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Cat Forum / Cat Anecdotes / September 2007I'm gonna be sneaky :)
My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently wandering around all by himself in that 5 bedroom house is a bit lonely. The first thing he said was, "Maybe I'll go to the shelter and get a puppy. A medium sized one. Except I don't know how to housebreak a puppy." Okay, first of all... he works 8-10 hours a day. He can't housebreak a puppy! Second of all, puppies need to be walked. Or have a yard they can run around in. His yard, heh, you can spit on his neighbors' houses from his yard. He has a big house and *no* yard to speak of. So, he asked me to bring some magazines for him to read while he's in the hospital. Okay, no problem ;) I've got a couple of issues of Smithsonian magazine that might interest him. Food & Wine. Oh, I might just slip a couple of Cat Fancy magazines in there, too! LOL A shelter cat would be perfect for him. Cats sleep most of the day. A cat would sleep while he's at work. Or play with whatever toys he has set out. He could buy a pretty cat tree to look out the glass windows onto the... well, the back of his neighbors' house. Heh. He has a small patio; he could put up some bird feeders. Let us not forget he had a cat, he begged for a cat, when he was only 12 years old. So they got him a kitten. He named her Princess. Then my dad got transferred to Bangkok and we couldn't take his kitten with us. At heart, he's a cat person. And a cat would fit his lifestyle perfectly! Anyone else here agree a puppy would be too much for a man who works 8-10 hours a day, but a cat would be perfect? ;) Jill > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. ... [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Jill An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A puppy, defiitely not. Best wishes for your brother to have a rapid and complete recovery. Annie >>My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the >>phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. ... [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A puppy, > defiitely not. Actually, TWO kittens might work, if your house is reasonably cat-proof (or you don't care what chaos they might produce, left on their own all day). Also, I'd not hesitate to get an adult cat and provide it with a kitten for company. The grown cat keeps the youngster out of most of the mischief it could get into on its own, and they're likely to bond rather quickly - especially if the adult is a female. > Best wishes for your brother to have a rapid and complete recovery. > > Annie > An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A puppy, > defiitely not. I think two kittens might be alright, too. :) If he could stand the destruction.  SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. > I think two kittens might be alright, too. :) If he could stand the > destruction. The destruction, the buffalo-like stampedes at 3 in the morning, including claws on his face with the tremendous force of high speeds, and the frightening, near-death experiences they will have on an hourly basis, which will leave him chewing his nails off, although *they* will hardly notice it. If he can tolerate all that during his recovery, I highly recommend two kittens. :) The cuteness factor will more than make up for the stress. Joyce >> An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A puppy, >> defiitely not. > > I think two kittens might be alright, too. :) If he could stand the > destruction. Okay, now you have to know this about my brother. He takes great pride in his house. I don't think he'd have a problem with adding a cat tree with a scratching post to his decor. But he'd absolutely *not* tolerate his furniture being torn to shreds by a pair of kittens while he's at work. I don't care how cute they are. This is why I think an older, more settled cat would work to his advantage. Also to the cat's advantage. A nice comfy place to live, a hoomin that will give it scritches and pettings and toys and love. And food and water and maybe even a taste of his good cooking once in a while ;) Jill >>> An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A puppy, >>> defiitely not. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > and love. And food and water and maybe even a taste of his good cooking > once in a while ;) OK, sounds like kittens are out of the question here. Just as well, since I understand there are more adult cats in need of a home. I wish him good luck in finding his onetruecat. :) SignatureMarina, Miranda and Caliban. In loving memory of Frank and Nikki. >>>> An adult cat (or two already bonded) yes, but a kitten no. A >>>> puppy, defiitely not. [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > since I understand there are more adult cats in need of a home. I wish > him good luck in finding his onetruecat. :) He called me last night, totally out of it on the medications they've given him, to chastize me for sneaking a copy of Cat Fancy magazine in with his other reading materials. Oh, gee, did I do that? You said you wanted some magazines to flip through. ;) I find kitties to be rather soothing. But maybe a parakeet is his best bet at this point. Jill > He called me last night, totally out of it on the medications they've given > him, to chastize me for sneaking a copy of Cat Fancy magazine in with his [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Jill Jill, If you could find a much older cat, one like my Sam who really is happiest when he has a lap to lie on and a hooman to purr for, it would be purrrfect. I don't know if Sam is the way he is because he spent his entire life looking for someone to call his own or if it has to do with age or even his various illnesses and unfortunately you never know if you're getting a "lap cat" or not. Maybe if Scott agrees to a cat you could ask the shelter to keep you in mind over the next few weeks/months and if a cat comes in from an elderly person who has had to surrender their life long pet due to death or moving to a nursing home and call you. Purrs are continuing to come to you and Scott from my household. Julie > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > Jill A puppy might be fine if he was truly committed to wanting one, but I agree that he sounds like a cat person at heart. A reasonable alternative would be a Siamese cat. They are usually far more "interactive" than other cats. But then I have a real weakness for Siamese boy cats. If he will be home for a while he might have time to "break in" a kitten. But as always never surprise anyone with a pet, and make sure there is a backup plan in place if he were unable to care for it. Jo >> My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on >> the phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > > Jo I'm not planning to surprise him with anything! Just hoping he'll switch his thoughts from a puppy to an adult shelter cat that could use a good home. Jill > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jill Dogs are social creatures and need company. A cat would be perfect as they are patient and sleep a lot. Playing in the evening would be fun for both of them. Purrs for your brother's recovery and his future kitty companion. MLB >> My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on >> the phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. [quoted text clipped - 35 lines] > fun for both of them. Purrs for your brother's recovery and his > future kitty companion. MLB I'm hoping to change his mind about a puppy, or even an adult dog. He just doesn't have the time to spend with a dog and, as you say, they need companionship. Cats need love, too, of course. But they do sleep a lot ;) Persia is in the closet snoozing as I type this. It wouldn't matter to her if I was at the office or at the store. She's asleep. The only thing that will wake her up right now is the sound of kibble in her bowl! LOL If he decides to get a cat, I'll give him the appropriate house gifts of toy mousies, feather wands, etc. Jill > Let us not forget he had a cat, he begged for a cat, when he was only 12 > years old. So they got him a kitten. He named her Princess. Then my dad [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Jill I vote for a cat! Two, if you can find a bonded pair. Make sure you have a sufficiently sad story that'll tug his heart strings to death. Such as, 'their previous person died and nobody else wanted them, and they have only each other left.' You have to be their new person now. *sniff* And bring along litter boxes, food, and toys, so he'll be all ready. He'll love you so much for it. Jane > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] > Anyone else here agree a puppy would be too much for a man who works 8-10 > hours a day, but a cat would be perfect? ;) I seldom worked more than the standard 40 hours per week, but I always felt a puppy - ANY dog - would be too much for me! I LIKE dogs (although my tastes run to the larger breeds, who require space), but I always thought it would be unfair to the dog. A healthy cat sleeps from eighteen to twenty hours a day, and is perfectly happy so long as you provide it with food, a clean litterbox, ample toys and an occasional warm lap to snuggle on. (It may also want to share your bed at night, but that can be rather nice - especially on cold winter nights.) >> My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on >> the phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. [quoted text clipped - 39 lines] > share your bed at night, but that can be rather nice - > especially on cold winter nights.) Like I said, I'm being sneaky. Taking him some magazines and ooops! how did Cat Fancy magazine get in there?! Oh, and he's already a fan of 'I can has cheezburger?' so he's predisposed to a cat, for sure! Doubtful he'd be willing to take on two at once, but Persia's a perfectly happy only cat. No reason he couldn't find the same. Now let's just get him through his surgery... and on to the shelter for adopting a cheezburger loving cat! Jill >My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the >phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > >Jill You describe my situation exactly, except for the big house (mine's tiny). If at all possible, two cats/kittens, so they could keep each other company, is, of course, ideal. I have an 'only cat'. She sleeps all day, and keeps me company at night. I'd love to have a dog, but it's not likely to happen. Don't be sneaky: drag him to a shelter, as soon as he's feeling better! There's too many shelter kitties who need homes, to let a perfectly good home go without a cat! As an aside: my local Humane society often has 'pairs' of adult cats for adoption together, with a small discount. No worries about them getting along. I'm a big believer in adopting adult cats: kittens are so very, very cute, but you really need to be there most of the time to train them, and socialize them. I'm gone too much. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." -TC, and the unmercifully, relentlessly, sweet calico kitty, Kenzie. How you behave towards cats here below determines your status in Heaven. - Robert Heinlein Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. -Buddha > I'm a big believer in adopting adult cats: kittens are so very, very > cute, but you really need to be there most of the time to train them, > and socialize them. I'm gone too much. Most of the kittens I've had were trained and socialized by my adult cats in reisdence. (That can be a mixed blessing, but in most cases it worked just fine.) > ~~~~~~~~~~~~ > "Life without cats would be only marginally worth living." [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > Life is very difficult. Once you understand that, life becomes easier. > -Buddha Another quote for your collection: "The way to get on with a cat is to treat it as an equal - or even better, as the superior it knows itslf to be." -Elizabeth Peters >> My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on >> the phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. [quoted text clipped - 44 lines] > Don't be sneaky: drag him to a shelter, as soon as he's feeling > better! I'm not going to drag him anywhere. It's his choice. I do think a cat would be better for him. I'm just making the suggestion that rather than a dog... you know cats don't have to be walked? :) Jill I am always in favor of cats, but honestly if he does want a dog, have him get an older one from the shelter that is already house trained, Lee > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jill > My brother, who is about to to undergo surgery tomorrow, told me on the > phone last night when he recovers he wants to get a pet. Apparently [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > Jill Open and shut case as far as I'm concerned. =o) And cat purring is good for a person's health, since your brother is in need of a bit of nurse-catting. Tee hee! The man doesn't have a chance. I hope he and his eventual cat will be very happy together. Melissa
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