Pets

You never have to buy a cat. You pick up a stray or get them from someone giving kittens away. I've never seen a cat being bought out of a pet store. They just sit in the pet store. They're like, 'Meow,' and your like, 'Oh they're so cute. Let's go find one like that.'

Seriously, cats are everywhere. We had one last winter that sort of adopted us and would sleep on our porch. Ok, maybe it was that I felt sorry for it being homeless and left food, a blanket and a saucer of milk for it every night. In the morning, the ungrateful little feline would be gone.

You would never see that happen with a dog. Dogs are loyal. You feed 'em, give 'em water and even if it is not your dog, it will still come and visit you. Don't get me wrong, I have known some loyal cats. In Southern California, I had a roommate who had two cats, Rambo and Rocky. Rambo wanted nothing to do with me. Rocky, on the other hand, who wanted nothing to do what ANYONE, decided to be my buddy.

Rambo stayed in the house all day and was my roommate's best little buddy. Rambo stayed outdoors until he saw or heard my car pull up, late at night, returning from a show. As I exited the car, I could hear the little bell on his collar. He was running to catch up with me. He always followed me in and sat on my lap and purred. I have no idea why he chose me.

We have two dogs. They're both toy Schnauzers. They're great dogs, both female. Sammie is definitely Heather's dog. As soon as she hears the garage door open, she literally freaks out. Whining, dancing, screaming.... Wait, that's me stubbing my toe, but the point is that she goes nuts because Heather's home.

Maggie is my little buddy. She's sort of like Rambo. When the dust settles, and things calm down after Heather comes home, Maggie almost always ends up on my lap. In fact she's asleep on my lap as I write this.

I guess my point is that most people love their pets, be they cats, dogs, ferrets, rats, hamsters, snakes, whatever. They are somehow soothing to most of us. They are very refreshing from the outside world, the rat race, no offense to the rat lovers. In today's world, pets have become a part of the family, especially cats, dogs and horses. Maybe donkeys too, I don't know. I once had a friend who was a jack-ass, but I'm not sure if that counts.

The thing I can't tolerate, is cruelty to anyone's pet. It's a crime. Not only is it unthinkable to deliberately hurt a pet, the damage done to the owner of that pet is irreparable. A part of the family has been horribly abused or killed by someone who thought nothing about it. I'm thrilled that these people, if they're caught, go to jail. I only wish the sentences were longer.

See you tomorrow.

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