Writers' Pets

[inkkognito]

Cats seem to be the pets most closely associated with writers, so I'm curious to see whether or not that holds true here. Myself, I have three cats (well, two and a half because one is mentally not all there), two horses and a quaker parrot. There used to be a couple of fish, but only because I somehow inherited them so when they died they weren't replaced. I'd have a dog if they weren't so much work, but we travel a lot so it's just not practical. The cats are definite muses...the two sane ones hang out with me all day while I work on my laptop. What kind of critter muse do you all have if any?

[scarletpeaches]

I had a hamster but he's dead now.

signed,

scarletpeaches, your friendly neighbourhood ray of sunshine.

[inkkognito]

My husband would actually consider that a ray of sunshine as he can't stand any rodent-like critters. He's an easy-going guy, but he draws the line at household reptiles and rodents.

[scarletpeaches]

Show him this photo and make him tell you that's not cute:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/doriangrayspictures/Gort6.jpg

[Clair Dickson]

I have a husband. Does that count? He likes to have his head rubbed and interrupts me while I'm working. =)

(Truthfully, I'd love to have cats again sometime. Maybe in the new house.)

[Phaeal]

I have a jumping spider who lives in my garden hose trolley. Someday, if I'm good, I'll have a king cobra who can coil around my shoulders as I type.

Or an English Bulldog and a Keeshond and a bunch of cats in their very own cathouse with electricity, heat and hot-and-cold water.

But for now, just the jumping spider. Oh, and a pair of skunks and several possums and raccoons and all the neighborhood cats who drop in to visit on a regular basis. And the sparrows who winter in the yew bushes by the porch. And a pair of mockingbirds. And the squirrel family in my red maple. Wow, I do have a lot of animal muses, after all. ;)

[beezle]

Two budgies. I didn't ask for them.

[WendyNYC]

I have a French Bulldog named Truman.

He's a good boy.

[inkkognito]

Small world! My quaker parrot's name is Truman!

[WendyNYC]

Small world! My quaker parrot's name is Truman!

Capote or Harry S.?

[C.bronco]

We have a mini-daschund named Hotdog. He ran as VP in the Toy ticket. He wants a recount.

[inkkognito]

Capote or Harry S.?
Burbank, as in the Truman Show.

Which one is your dog named after?

[Jersey Chick]

I like cats - but ours died in Aug 07 and she was the Devil's Spawn, so my husband flat out refuses to allow another one in the house.

We had to re-home our dog last year as well, but are (hopefully) getting another one soon. I'm more a dog person, really.

So, for now we have gerbils. We had two - brothers. Only turned out they really weren't brothers.

Now we have 5. But they are small and relatively stink-free, and cute, and they chirp when they are happy, so the only real noise they make is the chirping sound.

[DeleyanLee]

In the house, there are 3 cats (1 of whom claims me when it's not food time) and 2 dogs (1 is mine).

I haven't usually had pets in my life, but it's not too bad. Still undecided if it's going to continue when these two go. The housemate WILL continue to have pets, so in a way, it doesn't matter much if they're not mine or they are. They will be there.

[WendyNYC]

Burbank, as in the Truman Show.

Which one is your dog named after?

Harry S, since I'm from MO. But I live in NYC so everyone says "Oh, like Capote! How cute!"

[myscribe]

My muse is the magnificent PrincePup, who I rescued as a mere wiener.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd239/myscribe/shadowh.jpg

And an aquarium full of fish (including a stunning angelfish pair, and an assorted range of cory "catfish" that constantly lay eggs and have babies).

I do feed the neighbor's cat though. She's a runt and way too skinny for her own good.

[Kitty Pryde]

I am too allergic to kitties but otherwise i would really need one. Although I am not allergic to this kitty (http://www.borderlands-books.com/photos/pages/Ripley_gargoyle.htm) in particular and one day I hope to have a critter as wonderful as her for my muse.

PS seriously click the link, you will not regret it. Ripley is a wondrous creature to behold.

[myscribe]

PS seriously click the link, you will not regret it. Ripley is a wondrous creature to behold.

Ack! Now I'm gonna have nightmares of that cat jumping on my head tonight!!

[RedScylla]

I used to keep little mice. Now I have two hairless cats and a man. (Still regretting I didn't get a hairless one of those.) Here's my gargoyle (http://redzilla.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c2252570aaf21900e398a10ffc0001.html).

[Blondchen]

I used to keep little mice. Now I have two hairless cats and a man. (Still regretting I didn't get a hairless one of those.) Here's my gargoyle (http://redzilla.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c2252570aaf21900e398a10ffc0001.html).

Wasn't sure if you meant the cat or the man. :)

I have a Maltese named Wolfgang (Amadeus, not Puck.)

http://i388.photobucket.com/albums/oo322/Zerbinetta/Photo_070308_002.jpg

[citymouse]

I have five Welsh Pembroke corgis and four borzoi. Yes, I live in a kennel.
Oh, I forgot to mention three indoor cats and one outdoor moocher.
C

[inkkognito]

Harry S, since I'm from MO. But I live in NYC so everyone says "Oh, like Capote! How cute!"
One of our cats was found as a stray in a suburb called Burbank, so we were going to call him Truman. We ended up naming him Stitch because his shelter cage had a sign that said he wasn't adoptable (medical problem...all resolved now). When we got the quaker, my not-too-creative husband said, "So are you going to name him Truman?" I was planning on a literary name (my cockatiel was Bradley, a corruption of Bradbury as in Ray) but I'm lazy so I said, "Truman it is!"

[Kitty Pryde]

Ack! Now I'm gonna have nightmares of that cat jumping on my head tonight!!

No! She's so nice! She would never! She would stand next to you glaring and purring like a maniac until you rub her head.

I used to keep little mice. Now I have two hairless cats and a man. (Still regretting I didn't get a hairless one of those.) Here's my gargoyle (http://redzilla.vox.com/library/photo/6a00c2252570aaf21900e398a10ffc0001.html).

AW! :LilLove:

[Inspiewriter]

I am also allergic to kitties, but my stepson just moved into our basement with one. So far so good.

I am a dog person--lost my last one in 2005.

[tehuti88]

I have a cat, but mainly because they're easy to care for, easy to cuddle, and they purr. (He does not affect my writing ability in the least, whether for good or bad.) Dogs, and most other pets, would be too high maintenance for us.

I used to usually have some sort of rodent in the past, mostly hamsters, once a gerbil and once a rat, but I don't feel I could devote enough attention to them now, so it's just a cat at the moment.

Oh. And I would never be able to tolerate having more than one! I don't see how anybody handles that. But I'm the same way with people, too.

[tehuti88]

Oh, and a pair of skunks and several possums and raccoons and all the neighborhood cats who drop in to visit on a regular basis. And the sparrows who winter in the yew bushes by the porch. And a pair of mockingbirds. And the squirrel family in my red maple

Good Lord, do you live next door to me or something??

[lakotagirl]

I had
2 dogs (black labs)
2 cats
2 horses
1 husband

The husband is the only one left.

We swore when we lost our last dog this spring (at 14), NO MORE PETS. Saying goodbye hurts so much.

But, we find ourselves watching cute dog food commercials and sneaking looks at each other. Neither one of us wants to be the one to bring it up, but if either one of us walked in the door with a dog or cat, the other one would do a token "We agreed..." then let out a huge sigh before squealing with delight.

[Soccer Mom]

Hm,

2 cats
3 dogs
2 bunnies
2 horses
5 mini donkeys
15 ducks
1 geriatric goldfish
1 goat

Yes, I do live on a farm. Why do you ask?

[heyjude]

One beautiful sweet and elderly greyhound and two wonderful and obnoxious cats.

[Yeshanu]

I have a Maltese named Wolfgang (Amadeus, not Puck.)



We have a cat named Mozart in the family. He's most definitely NOT a genius, at music or anything else.

One twenty-year-old cat named Pizzicato (yeah, there's a bit of a theme here), and an oversized orange tabby named Harley. But right now, they're split between three different houses (kids off in uni couldn't live without pets).

Also two goldfish, a betta, and a bunch of other tropical fish.

No rodents or birds right now, though if one happened by, I wouldn't reject it. Pretty much the only pet I wouldn't keep is a dog--much too high maintenance for my lifestyle.

[JoNightshade]

Right now we have a baby Russian tortoise named Bruce. These little guys last 75 years, so we won't be saying goodbye to him any time soon.

And as soon as we get a house with any kind of yard, I WILL be getting a cat.

[selkn.asrai]

Two cats--Evie and Vladimir.
Betta fish--Octavius.
Our hamster, Nezumi, was awesome, but she died v. suddenly in September. (No, not because of the cats.) :( I miss her lots.

I so want dogs--Dalmatians and Golden Retrievers, please!--but I can't with my finances or apartment. It will have to wait until I have a house. This dollhouse-sized apartment wouldn't be fair to a big dog.

[Jenifer]

I have a miniature poodle (Caffy, for Caffeine- fiance used to sneak her Limewire when she was a pup), two budgies (Fang and Chai), and two rats (one regular hooded, Zoinks!, the other hairless, Flesh). My fiance has a cat that will be entering the household in the next month.

And it's a small house.

[RedScylla]

So...do you just grind up some Geritol and put it in his water? :D

Hm,
1 geriatric goldfish

[selkn.asrai]

I have a miniature poodle (Caffy, for Caffeine- fiance used to sneak her Limewire when she was a pup), two budgies (Fang and Chai), and two rats (one regular hooded, Zoinks!, the other hairless, Flesh). My fiance has a cat that will be entering the household in the next month.

And it's a small house.


At risk of sounding stupid: what's a budgie? :/

P.S. Jen, love your Snoopy. :P

[kuwisdelu]

Here's my cat, Daisy:

http://dl.getdropbox.com/u/143553/daisy_kafka_1.JPG

on the right.

She's staring down my friend's cat, Kafka, on the left.


We plan on getting a dog as soon as we move somewhere it's allowed. Our apartment doesn't allow dogs, so we'll have to go without for the next two years, at least. Probably either a husky or a corgi.

[Jenifer]

Parakeet. :) Budgie's short for budgerigar, which just goes better with the word bludgeon. I find myself using the two a lot, especially on days like today, when they've been scolding the dog for hours.

[Hobbes]

Dogs! Even my MC is a dog person.

[CheshireCat]

I have cats.

And dogs.

[Polenth]

A cockroach, some snails and some fishes. I used to have a cat, but that isn't practical right now.

Of all the animals, the two that react to people are the cockroach (Sparkle) and the fighter fish (Yoko). My main novel project at the moment was inspired by Sparkle.

[Deranged Princess]

No cats here but we do have one dog - and kids, if that counts. Adding more to the mix would definitely take away from any time I have now to write

[Lady Cat]

I'm owned by five indoor cats:

Taz, the alpha cat, a long-haired polydactyl (which means he has extra toes)
Panda - my avatar, who's boss over everyone, including the humans
And their three sons, the terrible trio, Julius, Romulus, and Dante.

I was very disappointed that none of the trio ended up fluffy like their father, nor did they have any extra toes. Oh, well. That's genetics for you. :Shrug:

[Shadow_Ferret]

So not a cat person. Despite the fact that I've had a few in my lifetime.

I have a lap dog. He's the spotted one. At least he thinks he's a lapdog. About the only thing he can fit on my lap is his head.

http://i53.photobucket.com/albums/g76/shadow_ferret/cobieandsamoncouch.jpg

[KikiteNeko]

I have a http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/TomotheCat/sokkafluff-1.jpg and a http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r115/TomotheCat/tomolap2.jpg

[Clio]

Show him this photo and make him tell you that's not cute:
http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii53/doriangrayspictures/Gort6.jpg

Oh, Scarletpeaches, I just daren't tell you what my Scarlet would do with that sweet little thing!

Yes, I fit the stereotype, I'm afraid. I have two cats: a very clingy Persian and her half-mongrel daughter, the ex-serial killer. Mice, rats and birds everywhere are grateful for the hard line I have taken in imprisoning Scarlet for life. She is now only allowed out in the exercise area (back garden) under supervision of 'The Kind Guard' - my son. Her corpse-per-day ratio has significantly fallen.

[Cranky]

One cat, an orange marmalade named Oliver. How original, eh? :D

[katiemac]

Sometimes I foster kittens. I had a hamster, but he died two days ago.

And since I'm staying at home, with it comes two cats.

[Danger Jane]

I'm a dog girl...can't wait to get an apartment so I can have one. I hope.

[MissKris]

Huh. I always thought the stereotype was writer=dog person. You know, the little house out in the woods, the contemplative writer at the old walnut desk tapping away at his typewriter while the Retriever snoozes under the desk. Later, when the writer needs a break he and ol' rover will head out for a walk in the woods where writer will happen upon a perfect stick for a rousing game of fetch. He'll stand and smoke his pipe and dream his dreams while he tosses the stick out into the lake for the dog to retrieve.

In any event, I have a loving, rescued black cocker spaniel who knows that I'm pretty much the only one in the house above him in rank.

[cjharley]

This is my cat Nike. She's 11 years old and loves to lick. She licks your hand, your arm, your face, your neck, you name it.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk69/cjharley79/Nike.jpg

This is my roommate's cat Smokey. She's 13 and untouchable. If you look her general direction she glares at your like she's going to rip your face off.

http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk69/cjharley79/Smokey.jpg

[Chumplet]

Budgies are also known as parakeets. We'll be taking care of my late nephew's budgie Cujo when the family goes to Spain next month.

I have a sheltie-husky mix named Chester. He's twelve years old and too pretty to be a boy. He spins in circles for a treat and also has a special bark just for beer. If he gets out the front door, he runs for miles until we catch up to him with the car. I guess that's the husky in him.

I also have a large, handsome solid grey longhair cat named Ridley. He terrorizes the dog and gallops around the house like a racehorse. I never knew a cat that could thump when it runs. He plays fetch with a milk cap.

He's a good mouser, and sometimes drowns the mice in the dog's water bowl. Must be the gangster in him. I'm surprised he doesn't tie little Lego bricks to the mouse's feet.

[Disa]

ATM we have:

Sparky-a black lab/golden retriever mix. He's the most good natured dog, he gets along with any animal that finds it's way into our house. He's 12 years old and still runs outside like he's a pup. We got him from a woman who couldn't keep him when he was 6 months old-though she had named him Budman...

Tom-a def Tom Cat, he's a tabby, and a hunter. He stays outside most of the time, his choice not ours. The DH found him under a building when he was a kitten and brought him home.

Kip-the kitten, the newest member. He talks alot. He says "kip, kip" I guess he's a Siamese. Also found by the DH under a building and brought home...hmmmm

Simpatico- A Ball Python. We've had him the longest of all. He was a birthday present to me from the DH. Def the lowest maintence pet of all time. I love him best :) Sometimes Tom brings him dinner :)

Oh we have lots of fish but I don't pay much attn to them. That's the Dh's dept.

In the past we've had birds(too messy), ferrets(too scratchy-sorry ferret :), Iguanas(too jumpy) and Hampsters.

This was our first Halloween without our little Toto. What's a witch without Toto I just don't know? No dressing up for me this year :(RIP little Toto.

[LaurieD]

I'm so not a cat person - even aside from the sneezing.

My son has 2 mice, but as I clean the cage and feed/water them...
Also have 2 dogs a german shep mix who sleeps on my feet when I'm at my desk (she arrived on our doorstep as a puppy and decided she was home 6 years ago) and a cocker/border collie mix we rescued 11 years ago who acts as though this were her house and we're just here to take care of things. We'd had a golden retriever/yellow lab, but we lost him to cancer this summer. : (

[blueobsidian]

I have a cat named Lulu. Her favorite activity is sitting right in front of my computer screen when I am trying to work. Well, either that or bopping me on the nose when I decide to sleep in later than she deems appropriate.

[joyce]

I have two labs, a black female and a yellow male. Both are spoiled rotten just the way I like them! I also have a yard full of squirrels who somehow think I'm their chuck wagon. They line up at the backdoor when I arrive home looking for food.

[Deccydiva]

I have three Dalmatians, Deccy who is liver spotted (he's the one in the avatar) who is four years old, Taz who I recently acquired who was needing a new home who is two and black spotted, and Diva, a very cheeky black spotted monster of fifteen months. Between them they force me to take four walks a day in the fresh air, come rain or shine. Deccy is the narrator of "The Declan Diaries" which I am ghosting for him! :)

[JeanneTGC]

Three dogs -- a Hungarian Komondor (male), a Dalmatian (female), and an American Staffordshire Terrier (female) -- and two cats -- a tuxedo (female) and a grey cammoflauged striped (male), both American Shorthairs (aka, alley cats with great marketing spin).

My dogs work their way into every book, though sometimes the breeds are changed to protect the guilty, and the cats manage it most of the time. The cats are more into the idea of keeping me company while writing. The dogs are into helping me think by taking me on long walkies. Or slamming their snouts onto the keyboard. Depends on the time of day.

All but the Komondor are rescues, and all, including the Komondor, are, to a tail, spoiled rotten.

[BarbaraKE]

I have three dogs - a doberman, collie, and a basset hound. I also have two cats - a mottled grey long-hair and her long-hair grey-and-white nephew. All rescues.

I formerly had rottweilers and will have some again as soon as the older two pass on.

[MissKris]

Three dogs -- a Hungarian Komondor (male), a Dalmatian (female), and an American Staffordshire Terrier (female) -- and two cats -- a tuxedo (female) and a grey cammoflauged striped (male), both American Shorthairs (aka, alley cats with great marketing spin).

My dogs work their way into every book, though sometimes the breeds are changed to protect the guilty, and the cats manage it most of the time. The cats are more into the idea of keeping me company while writing. The dogs are into helping me think by taking me on long walkies. Or slamming their snouts onto the keyboard. Depends on the time of day.

All but the Komondor are rescues, and all, including the Komondor, are, to a tail, spoiled rotten.

I'm fascinated by Komondorok. Does yours have the long dreadlocks?

[Jenifer]

Make that one rat. :(