As I'm writing the next Epitaph installment, both my main characters are on-the-go, travel a lot, busy kind of people. Workaholic, even, to a certain extent. That doesn't mean they both wouldn't LIKE a pet. One of the things I considered for them on a first date was a trip to a shelter to socialize some animals, play with them, scratch that itch. One of the characters (I won't tell you which one) opted out for the reason they weren't sure they could leave without one, and that wouldn't be fair to the animal.
As many of you may (or may not) know, I share living space with a cat. She's been with us a very long time now, which amazes me considering she was a couple weeks shy of being a feral cat. She was found in a dumpster and *someone* decided I needed to keep her. I had another cat at the time, and was trying to wean myself, but I am also a believer in having two pets when one works so they can entertain each other while you're not there to love and cuddle them. Her "older brother" died a few years back, and as a senior citizen, she's happy not to have to contend with anyone else right now.Once upon a time, I also had a dog (one of the rule of "two"). A beautiful Sheltie. I'm not a dog person, per se, but I loved her for the time I had her, which was longer than her cat sibling lived.
Animals are funny. Some dogs are friendly, some - not so much. Some cats are social, others not so much. I have a bad habit of scooping up a cat when I'm visiting a friend's house, and the cat doesn't always appreciate that. But I love cats (I saw in a whiny voice). One of my friends' jaw dropped when I picked up "Mac the Cat" and he didn't put up a fuss. He was probably just as taken off guard as she was, and he let me cuddle and pet him before I realized I wasn't expected to do that and set him down gently with a sheepish smile. But me and cats? well, we understand each other. Dogs on the other hand? I always ask before I try to pet a dog. And asking "is he/she friendly?" isn't always the right question. Any animal on any given day might not be! So I ask, "Can I pet him/her?" and then I allow the dog to smell my hand first so it can "accept" me.
I could tell you dozens of stories about my two cats, about how the one would lay in the middle of the floor and wouldn't care if you petted him, and the other was "invisible." I could tell you stories about the games they played with each other, but then you'd be spending all day reading this post!
{clearing my voice, adopting announcer voice} Tune in next week for the escapades of K.C. and Poo-Pooh.
Do you have pets?
We've been through a variety of pets from fish to a parakeet we found in the yard one cold morning, hamsters to a ferret, as well as dogs, but allergies mean no cats. Our current dog is a gem we picked up at the local shelter. We'd said 'no more pets' when our last dog died, but it seems there's a law up here in the mountains that says you have to have a dog poking its head out the window when you drive anywhere, especially if it's in a pickup truck. We haven't regretted a day since we adopted her--or she adopted us. She runs the household, for sure.
ReplyDeleteLove your pictures of Feebie, Terry!
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