I think the Obamas should rescue a cat as well as a dog.

[Skip Intro]

One sad cat would surely appreciate it, and it would go so well with the theme of bringing people together. There are animal lovers, but there are also cat people and dog people. I might be stretching it to say that I suspect that cat lovers as a whole tend to be on the political left, while dog lovers as a whole tend to be on the political right. And I could be all wrong about that but it's a strong feeling.

And of course, dogs and cats are supposedly bitter rivals, much like Democrats and Republicans.

The symbolism would be striking.

At any rate, I think it'd be cool if they got a cat and a dog.

Plus C comes before D in the alphabet.

So that pretty much settles it.

Then again, I could just be nuts. You never really know, do you?

[SharonRB]

1. If Malia is allergic to dogs, I can assure you she's allergic to cats

Cats are far worse for people with allergies to animals than dogs are. I know from personal experience.

[yourguide]

2. +1

[Skip Intro]

4. Woops, didn't know there was an allergy issue.

eh...never mind, I guess...

[dflprincess]

3. One of the girls has allergies and they have to limit their pick to

a "hypoallergenic" dog. I haven't heard that she's also allergic to cats but if she is, I've never heard of a "hypoallergenic" cat - if I had I'd probably get one for me as my allergy prevents me from having a cat. Though, fortunately, I'm not allergic to dogs.

[juno jones]

11. There are actually a few

Bengals are one, because due to their species mix they have tight short coats snd shed minimally. IIRC, they also have less of the enzyme in their spittle that some people react to.
Curly-coated Rexes another, for much the same reason as poodles.
And of course the 'Sphinx' which is best known for being Dr. Evil's hairless cat in Austin Powers.

I have a Bengal-mix baby who is the mellowest cat I have ever met. I also have a few allergic friends, but they don't seem to react to him, which is a good thing because he greets anyone who comes to the door just like a dog, begging for pets and pick-me-up. :)

[dflprincess]

26. Interesting...

Yet I recently heard a trivia fact on Animal Planet that a person who is allergic to domestic cats is allergic to the big cats as well. (This was something I'd always wondered about when I was a kid).

The hairless cat doesn't appeal to me - but I may have to look up the curly-coated Rexes.

[katandmoon]

5. Cats are Democrats, Dogs are Republicans...

I've always thought this was really cute (I like dogs OK, but I LOVE cats):

[Skip Intro]

7. ROFL!

That's great!

[always_saturday]

8. LOVE that cartoon.

[marimour]

13. that had me rolling lol!

[chatnoir]

14. LOVE that cartoon!

[Captain Hilts]

19. I've always loved this!

[HopeFor2006]

22. That's funny!

:rofl:

[Undercurrent]

25. .

:edited for link repair:

[TheDonkey]

29. VERY funny!

[Occam Bandage]

6. That settles it. There is *nothing* that DU will not second-guess. nt

[0955Forrest]

9. standard schnauzer ftw.

and if they have allergies in the house, cat's are out.

[blondeatlast]

10. As a rampant aviaphile, I insist they adopt a cockatiel. Mine just laid eggs...

:evilgrin:

[Occam Bandage]

12. As a strong budgerigar partisan, I find your cockatiel-boosting to be unacceptable.

Keets come in a wide range of colors and patterns, and are much, much cuter.

(If I can start a parakeet/cockatiel civil war, then my life would be complete)

[blondeatlast]

17. Wouldn't Sasha and Malia have much fun being tickled by their 'tiels crest?

Your budgie can't do that, now, can s/he?

'Tiels rule. It's a fact, jack!

:rofl:

[QC]

15. What about a guinea pig?

Rodents could use the positive publicity.

[Occam Bandage]

16. Vermin like guinea pigs are only good as toys for real pets.

:evilgrin:

[QC]

24. Rodentphobe! b/t

[chiefofclarinet]

21. Guinea Pigs?!

Guinea pigs are loud, obnoxious, stupid, and practically useless. They are cute, though some people disagree. Sounds like some Republican politician?

(Note: I have owned guinea pigs, so this is from experience.)

I'd like if they got rabbits. The larger ones are sweet-tempered, cute, and relatively intelligent (rabbits can be litter boxed trained). Plus, they don't induce allergies! (I had a dog, and had to get rid of it due to allergies. Likewise for one of my two cats. Rabbits or guinea pigs never set my allergies going.)

[QC]

23. Possums can also be box trained.

I knew some people who had one. It was a surprisingly sweet animal, though not very bright.

[salbi]

18. Are there hypo allergenic cats?

I'm allergic to both cats and dogs. Luckily I have a hypo allergenic dog (yorkie) but I don't know of any cats that are. Would love to know though.

[yellowdogintexas]

20. Norweigan Forest Cats, I think are low profile in the allergy dept. nt

[Blondiegrrl]

27. Well I'm more of a dog person, and I'm definitely not a freeper.

But yeah, cats need rescuing too. I have a shelter cat and two shelter dogs. They're my fur kids.

[BoneDaddy]

28. wow

cats? what are cats? and why should we care?

The Obama's should have tigers, cause tigers, er, are cool, eh eh.

[tabbycat31]

30. as a cat person I agree

I'm a cat person, and I agree. I only worry about Malia's allergies.
They could get a (bald) sphinx cat but they're not for everyone in terms of their looks.