Holy Hannah but it was blowing all night. For awhile there I thought that perhaps I was living on the east coast but in fact had not made it past Alberta. It was blowing pretty good last night and for some reason it kept me awake. I'd sleep for a bit then wake with a start when a good gust rattled the shack. Happily it is no longer like that, but it took most of the day to settle down.
And just to change the subject completely, here's something that no one tells you when you are a dog person, cat's are useless. Yes indeedy they are. Well actually they aren't useless, they are the negative of useless, meaning that not only are they useless, but they also damage the place they live in and make you want to BBQ their little asses.
You can't run with them. You can barely train them to do stuff because they aren't exactly the sharpest tools in the case, if you know what I mean. They shed all over the place. And they try to wreck stuff by kneading, and sharpening their claws. So like I said, worse than useless. Which means that I am now stuck with black fur ball of uselessness. Okay I do have to admit that she does have one quality which is positive, she makes me laugh every once in awhile because she is such a dipshit.
I am hoping that I will at least be able to get a story, or two, out of her. She really does have to somehow start earning her keep. (Okay bring on the "how dare you say that about cats" rants, I'm ready.)
Everyone is entitled to their own (incorrect) opinion. :) I have been owned by both species of animals. My main fear about getting another dog is that a stupid (read useless) dog is worse than any stupid cat I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. Stupid dogs may eat anything and everything and too much of same forcing said human to edit/portion out the amounts to eat. Stupid and even some smart dogs may or may not choose to come when called, may choose to eat articles of one's clothing or toilet paper or (see eating anything and everything note above) kitchen impliments or even, their own food bowl. I have known dogs to claw at wallpaper, furniture, floors and their sheer size (at least the kind we both like) can cause more damage in a very short period of time than a house of cats.
ReplyDeleteThis is not to say that cats can't cause their own problems: peeing or pooping in places other than those sanctioned by us, personality differences with their house mates, eating inappropriate plants (then barfing in non sanctioned places) clawing furniture etc etc. It is why I say "I have cats, I can't have anything nice". However, one of my cats goes to her room when told, all of them come when called almost immediately, they all hunt and remove pests from my property, they sit on my lap and give me warmth and purr therapy in the winter. Two sit on command, one lies down on command and only one of them makes the vet afraid.
I had one dog that ever fit the really smart profile and very few are ever going to meet up to that expectation again. At least a stupid cat will never starve and most of the ones I've ever known will not over-eat to the point of throwing up all the food just injested (the speed of eating is a different story).
I can't say I've had many dogs, the one I have right now equals three, but I have had dogs for a long time. #1) Was 18 when she died. By and far the smartest dog to date. She wasn't a finicky eater but did not eat a whole bunch. She was as close to perfect as you can get in a dog, her one flaw was that she wasn't too particular about where she went poop, most especially if it was really cold outside. But more than likely that was our fault when we first got her as we were pretty young and foolish. #2) Died when she was fifteen. Smart, but stubborn beyond belief. Always wanted to be the boss. Did not tolerate other dogs in her yard. Loved cats. Wasn't a big eater. #3) Present hound. Has an amazing personality. Loves to be outside. Still in the training mode. She has not progressed as far as she should because of us...and the fact that she is 95% of the time at Kitpu Estates so isn't socialized enough. Doesn't eat much, although when she was a very little houndicus had a bit of a thing for toilet paper. Glad that stage was short lived.
DeleteAll three were fantastic running companions. All three had that black and tan, big German Shepherd look to them which made people think once, twice, or three times before approaching. None of them would have made good hunters. (Of course none of them ever were at the starving stage so did not have to try. One was obsesses with gophers and got great enjoyment from running after them for years, and years, and years.)
I have had two cats in my life. One we had for less than six months (it left home the same time we went on vacation and left him with a babysitter) and this one, she will be two in two months. So far she is just an inside cat, time will tell whether or not we let her outside. The vet says that a cat will only get leukemia from fighting with other cats, so we are trying to reduce the chance. Also many large bald eagles plus one small retarded cat equals one missing dead cat.