If you're tired of pet threads, don't read this.

[Bertha Venation]

Since you're not tired of pet threads, tell me all about your pets. What are their names? Ages? Personalities?

After a while, I'll write about my kittles.

[LynneSin]

1. Two cats - Abbott is around 7 and Evita is around 8-9

I adopted both of them as adults so that's a guesstimate.

Abbott is a big oversized 14 pounds of dorkdom that is so wonderfully loving and affectionate. He sense when I'm sad and wants to comfort me. He'll even 'pet' me (he takes his paw and strokes my face with it). Abbott is your typicale Grey and white cat with a white lightening strike across his forehead.

Evita is a beautiful grey DSH cat (we think Nebelung mix). She; however, is the anti-Abbott. She hates people, hates being held, and will run away if you approach her. She may give me about 15 minutes at night when I am allowed to pet her but she shrirks if I lift my hand too high. We think she was about 2-3 years old when I adopted her. She was found living on the streets and we're not sure if she was an abused cat or just too feralized. But I love her anyways - she's so soft and silky!

[Bertha Venation]

3. I remember when you adopted Abby

IIRC, he was a stray and you were ambivalent about taking him in . . . ?

[LynneSin]

4. Well didn't really want a pet at the time

But Abbott told me I had no choice. This was his home and he was adopting me

I'm hooked now!

[charlie and algernon]

2. I'll play

Esther the Cat, 6yrs old

She's got a very sweet personality, very independent, may never become a lap cat. She prefers to sit next to you and stare up at you, occasionally rubbing up against your leg and sometimes licking it, lol. The rest of the time is spent sleeping on the couch or sitting by the big sliding door where she can watch the squirrels, chipmunks, and birds that play on the back deck.

[Bertha Venation]

6. What does she look like?

[charlie and algernon]

8. here's the big furball

[meow2u3]

5. Two cats, mother and son. Ruby will be 3 on the 29th; Max is a year old

Ruby is a midsized, shy kitty with a slow-to-warm-up personality. She'll run and hide until she gets to know you. But once she knows and likes you, she's a mushy lap cat who prefers to sleep on the person she loves.

Max (Ruby's firstborn son), in contrast, is a big, outgoing, and very friendly and playful guy: effectively, a far overgrown, (at least) 14-pound kitten! Sometimes he plays a bit too rough and can't seem to play without using his jaws and claws; he not only seems to forget he's not playing with another cat, he doesn't appear to know his own size and strength! He likes to be petted and picked up, despite his massive size. He's not fat--just a big baby!

[Bertha Venation]

21. Ruby and Max

both sound like kitties I'd like to meet.

Ruby "mid-sized" - LOL

[Shell Beau]

7. How could anyone be tired of pet threads?

:o

[Bertha Venation]

18. I don't know, but I imagine someone has ignored this one.

:shrug:

:hi:

[MountainLaurel]

9. The Zoo

California Sunset (Cali): 15-year-old orange tabby girl. I adopted her when she was 7, because her owner's asthma and allergies had worsened. That was her story at least; I had a feeling her husband had more to do with it than her respiratory issues. She is a ball of contradictions: bossy and shy, loud and timid, loving and aloof. She loves sunbaths, ice cream, and naps. She doesn't like traveling, being picked up, or when my golden retriever fluffs her in the face with his tail (this last one usually gets her spitting and batting at him). She has gone from being an only cat with a single mama to having three step-dogs and a male human. In her dotage, she has become a kissy face girl. She loves kitty jokes, like just barely touching my face with her whiskers in the middle of the night so that I jump up screeching and trying to trip me. She likes to cuddle, but only on her terms, and to sleep on whatever newspaper or book I'm trying to read. She has a holler that could cut glass. She's gotten thinner and older in recent years, but she still likes to chase shadowpuppets and occasionally play with a ball.

Molly: 4-yo English springer spaniel, liver and white. Also known as Molly, Warrior Princess and the Springer of War. The daughter of a dog who would become Westminster Best in Show, she ended up in our lives as a fluke of fate. The breeder who came most highly recommended to us happened to be the one closest to where we were living. The breeder's comment about her was "she's so cute when she's sleeping." As a puppy, she feared almost nothing, walking up to a golden retriever probably 10 times her size and saying hello, playing with the big dogs at the park, running through the forest, jumping into creeks and oceans without a pause, howling as did it all. Her first day at home by herself, we put her in the kitchen and secured it with a baby gate. We came home that day to find the baby gate still up and her on the outside of it, pleased as punch. When she was a few months old and probably 20 pounds, she managed to unscrew the lid to the kibble bin and drag it 10 feet into the living room. Our neighbors described her as exuberant, which was a code for hell dog. But she was smart as a whip, and trained relatively easily, except when her will got in the way. (She still jumps up on people and tugs on the leash.) She loved her big golden brother and slept snuggled against him every night until the day he died, when she sensed our pain and cuddled up between my husband and myself, licking away our tears. She still curls up to me when I cry. Many months later, she welcomed a new brother. She has shown him the ropes of dogdom, taught him the ocean was nothing to be afraid of, teased him mercilessly by stealing his toys or chewing a nice stick just outside the range of his backyard lead. She takes more naps than she used to but she is still a playing demon, dropping her tug toy in our laps and staring up at us with those knowing eyes.

Tristan, 2yo golden retriever. Named Bruiser by his breeder, Tris has always been a bit of a rough customer and a conundrum, with a bit of frat boy mixed in. Despite proper training, he has a tough time with self-control, wanting to run out the door the minute it opens, eat anything that might possibly be edible (he considers paper towels and ear plugs to be food groups), and beg for human food. He's a bit dog aggressive, though he's never met a human he didn't like. Despite being double coated, he likes to sleep in the New Orleans summer sun. Like most goldens, he is a tennis ball fanatic. He is an exceptionally fast runner. He is a guard dog, standing at the window and barking at most passersby along with his siblings. This is especially true when his male human is gone, when he seems to think that as the only male in the house, he has to protect all his ladies. He loves to cuddle and snuggle, roils on his back when happy, and sticks his head between humans legs so they know to scritch his butt. He has never seen a puddle he didn't want to walk, swim, or roll in. He is a serious mama's boy.

Mischa, 11-yo coton de tulear (Madagascar white fluffball of doom): Mischa came into our household after my husband's parents died over a 3-year period. Believes she is a much larger dog than her 11 lbs would show. She is trying to teach Molly and Tris that she is the alpha and has taught them to bark at every noise outside. A bit of a loner right now, getting used to her new home and siblings, but she loves getting strokes. Plays ball and tug like the big guys, although she'll back off if they come around lest she get stepped on. On walks, she loves to sniff and will often linger over a spot for 10 minutes or more. She and Cali have recognized one another as fellow geriatrics and leave one another alone.

[Bertha Venation]

17. I enjoyed reading about your pets very much.

Cali loves kitty jokes - LOL

Molly sounds really sweet, "hell dog" notwithstanding. Nice that she comforted you in your grief

Tris - "never seen a puddle . . ." must make keeping the house clean a challenge

Mischa "Madagascar white fluffball of doom" - :rofl:

Thank you!

[Hepburn]

10. MARGARET

She is truly something else.

Registered Scottish Terrier. Female and will be 4 years old on the 13th of August. Terriers are S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N but very intelligent. Multiply that X10 for Scottish Terriers. I have had a Scottie dog in my life since I was in grade school in the 1950s. Once a Scottie owner ~~ always a Scottie lover. She-who-must-be-obeyed is my 5th Scottie.

Margaret, aka "Maggie" at times, is truly a big dog in a small body. Scotties are NEVER aware that there is anything tougher or more determined than they are. Pit bull? No problem. I have watched Maggie make a few of them turn-tail and run as far and as fast as possible. The rule around Maggie is NEVER charge at me...ever...for any reason. Tough, yet very loving and gentle with those she protects.

Besides loving to watch Animal Planet on the tube, Mags loves to trike ride with me. Here she is in the rear basket of my adult trike:



As you can tell, I absolutely love this little lady...:hi:

[Bertha Venation]

16. Mrs. V. would say that "Maggie don't know she's a little dog."

That picture of her in the trike basket is precious.

:hi:

[Gormy Cuss]

11. I have a two year old mackerel tabby/tux.

We picked him from the brazillion cats at the county shelter-- and boy was that hard, with all the beautiful cats available. Of all the cats that I liked he's the one who sent the clearest message that he wanted to go home with me.

I will give the county credit though -- it works hard to make the adoption process run smoothly while still have some protections for the cats. They require a photo ID and completion of a cat care awareness questionnaire, plus there is a network of vets who will provide a preliminary wellness check within a few days of adoption. They even work with a cat rescue on the hard-to-place felines.

As cats go they don't get much easier than this guy. He's a highly social cat and a big time talker. He's not that skittish around strangers and he greets our repeat guests with little reservation. He's not fussy about litter or food. It only took a little while to steer him away from scratching on the furniture and jumping on the kitchen counter. He does want to wake us up too early some days, but we give him time outs in the bathroom and he's slowly figuring out that it's better to wait for us to get up, LOL.

Oh, and he told me that I'm not allowed to post his name on the internets, but "Chicken butt" is his nickname.

[Bertha Venation]

14. "Chicken Butt" is a lucky boy...

And smart for making it known that you were to choose him!

I am so thrilled when I read that people got their pets from rescue orgs or shelters.

[Brother Buzz]

12. Sally will be nine in August

She is a twice rescued Border collie mix that came with very special needs and considerations. We adopted her through a non-landed SPCA. Boy, oh boy, we got the third degree interview until they discovered we had lived with an obstinate Blue heeler girl (another working breed).

We never learned the back story of her special needs, but we soon discovered they involved shovels, frying pans, and ice trays. We soon learned (she taught us) she lived in the world of spheres, be they tennis balls, baseballs, basketballs. 'Closer' is the only word she hears during our work sessions. She mastered physics and geometry to where I can throw a ball against a wall on onto a roof and she will be precisely where it will land before it even gets there. We have come to believe she could herd cats if given the chance.

She has mostly lost her fear of shovels and frying pans, but the ice cube trays still scare the living daylights out of her.

She is an integral part of our family and loves listening to Louis Jordan and eating pancakes on Saturday mornings.

[Bertha Venation]

13. Twice-rescued? How's that?

Sally is beautiful. And judging by the picture, long-suffering.

[marzipanni]

25. Brother Buzz turned this over to me, Sally's 'human mother'

We lost Billie-girl, our dear Australian shepherd-Malamute-blue heeler, to heart failure while we were camping in August, 2002.
About two months later I was looking at the nearby SPCA's adoptable dogs website, and one photo was of a black and white speckly face. "Freckles has some scars, and will need extra attention because she was abused." She looked like our new dog.

My son and I went to Petco in that town, where dogs and cats are displayed for adoption on Saturdays, but the dog minders were taking the day off; only cats were there, and we had a kitty, Bitty, and really wanted a dog. The SPCA in this county doesn't have a manned office, and various foster families care for the animals. That week I sent several emails saying we were Very interested in the Border collie-heeler girl called 'Freckles' on their website.

So Brother Buzz, Will (our son), and I went to Petco the following Saturday. 'Freckles' was in a little portable pen with her dog pal, Bertha, and a high school girl volunteer, sitting on a chair. 'Freckles' was happy to get our attention, and stood with her paws on the pen "fence" to be patted. The SPCA woman in charge told us that 'Freckles' story was that a man who lived with his elderly father noticed that their neighbor was abusing two dogs, so the man removed the dogs while his neighbor was gone. Something about shovels, and the fur on the dogs shoulder barely covered a bare area where no fur grew back, and there were scars around her neck (from a collar rubbing a lot?)
Then in the next year and a half the elderly man died, and his middle age son was sick and had to go to the hospice to live. Freckles and Bertha were turned over to the SPCA.
For two months they had been displayed on the internet and at Petco, and since both were working breeds some ranchers had offered homes, but the SPCA wanted indoor homes for the dogs.
And that's how we got Freckles... Sally Freckles... Sally. She came to us knowing how to bring tossed toys "closer", and "closer", until the toy is at our feet. Eight and a half years ago an old man sat in a chair telling a smart pup that she would have to put the toy "closer" if she wanted him to throw it again.... :)

[Bertha Venation]

28. I like your determination.

You saw a picture and that's all you needed. Sally is a lucky dog. :)

[a kennedy]

15. Weezee, minature wiener dog......

and she's got the biggest personality for the littlest dog I've ever known. She's my 4th wiener dog, first female and she just takes over everything. Love her to death.

[Bertha Venation]

22. biggest personality for the littlest dog

:thumbsup: :)

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[fizzgig]

20. my girls have been with me for nearly four years now

my best friend left in sept. 2005 for what was supposed to be a year in germany and i agreed to take in her kitties. well, one year has turned into four and i have no idea when she's coming back and i think they're pretty well mine now.

here's my fat cat, mia. as best as i can guess, she's about nine.





when i first met mia, she was very sweet but very, very standoffish and antisocial, unless you had food ;) she hated strangers and spent most of her time under the bed. in the time i've had her, she's grown into a cuddly purrbox who follows me around the house chattering nonstop. she likes sitting on my lap, likes sitting in my fiance's even better. she likes to come outside, not to roam around, but to sit with me on the patio. she, like many cats, tries to tell me she leads the most difficult life ever and, at least once a day, i have to follow her to her food bowl and shake it, even if it's full.

and my puppy kitty, mira. i think she's maybe six or seven, but i'm not entirely sure.





mira is the sweetest, goofiest cat i've ever met, but not the brightest bulb in the box. when i wake up or come home, she runs up to me, jumps up, puts her paws on my leg and rubs her face on my knee. if someone sits down on the couch, she's in their lap within minutes. closed doors, even partially closed, are an affront to her. she throws her full weight against the door and bursts into the room in a kramer-like manner and if she can't open the door, she will burst as soon as it opens. mira was declawed before my friend got her, but she thinks she is the fiercest thing ever and attacks the couch and door frames with great vigor.

neither of the girls really want much to do with the other. they bat at each other from time to time or share the bed or couch, but they pretty much live independently of each other. the closest they usually get to each other is when they're sleeping with me, which is like sharing a bed with two water buffalo. i either wake up on my side unable to move with them smashed up against either side of me or on my back with mira on my chest and mia on my thighs. and rather than get down when i move, mira just walks along me like i'm a log rolling in a river.

my girls have given me so much pleasure and joy and, although i might grumble about them at times, i wouldn't trade them for anything :loveya:

[Bertha Venation]

23. Mia has a pet - you!

I think it's sweet that she follows you around, as long as she doesn't trip you.

Mira "not the brightest bulb in the box" LOL. "she thinks she is the fiercest thing ever" LOL again

[Bertha Venation]

24. well, jesus christ

Edit: I just read what I wrote, and realize that I sound every bit the crazy cat lady I fear I've become. :eyes:

[TheCentepedeShoes]

26. One dog

An 8 yr old black standard poodle named Raven
He rules the...well, roost
We got him when we lived in Tallahassee
Best. Boy. In. The. World.
Right now he's laying on the LR floor wondering why mommy is home early
I explained it is 103 outside, my cube is near the big windows with the sun coming in, we were hot (even with our personal fans going) and the boss let us loose early
I think he understood

[Bertha Venation]

29. I'm sure he did understand.

A black fur coat? He knows from heat.

:hi:

[Skittles]

32. it kills me, Centepede

my long-haired cat wants to go outside no matter how hot it is - it's 103 degrees fer crissakes I tell him :o

[Skittles]

27. never get tired of pet threads

pets are truly among the good things in life

I still have my two kitties Clancy, age 11, solid black, from a pound in Texas and Riff Raff, age 3, a long-haired tuxedo I captured as an injured stray in a feral trap I ordered over the internet. I love the little hairy guys. :)

[Bertha Venation]

30. "pets are truly among the good things in life"

They are indeed.

Here are some pics of your namesake . . . :loveya:

Skittles and her Petey


Sweet Mama and one of the Skittens

[Skittles]

31. wonderful pics!

:thumbsup: