Pics of your pet

Oh, @Elnrik, this is just so sad. You did everything you could with devotion to that dog. Maybe it's just that his time was up.

Really, really sorry,

 

Sad days man, sorry to hear about your pup @Elnrik.

 

My sincere condolences @Elnrik. So very sorry for your loss. Stay strong.

 

I don't want this thread to degrade into a sob-fest, but I do have to say man that really f'ing sucks. The hardest part about having 4 legged friends is saying goodbye.

 

My condolences to you as well @Elnrik . Our furry friends seem to grace our lives for all too short a period.

 

This is Teeny. Impossible to photograph! She never stops moving and always hangs out where it's too dark. And then if you get too close she'll notice and go into interaction mode like 'Oh hai! Pet nao? Yes, pet. I serenade." One day I'll catch her. I wonder if the neighbors see me prowling around the house with a telephoto lens in the afternoon...



And of course, the one from my avatar...


I didn't pick the name, she had taken to it before I adopted her and then when I was getting her used to the house I continued to use that name so she would get comfortable and hopefully get used to the idea that I would be the friend who would be feeding her. Oldest young one there by a good bit. Whoever had her before really loved her, because she is exceptionally well socialized and affectionate compared to the others. Wasn't a stray, but wasn't born at the shelter. Just anonymously dropped off. Totally healthy. Still don't get why she was stuck there. I'm sure there's a story. Just something about her, I knew I had to take her... like somebody really cared for her, but something happened, and somebody has to honor it, you know? She's too good of a cat to have wound up there to begin with.

She's ended up being the best cat I've ever owned, actually. And I mean... I grew up with cats. My parents always had indoor/outdoor cats, I've always had cats of my own, the only girls I've ever stayed with loved cats. I've met a lot of cats and she is nothing like any of them. She's more like a little person with how communicative she is. Loves kids, other animals, interaction in general. Will pretty much never f**k off or turn mean. She's a purring, petting machine. Not one of those cats that'll flip if you pet them too long. At some point she'll probably go into orbit, but until then won't turn down a good petting. The longer you pet her for, the more insistent she gets. Her highest praise is to make 90's office phone sounds.

She's wild as hell, though astonishingly non-destructive. I see her pause all of the time, trying to figure out how not to disturb anything. She's always successful. Claws aren't an issue either. Doesn't use them with humans. I let her have one of the rugs, which she took to right away and she loves it so much she'll go across the house to knead it before she touches the couch or anything. It was her spot to lay on when she was recovering from the spaying. Works for me, I hate trimming them because it's not something they like at all and it's also not to their benefit. I'd rather find what she most wants to claw and give her the best damned that she's ever dug her claws into. Generally works with most cats IME, but she was so easy.

 

Damn, I'm so sad about @Elnrik's dog, it is hard to take in a fresh introduction... but I guess life must go on...

Nice to meet Teeny. And your photos are lovely.

It's odd how some cats can't walk along a shelf without breaking everything, and others can pick their way through prize china quite safely.

 

My overly photogenic cat Aqi in the garden shed.

 

@Elnrik

so sorry for your loss the way he looks at you in the photo tells a whole story

 

Just visited the vet cat pictured had a fever. Vet thinks it's very likely to be corona due to odd breathing (very small chance to infect your pet...) he will get our cat tested.
If it's positive it means me or my girlfriend have(or had) the corona virus. Great...

 

Fallout of "The" virus... i thought just today, in future we won't be able to even have a simple attack of flu without worrying that it is covid.

Maybe your vet has found something very specific... but couldn't there be lots of reasons for a cat to have chest problems? I have had cats with them.

Was arguing with one of those animals-are-dangerous characters elsewhere on the internet. It has been reported in cats, but very few, right? Frankly, I don't understand the science of they can catch it from us but we can't from them. Good, if it is true. I do think that two people handling the same animal might catch it via the animal. But... I guess you and your girlfriend handle each other anyway.

But, except for indoors-only cats, we can never be sure how many houses they visit for food and cuddles.

 

@Elnrik

My deepest condolences
Losing my childhood dog (14) and cat (18.5) literally 3 days apart was the hardest moment of my life, so far... I feel your pain

Hang in there... and get a new pet! They never replace the ones we've lost, and yes, they always pass all too soon, but only they can fill the void and only ask one thing in return: for you to fill their heart!

 

I know what you mean, it was a bit weird for me, too. Didn't want to budge in, but I was hoping there would be a little room. Last thing I want to do is step on grieving toes. But in the end I figured it's a thread for celebrating pets, so Imma celebrate my pet and we can all do that, in whatever way is appropriate for that pet.

It sucks to lose a pet - the one I remember most is the cat I had before. She was 8 when I got her. Family member was trying to wrangle with diabetes likely caused by poor diet and failing. They were spent so I took her. I tried to administer the insulin but it was impossible. Vet recommended raw turkey, and believe it or not it helped a lot. A year later she was down to a healthy weight, active, stable, happy. I was able to put her medication in the turkey - she loved it. At the same time, I was out on my own for the first time. So we sort of started our lives together. She lived another 10 years like any happy normal cat. Lot of critical living for me with that cat at home. Felt like I had a hole in my chest.

But what I came to realize about that feeling... the pain of loss is just love with nowhere to go. Sounds like a twitterism, but I think it's actually true. It's just been displaced. Nothing can replace a lost family member, but the sadness always follows the love out. So you get a new pet and it's strange at first, but it gets easier when you have some responsibilities to occupy you and an outlet for some good things. You may be sad, but you're still going to love that animal, and that is going to impact your outlook.

After that, you get to reminisce. Pets are only with us for parts of our lives, but there can be pretty big chunks! So many unforgettable things happen in just a decade that it's insane to me every time I clear one. You know you'll never forget. It's not for nothing. If it was good, I try to just let it be good. It's all about finding ways to honor the good, right?

Thank you, I'll probably never be a pro-level photographer but I enjoy it and animals in general are quite the challenge. She doesn't complain as much a girlfriends do when you randomly practice on them, either

And yeah, I've noticed that too. I think some cats just don't care though haha. I had one that would make it a point to graze open water bottles, or go right up and nudge them over. He knew what he was doing! Maybe a temperament thing, or an artifact of selective breeding. In terms of survival you'd think they'd want to retain that instinct, because leaving fewer traces makes it harder for enemies to know where you've been. Perhaps there's a genetic reason for the behavior, and in breeding for other traits, we wound up with cats lacking that attribute. I dunno. I do know it's hard to teach them not to do things like that. They only learn if something happens that scares them Otherwise all you can do is find ways to deter them from going there. I've never raised one from the very beginning... it might be something you can start getting them on after say, 8 weeks.

I think some cats are naturally more cautious. She'll make some bold maneuvers, but she spends more time sizing up those moves. One time she got stuck on this little loft 13 feet up in the kitchen and wouldn't risk jumping down on top of the cabinets because of the stuff that was up there... not because she cared about the stuff, but probably because she was scared of falling!

 

Thank you for your lovely post, which is full of humanity, understanding and sensitivity. I have a tear in my eye again

 

Gimme these Sonys, please!

 

Dug these out from back when I had a roommate. We drove each other crazy... so these photos are about the only good thing that came of it, other than rent having been half what I pay now. I should've known better than to trust someone who collected stuffed bunnies. Oy veyy. I was thrilled when she got a boyfriend and moved out of my life. Learn from my mistakes people!

Spoiler: bunch more

But really I think her favorite spot is the back porch...

Also, Sweetie the cur.

Always pure sass, probably because her 'breed' name basically means 'loser dog.' Really a great dog though. This one, I know the full history of. Her original owners were a couple. When they broke up, she kept Sweetie for a little while because he couldn't. I guess life happened and she had to get rid of her. In comes me. How do I know this? The guy lives a few blocks over. I happened to be walking her by his house when he saw her and cried at the memories it brought back. I felt so bad. We're buddies now and I take her by there regularly, just to say hi, though I think he's happier to see his dog than he is me. I can totally understand, she's a good dog. Very obedient and calm. Very needy, but also extremely protective. But again just so sassy and dramatic. Smart as a 4-year-old with the emotional make up of a teenage girl.

 

Just turned 10 and won’t slow down... would swear he was still a puppy!

 

This is Rocky, he's 11. I found him as a stray when he was four months old. He wasn't neutered so I left him that way until recently he had to have the procedure done due to an enlarged prostate. He's still a happy pup, but he seems more concerned with eating now than anything else.

 

@Melvillian Oh those are winners for sure. Great photos. That's one cute pup! I wonder what his pedigree is. Interesting combination of features. Those floppy pointed ears!

Whatever he is, he's looking really healthy at 11!

 

Thank you @robot zombie. Yeah he is thankfully healthy and has always been very active. We’re not sure what mix of breeds he is. I’m guessing he’s part chihuahua and jack Russell. He has short Jack Russell legs and Those flappy ears. He loves digging and burying bones and chasing squirrels in the yard. I never intended to have a pet, but eleven years later I feel fortunate about how things turned out.