Animals: Like 'Em, Dislike 'Em, Or Indifferent?

In My Humble Opinion
41

I work for a humane society, so you can guess that I like having animals around :). If you don’t, well, more power to you. There’s nothing wrong with not liking dogs/cats/horses/kids/Jehovah’s Witnesses/smartasses/broccoli/whatever.

As for the reward? Well, I’m fostering a kitten right now until she weighs 2 lbs and can be spayed and then put in adoptions. She’s got smelly canned-food breath, and I find about one flea a day on her, and she’s got super-sharp teeth and claws, and she’s not figured out yet how to play gently, so I’m covered in scratches from her. But when she’s done chasing my permanent cat around the house and playing with her, Toast (the kitten) will hop into my lap and fall profoundly asleep. And there are few things as tranquil as having a kitten sleeping in your lap.

Daniel

42

I feel the same way about kids! I’m the type of person who doesn’t learn a social skill until someone tells me the correct thing to do in a situation, and the first time someone asked me if I wanted to hold her baby (I was in high school) I said, “No, I don’t really like babies.” I didn’t even pick up on the fact that she was offended, my mom had to point it out to me. Oops. I still feel bad about that one.

Anyway, I hope I’d understand someone not liking pets, but I think that if someone were to tell me that I might feel like I’d have more difficulty relating to them, and there might be a few seconds of “Oh… ohhh.” as I absorbed the information.

I grew up with a dog. I moved away from her last August and she died in March. I miss her terribly. I don’t think I’d be the same person if I hadn’t had her. I love cats, too. If I go out and a random neighbourhood cat allows me to pet her or rubs on my knee (as I automatically squat down if a cat is in the vicinity), it absolutely makes my day. If a dog waiting for his owner outside the 7-11 makes eye contact and wags his tail, and gets excited when I draw near and I get to pet him, that also makes my day. If I’m walking late at night and I see a raccoon bumbling around looking secretive, I can’t help but giggle with glee.

I pretty much like any animal that isn’t going to hurt me. Even the ones that would hurt me are great to have in the world, I just don’t want to be in a room with one. For example, no tigers allowed in the apartment.

43

My goal is to be the person my dog things I am.

44

Make that ‘thinks I am.’

45

Hitler? :smiley:

46

We have 2 dogs, 2 cats, a guinea pig, 2 fish, and 2 birds, so I guess you can put the entire geek family down in the “likes animals” column.

Our cats have not been declawed, but are indoor only cats. Mrs Geek and I both feel fairly strongly that cats should always be indoor cats. Just our opinion, not trying to start an argument. I’m well aware that many out there disagree.

Personally, I don’t care much for the birds or the fish. I’ve also never been much of a cat lover. So, of course, who is the cat’s number one favorite person? Me. How does that happen? It used to be only the older cat. I’d be typing on my computer, the next thing I know I have a cat in my lap trying to put a few words of its own onto the dope. Now the little one is doing it too.

Molly and Scooby (the two dogs) both think they are lap dogs. The only problem with this of course is that they both weigh about 100 lbs. They spend a lot of time in the back yard, because they are big dogs and like to run around, but they spend a lot of time inside as well, usually sitting on the furniture in the living room (which annoys my mother to no end when she visits, she’s one of those people who believes pets MUST NOT SIT ON FURNITURE). As I mentioned in another thread, they also aren’t the brightest dogs in the world.

Dana and Maria (the two cats) play with each other all day long, and occasionally torment the dogs. Aside from Maria (aka psycho kitty), who seems determined to eat either the fish or the birds one of these days, all of the pets get along fine together. It’s really funny to see Scooby, who is the bigger of the two dogs (probably about 120 lbs), play wrestling with Dana. She could cause him some definate pain with her claws, and he could squish her like a bug, but they manage to play without hurting each other.

We don’t think of any of them as mini-humans with fur. They do however have emotions (well, maybe not the fish…), and their own personalities, and are in some way a part of the family. I am sensitive to the fact that many people, like some who have posted in this thread, do not like animals, and when people like that come to the house I put the dogs out in the back yard. The rest of the pets keep to themselves around strangers. I think if you are going to have pets that they should be part of your family. I really dislike it when people have dogs and keep them out in the back yard all the time and never give them any attention.