Two friends of mine just got a dog and a cat. One is allergic to cats and also owns a bird, so of course she is the one who got the dog. They live together like a half Golden Girls sitcom, sharing space and trying to make the current economy work for them. I visit them once a week and feel like the Dorothy Zbornak (played by Bea Arthur) of the group, and if I have any skills in identifying personality traits, I feel safe to say the one cast member we’re missing is Betty White’s Rose Nylund. We three are a feisty group.
It seems that everybody is getting pets to fill voids during these crazy times, but I’m not sure if it would work for me. I did spend over a year with the office beta fish before handing him over to his owner at last. When our office closed down to work from home in March 2020, I was asked to take him home for a while, which turned into a longer stretch than anticipated. Finally we were both back in the building for clean-up at the same time, and the fish went home with her and a grateful young man anxious to tackle the responsibility of fish ownership.
There are few places I visit regularly in which the people there don’t own pets, so I know plenty of animals, and I watch a lot of cat videos, which seem to outnumber dog videos for some reason. When I visit the new pet home this week, it will be the first time both have been in residence. The cat came in first, so the poor dog is probably having territory issues already, and the bird anxiety disorder. Fortunately the cat is not allowed in the bird’s room, and my allergic friend is unlikely to go around where the cat is. Somehow it will be organized chaos.
Homes with animals usually are hectic because dogs get the zoomies (racing around at high speed in circles for nothing) and cats, when startled or frightened, simply teleport elsewhere at the speed of light. We may then spend the rest of the visit coaxing Moxie down from a high bookshelf or out from behind an immovable heavy piece of cabinetry.
Fortunately many homes proudly decorate with signage to let you know, before entering the premises, that a dog or cat owner lives inside. Since we’re wearing mouth and nose coverings, we probably all look like potential burglars to a dog in a new home. Cats don’t care and simply walk away.
One thing I excel at is getting pet treats. One particular top rated kitty treat is tube food. It’s a soft pasty concoction one can squeeze out to be licked at a maddening pace by felines suddenly seized by a compulsion similar to an addiction; they gobble this stuff up, and it isn’t cheap, as it comes in small packets and are charged by the ounce by the inventors who are raking in profits.
Toys are fine for dogs, but cats often don’t care much for them unless they fulfill a specific need for that individual cat. The old adage “dogs have owners, cats have staff” is no more true here, and the staff is expected to work out to entertain the cat. Flicking feathers on strings around for a cat to jump at is all part of the commitment to owning a feline.
The Golden Girls also had adventures with dogs and cats in a few episodes. But you never saw a dog bowl or litter box. If I settle how to handle that part of the deal, that’s when one or the other will find a new home with me.
Susan's Scribblings the Blog 