Dogs or Cats

Are you an animal person?  Dogs?  Cats?  Ferrets?  Gerbils?  Parakeets?  Fish?  I am a dog/cat or cat/dog person who also had outdoor fish and no longer has any sort of pet.  Does that make me an orphan?  It makes me not have to clean litter boxes.  It makes me not have to shop the animal food isles.  No more vet visits.  No expensive pet care facilities for long vacations. No more warm licks from a dog waking you up to go outside.  No more shaking beds when Sam, the golden retriever, is against the bed trembling in fear of the thunder.  No more kitty curling on my lap or shoulder or hip or whatever suited her or his fancy.  No dog greeting me at the door just happy to see me.  No more fish coming to be fed when the felt the vibration of my step on the little dock.

My fish.  Wonder how they are doing?

Yellow, Blackie, Mildred, Tippy, Priscilla, Sara, Snowy, Charlie, Chrissy, Yellow Lantern, Bert, Sam, Cinder and Cookie.  I may have missed a kitty or two that our animal loving son obtained from our animal whisperer friend.  That list is all the cats and dogs that have shared a home with me.  Priscilla and Sara moved from Texas to Missouri with us.  Priscilla wandered off and died when she was almost 19 years old.  Charlie and Sam moved from Aurora to Springfield. Cinder is buried in the back yard of 3871, Snowy was buried in the gully by Hubby's parents place on Lovers Lane in Aurora. Cookie had to be put down when we were moving my mom in 2006.

I want to share a story about our golden boy, Charlie.  A grayish gold striped male cat that became terrified of me one day.  But he got me back.  So this is the story.

It was Easter and I was to be the Bunny for the employees association at work.  My folks were visiting us.  I was trying on the bunny suit and modeling it for my family and next door neighbors.

Easter Bunny visiting neighbor's great grandson

I walked into our living room and immediately heard scratching sounds.  I looked through the 'eyes' of the suit and saw dear Charlie the cat in total terror.  He was using every bit of power in his legs to get out of the chair to get away from the monster of all rabbits.  Side note, Charlie loved to kill rabbits.  Anyway, Charlie gets out of the chair only to land on the hardwood floor.  Front legs obeyed as he turned to go down the basement stairs to escape.  Back legs, not so much.  They went every which way, swaying from one side of his body to the other.  Finally, traction!!!!!  Charlie was down and out of sight, hidden in the recesses of the basement.  Occasionally the cat would attempt to slink up the stairs only to be met by my Dad holding the costume head.

A few months later I kept trying to figure out what was causing the bad odor in our closet.  I found the reason when I put my foot into my 'yard shoes'.  Charlie had pooped and teed in my shoes.  Not to be out done, I banished Charlie from our house.  He would not get the best of me and I had stepped in teed/pooped shoes!!!!  A few weeks later I get into my car.  And. There. Is. The. Smell.  Yes, a window had been left down and Charlie had struck again.  I would banish him for the rest of his life!!!!!!

Not long after the car poop I was standing in the yard visiting with some friends.  We were enjoying discussing the flowers and gardening.  Charlie was trying to schmooze me and was rubbing against my legs.  Not going to work, Charlie.  Then I felt something warm on my leg.  The cat had peed on me. I finally decided he had won.  We decided he had figured out who was in the bunny suit and was simply getting even.

Years later I cried like a baby when the vet told us that our 15 year old Charlie had developed cancer and was in great pain.  We had to let Charlie go. No more being awakened by him preening my hair and cheeks.  No more warmth from him sleeping on my hip as I lay watching TV.  But every time I tell the Easter Bunny story we all have a good laugh.  And Charlie had the last purr on that one!

So are you and animal person?  Spin up your story and join Ginny and Gretchen over at The Spin Cycle.  Or just visit to see what the other Spinners are saying about pets.