#74 Social Petworking

I have to admit, I created a webpage for my cat Emma on Catster. It was fairly easy, though I had some trouble finding her breed, and it was really slow to load after I had finished filling out the information. Even her picture is up there. I also did a diary entry on Emma's Day, all about her rather dull day at home. It was sort of fun, and something I may keep up with. Checked out Pet.doc, and got advice on how to trim her toenails.

I don't feel a great need to do social networking for my cat. Emma and I are both rather lone wolves, so to speak, and are content to be as such. I can see why many people enjoy doing it, finding folks with the same breed of cat or dog as your own, or just enjoying the company of others. I talk about Emma at work, we all share our pet stories, and she is a very important part of my life. But I would rather not disturb her privacy any more then necessary. :)

#73 Losing a friend

Having lived a good long time, I have lost many pets over the years, most commonplace, some more exotic. It has never been easy, whether they died at home, or when the decision had to be made to end thier life. After looking at the websites listed in the exercise, I found the information useful, and was pleased that some understanding of the grief at the loss of a pet has, over time, has been more accepted as the norm rather then something odd.

The worst time I had was when I had to make the decision alone as to putting two of my cats down within 6 months of each other. Squeaker, a very large Tabby with a very small voice, was found in a parking lot, had been with us for 10 years, and unfortunately had severe diabetes. He had some kind of episode, and needed to have his suffering ended. It was horrible, the feelings I had. But, I was with him to the end, and he was sorely missed.

My other cat, Ming, a Siamese, was 14, and my late husband's cat. A true character and aristocrat he was, sat with Dan and had coffee in the morning, loved deli turkey and peas, very skittish and extremely loving animal. Used to sit by the pond and lay his tail on the water, even though he hated getting wet. He was my companion, along with Squeaker, when the world turned upside down. Unfortunately, he developed cancer of the liver, and there was nothing to be done. When the time came, I took him to the vet, and stayed with him until he was gone. The doctor was kind, there was no other choice. The devastation was complete, and I miss that amazing animal to this day.

#72 Pet Health Online.

I answered all the questions on CatAge, and in their opinion, my Emma is 22.7 years old in human time. I was quite pleased that she was such a young age. However, I may have messed up a bit. The question was asked, "can you feel your cats ribs?" and yes, of course I can do that. This question was about weight and shape. When I went home, I hugged Emma, and realised that I really can't feel her ribs unless I do more squishing, so I believe she is a bit on the chubby side. Will have to work on that. I was interested to learn that cats shouldn't have garlic, which made me grateful that Emma has no taste for Italian food, just a bit of watermelon on occasion.

I also read the articles and arguments on Spaying and Neutering with great interest. I have had many pets over the years, and all of them were "fixed", the procedure just makes for a better tempered animal, easier on you and them. I don't know how people can not get their pets neutered, its simply cruel not to. My Emma is a rescued cat, taken to the pound with her unwanted litter of kittens, the kittens were taken, she was not. Someone loved her once, but she was thrown away because her former owner wasnt responsible. They lost a wonderful animal. My gain.

Picking a Pet #71

I have always considered myself a cat person, and have always had cats, with an occasional dog, rabbit, turtle or snake thrown into the mix for variation. I was rather suprised when the Pet Picker decided a bird would be a good pet for my life style. Oddly enough, I had been considering a getting a bird, probably a canary or budgie, just because I enjoy the chatter and color. However, it also seems cruel to keep a lunch munchie hanging in front of my beloved cat, Emma, and to keep a bird in a state of nervousness.

I looked at the adoption sites, and could not figure out a way to fit the 321,000+ cats into my house. My cat is a rescue cat, and once we got used to each other, she is one of the joys of my life. So many pets are thrown away, and I was so glad to see the rescue societies that are willing to step in and give unwanted animals a home. My cat is an only kitty, and the one time I tried to bring another cat into the house, it was not a good situation, and I have not tried again. However, I did find the address of a animal rescue locally that I will send a donation to.