Are you a dog or a cat person?

I know many would say they are an animal person,…but which do you really prefer?

Yesterday I saw an interesting program on TV. They claim that cats have toxic substances., that lower a human’s immune system. If a human is infected by these substances, then that person feels a stronger attachment to cats.

I don’t care for cats. That could mean I don’t have the toxic substance in me, and therefore have maintained the natural instinct to avoid cats.

Interesting, heh?

Love cats...kitten is my favourite word.

Love dogs. Do not like cats at all. Sorry cat lovers.

As many of you know, our dog is going through hell with scratching/allergies. She has been on several medications and has now had her seconf shot of four to help her get better.

Meantime, I was wondering if it had anything to do with all the cats running through our yard and languishing in my gardens. Who do they think they are?

Our neighbor has MANY bowls lined up outside her garage door. She's feeding them.

My vet said I had to call her and make sure they'd all been spayed, neutered and had their rabie shots.

So I called her and she told me she rounded all EIGHT of them up and took them and had everything taken care of. They live outside and it drives me crazy, but I don't know what to do about it. I don't think there's anything I can do.

I go out front to get the mail, and one is there. Go out on my patio and one runs through the backyard. Drive in my driveway, and there's one all stretched out in my garden.

YUCK.

Any suggestions?

Even if they've had their shots, I still don't think they should be able to run wild.

EW, are you sorry you asked?

Dotsie, this is just another thing we have in common. Guess you don't have those toxic substances in your blood stream either. And that's good.

We have an excellent anti-cat spray, that we spray along our fence and bushes. This stuff keeps them away for months! I'm sure they have that in the States too. I can highly recommend it.

Oh puleaseeeeeeee....toxic? I think not. I have a new cat that adopted me. Someone dumped her around my neighborhood and she saw the sign that said, "Half-Way House for Animals," on my front door. Chatty has the same sign on hers. I named her Miss Kitty and we get along fine. She hasn't once tried to wear my crown. She's not Trixie, but she's a friend.

They are all God's creatures. I think there are dog people and cat people, and people who love both. It doesn't make them dumb, different, or extraordinary in any way, to me. Or Toxic. People just like what they like.

My mother is one of the kindest women in the world...she doesn't like cats at all.

I'm pretty nice myself....I like both.

So? Toxic? Uh huh....sure. LOL!

Pull your claws back in, JJ. Just quoting what I saw on TV. For example they showed a mouse who was infected with toxoplasmosis. This mouse didn’t try to avoid the cat at all. They claimed cat’s use this parasite in order to catch mice easier. Humans can get this same parasite, and those infected humans seem to like cats more.

What is toxoplasmosis, and how do you get it?
Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by a tiny parasite that lives in the intestines of animals such as cats and pigs.

You can get toxoplasmosis in the following ways:
•By swallowing the parasite in cat litter or dirt that has cat droppings in it. This can happen if you put your hands to your mouth after gardening, cleaning a cat litter box or touching anything that has been in contact with cat droppings. ...

Some tips:

•Keep your cat indoors so that it does not pick up the toxoplasmosis parasite from the animals it hunts.
•Feed your cat only dry or canned cat food. Like humans, cats can become infected with toxoplasmosis by eating raw or undercooked meat.
•Do not bring a new cat into your house if the animal might have been an outdoor cat or might have been fed raw meat. Do not handle stray cats or kittens.
•Have a person who is healthy and not pregnant change your cat's litter box. If you have to change the cat litter yourself, wear gloves while you do it. When you finish, wash your hands well with soap and warm water. Clean the litter box daily.


And here are some interesting facts:
Cats, not dogs, are the most common pets in America. There are approximately 66 million cats to 58 million dogs, with Parakeets a distant third at 14 million.
A form of AIDS exists in cats.
Each day in the US, animal shelters are forced to destroy 30,000 dogs and cats.
The penalty for killing a cat, 4,000 years ago in Egypt, was death.
By the way, I learned two new words today:
The cat lover is an ailurophile, while a cat hater is an ailurophobe.

Yes JJ I do have the same sign... I am an avid dog lover and always have been. I had a kitten when a child that was kicked by a neighbor and died. I was devastated and never had another cat until I became an animal foster parent for several agencies, ASPCA, SPCA and the Humane Society. I keep some dogs, cats and even birds until a forever home can be found. I doubt I have caught this cat lovers disease because I still fancy dogs and keep cats too because they are Gods creatures, innocent and deserve to be looved. Oh, and sweet kittens remind me of puffs of cotton candy.

So happy JJ that you've found a friend, and from experience I can say cats can be as devoted as any dog...

Thats really interesting info Edelweiss and extremely good hints on how to handle the cats and litter etc. Just good common sense and it is always better to be safe than sorry.

Dog. Definitely, dog. I had seven of them at one time. A Dane (fawn), a Dobe (red), two Boxers (brindle), a Weimariner (blue) and two Jack Russells. In-between, I had German Shepherds, Sharpei and a poodle.

Do cats sense that?

I adopted a cat from the cattery in 2006 and it left me for my grandchildren. Then, it left my grandchildren for the next door neighbour's cat but, continues to sit on the back garden fence.

So funny!!! I am originally a cat person. I had a red-point siamese from the time I was 9 until right before I married at 24. He was very loyal and my family (military) traveled with him from state to state with his litter box under my feet. (after all he was my cat!) My siblings loved him too but I got the work involved. When I got married I talked my husband into another red-point mix to take his place. We had him for 10 years until he got bit by the neighbors stray and contracted feline leukemia. Our children were very sad to see him go so they each got to pick out a kitten at the shelter. I never got as close to those two, though one, a tortoise, was with us for 25 years and just died this last January. When my Father passed away 15 years ago....I got another kitty to help me through that time...It was amazing how comforting he was. He is now 15 and going through some kidney problems, but still with us!...He is an orange stripe and spot....7 years ago my friend had found a stray , feral cat that just happened to be a red-point. I just had to have him, because there is something about those blue eyes =] None of my Siamese have been the same. The first was the more pure bred and his meow and lean body showed that. The other two are bigger and one meowed like a kitten while the last one has a nagging siamese meow. I must add that 4 years ago I got a little puppy. We had had a large dog when the kids had their kitties , but she was too much for our family and we had to give her up...We all hated that....Our new little Lasa Opso came along after we became empty nesters. Being a cat person and used to them being independant I was not prepared for the needs of a small white indoor puppy. It was like having another baby! Well, almost....But now that she is 4 and potty trained (somewhat), leash trained (sort of) and not ruining the furniture (ok, I am lying here) she really is a sweetheart...=] Lasa's are not what you would call easy to train, groom or have in your lap. She has a mind of her own!! But, I know she adores us, and won't leave our sight or footstool when we are home. Though, because of her, the cats no longer like to hang out in front of the TV with us. They get along fine, but she gets jealous of them wanting to sit on me..=\ Anyway, that was a long reply, but I hope you get the picture....I am a sucker for my pets...=]