Your relationship with your pets

[twickster]

I'm currently reading Some we Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat by Hal Herzog, about the relations between humans and animals.

In a section on pets, he has some statistics about how people treat their pets, so I was curious to find out how Dopers -- a notoriously pet-loving crowd, other than prr -- line up on these behaviors.

Please check off any of the things that you do. I'm leaving the results hidden by name so the people who dress their pets up in costumes don't have to out themselves if they don't want to.

[saje]

Cats get to sleep on the bed, dogs do not.

Both get Christmas presents, mostly so we humans can enjoy our presents and meal without their 'help'.

I don't even buy my husband birthday presents, let alone the critters

[twickster]

Just added another option -- "have a pet but none of the above."

[stpauler]

1) Dogs sleep in the kennel, at least 'til they're fully housetrained
2) No special gifts on their birthday/adoption day, they're pampered anyways
3) Special meals? Nope, no table scraps either.
4) Don't dress up the dog, but damn I really want some of the stuff from this etsy person, especially the peacoat.

[Skara_Brae]

I have one cat.

I just picked the first one. It's not really a matter of "letting her" though. She sneaks up on the bed with us when we are asleep.

For 2, we don't buy her presents on holidays, but we do get her new toys/scratching pads regularly.

For 3, no special meals, but we do shell out for her expensive stupid prescription food for her expensive stupid "delicate" stomach.

[ZipperJJ]

I don't cook special meals for my dog, but I checked that option anyway. I give her one can of salt-free green beans every night, and those cans are expensive (86 cents!) so I consider that out-of-the-ordinary feeding.

I would totally dress her up if we could find clothes that fit. She's just too big

[rhubarbarin]

Cats can come on the bed, dogs are not allowed. I don't cook for my pets but I feed them a specific fresh, expensive diet. I don't buy them presents, dress them in clothes (other than jackets in very cold weather) or otherwise treat them like children.

[PapSett]

I have a full bed at night, all 5 dogs and usually at least one of the cats. I buy Christmas gifts for them simply because I don't have any other 'family' to buy for. And I do on occasion, NOT OFTEN, cook for them... for example, about once a month I scramble eggs for everybody and mix it with kibble.

'Dressing up' consists of a bandana, or a sweater for the little 'uns when it's cold, so I didn't check that one.

[Sigmagirl]

I'll out myself as being the one who dresses up her dogs. We have costume contests at rescue fundraising events. That is the only time I do it. And the last couple of times I haven't done it, because it was too cold or rainy.

[Athena]

Originally Posted by stpauler

etsy person, especially the peacoat.

Damn you, damn you, damn you. I don't dress up my dogs, but now they both want peacoats.

[Ann Onimous]

Angel does sleep in our bed every so often, mostly in the mornings a couple of hours before I have to get up and go to work. Angel and Smudge both get Christmas presents, because they are members of the family. No way on clothes*: and the closest she gets to a special meal is wet dog food.

*ETA: Until I saw this.

Originally Posted by stpauler

4) Don't dress up the dog, but damn I really want some of the stuff from this etsy person, especially the peacoat.

Angel would look really cute in a trench coat.

[charmstr]

The dog sleeps on the bed but the cats do not. The dog lays down at the bottom corner of the bed and stays there until morning. If the cats are allowed in, they jump onto and off the bed all night, walk across my stomach and try to insinuate themselves into uncomfortable (for me, not them) locations. It's easier to just let them bitch at me through the door for a couple minutes each night.

[TruCelt]

I am playing a bit with the verb tense, but picked the first three. My dogs all slept on the bed occasionally (not often and never under the covers) They all got their annual chewie supply wrapped up at Christmas, and a steak or ham on their brithdays. (I just picked the first of the month they were born.) So I didn't cook special meals all the time, but once a year I did. And I didn't buy anything they didn't need, but I wrapped it up and included them in the family gift opening ritual.

My current pets are fish, so the only one that applies is special meals. I do sometimes blanch a bit of fresh zuchini for them, and they get frozen shrimp now and then, and definitely any time we're having a feast. (T'giving, x-mas, etc.)

They are not spoiled or treated as human, but they are family members of a sort.

[Anaamika]

I have a gecko so he is incapable of doing most of those things. I laugh to even think of him sleeping on the bed. But then again, he does conk out on the floor of his tank.

I don't even get him Christmas presents. But I love him as much as you can love a reptile, and when he does his "last gecko in the shop" move I just melt.

[Balthisar]

I have a dog, but her Christmas gifts coincide with her needs. For example, a new bed will be timed for Christmas. I didn't mark "prepare special meals" but I did give her canned food for a week (that's special, right?) when she had sutures in her mouth.

[Acid Lamp]

The dogs are occasionally allowed to sleep in the bed, but they must start their night in their own bed which is at the foot of ours. They do get presents on christmas. On occasion they'll get a special meal, but that is defined as: "any time I am out of kibble and the self feeder is empty, and it is late, and I am tired."

[Drunky Smurf]

My two cats sleep on the bed and I buy them presents for Christmas and on my birthday since I don't know they're real birthdays.

[Contrapuntal]

Three dogs, one sleeps in the bed, under the covers, the other two are way too big.

None of the other stuff in the poll. Although they do get high grade dog food, as well as excellent medical care, even when I cannot.

Plus they have limited input on what TV shows to watch.

[pseudotriton ruber ruber]

I have fleas
who sleep where they please
bring me disease
and crap in my cheese

[AlienVessels]

I cook hamburger for my cat because she's old and likes it. I find I have to change up her diet or it's harder for her to get interested in eating.

[Markxxx]

When I was a kid, I had a dog and cat and the cat slept on the bed (or wherever she wanted to) and the dog slept on the floor. (He liked that better as the heat came up from vents on the floor so he'd sleep by it.

Both got Christmas and birthday presents. Usually a rawhide for the dog and kitty treats for the cat

And yes as a kid I would dress up the dog and take pictures of him. He liked to wear collars and hats, The cat wouldn't tolerate any attempt to dress her up and since she had claws it wasn't worth the struggle, since the dog let me do whatever I wanted to him

Of course now that I'm an adult if I had a pet I wouldn't do that, but when you're a kid, well that's what pets are for right?

[Moonlitherial]

The dogs sleep in our bed and get new toys whenever we travel (a bribe so they'll forget we left them) and at Christmas. I didn't check the cook special meals option but we do occasionally to regularly mix pumpkin into their kibble.

I have a set of antlers that I put on them at least once a year but that is just for my own amusement at their disgust.

[silenus]

The cats are family. They sleep on the bed, get presents at Christmas, and when I'm not looking, the wife puts hats on them and takes pictures.

[Ferret Herder]

I picked "cook special meals" but usually it's just buying a variety of greens (usually 2-3 kinds a day, sometimes more) for the rabbits, making sure to include one that's high in Vitamin A for their eyes, and prepping them (chopping/separating if we're going to eat part and the rabbits will eat the rest, looking for any that are going bad, etc.)

I also baked homemade "dog biscuit"-style dry treats at one point, since a lot of commercial treats really aren't good for them. These contained finely ground hay and oats, plus mashed banana, cooked and mashed carrot, and a little bit of honey; I used a recipe from the House Rabbit Society.

So my response is really "salad prep and one batch of hard cookies."

[Oakminster]

The Druidess is very much a pet person. Prior to our engagement, my home was pet free for about two years. She had, and now we have, two largish dogs of...inexact genetic background...and two lizards (bearded dragons, I think). The lizards mostly get fed and occasionally petted, scritched, taken out of their enclosures for romps on the floor, and that's about it. The doggies are allowed to sleep with us in the bed, get presents, and typically get a bite of whatever we're eating at the end of the meal.

Strongly suspect either dog would violently object to being dressed up for any reason, and can't say I'd blame them. They are dogs, not dolls, and we would not inflict such indignity upon them.

[Tamerlane]

Cats can sleep on my bed whenever they want to - except at night, when I'm sleeping. I find both of them intermittently disruptive in different ways, so they get shut out when I go to sleep. They're reasonably tolerant of it, since I've been doing it since they were kittens, though one does act like a desperate two year-old avoiding sleep at times in the way he tries to ineffectually resist being tossed out.

Otherwise, that's about it. No dressing up, no cooking for them/special meals and usually no Christmas gifts ( I won't say never, but I don't go out of my way to pick up toys for them on Christmas ).

[Tom Tildrum]

The dog has heart problems and arthritis, and getting her to eat anything is typically a challenge. She gets the gourmet dog food, and I'll usually add some chicken or cheese on top, then nuke it briefly so it will have more smell.

The parrot eats bird pellets, but he also gets to sample from what I'm eating or drinking if it's something he likes, like ice cream, cereal, OJ, or pasta.

[Chopper9760]

I marked the first 3. I'm not cooking special meals for the Kimber puppy but my last dog ate chicken and rice during the later part of her life due to colitis.

Kimber likes presents and she likes sleeping with me so she does both. Betty never seemed to like gifts so I didn't buy her any - depends on the pet I guess.

[Rushgeekgirl]

My little dog sleeps with me because it pleases me. My cat has started getting under the covers on the other side and I like that too. It's like a snuggle sandwich! My pit mix doesn't get such treatment, but I do occasionally fix him up a special treat. I feel bad when he has to stay outside (in his dog house) on cold or rainy days so I'll heat up his Gravy Train with hot water and mix it with whatever leftover we have in the house. I do not COOK him anything though.

Once my daughter bought the little dog a Santa suit. That was not my idea but I admit he looked mighty cute.

[Daerlyn]

In my defense, buying Christmas presents for my pet means the catnip pillow is usually done in by next Christmas anyways.

[CrazyCatLady]

The cats sleep on the bed, the dogs sleep on their beds in the floor. (Unless Dolly is alone upstairs, in which case she will sneak onto our bed to nap.) They each have their own little stockings I made for them and get the toy/treat supply renewed at Christmas, which keeps them happy and occupied while we open our stuff.

I didn't check the cooking meals or dressing up thing, though I suppose it's technically open to interpretation. Everyone gets turkey-flavored canned food on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and if we're cleaning a bunch of aged dry goods out of the pantry I might make up the occasional batch of critter cookies. Also, the dogs get bandanas after a bath.

[Spoons]

Originally Posted by Daerlyn

In my defense, buying Christmas presents for my pet means the catnip pillow is usually done in by next Christmas anyways.

That's my approach--generally, the toys that my cats got last Christmas have been destroyed, so new ones are in order for the next Christmas.

[panache45]

Actually, the cats spend more time on the bed than I do.

Today is the 10th birthday of one of my cats, Paris. Tonight he'll get a few pieces of hot dog, a green olive and some popcorn. Of course he'll share these with his sister Vienna, except that instead of popcorn she'll get Cheerios.

Yes, fun times for all.

[Sailboat]

Dogs sleep on the floor, in their own beds, beside our bed. Sometimes I will make a pallet on the floor and join them, as a treat.

We got started cooking for the dogs in an effort to find something their digestive systems could tolerate. Now we cook batches of food, refrigerate, and warm it up in the microwave before serving -- using a recipe devised for us by a canine dietitian (how's that for a profession? Sounds like the aspiration of teenage beauty contestants everywhere).

Sadie hates clothing and will mope if she even has to wear a coat in the cold, and she's short-haired and not cold-adapted, so we don't make her.

Simone, on the other hand, seems comfortable in clothing and even excited about it at times. She's also very thin-coated and sensitive about the cold and likes to sleep in a hoodie, T-shirt or blanket if it's chilly in the house. So we dress her up a lot, partly to keep her warm and partly to amuse ourselves. Sometimes we put her in costumes for events.

Did I mention she's a pit bull?

[Brynda]

Would you recommend the book? It sounds like it might be interesting.

[horsetech]

PRR, very poetic.

The Cat sleeps on the bed (although I do shove her off my pillow), is generally well-treated, and gets to be a proper noun. She does not get presents for special occasions, nor does she get home-cooked meals. In fact, she gets zero table scraps and carefully chosen and measured kitteh food for flab loss.

However, in the last year I have spent well over a thousand dollars on vet bills and airplane trips (two moves), and she has not even had what I consider a major illness. As of this winter, I spend $50+ a month on injectable arthritis meds for her, which many would consider excessive for a slightly gimpy senior cat. I just want her to be comfortable and happy for as long as possible; she's "only" 14.

I guess you could say I'm a crazy cat lady, and all of my crazy cat lady energy is focused on one cat at the moment.

[Dread Pirate Jimbo]

Our cats are allowed to hang out on the bed until lights out and then they get booted out of the bedroom. They have both come up with the "foolproof" plan of turning on the charm and purring their little heads off while visiting because no one could possibly kick them out when they're being so cute. They both seem genuinely surprised every night when this brilliant scheme doesn't work. Of course, every now and then, we fall asleep before the girls get dismissed, so they do sometimes get special sleeping on the bed privileges for at least part of the night.

Special occasion presents are pretty much just special meals (usually some variety of gourmet canned food) at this point, since the cats generally won't touch anything we've paid actual money for. Twist ties and scraps of paper apparently make ideal cat toys, whereas a $5 fuzzy mouse toy isn't even worth acknowledging. They also have a bizarre love of carrot bags -- after we go through a bag of carrots, the empty bag goes on the floor and the cats seem to delight in sitting on it. I don't get it...

If my wife is cooking pork, my cat will usually get a piece or two tossed her way -- she is a total pork junkie and will not leave us alone to eat any pork-related meal until she has stuffed her fuzzy little face as well.

No costumes for the girls -- they're cute enough without outfits. Plus they'd probably scratch our eyes out.

[twickster]

Originally Posted by Brynda

Would you recommend the book? It sounds like it might be interesting.

Yeah, I'm enjoying it. (Link.)

It's definitely written as pop science, not that there's anything wrong with that. Lots of factoids in short bits, which is fine with me, I'm mostly reading it on the train.

[Antinor01]

We not only allow, but actively encourage our cat to sleep with us. We also get him presents. No special cooking, but he likes to have a taste of whatever we're eating and gets his own little plate at thanksgiving.

[Snickers]

Oh yeah, the cats sleep with us. Generally down by our feet, although one does like to come up from time to time and snuggle under the covers for a bit. She leaves again when she gets too hot (or we're too wiggly). Sometimes they get a piece of whatever meat I'm cooking (especially if it's bacon), but that's pretty infrequent.

No cats on counters or on the table, though. Not that they don't get up there anyway; they're just not supposed to.

[pbbth]

All the animals (2 cats and a very small dog) sleep in the bed with us. They all get christmas/holiday presents as well. We don't cook for them at all but they get a little bit of pumpkin in their food and occasional assorted treats. We don't dress them up at all except a sweater on the dog when it is cold outside.

[lisacurl]

Cats sleep with me, not by my choice but because they cried their way into it. The 75 pound dog does not get into the bed, unless it's thundering, then she walks on my head to let me know.

I don't cook special meals for the pets as a matter of course, but I have done mix-ins of veg and stuff, so I guess that counts. It's purposeful and with some sort of goal in mind.

I don't buy presents for my own pets, but it's expected to have gifts for the pets of my siblings at xmas. I blame our delayed childbearing.

The cats do NOT dress up. The dog has been dressed up for special occasions, such as the doggie Mardi Gras parade, but not as a matter of course. She also has a raincoat because that's better than wet dog stink. She doesn't tolerate hats.

[ratatoskK]

I said "none of the above" but if I were not allergic I would allow the cats on my bed.

[MaddyStrut]

No dress up. The cat would probably claw my eyes out and the sheltie already has so much fur clothing would be ridiculous.

No cooking special meals unless one of them needs it because of illness or trying (in vain) to get the cat to somehow consume a pill.

No presents for holidays, but it's not like they lack anything they want.

The dog doesn't sleep on the bed because it's too hot and, with all that sheltie fur, he prefers to sleep in the coolest place in the house (currently the basement). The cat does sleep on the bed because that's where the cat damn well wants to sleep and this cat does what it damn well wants to.

Seriously, I have no control over that cat. I've dealt with difficult, aggressive dogs, feisty, troublesome horses, etc. I thought for sure I could manage one arrogant cat. I was very foolish.

[Voyager]

My dog is too big to sleep on the bed when we're both in it, but can when there is only one of us. If my wife is still asleep when I leave for work, I let her in to jump on the bed and snooze for a while in the morning.

The dogs do get Christmas presents, always bits of food. Our old, genius dog showed us that he knew how to open packages very nicely the first time we wrapped up a present for him, and sometimes we let him open ours. Our dog now learned a little bit about how to, but isn't nearly as good.

No special food except if there is some medical reason, such as rice and cottage cheese for stomach problems.

[Least Original User Name Ever]

Does "Tuna Tuesday" count for "Making meals for your pets"? Also, what about an isolated incident for putting a chickenhat on them as punishment?

[Glory]

My two cats are adored and spoiled....but they aren't allowed in the bedroom, they eat kibble from a bag (spendy, prescription stuff, but no cooking involved). Dress them up? Ha no. Okay, tiny reindeer antlers, ONCE.

[Glory]

Originally Posted by Skara_Brae

For 3, no special meals, but we do shell out for her expensive stupid prescription food for her expensive stupid "delicate" stomach.

Bingo! Diego (and by extension, Serafina) eats Royal Canin Green Pea and Venison.

[Foxy40]

Both dogs sleep with me in the bed. They are both small and the bed is high so they wait to be picked up when I climb into bed and will bark if I am not fast enough. I buy them beef rib bones which I parboil so the bones don't splinter and occasional ground beef. They also get our table scraps. Yes to Christmas and birthday presents and they both wear sweaters in the winter and halloween custumes.

So pretty much all of the above.

[Diogenes the Cynic]

The cat sleeps on the bed. We buy her Christmas presents. We don't dress her up.