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...=]

Both....and we've had both for years. Love 'em both! Dotsie, have you tried the Shea butter w/tea tree oil on your dog yet?

well, I guess you can tell by my handle what I am!!! But I also have two dogs, too. And have had all sorts of different small animals, including a snake. BUT CATS all the way....
But, as far as what someone "saw on TV", OMW, if you believe everything you see and hear on TV then you are gonna go nuts!!
All animals, including HUMANS carry nasty, dirty, things inside, and some of them outside. That's life and I aint givin up me cats! And, BTW, I have never trusted anyone who doesnt like animals, something wrong with them!

I'm a dog person but have known some cool cats. I don't trust anyone who doesn't like animals, either. They definitely have a short-circuit somewhere! LOL...

Di...what does shea butter and tea oil do for dogs?

Dee,
Dotsie's dog has had a problem with scratching. Perhaps Di's products soothe the skin. I'm just speculating but it makes
sense to me.

Whenever I groom my Yorkies I use tea tree shampoo and it soothes their skin. But scratching can be a serious infestation of a microbe size invader not seen by the naked eye. The vet needs to do a scraping of skin and test it in the lab. I never realized how many kinds of mange a dog can pick up.

I think Dotsie has been using a vet, all along. She mentioned
taken her dog there several times.

The vet has scraped her twice. Even though she never found anything, she's still treating her for it. She's had three shots and is no longer itching. Finally! She's off all other medications, and has one more shot to go.

I did not use the shea butter becasue our dog is all over our furniture, and I'm afraid the oil would get inthe furniture and stain.

Dotsie,
Very happy your dog is better. Pets are such a worry when anything goes wrong, 'cause they're such a huge part of our home life! And how we love 'em!

Anne,
Many people love cats and that's cool. Animals bring a lot of
joy into our lives; I think God put them here to keep us company.
Prayers and blessings,

I am a dog person, living with a cat. She's okay, she loves me and I can deal with her. I love when she curls up by me, but I don't get her when she wants to get away. I am trying to turn her into a dog, I think.

I am a pushover for both, cats and dogs. They both seem to be able to melt my heart either with purrs, or wagging tails. I am proud to say I am an ANIMAL person.

Actually, I fall into that category as well. I'm an animal person! I love dogs, donkeys, horses, cows, lamas, some men and
a few clowns.

I love cats and dogs and had both. Our remaining cat died recently; the other cat died earlier this year. So we're down to 2 dogs. I don't think we'll get more cats at this point. It's too dangerous out there and since we have a doggy door, it's hard to keep the cats in. The two we had didn't go outside any more - they were both close to 20 when they died. But I still love cats, and dogs. Not so crazy about birds or fish though.

Have any of you dear hearts used the product, Vetericyn? I see
it advertised and wondered if it actually works. Thinking about
buying some for Xena; she has a few spots where hair is thinning a might from horsing around. On occasion, she gets hot spots; I'm thinking this product may help heal those quicker.

SOrry, but no hlep. Chatty might chime in.

Sorry Jabber but thats a new one on me. Look it up on the computer and call a few vets just asking if they know anything about it. I'll ask around too.

Will do! Thanks ladies!

I googled Vetericyn to get the cost. It's a wound treatment and might be worth $35.00 a bottle. Around here a weekend vet visit costs $100.00 just to enter the office, say nothing of the treatment.

Give it a try and if it doesn't look better in five days, stop!
But if it looks worse in a day then definitely STOP immediately and bathe it in cool water. At least trying the sauve will make a vet bill unecessary if it works.

Right. That's exactly what I thought. If it's half as good as
the hype, it'll be worth it.

In case you miss my post in Recommended Links, here's something for you pet lovers:

freekibble.com gives food to dogs in shelters every time you answer a daily trivia question correctly.

freekibblekat.com gives food to cats in shelters.

Saundra this is one I wasn't aware of, but I am now!!! Thanks...

I'm going to be a foster mom! I've had no luck with the deployed soldier program but the Greyhound Park here in Phoenix is closing so the market is going to be flooded with Greyhounds and the rescue is doing a home visit on Monday and the dog is a four year old female, racing name is Big Mammoo but has been changed to Mamie. I'm so excited!

I guess some of them don't know how to walk on floors or have never seen a door or walked through one so they are pretty skittish in the beginning but settle down after a few days. Oh...they don't bark either. They don't know they're supposed to. I'll let you know more after we get her.

I'm a cat, dog and horse person!

Saundra, I'll need to be more consistant with regards to free kibble! Thanks for the reminder.

In Florida a friend of mine adopted three greyhounds so far. Once they stop winning races they are usually put down, so cruel!!! The ones saved and finding 'forever' homes make absolutely precious pets and are overflowing with love for their new person. You will be happy you did this Dianne and Mamie will be too. It will be hard at first with her being just like a brand new pup seeing and experiencing things in our world for the very first time. Bless your heart!

Neighbors of ours adopted Greyhounds; those animals make wonderful pets.

One of our neighbors adopted a greyhoud that was finished racing. They had four kids and it was a great family pet. It has since died. They don't live long lives, do they?

http://gpa-az.com/available.html

This is the link that shows the picture of the dog I'm fostering. They decided to leave Mamie where she is (as Chatty says, if it ain't broke, don't fix it) and she brought Max over to meet us and to be sure he isn't going to bother my bird. So far, so good. Max doesn't like other dogs or cats so they've had a problem adopting him out.

Dots, the rescue person says they can live to be 15-years old.

Thanks so much for your encouragement. I'll keep you posted on his progress!

Did you know they can't swim? I have to be outside with him and watch him around the swimming pool

I am going to call the Greyhound Rescue Center to see if they know if a Greyhound can be taught to swim.
I now you are probably aware of this but a racing hound is not in the least civilized. I mean that everything inside any home is as new to him as if he were just born. I would really watch him around Sammie for awhile.
Does someone take them in before they find them forever homes, and try and home train them first? Imagine living in a pen all your life and knowing nothing else, how very sad.

Dianne,
There are some interesting names in that group. Never heard of
a dog named Fool or Gym. Maggie is a beauty. These Greyhounds are
such sweet animals.

There's a Greyhoud rescue association around here somewhere.
They have a tent at the county fair every year. The dogs I've
seen adopted, seem to adjust okay to house envirnoments. But
I've only seen a few that were transitioned.

Max was home trained before we got him. Gads, he just sleeps, eats and goes outside. He's very strong and I might get in shape walking him.

Chatty, I'm watching him like a hawk. If Sammie is on her perch, he's muzzled and usually in the office sleeping. My crazy bird...if Max even looks at her I tell him no but Sammie is in her cage saying, "Come here--get over here right now--and whistling. I think Max might be somewhat confused...ha!

Their names are usuallly a shorter version of their racing names. You can also check their track record. Max did most of his racing in west virginia and placed second a few times so it appears they moved him to AZ to see if he'd do better in a different location. All I know is his hind quarters are nothing but huge muscles!

What made you decide to get such a large dog? Is it due to the many home invasions in Phoenix? He would make eight of Diz in size. I can amlost hear Sammie now screeching her commands to Max. Too funny!!!

This morning, Max was sniffing the trash can and Sammie, in a very deep voice, said, "No" and Max minded her. He came into the family room and she told him to lay down and he did.

I've always loved Greyhounds, Chatty. I love their sweetness and it breaks my heart that they found so many of them in the desert, shot in the head because they weren't winning money for the owners. Hundreds of them. Isn't that awful?

Their nature is like Diz's was.

They don't bark so aren't considered watch dogs but I will tell you that yesterday, I was walking out the front door with Max and I had his muzzle on him, which makes him look very dangerous and there was this Hispanic guy driving by very slowly. That's what they do--cruise neighborhoods looking for open garage doors or casing houses to rob at night. Anyway, I glared at the guy and there was Max, looking like a kill dog and the guy left the neighborhood quite fast!

I LOVE that about Sammie and Max! That guy is lucky to have you. It's gorgeous here today so I am about to take my own two mutt-babies for a long walk. Mine drive me goofy sometimes but I cannot imagine a life without dogs! (Love cats, too!)

Dianne are you going to restart your blog Narrow Dog using Max? I loved that blog...

When Diz died it took the wind out of my sail so I haven't felt quite ready to start it up again. Someone told me I should write a book titled: Sammie and the Greyhounds...LOL! Thanks for the comment, Chatty.

I'm taking Max to a meet and greet at Petsmart today. I'll have his muzzle on him so he'll look very menacing and nobody will want to adopt him and he can stay with us. We're quite smitten with him

And why can't he stay with you???? Have you offered to adopt him? If you're a trusted enough family to foster animals, that means you more than meet the criteria for adopting as well. I know from being a foster and adoptive home for years...

I have to play this right with the husband. His heart was broken over Diz and he said he never wanted to go through that pain again so I'm just letting him fall in love with Max, which has already happened. David never had pets as a child because his mother was asthmatic so he isn't used to losing critters...ok, who ever gets used to it? Don't worry--I'll have first say and if anyone wants to adopt Max, I'll do it. He's already so much of our family. My grandkids met him and fell in love. He's mine.

I'm in a marriage and the husband has 50% of the say too.

I had a feeling Max wasn't going to be leaving anytime soon...
I cannot wait to meet him!

A husband has partial, if any, say so if we women allow them to have it, right? And you Dianne could sell hot sand to the arabs, so Max is as good as in his forever home right now...how cool!

Jumping in late.........

We're dog people!!!! I love my babies!!!! There is something about cats......you have to find the right one or there is trouble!!! Only room for one you know what rhymes with witch in this household! We had cats growing up--but as I got older I didn't mesh with them very well!

We had a whippet growing up. Fancy name today is italian greyhound. Lightning was his name---and he could run like the wind! Jump 4 feet bushes/fences! He'd take off and you'd have to chase him in the car. We thought about getting a greyhound--but it's easier to adopt a child than a dog!!!

I do laugh at afew cats in the neighborhood. They love my neighbors yard. The one who is PICKY about her yard. It makes her bonkers!!! They probably sense it and use her yard to taunt her!
Haha

So my vote is for dog..........

Karen, I'm a dog person too. Regretably, I have a cat loving neighbor whose 8 outdoor cats like my yard. I chase them and so does my dog.