h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

They get a kitten or a puppy for the kiddies. Aw, isn't Fluffy cute? And then a wholly unpredictable turn of events transmogrifies the cute little fur-ball into a cat or dog. Who knew?

Maybe the young tomcat starts spraying. Or if it is a female cat, perhaps she gets pregnant. The dog probably chews. How inconvenient!

But no problem, all they have to do is load Fluffy into the car, drive across town, to the end of someone else's road and jettison the hapless creature from the car. Maybe they say something encouraging like, "Be free, Fluffy!"

All this to say, there's another scrawny young tomcat caterwauling outside. Very pretty guy actually. He's a piebald-and-tabby with a wounded foot.

kitty likes him a lot, which is why we're trying to keep her inside. The star-crossed lovers have already met in the backyard for a couple of dates. Which just goes to show, Hope springs eternal, especially considering she was spayed years ago.

The plan is catch him, neuter him, get his foot looked at, and find him a home.

Right now he is sleeping in the potting shed.

It's the same with some people and children.

The idea sounds lovely and cute, and then the reality hits them. Usually very hard.

Yes, people are horrible.

We (bf and I) sometimes look at a site where people search for new owners for their pets or offer puppies/kittens. It's ridiculous for which reasons people want to get rid of their pets. Like 'the dog got too big' or 'we don't have the time for our 4 months old kitten'.

Oh yes? So, why didn't they know that before?

Our dog also got bigger than it said on the package, but I wouldn't dream of giving him away.

So of course I'm now imagining the packaging that dogs, and cats, would come in

"The plan is catch him, neuter him" -"It's the same with some people"

Ahem...

http://www.vhemt.org/


I'm a proud member.

That's kind of awesome.

I've been ceased "not to breed - just for the practice"last 26 yrs

We adopted Minerva the cat from a rescue almost six years ago. She was abandoned - left behind in a vacant apartment with no food or clean water for two weeks, at least. Poor baby still "panic eats". An acquaintance works with the rescue (she does photography and fostering), and I am on their mailing list. I cannot believe some of the reasons people give for ditching their companion animals.

The dog got much bigger than anticipated: what exactly was it about the name "Great Pyrenees" that didn't clue you in?

The kitten turned into a cat, and now the kids want a puppy:

The ones that really gut me are the senior cats whose elderly guardians die. They languish in the shelters until they themselves die. Or are put down. It breaks my heart. I want to save them all.

my deepest respects go to all animal loversWE are the voice THEY don't have

many of my friends over the years have been animals and all more loyal than some humans "friends"

My cat has killed to previous owners.

OK... outlived, but the circumstances are questionable. He's a solid grey cat that was one of various semi-feral cats the folks that run my local pub feed out back. Their cook back then, took this kitten home and kept him for a few years but then didn't show up for work. Alec, the bartender, went to his trailer home and found the cook dead. He probably died of some alcohol related reason. So, the cat went back to being one of several strays. Then one of the other patrons took him home. But later that night, he hung himself. I find this very curious. Suicidal folks don't normally adopt a pet before ending their lives, they typically give things away. Anyway, back to the pub. The cat really wanted a home and rode home with Alec in the understructure of his van a couple of times. When I heard this, I relented and took him home with me.

Two months later when I was diagnosed with a tumor in my skull and noticed how often Greebo would put his paw on my forehead in a mysterious way, I became suspicious. Did I adopt an evil kitty?

*two!

I recently watched a video where a dog would sniff, put a paw on the owners breast, and whimper and turn away. She was subsequently diagnosed with breast cancer, which was removed. The dog then sniffed, looked happy and stopped whimpering.
Cancer does have a scent, so it's not impossible that the cat picked it up.
I'm sorry about the tumour, is this a recent thing, or have I just missed the information?

Not recent. This was nearly 10 years ago. Tumor has been removed and treated by sticking my head in a proton beam.

I've since learned that cats have scent glands in their paws. He was just claiming me as property. He's an old and happy cat now.

I'm glad your cat gave you a cat scan, Baron Grim.

The piebald kitty stopped coming around before I could lure him into a trap and get him neutered. I fear his life was short.

This spring's stray kitty is black with black whiskers and yellow eyes. After my last failure, my new improved technique is to place food inside a live animal trap with the door propped open. The new cat even watched me set the trap.

He's still eating here, even came inside for a couple of very short food-related visits. Mister Nerd named him.

Maybe someone else adopted last year's cat.

True pet owners don't have a pet/sbecause it/they are part of the family and treated as such