@neru - their total indifference to everything and anything is what makes me like them.
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Parting ways with “pets” is surely a painful period in our lifes.
They make such an impact and their personalities and characters are so strong it’s not easy telling others how much they mean to you and how you can love them as much as you do.
Only other “Pet” “owners” knows this.
I think they’re more than pets and I don’t want to to “own” “it”, but these are terms so integrated in society i guess it will take decaades to change this around to more including lingo.
Anyways; my condolances!
You have a pass for being grumpy and frustrated for some time,till you heal from the pain and find back to them happy days.
safe travels in the segment of sad emotions
Hopefully it doesn’t last too long for you.
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I agree the whole concept of “pet ownership” is really bizarre, similar to the way people talk about their children being in their “custody,” as in their prisoners technically the laws are similar.
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I use “guardian” as I don’t own them. Another being can not “own” another being, only care about their well being and provide such.
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Really interesting about ownership, I never really thought about it until now. I guess there is a two way relationship here. I kind of felt like I was the one who was adopted by the animal. She decided I was a good bet for providing her with what she needed, a warm home, and lots of love.
I think we learn from animal guardianship, for some it’s a substitute for parenting.
I do love their independence, and many cats have a few homes on the go at once.
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This is from the Byte Show website, I have had nine “babies/ doggies” since 2000. Some have crossed over and some are living sharing their love. I think this is how I feel…
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Reminds me of a joke about two dogs and a cat who arrive at the Pearly Gates.
The dogs respectfully ask "Have we been good dogs, may we enter please?
St Peter says “Yes, you’ve been very good. In you go.”
The cat looks at St Peter and says “You’re sitting in my chair”.
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Last week I had a well loved cat who escaped their family’s house and found himself in my backyard. I managed to find out where he lived (good old Facebook local community group) and he found himself home. Very well groomed looking British Short-hair. I nearly adopted him.
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@bluefalken i feel this poem is talking to me. We lost our beloved dachshund on 10/7/2021. He was one week shy of 18 years old. We got him from a puppy mill and he ended up having back issues. We spent $3,300.00 for his surgery and care when he was 6. Then he went down again at 12 but we just crated him for 8 weeks and no surgery. We had ramps all through the house inside and out so that he would hopefully not jump as much and hurt his back. Then he had anal gland issues and had them removed and he was the 1% that had issues after the procedure. I would make my bed with shower curtains and his blankets and towels just in case he would have an accident. During the scamdemic lock downs we bought two 50 pound bags of dog food for a 17 pound dog ( he was a tweeny). We kept thinking what if we couldn’t buy food for him if the supply chain could not get us dog food. We bought nothing but the best food and treats for him (From). Feeding him good and expensive food was well worth it especially for his bowel movements. Till this day we say we are not getting another dog because it would break our hearts again when they go over the rainbow bridge. We cant afford the care for another dog like we did before. We don’t think we can handle another special needs dog because we are getting up in age and we now use his ramps😆.
We just don’t know what to do because there are days we talk about getting another dog and then we think about how screwed up this world is and we both then decide NO.
The poem struck a chord with me because there are so many unloved dogs/cats out there and we are marvelous parents.
So confused😞
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Well there are dogs that need less activity than others and there are shelters that will help you on your way,giving some free vet visits and food along the way.
If you have a back yard/garden that would help of course.
I used to think i would never get another dog as I loved a dog soooo much, but you will truly never regret adopting a dog.
Just tell the shelter what kind of dog you are able to take care of and theyll be happy to help
Best of luck and safe journey to you and yours
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That’s good you were able to reunite that cat with his family!
This rogue cat I saw had a collar but couldn’t get close enough to read that, he did kind of seem lost but was being stand-offish hiding under a truck didn’t want to bother him. Haven’t seen him again since then hope he found his way home.
I think I mentioned another time a neighbor’s cat named Romeo snuck into my house and hid for hours he scared me real bad when surprised me standing in my hallway but didn’t seem like he was looking for trouble just investigating this house which at the time was also the residence of a cat.
@Sphinx Thank you! I guess this screwed up world is what’s making us fearful to have another fur baby.
So sorry for all of you who have lost a beloved animal. I have had three other sweet little dogs besides my Shiloh. I still pray for them, and I do every night for Shiloh, that when her time comes, she’ll pass peacefully and painlessly, and, I hope, naturally, and not alone.
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We are in our seventies. I believe that our loved ones want us to keep sharing our love and give other babies a forever home. Oh yes, I am glad Joseph reminded me to pray 
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I think it’s therapeutic that there is so much sharing about these very precious friendships, including the deep pain that comes with the loss. Relationships with animals are very, very important for us, and our culture tries to suppress that natural instinct and capacity we all have to commune with other animals, in languages other than human talk, and in the eyes and other modalities.
@Sal2lee: We, too, relate with your feelings about wondering whether or not to offer a home to another animal, especially after what your beloved Dachshund friend and you went through, as we also have similar feelings about navigating the craziness in our world. After our beloved cat departed, it took a long time to recover from the trauma of the cat’s experience with the vet hospital (right when all the covid nonsense hit, and how they kept us waiting for hours in the parking lot, and wouldn’t let us in the hospital to be with him). There is a local bylaw that requires people to confine cats indoors, something we find repulsive (we have always had cat flaps so the cats could come and go as they pleased, except at night, we kept them indoors, so they wouldn’t mess with the racoons). The neighbour dislikes cats, and we worry about whether he would poison a free roaming cat (given some of his other behaviours). And, there is talk about making injections for companion animals mandatory, including the covid injections. Yikes!
Every year, people dump cats (and rabbits) off at the dump. Who knows, perhaps we will one day be able to help one who has been mercilessly dumped there, and perhaps try to keep the vets out of our life, thus it would likely be a clandestine arrangement (also hoping the neighbour doesn’t poison). We prize our own freedom so much, that it’s hard for us to imagine confining an animal indoors, and we have lost our appetite for forcing “vaccines” on animals (something we never used to think about in the past, when the vet told us that the shots were “due”).
So, we, too are having all kinds of similar thoughts, how does one offer an animal a space where he or she can have a decent life pursuing interests important to him or her, free from the interference of humans around us who seem to have gone crazy with injections and constrained attitudes towards “free animals” – we’re wondering these things even though we love animals very much. You’re not alone in that dilemna.
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@sunnyboy wow wow wow thank you so much for sharing your story. I have this feeling if we do get another fur baby it will be when we least expect it. The feeling will be so right and the purpose will be awesome. I saved a little turtle crossing the road the other day and you can bet your boots if that was an abandoned puppy, I would have the puppy in my car in a heartbeat. It’s just right now we’re not ready to adopt. Our time will come though I truly believe 
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@Sal2lee: That is a healthy attitude, that one furry friend will come into your life when least expected. That is often how it is in life, with new friends. All of a sudden, there they are.
That is wonderful you saved a baby turtle!
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I had a pet turtle once but he did not like being in captivity was always trying to escape, one day he did and I never saw him again.
Local pet store has a giant tortoise that they let roam outside some but seems like he goes back to the store on his own for dinner usually.
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This is located in Los Angeles, south of the Palisades, there should be other similar places were you live.
We have two pugs and a chug in our family.
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Thank you blue for the idea but I think I’m just going to wait a bit and see what happens.
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