Same Old Debate

A Cat or a Dog!  That is the question...

Will and I talk about this quite a bit.  We both make our arguments for the one we think would be better for Colin or the one we prefer ourselves.  It will probably be a while before he has any pets, but I sometimes miss having animals around. 

The CAT story:

I have always been a dog lover, but in recent years I have become a...cat-appreciater.  In my opinion a cat does not compare to a dog, but cats can be a lot of fun and can be loving too.  I got my first cat when I was 21, so I do not have fond childhood memories of any particular cats.  For some weird reason, I decided I needed to experience a cat at that age.   I have no idea where that notion came from since I never really knew a cat that I was overly fond of...but for whatever reason that is how Citrine came into my life.  Since she was an orange cat I named her after my birthstone.  I have never met a cat like her.  She was very loving and cuddly, nothing like the very independent cats I knew growing up.  After I had Citrine a bit, I actually took in her mother (cleverly called Mama Cat by me).  I made this sweet gesture not knowing that she was a bit of a....well she got around.  So, she was pregnant and all of the sudden I had 7 cats!  One disappeared and one sadly died because he/she was the runt and Mama Cat refused to feed her (one part of animals psyche that I do not understand from a mother's perspective).  My favorite animal-lover friend, Lori, tried to save the poor thing but it was too late.  So, 5 cats...going from none to 5 in a few short months...crazy. So, I was still very much a dog-lover, but coming around on the idea of cats. All the ones I had each had their own unique personality and all were very lovable. 

Now Will is very much a cat person - not so much a dog person.  I think he has always had cats around.  His mom and brother still had two of the cats that have been around for quite a while when we first moved here; Sophie and Missy.  Missy sadly past away last year (she was getting up there in age).  Will also had two cats that he got while in Germany that made the long trip to Oregon with him.  I actually did not mind those two cats as well.  Sparky was just a crazy little thing that just made sense that it would be Will's cat.  The other cat, Tigger was sweet, but I am not sure Will liked her as much.  I thought she was cute and she always jumped in my lap whenever I was around her. So, Will always holds up the cat part of the debate.  At Colin's age I could just see him getting scratched a lot, which would quickly not make me like a cat and I hate the idea of declawing the poor things...seems a little cruel. 


The Dog Side:

I have always (until recently) had dogs around, ever since I was in the 3rd grade.  That was when we got our first dog, Sandy, (she passed away a few years ago).  She was like 17 or 18, which is a long time for her breed.  I have definitely never known a dog like her.  She was her own form birth control, she never did get fixed but would never let another dog near her so it was never an issue.  She finally became somewhat "friends" with my older brother's dog, Mick, the last few years of her life.  Mick just adored her.  Mick is a little Jack Russell Terrier, very energetic and jumpy.  The poor thing was abused and abandoned; you can really tell by his timid behavior. Will was nice around Sandy and Mick, but he kind of kept his distance.  Even though Sandy loved him!   I have seen a few dogs that Will has liked.  His mom and Michael's dog Rusty and Charlie, a dog we had for a little bit in Oregon.  He was one of the cutest dogs and just fit Will!  He had reddish, curly hair that I used to tease Will was the reason he picked him (and that he secretly wanted to put gel in it and spike it up the way Will wore his hair at the time). We could not take Charlie with us to VA, which was very sad, but we met the family he went with and could tell it would be a great fit for him.

You just never really hear stories about boys and their cats, you know???  It is always a boy and his dog.  I think there is a reason for that.  I would love probably any cat we had, as long as it was not a devil cat, but I just think that every child should experience a dog.  At least we both agree that Colin is too young right now and it would be safer for him and the poor future B family pet to wait a few years.  Who knows...maybe there will be a cat and a dog in the family and they will just be best buddies who happen to share the love of a boy!