Cindy on August 24th, 2008
“The really great thing about cats is their endless variety. One can pick a cat to fit almost any kind of decor, color, scheme, income, personality, mood. But under the fur, whatever color it may be, there still lies, essentially unchanged, one of the world’s free souls.” – Eric Gurney
Photo of my intrepid cat, Jack B. Nimble
August 24th, 2008 at 9:28 am
My daughter would agree. Though her cats are sisters, they are as different as two cats could be – each their own soul.
August 25th, 2008 at 1:16 am
I love cats. Unfortunately, my husband and I are so allergic to them that we start to sneeze and wheeze in a house which has no cats but where cats once lived!
August 25th, 2008 at 5:56 am
Oh, Cindy… Never before has been written a blog so designed for discussion, so obviously, unabashedly inviting debate…
Cats are OK. But dogs live the home office experience. Nay, they share that existence with their owner. They are quiet in the early morning light, or when in the throes of deadline. They are willing to share a long walk in the afternoon.
Unlike cats, dogs are not without voice. They announce the arrival of the delivery guy, when a doorbell, knock or rumble of the vehicle do not suffice. They invite conversation with others on that conference call when they announce said arrival of said delivery guy.
They, too, come in all colors and styles.
And they don’t walk on the keyboard, or command desk space like one more computer accessory (‘Hey, where’s the USB port on this things?’).
I like cats, I really do. Sadly, allergies prohibit our having such a creature in our household. So, too, does our dog.
August 25th, 2008 at 9:14 am
Ok, Jeff, I have to tell you, my cats are with me 24/7 when it comes to my writing career. Jack and Emma perch in my home office — on the desk or the floor — and Jack even likes to help me type when he wants me to finish up and get his lunch. In the winter, when the wind rattles my home office windows, cats are wonderful lap blankets while I work. And they never, ever bark, unlike the dogs in the neighborhood who, well, make it hard to concentrate sometimes … Just my two cents.
– Cindy La Ferle
August 26th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Just as a point of information: I have 9 dogs and eight cats, so I feel qualified to comment on this post.
My tea-cup poodle (a rescue from a puppy-mill) sleeps on my hard-drive, and BOG (acronym for Big Orange Cat) has chased the other 8 dogs down the lane-way in full rout on more than one occasion that I know of.
So…I stand an advocate for both the cat and dog domains…anyone want to discuss finches, chickens or mice?
And, of course, there are the guinea pigs…
Betty
August 27th, 2008 at 9:23 pm
Having had one of each (Pearl our cat, McKenzie our beloved dog whom I had to put to sleep this summer) I gotta say I’m still a dog person. I know there are cuddly kitties out there; ours just isn’t one of them.
McKenzie on the other paw, was a constant companion skittering into the kitchen when she heard me take out the chopping board at dinner time, lying next to my chair in my office while I worked; daily inviting me to play chase, her white rump up in the air in that classic COME PLAY WITH ME! pose.
Pearl is getting on in years, getting thinner, a bit slower. And while she connected way more with my daughter than with me she was with us four years before we became a one-cat-one-dog family. When Pearl’s time comes I shall miss seeing her stretched out in patches of morning sunlight on the living room rug. I shall miss her sleek and silent grace; the way she stretches out on the back door mat so that I can brush her silky white and tan coat.
There are dog people and cat people, both of whom are fortunate to experience the love and devotion of these four-legged creatures.
As far as finches go — read my blog post!
http://debradarvick.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=38
There’s one about McKenzie, too.
http://debradarvick.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?action=edit&post=31