Cat Site Migrant

Dogs are amazing! They just want to protect their pack and everyone sees that when a newborn human comes into their pack they immediately sense that this one needs special protection. I had a cat when I was married and my wife had a Jack Russell terrier and he was determined to harass her but once he realized that she was part of the pack he started to protect her too!

 

Had a rat terrier in the family at one time. Crazy little psycho of a dog.

 

I'd say it's very much an apples & oranges comparison. Cats and dogs are intelligent in very different ways, and likewise are stupid in different ways. Dogs are highly social pack animals while cats are, as you say, independent. They are highly evolved lone predators, and their social interactions with humans seem to be purely child-parent in nature, as in they interact with us as though they were our kittens even into adulthood. Dogs, on the other hand, seem to treat us as members of their pack, i.e. as equals, albeit usually with a higher regard for us, perhaps along the lines of an alpha.

I appreciate dogs and cats for what they are and wouldn't be too quick to proclaim one to be objectively better than the other. As with apples and oranges, they have their unique strengths and weaknesses that will appeal to different people differently!

 

OK, Glóin son of Gróin!

 

Terriers are the insane breed in the dog family. My wife’s Jack Russell ran on rocket fuel and Boston Terriers are more crazy still but they are extremely likable.

 

My terrier was a Cairn. She looked just like Toto from Wizard of Oz. Sweetest dog I've ever owned, though she did have the lively, bright-eyed and mischievous terrier personality. She had been a backyard breeder's dog and then was just dumped (unspayed) on Craigslist on her 3rd birthday and 4th litter of puppies. My plan was to take her out of neglectful hands, get her spayed and into a terrier rescue group. She was in horrible physical shape.

My Corgi loved her at first sight. So did I, so we kept her.

She developed chronic kidney disease when she was 8 years old and her kidneys finally crashed when she was a little over 11 years. I miss her so much, my sweet little terrier.

 

This is why I have no pets now. They become actual members in the family and they don’t live long enough and when they die it hurts too much!

 

The loss is painful. After my first dog died, I decided to volunteer at the animal shelter, walking and training the dogs and fostering a few of them. That way I could be around dogs without "owning" one (or seeing them pass at the end). I have always had a cat or three around though.

Well, it wasn't even a year before I "needed" another little canine heartbeat here with me every day for his life. My Corgi is a senior now but still very healthy for his age. He has never had any major illness, knock wood. I know "that" day will come, but try not to think about it.

 

I had a female cat for 18 years. My female friends tried to make friends with her and she didn’t give them any attention but she flirted with my male friends relentlessly. She just wasn’t a girly cat and were she my sister or something I would have been worried about her

 

Her name was Sara and I still have dreams where she is still with me. I have four girls through two different mothers and they would have broken through and won her over. She’d know they were from me!

 

This rat terrier was psycho. She would carry on growling and barking at people and cats, and would occasionally go nuts and attack.

 

Dogs are insane but they casually give their lives to human packs. They deserve special respect. Cats disappear when there’s trouble but they are way better at getting rodents and even dogs give respect once they know they are in the pack!

 

~ The cats have it made ...

 

I'm in need of a caption.




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Ideally you want both around!

 

" May I help you .. ?"

 

When is it "time"?

We've got 2 dogs and 3 cats.
One of the cats, an affectionate old fellow named Mercury has cancer and we've already had his left ear surgically removed.

It healed nicely but the cancer has come back and is spreading which means that he has a bleeding sore where his left ear once was. Since Mercury has other health issues, further surgery was not recommended.

In order to keep the wound from getting worse we found what looks to be a fairly comfortable neck cone to keep Mercury from scratching the wound and making it bleed more.

Mercury has figured out how to use the litter box and drink water with his cone on but I take the cone off at least 6-10 times a day so he can eat and enjoy quality time. I have to watch and / or hold Mercury when he's without his cone so that he doesn't scratch the wound.

Mercury has pain medicine for when the would becomes painful or itchy.

The problem is that I'm reluctant to leave Mercury alone or let him go outside because he may get stuck somewhere due to the cone. I let him eat whenever he wants (about 5 times a day) but have to watch him constantly so he won't scratch his wound.
My primary concern is Mercury's quality of life with an annoying wound, a cumbersome cone around his neck and being stuck indoors.

I don't know if I'm being selfish in keeping Mercury alive with such a restrictive routine and chronic wound or if it would be more humane to have him euthanized.
Any suggestions?

 

The right thing to do is end his misery.

But I’m not one to talk as I let my 14 year old dog suffer until she died.

And looking back on it, that was selfish

 

Thanks for responding.

My wife and I have agreed that it's time to have him euthanized but will probably put it off until he shows signs of being truly miserable.
He's got his pain medicine, he's eating well and using the litter box and we just plan on giving him as much affection & quality time as possible for the next few days.

Since I'm old enough to have had plenty of pets, I've made the mistake of waiting too long to have pets euthanized too. It's not selfish or if it is selfish, it's a benign selfishness because who want's to lose an affectionate companion that you love?

Thanks again,

 

Write me if you want to talk.
I am totally understanding of this topic. SO hard!

 

Thanks for your generous offer. I may take you up on it when "time" comes.

My wife & I are pretty comfortable with our decision to keep Mercury comfortable with plenty of quality time for the next few days.
At least he's eating & sleeping well and showing no visible signs of severe distress especially after his pain medicine.

 

You’re not a 40 year old woman are you?

 

~ Sadly I have become "the man with cats". Similar but not the same as "the crazy cat lady".
The neighborhood I live in has many stray abandoned cats that take refuge in my yard. I try to rehome them . The saddest part is knowing some will have to be euthanized.

 

I wish people would desex their pets. The number of lost, homeless and straying animals is distressing.

 

~ Yes it is. Apparently little Ol´ me is the only one actively doing any spay/neuter around here. Cats multiply like rabbits ! I feel sorry for these little creatures ...