Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts

Cat Person Living in a Dog World



OK, I like cats, and yes, I will finally come out of the closet and say I do prefer them to dogs. I am a cat person. Don't get me wrong, I love dogs the same way I love all animals, especially if they are puppies or belong to other people. The truth is, I think cats are more mature. I equate cats with 2 yr olds whereas I'd age cats at possibly 5-8 yrs old mentally.

Our entire neighborhood seems to be composed of dog enthusiasts. All of our neighbors walk their dogs down our street and the neighbors next door just got a puppy. Sometimes I feel like I am surrounded by dogs, especially when I'm doing yard work and a neighbor stops to comment that our yard looks better than the previous owner, and "oh, we should get a dog so we can fit in".

Guess what? We have two cats. They provide all the benefits of dogs: greeting us at the door, wanting attention, hanging with us outside, guarding the house from intruders (especially the rodent variety), playing fetch, and just about anything else a dog can do. But, they do not provide us with massive piles of dung to be removed from our yard, slobber covered items, or puddles on the floor. They also do not require our constant attention (although they would enjoy it). The only drawback is that there aren't as many cool products for cats as there are for dogs (not talking clothes here either). I wish the pet industry would realize there are idiots like me who will spend just as much money to keep my kitties happy as there are dog owners who will do the same.

Sam and Gandalf are very sophisticated and purposeful in every single action they take. They learn from each other and try to tag team us to get their own way. Some examples are rolling on the floor. Gandalf has always done this to get our attention. Sam noticed this and began doing the same thing. Gandalf noticed that when Sam came over at sat on us he got attention, Gandalf modified himself to become a lap cat for the same reason. They both learn other things amazingly fast too. When we moved, the new house has dog doors. They are now cat doors. It took this dynamic duo approximately 3 days to fully master their workings and seek to use them whenever possible.

The only drawbacks of having cats are the litter box and the fact that they are really routine oriented. The big trick with the routine orientation is to throw them for loops or just plain be aware of this facet of their personality. For example I never feed the cats first thing in the morning and neither does Pregremlin. They know that they will not be fed until after we are awake, but they also know that waking us up does not result in instant food either.

There really isn't a point to this post other than to reveal which side I line up on in the great pet debate, and mention that not all non-dog-owners desire dogs, nor do we dislike them. I just don't feel that a dog is the right pet for me.

*Note: the 4 pm and/or 5 pm post may be slightly delayed due to my afternoon class and the busy work I have to complete to get ready for it.
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Sam the Deer Hunter - Video

While I'm working on the Origins game reviews, I thought I'd take a break from serious blogging to bring you a funny incident that occurred in my backyard two nights past.

I have a bold Siamese cat named Sam who recently ran away for a couple of weeks into the woods after an altercation with the neighborhood devil cat. Since his return after 13 days of exposure and almost starving, he has become an adept hunter. In the time since, he's brought us two mice with one confirmed kill. Of course it could have been the same mouse twice since the first one he brought was the one that got away.

On Tuesday night, Pregremlin happens to look in our backyard and spies a deer. He tells me about the deer and then says that Sam is sitting right next to it. By the time I get to the window, the cat has begun to stalk the deer. When I see him run up to the deer until they are almost nose-to-nose, I know it's time to grab the new video camera and try to capture this moment for posterity. What I caught was the tail end of the confrontation.

In the video below, you will see Sam on the left and a deer on the right. I haven't mastered the various camcorder functions yet or the editing software, so the video is fairly dark and uncropped. Watch what happens:



After chasing the deer off, Sam stood guard for another hour and then returned to the abode. I asked him what he thought he, an 8 pound cat, was going to do if he caught the 260 lb deer. Of course in the mysterious way of cats everywhere, the only reply I received was a blank look.
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