One of our cats brought us a few presents

[Speelgoedmannetje]

ppl, let us come together Polder-Model-wise:
Cats and dogs are just different

[Karlos]

odin wrote:
@Karlos

Pah! I have always considered you to be a cool person but now I know you truly are a very nasty and unfriendly person!

:-P

For the record.

Nowhere have I said I don't like cats. I just think that the reasons commonly given by cat fanatics as to why they are better than dogs are rather flimsy.

I'm presently not in a position to own either a cat or a dog as I would not be able to give it the attention it deserves.

Nobody should own a pet they are not prepared to take extremely good care of.

Hows that for nasty and unfriendly?

[X-ray]

So....cats DO rule then?  :-P

[X-ray]

@ Karlos

Ja, dogs have many fine qualities, especially in emergency services. There is no doubt about that. And they can be a deterrent (unfortunately that sometimes means visitors too).
But tell me something...don't you agree that an animal that will repeatedly fetch the same thrown stick unconditionally has got to be thick? I mean he should surely cotton-on that he is being had? You won't find a cat falling for that one.
And then there is the the one inescapable abomination: the poodle. Any good that any other dog or millions thereof has done is instantly spoiled by the fur-wrapped snot that is a noise at one end and a dingle-berry-infested smell at the other. When I see them dragging their balls along the lawn, whining and yapping, I want to reach for a stick of dynamite. Fetch that!!

[X-ray]

@ Karlos

I'll make a deal with you. A mutual agreement witnessed here on AO by all the members. I will select a new avatar for you, a dog of my choosing, and you can select ANY cat you like for my avatar.
Does that sound fair?
( I've seen a French Poodle that I can use for starters )  :-P

[Speelgoedmannetje]

Btw. Border Collies is the best dog race
hardly has any of the cons of the avarage dog, but has all the pluses. Only con is that one has to walk a hell of a lot miles  every day. But that can also beseen as a pro

[Vincent]

X-ray wrote:
You won't find a cat falling for that one.

*cough* Well.... ours does, although it's not a stick it's a kinder surprise egg shell.  Sioux gets the chocolate, obi gets the shell and I get the crappy toy :-)

And then there is the the one inescapable abomination: the poodle. Any good that any other dog or millions thereof has done is instantly spoiled by the fur-wrapped snot that is a noise at one end and a dingle-berry-infested smell at the other. When I see them dragging their balls along the lawn, whining and yapping, I want to reach for a stick of dynamite. Fetch that!!

:laughing:
Hit the nail on the head there :-D

[Karlos]

@X-Ray

So called 'lap dogs' are to normal canines what the ginger tom is your lion. A total insult :-)

[Karlos]

X-ray wrote:
@ Karlos

When I see them dragging their balls along the lawn, whining and yapping, I want to reach for a stick of dynamite. Fetch that!!

This is what I mean about bad ownership. Don't take care of your dog or cat and it will get parasites. Cats and dogs need immunisation, booster jabs, worming, flea control etc. If you aren't prepared to do this, don't own the animal in the first instance.

Personally, I would make cat and dog ownership subject to some sort of liscencing that would vet (if you excuse the pun) a person's ability to take proper care of the animal.


About sticks. If you wanr your cat to chase a stick, simply wrap it in something shiny. Cats love things that are shiny or make noises.

My old neighbours cat was even more 'stupid' than any stick fetching dog. It would happily chase a spot of light around the garden as long as there was juice in the torch batteries.

[Vincent]

I went off on a bit of a tangent while typing a post in the "what's wrong with forums" thread so I decided to cut and paste it here instead :-)

---

I used to be a dog person - had a golden lab when I stayed at home.  Goldie lived to be 14, had arthritis for years.  One morning after just getting up for school mum told us she suffered a stroke and couldn't move.  She looked fine and tried to get up, but her legs just wouldn't cooperate.  I never saw her that morning (thankfully).  Dad came home from work to take her to the vets and they were optomistic as it wasn't that bad of a storke - she was still very responsive, she just couldn't move that well.  My dad was told that she'd probably get home in a couple of days after she'd regained most of her movement.

We were told that at lunch time when we were all home, but when we all got home again at 4 we were told that she'd suffered another couple of storkes and had got a lot worse very quickly.  So mum and dad decided to do the decent thing and put her to sleep.  Nobody would be home from 9am-1pm to look after her and we didn't know anybody else that would be able to give her a decent life (or as decent as she could be after).

Mum and dad's house has been a pet free zone ever since.  They both now work days so there's no point in getting another pet.  The strange thing though was mum was the most upset, but she isn't an animal person.  She loves big cats, but she doesn't like their domestic cousins.  She hates cruelty to animals, but she just doesn't have time for them.  The next time they went shopping my mum automatically started putting dog food in the trolley aswell :-)

We've got a cat here (used to have two but Sookie was the runt of the litter and had lots of problems that just got worse) and my twin sister has two rabbits.  My older sister doesn't have any pets because they're trying for kids :-)

Anyways, enough rambling... cats rule!!! :-P

[PMC]

Karlos wrote:
Anyhoo, Boxers wouldn't hurt a fly anyway. You'd be hard pressed to find a gentler breed of dog.

Well, they might accidently drown the kitten in slobber while playing with it, but it wouldn't be anything intentional...

I grew up with boxer dogs and can vouch for the fact that they're very loving and affectionate creatures indeed.  However, it doesn't pay to get on the wrong side of one.

[Karlos]

PMC wrote:
I grew up with boxer dogs and can vouch for the fact that they're very loving and affectionate creatures indeed.  However, it doesn't pay to get on the wrong side of one.

True of any animal capable of biting, clawing etc.

That said, you'd have to try damn hard to find the wrong side of a boxer's temprement in the first place.

Without exception, all the ones I've ever met have been patient to an insane degree.

[PMC]

@Karlos,

Well I had a cat who I'd managed to train to sit or beg for treats on command...  I have witnesses to back that up!

He was not only trainable, but wouldn't let me out of his sight if I was unhappy or depressed etc.  Cats respond best to someone who understands and respects them.  With dogs the respect is automatic but with cats you have to earn it.  He was a cat in a million and is much missed to this day (am having to wipe a tear from my eye just thinking about him).  

Of course I still adore Boxer dogs too and would one day love to have my own again, but am still a cat person so am therefore biased.

[PMC]

Karlos wrote:

That said, you'd have to try damn hard to find the wrong side of a boxer's temprement in the first place.

So true!  They're not exactly docile, but they're incredibly affectionate and tolerant dogs.  However I remember my last boxer - who was a decidedly petite example of her breed - being attacked by three large poodles and managing to put each of them in their place in turn.