We love to talk about our cats and dogs, show off cute pictures and brag how smart and clever our pets are. Even when we complain about stepping barefoot on nasty hairballs or cleaning up puppy potty accidents, we do so with affection. But unless friends share our furry passion, dog and cat conversations often raise eyebrows or spark disbelief about our pet devotion.
Non-pet friends don’t understand that Seren and Magic are my family. Pets don’t fire me as an owner when I’m downsized from my job, and they stay by my side when I lose my home or human loved ones. Friends don’t always get it that it’s not “easier” to give up my pet family even in times of disaster or hardship.
Friends don’t realize that getting another animal friend isn’t like shopping for new shoes. Each dog and cat is an individual and can’t be replaced once lost. New pets honor the past furry friends, but never take their place. My latest Paw Nation article lists another eight things friends often don’t “get” about our relationship with our cats and dogs.
What about you? Are there specific things that your family or friends don’t understand about your pet relationship? My husband didn’t grow up with pets–but quickly learned that in my world, fur is a condiment. In fact, he gave me (us!) our first doggy companion at my first birthday after we got married. And after that furry-muse died, it took over a decade to welcome another furry wonder into our home–the cute puppy picture (above) is Magic the first day he came to live with us.
”Pictures
Our first dog lives on in my heart, and in the books I write. In fact I’ve got to share a brag. Hey, it’s my blog, I can do that! This past week my colleague Dr. Debra Eldredge, gave a glowing 5-star review of Complete Care for Your Aging Dog. You’ll want to bookmark her site, too, because Doc Eldredge is a brilliant writer and author who covers great dog content.
NEWS FLASH! I’m excited that the “Cutting Edge” book is back in print and a variety of Ebook formats, thanks to the brilliant folks at WhoDaresWinsPublishing yee-haw! And in celebration, those reading this blog get the first crack at a special in celebration of the print book launch. I’ve reduced Pet Care in the New Century “Kindle Version” to $2.99 for the next 100 books sold…or until the end of April, whichever comes first. Of course, I also hope you’ll share what you think in a review on the amazon page. (Stay tuned…there’s a kitty book special coming on Friday!)
I love hearing from you, so please share comments and questions–and to stay up to date on all the latest just subscribe the blog, “like” me on Facebook, listen to the weekly radio show, and sign up for Pet Peeves newsletter with April pet book give-aways!
I recently moved from one coast to another and I got a lot of “why don’t you just give away your four cat and two chihuahuas.” I’m like, “why don’t you give away that kid you had that’s standing in the center of the My brother can’t stand that we have a “cat sister” and scolds my mom for saying, “now take your little sister to the mail box and be nice to her.” Even after Mia took down the Christmas tree (breaking it to the point where duct tape was impossible to fix it), she got more presents than we did. My stepdad came into the family as a clueless person. He was clear that no cats would be sleeping in HIS bed. 10 years later and Mia is his baby. She rides in his truck. She has her own chair in his garage. They take afternoon naps together. And he takes pictures of her sitting on his Harley. I say those clueless people just haven’t met the right pet to convert them into the picture-posting-fawning-over-their-pets people just yet.
Thanks for posting! And I agree, absolutely, that it often takes the RIGHT pet-connection before folks finally “get it.” So glad your stepdad has been converted, LOL! Mia sounds lovely. *s*
one thing some of your readers might be interested in – my cat was quite young when I got her and doesn’t seem to realize that she can climb over the fence, but she is quite interested in going under. I had chicken wire installed right to the ground, and it works like a champ – she spends lots of time peering through it but makes no attempt to get out – and it was less than $100, including installation.
Hi Sandi,
Thanks for the tip! It can be tough to contain kitties. I like the FenceIn products that attach to existing structures but that can be pricy.