Cats suck!

[Oxford]

OHHGEEZZZ,,, now I need to stank myself up with kitty-crack to win their love. It sorta reminds me of the hunters that spray themselves with deer pee before a hunt.

Actually, it is a secret plot by cats to further insult us primates and destroy our dignity.

OH and I think Deepak Chopra has a $187 CD collection for “Winning a Cat’s Love — Finding your Inner Cat”. Enorah would be proud of me for knowing that. I am getting a sudden urge to wrap myself in white gauze, light some candles sit cross-legged on the floor and “be” the cat.

OX
…and somehow has not used the word “pussy” in this entire thread

[Coronita]

[quote=TenaciousSD]This is from the trenches my friend.

Before you go home today – stop by a Petsmart and run your hands through their fresh bed of catnip. Keep an eye out for the employee’s as they are likely to ask you if you intend to purchase said now fondled catnip.

If you’re not cheap just purchase a bottle $5.99 Catnip Spray and give your hands a squirt before you meet your cat.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3618953

You can run around with a laser pen and try to win over the cat (this is very time consuming), or for $5.99 you can have it instantly fall in love with you. Work smarter or work harder – its you’re choice.

Just don’t come back to these boards complaining the cat keeps rubbing on you, rolling on you, drooling, or licking you. Our cat sleeps in the bathroom because it cant stay away from me. If it can it will jump on the bed and sneak onto my chest and fall asleep on me.

At this point, my dearest significant other cant figure out why the cat ‘loves me’ more than her. I told her – its the catnip (were already committed so I just let the cat out of the bag).

Trust me – you are lucky the thing runs under the bed. LUCKY! Do you like wearing black suits? Well then, I hope she doesn’t have a white Turkish Angora. Those cats are loving, kind, and love to decorate you with their hair. I pretty much gave up on black suits – not by choice – its just that I got tired of looking like a cat exploded on my back every time I walked out of the house.

You’ll know that it truly is completly infatuated with you when it starts rubbing its nose on you. That feline is actually leaving an scentless trail of wet love booger on you. Ugh.

Make sure you’ll be happy getting what you want. The scale is – fear of not having vs the fear of having to live with it. Be careful what you wish for is what I’m getting at.

One last thing: You’re welcome – you now know how to make her cat love you – decorative hair, love boogers and all.[/quote]

Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy???

Fortunately, I only have to raise beta fishes for my kids right now…(Two died already…I tried to get the water temp right, but looks like two of them went into shock and died the next day after having them for a year…)…Side question. I replaced the two fishes with ones that look alike. Kid asks me why do they look slightly smaller.. I say, they are sick…You think I should have just told the 4 year old girl that they died? She’s too young to really think they are different right now…

My kid started by asking me she wanted a tiger… (“No”)..Then a dog…(“No, you aren’t old enough yet to take care of it”) Then a cat (“No, daddy’s allergic to them”). Then a wabbit (“No, we have plenty of them in the backyard”)….Then a iguana (“maybe later”)…Then a turtle (“maybe later…Let’s start our with some fish and see how well you take care of them…”)….Guess who’s changing the water and feeding the fish all the time????

Sounds like some folk’s pets eat better and have better healthcare then some people do… Do some of these pets also have pensions? 🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=TenaciousSD]This is from the trenches my friend.

Before you go home today – stop by a Petsmart and run your hands through their fresh bed of catnip. Keep an eye out for the employee’s as they are likely to ask you if you intend to purchase said now fondled catnip.

If you’re not cheap just purchase a bottle $5.99 Catnip Spray and give your hands a squirt before you meet your cat.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3618953

You can run around with a laser pen and try to win over the cat (this is very time consuming), or for $5.99 you can have it instantly fall in love with you. Work smarter or work harder – its you’re choice.

Just don’t come back to these boards complaining the cat keeps rubbing on you, rolling on you, drooling, or licking you. Our cat sleeps in the bathroom because it cant stay away from me. If it can it will jump on the bed and sneak onto my chest and fall asleep on me.

At this point, my dearest significant other cant figure out why the cat ‘loves me’ more than her. I told her – its the catnip (were already committed so I just let the cat out of the bag).

Trust me – you are lucky the thing runs under the bed. LUCKY! Do you like wearing black suits? Well then, I hope she doesn’t have a white Turkish Angora. Those cats are loving, kind, and love to decorate you with their hair. I pretty much gave up on black suits – not by choice – its just that I got tired of looking like a cat exploded on my back every time I walked out of the house.

You’ll know that it truly is completly infatuated with you when it starts rubbing its nose on you. That feline is actually leaving an scentless trail of wet love booger on you. Ugh.

Make sure you’ll be happy getting what you want. The scale is – fear of not having vs the fear of having to live with it. Be careful what you wish for is what I’m getting at.

One last thing: You’re welcome – you now know how to make her cat love you – decorative hair, love boogers and all.[/quote]

Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy???

Fortunately, I only have to raise beta fishes for my kids right now…(Two died already…I tried to get the water temp right, but looks like two of them went into shock and died the next day after having them for a year…)…Side question. I replaced the two fishes with ones that look alike. Kid asks me why do they look slightly smaller.. I say, they are sick…You think I should have just told the 4 year old girl that they died? She’s too young to really think they are different right now…

My kid started by asking me she wanted a tiger… (“No”)..Then a dog…(“No, you aren’t old enough yet to take care of it”) Then a cat (“No, daddy’s allergic to them”). Then a wabbit (“No, we have plenty of them in the backyard”)….Then a iguana (“maybe later”)…Then a turtle (“maybe later…Let’s start our with some fish and see how well you take care of them…”)….Guess who’s changing the water and feeding the fish all the time????

Sounds like some folk’s pets eat better and have better healthcare then some people do… Do some of these pets also have pensions? 🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=TenaciousSD]This is from the trenches my friend.

Before you go home today – stop by a Petsmart and run your hands through their fresh bed of catnip. Keep an eye out for the employee’s as they are likely to ask you if you intend to purchase said now fondled catnip.

If you’re not cheap just purchase a bottle $5.99 Catnip Spray and give your hands a squirt before you meet your cat.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3618953

You can run around with a laser pen and try to win over the cat (this is very time consuming), or for $5.99 you can have it instantly fall in love with you. Work smarter or work harder – its you’re choice.

Just don’t come back to these boards complaining the cat keeps rubbing on you, rolling on you, drooling, or licking you. Our cat sleeps in the bathroom because it cant stay away from me. If it can it will jump on the bed and sneak onto my chest and fall asleep on me.

At this point, my dearest significant other cant figure out why the cat ‘loves me’ more than her. I told her – its the catnip (were already committed so I just let the cat out of the bag).

Trust me – you are lucky the thing runs under the bed. LUCKY! Do you like wearing black suits? Well then, I hope she doesn’t have a white Turkish Angora. Those cats are loving, kind, and love to decorate you with their hair. I pretty much gave up on black suits – not by choice – its just that I got tired of looking like a cat exploded on my back every time I walked out of the house.

You’ll know that it truly is completly infatuated with you when it starts rubbing its nose on you. That feline is actually leaving an scentless trail of wet love booger on you. Ugh.

Make sure you’ll be happy getting what you want. The scale is – fear of not having vs the fear of having to live with it. Be careful what you wish for is what I’m getting at.

One last thing: You’re welcome – you now know how to make her cat love you – decorative hair, love boogers and all.[/quote]

Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy???

Fortunately, I only have to raise beta fishes for my kids right now…(Two died already…I tried to get the water temp right, but looks like two of them went into shock and died the next day after having them for a year…)…Side question. I replaced the two fishes with ones that look alike. Kid asks me why do they look slightly smaller.. I say, they are sick…You think I should have just told the 4 year old girl that they died? She’s too young to really think they are different right now…

My kid started by asking me she wanted a tiger… (“No”)..Then a dog…(“No, you aren’t old enough yet to take care of it”) Then a cat (“No, daddy’s allergic to them”). Then a wabbit (“No, we have plenty of them in the backyard”)….Then a iguana (“maybe later”)…Then a turtle (“maybe later…Let’s start our with some fish and see how well you take care of them…”)….Guess who’s changing the water and feeding the fish all the time????

Sounds like some folk’s pets eat better and have better healthcare then some people do… Do some of these pets also have pensions? 🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=TenaciousSD]This is from the trenches my friend.

Before you go home today – stop by a Petsmart and run your hands through their fresh bed of catnip. Keep an eye out for the employee’s as they are likely to ask you if you intend to purchase said now fondled catnip.

If you’re not cheap just purchase a bottle $5.99 Catnip Spray and give your hands a squirt before you meet your cat.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3618953

You can run around with a laser pen and try to win over the cat (this is very time consuming), or for $5.99 you can have it instantly fall in love with you. Work smarter or work harder – its you’re choice.

Just don’t come back to these boards complaining the cat keeps rubbing on you, rolling on you, drooling, or licking you. Our cat sleeps in the bathroom because it cant stay away from me. If it can it will jump on the bed and sneak onto my chest and fall asleep on me.

At this point, my dearest significant other cant figure out why the cat ‘loves me’ more than her. I told her – its the catnip (were already committed so I just let the cat out of the bag).

Trust me – you are lucky the thing runs under the bed. LUCKY! Do you like wearing black suits? Well then, I hope she doesn’t have a white Turkish Angora. Those cats are loving, kind, and love to decorate you with their hair. I pretty much gave up on black suits – not by choice – its just that I got tired of looking like a cat exploded on my back every time I walked out of the house.

You’ll know that it truly is completly infatuated with you when it starts rubbing its nose on you. That feline is actually leaving an scentless trail of wet love booger on you. Ugh.

Make sure you’ll be happy getting what you want. The scale is – fear of not having vs the fear of having to live with it. Be careful what you wish for is what I’m getting at.

One last thing: You’re welcome – you now know how to make her cat love you – decorative hair, love boogers and all.[/quote]

Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy???

Fortunately, I only have to raise beta fishes for my kids right now…(Two died already…I tried to get the water temp right, but looks like two of them went into shock and died the next day after having them for a year…)…Side question. I replaced the two fishes with ones that look alike. Kid asks me why do they look slightly smaller.. I say, they are sick…You think I should have just told the 4 year old girl that they died? She’s too young to really think they are different right now…

My kid started by asking me she wanted a tiger… (“No”)..Then a dog…(“No, you aren’t old enough yet to take care of it”) Then a cat (“No, daddy’s allergic to them”). Then a wabbit (“No, we have plenty of them in the backyard”)….Then a iguana (“maybe later”)…Then a turtle (“maybe later…Let’s start our with some fish and see how well you take care of them…”)….Guess who’s changing the water and feeding the fish all the time????

Sounds like some folk’s pets eat better and have better healthcare then some people do… Do some of these pets also have pensions? 🙂

[Coronita]

[quote=TenaciousSD]This is from the trenches my friend.

Before you go home today – stop by a Petsmart and run your hands through their fresh bed of catnip. Keep an eye out for the employee’s as they are likely to ask you if you intend to purchase said now fondled catnip.

If you’re not cheap just purchase a bottle $5.99 Catnip Spray and give your hands a squirt before you meet your cat.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3618953

You can run around with a laser pen and try to win over the cat (this is very time consuming), or for $5.99 you can have it instantly fall in love with you. Work smarter or work harder – its you’re choice.

Just don’t come back to these boards complaining the cat keeps rubbing on you, rolling on you, drooling, or licking you. Our cat sleeps in the bathroom because it cant stay away from me. If it can it will jump on the bed and sneak onto my chest and fall asleep on me.

At this point, my dearest significant other cant figure out why the cat ‘loves me’ more than her. I told her – its the catnip (were already committed so I just let the cat out of the bag).

Trust me – you are lucky the thing runs under the bed. LUCKY! Do you like wearing black suits? Well then, I hope she doesn’t have a white Turkish Angora. Those cats are loving, kind, and love to decorate you with their hair. I pretty much gave up on black suits – not by choice – its just that I got tired of looking like a cat exploded on my back every time I walked out of the house.

You’ll know that it truly is completly infatuated with you when it starts rubbing its nose on you. That feline is actually leaving an scentless trail of wet love booger on you. Ugh.

Make sure you’ll be happy getting what you want. The scale is – fear of not having vs the fear of having to live with it. Be careful what you wish for is what I’m getting at.

One last thing: You’re welcome – you now know how to make her cat love you – decorative hair, love boogers and all.[/quote]

Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy???

Fortunately, I only have to raise beta fishes for my kids right now…(Two died already…I tried to get the water temp right, but looks like two of them went into shock and died the next day after having them for a year…)…Side question. I replaced the two fishes with ones that look alike. Kid asks me why do they look slightly smaller.. I say, they are sick…You think I should have just told the 4 year old girl that they died? She’s too young to really think they are different right now…

My kid started by asking me she wanted a tiger… (“No”)..Then a dog…(“No, you aren’t old enough yet to take care of it”) Then a cat (“No, daddy’s allergic to them”). Then a wabbit (“No, we have plenty of them in the backyard”)….Then a iguana (“maybe later”)…Then a turtle (“maybe later…Let’s start our with some fish and see how well you take care of them…”)….Guess who’s changing the water and feeding the fish all the time????

Sounds like some folk’s pets eat better and have better healthcare then some people do… Do some of these pets also have pensions? 🙂

[PCinSD]

[quote=CBad]Sounds like it’s time for a little Simon’s Cat. Rich, this is dedicated to you…

Heh, I just watched those 3 and a few others. Hilarious! And very accurate.

Ox, you can get one of those corrugated cardboard cat scratchers from Trader Joes, they come with a bag of dried catnip. Get the double-wide scratcher. I keep the bag of catnip in the fridge, it lasts forever. Be careful with the catnip, if you don’t know how the cats will react to it. You could rub your fingers into it, put your hand up to the kitty, and come back with a shredded finger.

[PCinSD]

[quote=CBad]Sounds like it’s time for a little Simon’s Cat. Rich, this is dedicated to you…

Heh, I just watched those 3 and a few others. Hilarious! And very accurate.

Ox, you can get one of those corrugated cardboard cat scratchers from Trader Joes, they come with a bag of dried catnip. Get the double-wide scratcher. I keep the bag of catnip in the fridge, it lasts forever. Be careful with the catnip, if you don’t know how the cats will react to it. You could rub your fingers into it, put your hand up to the kitty, and come back with a shredded finger.

[PCinSD]

[quote=CBad]Sounds like it’s time for a little Simon’s Cat. Rich, this is dedicated to you…

Heh, I just watched those 3 and a few others. Hilarious! And very accurate.

Ox, you can get one of those corrugated cardboard cat scratchers from Trader Joes, they come with a bag of dried catnip. Get the double-wide scratcher. I keep the bag of catnip in the fridge, it lasts forever. Be careful with the catnip, if you don’t know how the cats will react to it. You could rub your fingers into it, put your hand up to the kitty, and come back with a shredded finger.

[PCinSD]

[quote=CBad]Sounds like it’s time for a little Simon’s Cat. Rich, this is dedicated to you…

Heh, I just watched those 3 and a few others. Hilarious! And very accurate.

Ox, you can get one of those corrugated cardboard cat scratchers from Trader Joes, they come with a bag of dried catnip. Get the double-wide scratcher. I keep the bag of catnip in the fridge, it lasts forever. Be careful with the catnip, if you don’t know how the cats will react to it. You could rub your fingers into it, put your hand up to the kitty, and come back with a shredded finger.

[PCinSD]

[quote=CBad]Sounds like it’s time for a little Simon’s Cat. Rich, this is dedicated to you…

Heh, I just watched those 3 and a few others. Hilarious! And very accurate.

Ox, you can get one of those corrugated cardboard cat scratchers from Trader Joes, they come with a bag of dried catnip. Get the double-wide scratcher. I keep the bag of catnip in the fridge, it lasts forever. Be careful with the catnip, if you don’t know how the cats will react to it. You could rub your fingers into it, put your hand up to the kitty, and come back with a shredded finger.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=flu] Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. [/quote]

A more profound and accurate statement has seldom been posted here at Piggs.

That being said……No shit, Sherlock.

[quote=flu] And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy??? [/quote]

I don’t know about my fellow Piggs, but many, many Americans continue to do so, even in these times. Truthfully, I don’t know how they do it. All I can say is that it’s a good thing my 15 year-old daughter’s grades continue to hover at a level significantly below mediocrity because we’re spending her college funds on the care and feeding of our two pets.

When I entered into a relationship with my husband many years ago, two young daughters and a cat came as part of the package. Fortunately, he is the rare feline that is psychopathology-free and is low-maintenance: all in all, a pretty cool cat. That being said, he does require the daily basics of food, water, and litter-sifting. There seemed to be an assumption among the existing members of the household that the “new girl” would take over these tasks, as none of them ever again voluntarily chose or “remembered” to do them. Years of domestic empirical evidence appears to indicate that the definition of animal love and care is limited to dressing up the cat in humiliating and uncomfortable outfits, attempts at training him to imitate feline antics on popular YouTube videos, and occasional “play” sessions initiated while said cat was peacefully sleeping in the sun. Having to remember to feed and water a cat, and change its litter can really interfere with the owners’ attempts to demonstrate love for their animal.

We subsequently adopted a neglected and badly abused hunting hound, and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. It took years for me to consent to acquisition of the dog due to my concern that the day-to-day tasks involved would fall entirely to me. This concern has become reality, as my daughter and husband seem to genuinely believe that “I forgot” is a valid and easy-to-remember excuse for electing to not perform tasks that have no personal hedonistic payoff. In fact, our daughter wants to adopt another dog, since this dog doesn’t “play” the way she envisioned (as a result of her abuse, she was extremely skittish for the first few months, and is still quite cautious with people; in addition, it is apparent that her sole purpose was as a utility canine, and she was never taught to play).

It was a real education to find out how much expense is involved in raising a dog. In the first month alone, we wrote about $1200 in checks to the veterinary clinic: she had active Lyme, and renal disease on top of that. But what’s really amazed me is both the number of products out there for pets, and the cost of those products. I’m telling you: the outfitting and care of pets is the new growth industry in the U.S. I cannot believe the price of dog snacks and bones. My dog loves – I mean she absolutely goes nuts for – these “bones” that are supposedly good for her teeth and are “filet mignon” flavored. These suckers are four inches long and maybe 3/4 inch in diameter, and all evidence of one is completely gone 45 seconds after I give it to her. Believe it, or not, they cost two dollars APIECE! The good part of this is that I’m really starting to pay attention to the cost of these snack products, and they’re all outrageous!! I could easily shell out ten bucks a day on just her treat diet.

I think the golden days of the late ’90s and early ’00s ushered in an era of high standard of living for family pets. There were tons of people who lived to shop and to consume, and when they ran out of stuff to buy themselves and their family and friends, they invested in pets who provided a whole new outlet for their consumer urges. I mean, seriously, would anyone back in the 60s or 70s have predicted the creation and expansion of pet product superstores? In the meantime, I see other superstore-based businesses struggling and going belly-up, but PetSmart is packed every time I’m in there. I just don’t know how people are managing to continue that level of maintenance of their pets. I realize that some aren’t, and that animal shelters are filled to capacity with pets that have been abandoned by owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or eviction, but a whole lot of middle-class families appear to be maintaining the status quo when it comes to purchasing for their pets.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=flu] Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. [/quote]

A more profound and accurate statement has seldom been posted here at Piggs.

That being said……No shit, Sherlock.

[quote=flu] And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy??? [/quote]

I don’t know about my fellow Piggs, but many, many Americans continue to do so, even in these times. Truthfully, I don’t know how they do it. All I can say is that it’s a good thing my 15 year-old daughter’s grades continue to hover at a level significantly below mediocrity because we’re spending her college funds on the care and feeding of our two pets.

When I entered into a relationship with my husband many years ago, two young daughters and a cat came as part of the package. Fortunately, he is the rare feline that is psychopathology-free and is low-maintenance: all in all, a pretty cool cat. That being said, he does require the daily basics of food, water, and litter-sifting. There seemed to be an assumption among the existing members of the household that the “new girl” would take over these tasks, as none of them ever again voluntarily chose or “remembered” to do them. Years of domestic empirical evidence appears to indicate that the definition of animal love and care is limited to dressing up the cat in humiliating and uncomfortable outfits, attempts at training him to imitate feline antics on popular YouTube videos, and occasional “play” sessions initiated while said cat was peacefully sleeping in the sun. Having to remember to feed and water a cat, and change its litter can really interfere with the owners’ attempts to demonstrate love for their animal.

We subsequently adopted a neglected and badly abused hunting hound, and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. It took years for me to consent to acquisition of the dog due to my concern that the day-to-day tasks involved would fall entirely to me. This concern has become reality, as my daughter and husband seem to genuinely believe that “I forgot” is a valid and easy-to-remember excuse for electing to not perform tasks that have no personal hedonistic payoff. In fact, our daughter wants to adopt another dog, since this dog doesn’t “play” the way she envisioned (as a result of her abuse, she was extremely skittish for the first few months, and is still quite cautious with people; in addition, it is apparent that her sole purpose was as a utility canine, and she was never taught to play).

It was a real education to find out how much expense is involved in raising a dog. In the first month alone, we wrote about $1200 in checks to the veterinary clinic: she had active Lyme, and renal disease on top of that. But what’s really amazed me is both the number of products out there for pets, and the cost of those products. I’m telling you: the outfitting and care of pets is the new growth industry in the U.S. I cannot believe the price of dog snacks and bones. My dog loves – I mean she absolutely goes nuts for – these “bones” that are supposedly good for her teeth and are “filet mignon” flavored. These suckers are four inches long and maybe 3/4 inch in diameter, and all evidence of one is completely gone 45 seconds after I give it to her. Believe it, or not, they cost two dollars APIECE! The good part of this is that I’m really starting to pay attention to the cost of these snack products, and they’re all outrageous!! I could easily shell out ten bucks a day on just her treat diet.

I think the golden days of the late ’90s and early ’00s ushered in an era of high standard of living for family pets. There were tons of people who lived to shop and to consume, and when they ran out of stuff to buy themselves and their family and friends, they invested in pets who provided a whole new outlet for their consumer urges. I mean, seriously, would anyone back in the 60s or 70s have predicted the creation and expansion of pet product superstores? In the meantime, I see other superstore-based businesses struggling and going belly-up, but PetSmart is packed every time I’m in there. I just don’t know how people are managing to continue that level of maintenance of their pets. I realize that some aren’t, and that animal shelters are filled to capacity with pets that have been abandoned by owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or eviction, but a whole lot of middle-class families appear to be maintaining the status quo when it comes to purchasing for their pets.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=flu] Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. [/quote]

A more profound and accurate statement has seldom been posted here at Piggs.

That being said……No shit, Sherlock.

[quote=flu] And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy??? [/quote]

I don’t know about my fellow Piggs, but many, many Americans continue to do so, even in these times. Truthfully, I don’t know how they do it. All I can say is that it’s a good thing my 15 year-old daughter’s grades continue to hover at a level significantly below mediocrity because we’re spending her college funds on the care and feeding of our two pets.

When I entered into a relationship with my husband many years ago, two young daughters and a cat came as part of the package. Fortunately, he is the rare feline that is psychopathology-free and is low-maintenance: all in all, a pretty cool cat. That being said, he does require the daily basics of food, water, and litter-sifting. There seemed to be an assumption among the existing members of the household that the “new girl” would take over these tasks, as none of them ever again voluntarily chose or “remembered” to do them. Years of domestic empirical evidence appears to indicate that the definition of animal love and care is limited to dressing up the cat in humiliating and uncomfortable outfits, attempts at training him to imitate feline antics on popular YouTube videos, and occasional “play” sessions initiated while said cat was peacefully sleeping in the sun. Having to remember to feed and water a cat, and change its litter can really interfere with the owners’ attempts to demonstrate love for their animal.

We subsequently adopted a neglected and badly abused hunting hound, and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. It took years for me to consent to acquisition of the dog due to my concern that the day-to-day tasks involved would fall entirely to me. This concern has become reality, as my daughter and husband seem to genuinely believe that “I forgot” is a valid and easy-to-remember excuse for electing to not perform tasks that have no personal hedonistic payoff. In fact, our daughter wants to adopt another dog, since this dog doesn’t “play” the way she envisioned (as a result of her abuse, she was extremely skittish for the first few months, and is still quite cautious with people; in addition, it is apparent that her sole purpose was as a utility canine, and she was never taught to play).

It was a real education to find out how much expense is involved in raising a dog. In the first month alone, we wrote about $1200 in checks to the veterinary clinic: she had active Lyme, and renal disease on top of that. But what’s really amazed me is both the number of products out there for pets, and the cost of those products. I’m telling you: the outfitting and care of pets is the new growth industry in the U.S. I cannot believe the price of dog snacks and bones. My dog loves – I mean she absolutely goes nuts for – these “bones” that are supposedly good for her teeth and are “filet mignon” flavored. These suckers are four inches long and maybe 3/4 inch in diameter, and all evidence of one is completely gone 45 seconds after I give it to her. Believe it, or not, they cost two dollars APIECE! The good part of this is that I’m really starting to pay attention to the cost of these snack products, and they’re all outrageous!! I could easily shell out ten bucks a day on just her treat diet.

I think the golden days of the late ’90s and early ’00s ushered in an era of high standard of living for family pets. There were tons of people who lived to shop and to consume, and when they ran out of stuff to buy themselves and their family and friends, they invested in pets who provided a whole new outlet for their consumer urges. I mean, seriously, would anyone back in the 60s or 70s have predicted the creation and expansion of pet product superstores? In the meantime, I see other superstore-based businesses struggling and going belly-up, but PetSmart is packed every time I’m in there. I just don’t know how people are managing to continue that level of maintenance of their pets. I realize that some aren’t, and that animal shelters are filled to capacity with pets that have been abandoned by owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or eviction, but a whole lot of middle-class families appear to be maintaining the status quo when it comes to purchasing for their pets.

[eavesdropper]

[quote=flu] Holy fvcking shit…. Sounds like pets are a major pain in the ass. [/quote]

A more profound and accurate statement has seldom been posted here at Piggs.

That being said……No shit, Sherlock.

[quote=flu] And I thought raising a kid was tough…At least I get some tax writeoffs for the expenses and at least health insurance for kids is somewhat available/affordable.. Do you folks really spend hundreds of dollars raising a feline or puppy a month, even in this economy??? [/quote]

I don’t know about my fellow Piggs, but many, many Americans continue to do so, even in these times. Truthfully, I don’t know how they do it. All I can say is that it’s a good thing my 15 year-old daughter’s grades continue to hover at a level significantly below mediocrity because we’re spending her college funds on the care and feeding of our two pets.

When I entered into a relationship with my husband many years ago, two young daughters and a cat came as part of the package. Fortunately, he is the rare feline that is psychopathology-free and is low-maintenance: all in all, a pretty cool cat. That being said, he does require the daily basics of food, water, and litter-sifting. There seemed to be an assumption among the existing members of the household that the “new girl” would take over these tasks, as none of them ever again voluntarily chose or “remembered” to do them. Years of domestic empirical evidence appears to indicate that the definition of animal love and care is limited to dressing up the cat in humiliating and uncomfortable outfits, attempts at training him to imitate feline antics on popular YouTube videos, and occasional “play” sessions initiated while said cat was peacefully sleeping in the sun. Having to remember to feed and water a cat, and change its litter can really interfere with the owners’ attempts to demonstrate love for their animal.

We subsequently adopted a neglected and badly abused hunting hound, and she has been a wonderful addition to the household. It took years for me to consent to acquisition of the dog due to my concern that the day-to-day tasks involved would fall entirely to me. This concern has become reality, as my daughter and husband seem to genuinely believe that “I forgot” is a valid and easy-to-remember excuse for electing to not perform tasks that have no personal hedonistic payoff. In fact, our daughter wants to adopt another dog, since this dog doesn’t “play” the way she envisioned (as a result of her abuse, she was extremely skittish for the first few months, and is still quite cautious with people; in addition, it is apparent that her sole purpose was as a utility canine, and she was never taught to play).

It was a real education to find out how much expense is involved in raising a dog. In the first month alone, we wrote about $1200 in checks to the veterinary clinic: she had active Lyme, and renal disease on top of that. But what’s really amazed me is both the number of products out there for pets, and the cost of those products. I’m telling you: the outfitting and care of pets is the new growth industry in the U.S. I cannot believe the price of dog snacks and bones. My dog loves – I mean she absolutely goes nuts for – these “bones” that are supposedly good for her teeth and are “filet mignon” flavored. These suckers are four inches long and maybe 3/4 inch in diameter, and all evidence of one is completely gone 45 seconds after I give it to her. Believe it, or not, they cost two dollars APIECE! The good part of this is that I’m really starting to pay attention to the cost of these snack products, and they’re all outrageous!! I could easily shell out ten bucks a day on just her treat diet.

I think the golden days of the late ’90s and early ’00s ushered in an era of high standard of living for family pets. There were tons of people who lived to shop and to consume, and when they ran out of stuff to buy themselves and their family and friends, they invested in pets who provided a whole new outlet for their consumer urges. I mean, seriously, would anyone back in the 60s or 70s have predicted the creation and expansion of pet product superstores? In the meantime, I see other superstore-based businesses struggling and going belly-up, but PetSmart is packed every time I’m in there. I just don’t know how people are managing to continue that level of maintenance of their pets. I realize that some aren’t, and that animal shelters are filled to capacity with pets that have been abandoned by owners who have lost their homes to foreclosure or eviction, but a whole lot of middle-class families appear to be maintaining the status quo when it comes to purchasing for their pets.

[Author]

Posts