have kitties have built them a catio, a screened area that’s accessed via an open window so they can lounge about in the outdoors but are fully enclosed and safe.
Thanks for introducing me to "catio" Alita. A fantastic "blend" word.
Thanks, dj. A lovely reminder that so-called domesticated cats can be pretty savage hunters when they control the territory. Dogs, as you suggest, are more into chasing!
Thanks Alita. Like you, I prefer cats to be indoors.