Why do we love animals so much??

[sockycat]

I'm in the mood for some warm fuzzies. SO.

I moved out for the first time in June. It was new and exciting and surprisingly very, very hard to suddenly be alone all the time. In my 21 years of life I've always been around people and animals at home. And then, bam. I was alone. And for the first time in my life I ended up in this sad, dark, icky place where I was angry all the time. I love alone time. But constant alone time just didn't sit well with me. This went on for about a month, and then I woke up one morning and drove straight to the Detroit humane society. An hour after being there I adopted a kitten. He's a dark, dark grey tabby. Almost solid grey except for the stripes on his tail. His name is Atticus.

And I love. him. so. much. SO. MUCH.

I love him so much it confuses me. I've had animals my whole life, and I have loved all of them, but I am OBSESSED with this cat. I think a part of it is that he's the companion I really needed, and a part of it is that I've never had a pet that was completely and wholly my own. I mean, he's also my boyfriend's cat. Boyfriend moves in next week. Atticus loves us both. But Atticus likes me better. Don't tell boyfriend. It's a secret.

I honestly care more about this cat than I do some of my friends. It's bananas. I have never loved an animal this much before. Like, WOW, do I love him. Even if he does hide my makeup brushes and fall in the toilet more than any cat should.

Have you had this before with an animal? What kind? What was their name?

Please tell me about your pets I love them so much.

Dogs are great, too. My parents have two yellow labs. One is a genius devil doggo and the other is a happy idiot. It works.

I love all of the kitties and puppers and animals. All animals are great. Except for wasps. Screw wasps.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Is that your kitty in your avatar pict? He's really cute.

I have three dogs and two cats, and I adore them too. They're good company, they make me laugh, and they're sensitive and affectionate. Sometimes they drive me nuts, like this morning when one of the some detectors started to chirp to let us know the battery was getting low, and my kelpie dog expressed his dislike of the scary noise by perching on my head. Still, I wouldn't trade them for the world.

For me, the opportunity to connect with another species makes me feel less lonely in my skin. Somehow animals are a reminder that we humans aren't alone in this world and that for all our differences from other animals, we have a lot in common too.

 

[sockycat]

What kind of dogs do you have? What kind of cat/what color are they (because let's be honest, most cat owners are like, "this is pablo we love him because he's orange"). What are their names?

Are we able to share pictures on here? Newbie status. Because I am always down for pet pictures.

And is that one of your puppers in your picture?

 

[Roxxsmom]

The three dogs I have right now are a red (brown really) kelpie, a Belgian shepherd/border collie mix (solid black with a small white spots on chest, tummy and back toes), and a border collie/Australian cattle dog mix (black and white w speckles).

The cats are domestic shorthairs, one solid black and one white with a gray striped tail and two gray spots on his head. The cats are large boys, 15 and 17 pounds each. When they play it's like a herd of hippos is thundering around the house.

 

[ajaye]

Dogs are great, too. My parents have two yellow labs. One is a genius devil doggo and the other is a happy idiot. It works.

I've got one of those happy idiot yellow labs! Didn't know they made them in genius devil flavour .
We have an inherited cat who was sooooo spoiled and was in no way going to get away with that here, yada yada yada. Like she's a cat, we're the ones who are gonna get retrained.
I adore all my animals. Prefer them to many people I know. I do agree with you about wasps.

Sometimes they drive me nuts, like this morning when one of the some detectors started to chirp to let us know the battery was getting low, and my kelpie dog expressed his dislike of the scary noise by perching on my head.

That is such a fabulous image, thankyou .

 

[MaeZe]

This is so bizarre. I thought I posted here, "My dogs adore me. I adore them back."

But I must not have hit reply or something because the post is missing. Oh well.

My dogs adore me. I adore them back.

 

[cornflake]

Because they're better than humans.

 

[Snitchcat]

Because they're better than humans.

QFT.

 

[Lillian_Blaire]

I have a kitten named Scotty. I got him quite young and he's never been around other cats and doesn't know that he is one. He doesn't meow...he cries and sometimes it sounds very much like he's saying, "Maaa" (like 'mom'). He seems to be in love with my hair, so if I sit down anywhere near him, he'll climb up and start sifting through my hair like he's looking for something. Not sure what that's all about (but it makes me worried I have bugs crawling in my hair and he's trying to get them). He also thinks he's an artist--he's obsessed with pens, markers, etc. I was going to post a pic, but photobucket is down for maintenance.

 

[ajaye]

I suppose it could be bugs... or mice? Sounds like a very cool kittycat .

 

[Lillian_Blaire]

I suppose it could be bugs... or mice? Sounds like a very cool kittycat .

I sure hope it's not bugs. OR MICE!! I think he just likes to chew on it. Or maybe he thinks we're a couple of gorillas grooming each other? I dunno. He's a cutie pie.

 

[be frank]

Pet conversations still make me all kinds of sad right now, so I'm just gonna leave this lovely thing here in case you animal lovers haven't already seen it.

 

[ajaye]

Before our cat became our cat she was quite taken with my bloke's head when we visited, would sit on the back of his chair and give his close-shaven sconce a lick every now and then. Now she's with us she's stopped doing it.
She watches TV, enjoys the ads but gets bored when the shows come back on.

 

[Lillian_Blaire]

Pet conversations still make me all kinds of sad right now, so I'm just gonna leave this lovely thing here in case you animal lovers haven't already seen it.

Sorry, be frank.

 

[ajaye]

Pet conversations still make me all kinds of sad right now, so I'm just gonna leave this lovely thing here in case you animal lovers haven't already seen it.

Sorry you're sad and very sorry about your cat be frank. The awful horrible part of having pets .
Can't watch the video yet cos of woeful internet but will visit lovely thing when I can.

 

[be frank]

Sorry, be frank.

Sorry you're sad and very sorry about your cat be frank. The awful horrible part of having pets .
Can't watch the video yet cos of woeful internet but will visit lovely thing when I can.

Thanks, guys. I'll stop moping in public now, I promise.

The video is a wonderful mood-booster. Happy dog be happy.

 

[Myrealana]

Please tell me about your pets I love them so much.

I have two cats and a dog.

Cat #1 is Lady. She came with the house.

I'm not kidding. We moved into our current house in 2001. It was a new construction in a brand new neighborhood. A couple of days after we moved in, this beautiful calico cat started hanging around our yard. We couldn't park in the garage yet, so she slept under my car at night. I was afraid I would run over her, so I started luring her out before I left in the morning. A few days later, I opened the front door to leave for work and she just walked in and made herself at home. She's about 16 now. Domestic longhair calico, and dumber than used food. And clumsy. I have watched her bash her face into the edge of a table trying to jump up. She seems to forget she was fed, even though her stomach is full.

The other cat is a Balinese. He's about 8 years old. He's too smart for his own good. We call him Merlin. He was adopted at age 2 from the Denver Dumb Friends League. When they brought him to visit us, we knew we had to have him. They had to tape the cat carrier closed because he would reach his paw over and open the door if they didn't. He knows how doorknobs work. He hides toys from the other cat by stowing them under the sofa, then when she's gone, he'll go back and get them out. He teases the dog by dangling his tail in her face and then running to base. (Mutually agreed between the dog and cat as safe areas.)

Then there's Kaylee. She's a German Shepherd/Husky mix we adopted at a very young age about five years ago. We were told she was ten weeks when we got her, but when our vet examined her, she said it was more like 6 weeks, barely weaned. She's a cuddly sweetheart--the world's most timid German Shepherd. She loves people, especially kids. When she sees a little kid, she turns into a puddle of goo and lays on the floor with her belly up. She's smart, too. She and Merlin play together all the time. He'll act all mean and hissy, but he's never hit her with claws out, and if she stops chasing him and he's not done, he comes back and teases her until she's back in the game.

Kaylee is the one I obsess over. I subscribed to Bark Box for her, because I didn't want her to get bored with her toys. I keep a picture of her on my desk (and I don't even have photos of my kids!). She was tops in her class in dog training, though she doesn't obey anyone but me 100%. She's a shepherd, so she tried to herd the cats and sometimes small kids. Her newest thing is "herding" us over to her cookies. She gets one treat in the morning and one before bed. We were trying to get her to lead us to the cabinet where they're stored, but we realized when we ask her "Where are your cookies?" instead of getting ahead and leading, she gets behind and nudges our legs with her shoulder. Because she's a sheep dog by instinct. Duh!

 

[cornflake]

I have a kitten named Scotty. I got him quite young and he's never been around other cats and doesn't know that he is one. He doesn't meow...he cries and sometimes it sounds very much like he's saying, "Maaa" (like 'mom'). He seems to be in love with my hair, so if I sit down anywhere near him, he'll climb up and start sifting through my hair like he's looking for something. Not sure what that's all about (but it makes me worried I have bugs crawling in my hair and he's trying to get them). He also thinks he's an artist--he's obsessed with pens, markers, etc. I was going to post a pic, but photobucket is down for maintenance.

No pics, didn't happen.

Fun cat fact - he may indeed be saying Ma, if he has reason to think that's your 'name,' or going to get your attention on him. Adult cats don't communicate with other adult cats verbally. Kittens meow/mew at their mothers and are spoken to back in meowing, but adult to adult is non-verbal, except in like, emergency-type situations.

Cats meow to humans because we respond to meowing. They also tailor their meows to their own humans. In studies, people can tell their own cats' different meows (play with me, get up, feed me, etc.) apart, just like parents can tell their babies' cries apart, but all the cats make different sounds, because they're talking to their own humans. There's not a standard cat-to-human sound that means X.

Check out this video if you want to be either freaked out or impressed by cats' verbal abilities. The barking you hear in the beginning? That's the cat, talking to or taunting a dog below. When the cat realizes a human is watching....

 

[sockycat]

The cats are domestic shorthairs, one solid black and one white with a gray striped tail and two gray spots on his head. The cats are large boys, 15 and 17 pounds each. When they play it's like a herd of hippos is thundering around the house.

Holy cow those are big kitties? Are they fat or are they just huge? My friend has a MASSIVE cat that is 22 pounds but every time she takes him to the vet they're at a loss because he's not obese. He's just freaking huge.

I've got one of those happy idiot yellow labs! Didn't know they made them in genius devil flavour . My boy's called Buddy, or Booter, or Buddy Booter. I seem to name a pet, then nickname the pet. Must drive them nuts. I imagine they roll their eyes a lot.
We have an inherited cat who was sooooo spoiled and was in no way going to get away with that here, yada yada yada. Like, she's a cat, we're the ones that are gonna get retrained. Her name's Missy, or Moomaloo...


.

Oh yeah she's a sneaky little bugger. She has so much sass and she's constantly getting her sister in trouble. She'll get into the garbage and then leave it in Bristol's bed. Or she'll do this thing where she barks a few times really softly to get Bristol barking, and then she looks at us like, "what are you gonna do about it?" she is the sassiest dog ever. But we had three cats at the time when we got her. So maybe being raised by cats did that to her.

Speaking of cat names, I also have a cat named Missy!!! She's my family cat so she didn't get to come with me in the move. My sister would have killed me. But she is a little attitude queen as well.

 

[sockycat]

Kaylee is the one I obsess over. I subscribed to Bark Box for her, because I didn't want her to get bored with her toys. I keep a picture of her on my desk (and I don't even have photos of my kids!). She was tops in her class in dog training, though she doesn't obey anyone but me 100%. She's a shepherd, so she tried to herd the cats and sometimes small kids. Her newest thing is "herding" us over to her cookies. She gets one treat in the morning and one before bed. We were trying to get her to lead us to the cabinet where they're stored, but we realized when we ask her "Where are your cookies?" instead of getting ahead and leading, she gets behind and nudges our legs with her shoulder. Because she's a sheep dog by instinct. Duh!

She seriously sounds angelic. I can't have a dog right now because Boyfriend and I are both full time students in addition to working full time, so we're just not home enough for a dog, but we knew we'd be home enough for a cat. I feel like sometimes I come home from work and Atticus is like, "ugh, you're back? I was enjoying my peace and quiet."

Kaylee sounds like such a smart pupper though! And isn't it bananas how their instincts will come from? Our evil genius lab, Zoey, will chase after a ball or something and when she finds it she points. We never taught her that. Her parents weren't hunting dogs. But it's been bred into her so well that apparently her body is just like "Found something? Point."

 

[writeonleanne]

All these descriptions make me want to go home and cuddle my pets!

I have a big floofy puppy—actually, he's five, but he'll always be a puppy to me—who's half-German Shepherd and half-Lab. That's him in my avatar, the first time he played in sand. He's laid-back, easygoing with the people he likes, and pretty introverted. He's in the cone of shame right now because he got a horrible hotspot. Apparently, Frontline doesn't work anymore (it's worked on him for five years) and we didn't know he had fleas until it was too late.

I'm also a foster-fail for two big kitties (one black and one fluffy white one with gray ears and a gray tail) and took in a fluffy black kitten my mom almost ran over four years ago on Halloween. There's just something about cats. Whenever I'm feeling down, as soon as I hear their purring, it's like instant-therapy.

 

[Roxxsmom]

Holy cow those are big kitties? Are they fat or are they just huge? My friend has a MASSIVE cat that is 22 pounds but every time she takes him to the vet they're at a loss because he's not obese. He's just freaking huge.

The both could stand to lose some weight, but even so, they're large cats.

Is your friend's cat possibly a Maine coon cat (or part)? Those cats will often top 20 pounds, even when svelte.

 

[Jimmy]

I have a pet tropical centipede - very difficult to cuddle without it biting you but I love him all the same. Sadly, no one else feels the same way as I do about Patrick.

 

[Jason]

The reason we love our pets so much is because they love us unconditionally - no matter what mood we're in, they love us.

Whenever I see, hear,watch an awesome story like the Gumby toy that came to life, I cry tears of joy...

Conversely, when I see, hear, watch (though I try to avoid watching those) stories of cruelty and abuse, I think that's the only time I literally (so much so that I scare myself) consider taking another human life - that of the one being cruel or abusing animals. Makes me wanna bash their heads in...

 

[SoulofaWriter]

I have a yellow lab named Trigger. He's an affectionate, expressive sweetheart who always has to be lying on/touching part of you, or an object that has your scent (purse, shoes, laptop bag, etc.). He likes to nibble on fingernails and get gunk out from underneath. He sits back on his hind legs like a preying mantis sometimes when you reach to pet him, like a kid reaching to get picked up, because he loves you. I just love his antics, he's the most precious sweetheart. <3