How did you get your pet?

[Jam-on-toast]

I have just come home after taking our cat to the vet and, not for the first time, am sitting here wondering at the unpredictability of life. We have a cat. This might not sound like a bit deal, but it is a HUGE deal to us - we (hubby and I) don't like cats, we (the family) have a dog that hates cats. I personally just don't do cats. At all... and yet...

Three months ago my son was walking down the street and heard a faint meowing coming from what looked like an abandoned construction site. He crawled in to see a tiny kitten hiding underneath some debris. He played with it for a bit and left it there, hoping the mother would return. The next day he went back to check and finding the poor thing in the same place, shivering and meowing even louder, he brought her home. He rang the bell and sat on the porch, cradling her, while our dog was barking frantically from inside the house. The kitten was so small, it could fit into the palm of his hand. Hungry and scared, she also appeared to be blind on one eye.

To make the long story short, we didn't have the heart to tell him to leave her outdoors even though here in Jakarta nights are as warm as the days and the people are super friendly to street cats. She's have been perfectly fine in our compound, living in the communal gardens with all the other 17 or so cats, eating whatever food is being left for them by the residents and hunting whatever rats are lurking in the garbage. However, what my son did was extraordinary and we felt a deed like that deserved to be recognized. Letting him keep her felt like the right thing to do. And now we have a cat... with everything that it entails: regular visits to the vet, eye drops (they eye thing is not ideal, but she can clearly see well), scratchy toys and 'don't-hiss-at-the-dog-don't-hunt-the-cat' mantra. And the most amazing thing is, she's been growing on me...

So I've been wondering... if you have a pet, how did you get one?

 

[melscrap]

I can't imagine a house without a cat We picked our Pixie-cat up from the shelter 8 years ago. She also had a bit of an eye thing as a kitten, but it sorted itself out after a vet visit and a round or 2 of eye drops.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Cats are great! We adopted ours two years ago from the Humane Society. When we first brought him home, he did not like dogs. We have a dog and there are other dogs that come over to play. It took him a few weeks, but now he and our dog are besties. They're always together when the cat is in the house. He's kind of an outside-inside cat. He usually sleeps most of the day and likes to be outside at night. He has totally grown to accept the other dogs, too. We brought a new dog into the mix recently and he wasn't sure about her, but he'll get used to another dog. He quite often goes outside and plays with all of the dogs. I will tell you that the cat rules the roost, though. He can control all the dogs with one swat.

 

[Jam-on-toast]

I can't imagine a house without a cat We picked our Pixie-cat up from the shelter 8 years ago. She also had a bit of an eye thing as a kitten, but it sorted itself out after a vet visit and a round or 2 of eye drops.

Oh, that's good to know. The eye thing doesn't seem to bother her, but it looks like it would be... the drops help, but it's not a miracle cure, unfortunately...

 

[Jam-on-toast]

Cats are great! We adopted ours two years ago from the Humane Society. When we first brought him home, he did not like dogs. We have a dog and there are other dogs that come over to play. It took him a few weeks, but now he and our dog are besties. They're always together when the cat is in the house. He's kind of an outside-inside cat. He usually sleeps most of the day and likes to be outside at night. He has totally grown to accept the other dogs, too. We brought a new dog into the mix recently and he wasn't sure about her, but he'll get used to another dog. He quite often goes outside and plays with all of the dogs. I will tell you that the cat rules the roost, though. He can control all the dogs with one swat.

lol, that made me laugh... we aren't there yet, but they have learned to tolerate each other, can sit next to each other when given treats and don't mind colliding with each other when running up/down the stairs... oh, they share a water bowl - totally hilarious as she used to have two bowls and she'd drink from his, and he from hers... now we have just one cat fountain and they both love drinking from it.

All that notwithstanding, our cat is the only cat Jack the dog is prepared to accept, all the others are still prey...

 

[Jeannette]

We have 3 cats at the moment, all adopted from the shelter.
Before that we had 2 dogs, also adopted from the shelter.
It feels so good to give these animals a new chance for a good life.

 

[AZK]

Over the years we've gotten our pets in all sorts of ways. Twice we've gotten a dog and later, a cat from a rescue; we've found a stray or two; and in my career in the veterinary field I ran across a variety of creatures that ended up at our home. My current pets are two parakeets that I got from a rescue. Adopt, don't shop!

 

[vickyday]

I'm not a big fan of animals in the house, but I inherited an inside dog...A poodle...when i remarried. So at least he was already house trained and being a poodle means he doesn't shed which is a big plus. But he will soon be 13 years old and is starting to have eyesight problems. When he is gone I don't want a replacement.

 

[janedee]

We currently don't have any pets, but all of our cats in the past have come from the SPCA and one dog was a rescue. Right now we travel too much to have any pets, but in the future, we may get another cat.

 

[Jam-on-toast]

I'm not a big fan of animals in the house, but I inherited an inside dog...A poodle...when i remarried. So at least he was already house trained and being a poodle means he doesn't shed which is a big plus. But he will soon be 13 years old and is starting to have eyesight problems. When he is gone I don't want a replacement.

I understand what you mean... my parents, once their dog died, haven't wanted a replacement either... growing up, the pets in our family were for us - the children, I don't think they would have gotten a pet if it hadn't been for us begging for one

 

[Jam-on-toast]

Over the years we've gotten our pets in all sorts of ways. Twice we've gotten a dog and later, a cat from a rescue; we've found a stray or two; and in my career in the veterinary field I ran across a variety of creatures that ended up at our home. My current pets are two parakeets that I got from a rescue. Adopt, don't shop!

We have 3 cats at the moment, all adopted from the shelter.
Before that we had 2 dogs, also adopted from the shelter.
It feels so good to give these animals a new chance for a good life.

Our second son is a big fan of rescue animals - over the years he's had a number of dogs with varying degrees of physical and emotional issues... and I must admit, as much as I admire him for his efforts and patience and dedication, I have come to realize that dealing with emotionally traumatized animals is not my thing... when we got our puppy, we got him from a breeder... and then my youngest son brought home a stray kitten... she's got genes of a semi-wild street cat whose first reaction is to bite and scratch, so it's been an upwards struggle... it is getting better, and she is learning, but four months down the road she is still far from the affectional kitty I would imagine a cat to be...

 

[Cherylndesigns]

lol, that made me laugh... we aren't there yet, but they have learned to tolerate each other, can sit next to each other when given treats and don't mind colliding with each other when running up/down the stairs... oh, they share a water bowl - totally hilarious as she used to have two bowls and she'd drink from his, and he from hers... now we have just one cat fountain and they both love drinking from it.

All that notwithstanding, our cat is the only cat Jack the dog is prepared to accept, all the others are still prey...

Give them time, Olga. It gets better, I promise. I remember the first layout I did and the title was "They Really DO Like Each Other". The lady at the Humane Society warned us that Sam (the cat) did not like dogs. My husband looked at her and said "he'll get over that" and he did. Now they're always in the same room together. We have one dog, but there are several "family dogs" who hang out here and I truly believe Sam thinks he's a dog now.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

I should add that we also "inherited" our Labradoodle, Daisy. Our daughter and her family bought her, and in the meantime, Adrienne had gone back to work and Ava (GD) had quit home schooling and Daisy was in her crate all day. We had lost our Lab only a few months prior and I said "No more dogs - unless a Poodle or Labradoodle (that doesn't shed) falls into our laps" - thinking that would never happen. Be careful what you wish for. Our DD called and asked if we would consider taking Daisy. That's how we got our dog. I remember saying "don't be messing with me" and she said she was dead serious. Daisy is 8 years old now.

 

[Jam-on-toast]

I should add that we also "inherited" our Labradoodle, Daisy. Our daughter and her family bought her, and in the meantime, Adrienne had gone back to work and Ava (GD) had quit home schooling and Daisy was in her crate all day. We had lost our Lab only a few months prior and I said "No more dogs - unless a Poodle or Labradoodle (that doesn't shed) falls into our laps" - thinking that would never happen. Be careful what you wish for. Our DD called and asked if we would consider taking Daisy. That's how we got our dog. I remember saying "don't be messing with me" and she said she was dead serious. Daisy is 8 years old now.

Haha.. what a story... the things we do for our children...

 

[pachimac]

I grew up with dogs. We had beagles all of my life. I was attacked by a cat when I was a baby and I have not really any fondness for cats. Both Michael and Melissa are allergic to them, so it was never any question whether we'd get a dog or a cat.

We have two chihuahuas that we got from a rescue. They were abandoned on a doorstep at 5 weeks old with their other 4 siblings. A Rescue here in Vegas drove out to California to pick them up and by the time they got them here 2 had died. They were flea ridden, one had Parvo, and they were really sick. They healed up and went to fosters until they were 9 weeks old, when we got them. They are now 5 years old and I can't imagine our lives without them.

This is the picture they sent to me that I fell in love with and had to have him. This is Gadget, was originally Fresno:


Here's them the first day we got them:


And now:

 

[EvelynD2]

Our daughter adopted our dog, Rocky, from a rescue group. She was still living at home when she got him. When she moved out she took him with her. We had also gotten a little dog from off of Craig's List. Our daughter had settled in her apartment but Rocky was used to being in our home with our two dogs and he was traumatized by being put in a kennel and by being alone. Our daughter brought him back home and he became our dog. We lost one of our little dogs last April. He was a rescue dog. We also lost our cat in December. She had been a stray that showed up at our house one day. We had her for 16 years. She was a wonderful cat.

 

[Cherylndesigns]

Olga @Jam-on-toast I was just given a cat fountain for my Sam. He's obsessed with water and every time I go to the sink to do the dishes, or anything else, here he comes. He loves to get down in the sink and he's fascinated with the running water. One of my friends just gave me a cat fountain for him and he loves it. I didn't even know they made such a thing, but it has kept him out of the sink when I'm trying to work.

 

[scribler]

We currently have two dogs. Our cat passed away a little over a year ago. Eventually, we'll add another rescue kitty to our household. I have a stray cat I am hoping to win over. They come and stare at me through our sliding glass door if I don't bring food out soon enough but runs as if I am the devil as soon as I open the door.

Both of our dogs are from our local humane society. Inuyasha has been with us 5 and a half years. We adopted him after our dog Sazume passed away in 2018. Our dog Sanosuke was just constantly panicked if we weren't home. He calmed down the day we brought home Inuyasha and he made Sanosuke's last six months so much better. And Sanosuke taught Inuyasha how to be the best boy.

Ishka will have her 5 year dog-i-versary next month. I originally saw her on Facebook. She had been at the humane society for nine months. I had shared her post around trying to get someone to adopt her but no success. Sano had just passed away and I wasn't really wanting to adopt another dog at the moment. But about a month after Sano passed, we went and adopted Inshka. She was not thriving in the shelter environment so I am not sure what would have happened had we not come for her. She was so, so skinny. But that's no longer an issue for her. lol

 

[Jam-on-toast]

We currently have two dogs. Our cat passed away a little over a year ago. Eventually, we'll add another rescue kitty to our household. I have a stray cat I am hoping to win over. They come and stare at me through our sliding glass door if I don't bring food out soon enough but runs as if I am the devil as soon as I open the door.

Both of our dogs are from our local humane society. Inuyasha has been with us 5 and a half years. We adopted him after our dog Sazume passed away in 2018. Our dog Sanosuke was just constantly panicked if we weren't home. He calmed down the day we brought home Inuyasha and he made Sanosuke's last six months so much better. And Sanosuke taught Inuyasha how to be the best boy.

Ishka will have her 5 year dog-i-versary next month. I originally saw her on Facebook. She had been at the humane society for nine months. I had shared her post around trying to get someone to adopt her but no success. Sano had just passed away and I wasn't really wanting to adopt another dog at the moment. But about a month after Sano passed, we went and adopted Inshka. She was not thriving in the shelter environment so I am not sure what would have happened had we not come for her. She was so, so skinny. But that's no longer an issue for her. lol

wow... what a heart-warming story... Your dogs have such unusual names... how did you choose them?

 

[Jam-on-toast]

I grew up with dogs. We had beagles all of my life. I was attacked by a cat when I was a baby and I have not really any fondness for cats. Both Michael and Melissa are allergic to them, so it was never any question whether we'd get a dog or a cat.

We have two chihuahuas that we got from a rescue. They were abandoned on a doorstep at 5 weeks old with their other 4 siblings. A Rescue here in Vegas drove out to California to pick them up and by the time they got them here 2 had died. They were flea ridden, one had Parvo, and they were really sick. They healed up and went to fosters until they were 9 weeks old, when we got them. They are now 5 years old and I can't imagine our lives without them.

This is the picture they sent to me that I fell in love with and had to have him. This is Gadget, was originally Fresno:
View attachment 413818

Here's them the first day we got them:
View attachment 413816

And now:
View attachment 413817

These are super cute!!!! Love the knitted blanket and the cute sweaters too!

 

[scribler]

@Jam-on-toast Inuyasha is our white dog. His name comes from the main character in the Japanese anime Inuyasha. He happens to be a half dog demon. Ishka's name is taken from a character in Star Trek DS9. Ishka is Quark and Rom's mother.

I have had several people recognize Inuyasha's name. I am still waiting for someone to recognize Ishka's. I'll admit that you'd have to be a big DS9 fine to recognize Ishka's name.