A Real Debate About A Real Issue - I love living in Tehachapi, I ain't lion... - Joty's Blog - Tehachapi News

Sep 1, 2008 at 10:09 AM : Simple! CATS RULE! ...

Simple! CATS RULE! ; )

Sep 1, 2008 at 11:09 AM : I always have my heart...

I always have my heart in my throat when I don't see my cat or dog around. I have to check all the usual haunts (TV room chair or window sill, my bed, patio cushion, soft dirt in the flower bed, etc.. ) until I find them.

When my dog managed to slip under the remaining two feet of opening under the closing garage door, I drove around the neighborhood for a long, long time before returning home to find him, tongue hanging out and thirsty, waiting for me to let him in the house.

If they are not both on my bed when I wake up in the morning, I am uneasy until I've found them. I've even dreamed about them being lost. Wouldn't Freud have a conniption with that? Concluding what? There's a place in my heart for both cats and dogs. They each bring different values into my life and I wouldn't ever be without them.

Sep 1, 2008 at 01:09 PM : I really love my...

I really love my kitties. I've never had a dog, but I do like them. When I have a husband and an actual home (instead of an apartment), I'm hoping to get a big, smart dog like Sam in "I am Legend". None of those little yippy dogs, though. I'm all about the boxers, shepherds, and retrievers.

Sep 1, 2008 at 01:09 PM : lol...I used to be a...

lol...I used to be a big dog fan (hey, Jim aka bigdog, I'm still a fan of yours!), but as I've gotten older, I've "downsized". And my little Chi is not yipper, I worried about that at first, but it hasn't been a problem. The problem with her is she thinks she's the same size as her "big" sister - I have a 50 lab/bull mix...she's a big dork, but love her to pieces, and a Doxie who is the "lady" of the group.

Egyptians used to worship cats - and they've never let us forget it! lol!

Sep 1, 2008 at 01:09 PM : Dogs! We...

Dogs! We haven't gotten any yet because we need a proper fence first, but I just am not a fan of cats.........never have been. We got a kitten when we moved in here a couple months ago. I'm about ready to pull my hair out. She is crazy! Attacks you for no reason. Messes with my blinds and jumps all over my furniture. Please tell me she'll chill out once she's been fixed. I'm just waiting until she's old enough. She's strictly indoors now because of her age, but eventually she will be an outdoor cat(hopefully a mouser). Oh, and yes, she has a scratcing post and toys. I'm just at a loss here!

Sep 1, 2008 at 02:09 PM : lol! She'll chill...

lol! She'll chill a little when she's older and of course, spayed. Cats just crack me up. I'll never be without one either. Especially up here. We haven't had one rattlesnake this year, someone told me it's because of the smell of the cat. Our mice disappeared as well as the little kangaroo rats - only to show up on my porch as a "gift".

Sep 1, 2008 at 07:09 PM : We have both dogs and...

We have both dogs and cats and even 1 rabbit!! We love them all and their all special in their own little way. Wouldnt trade them for anything.

Sep 2, 2008 at 07:09 AM : Both! and then...

Both! and then some...I've had a duck named Estaban, a chicken named Bertha, a Jackrabbit named Henry, a Mocking Bird named George, a skunk named Sweet Sweet and so on. They've all brought something into my life, animals give more than they take.

Right now I have three dogs, Boris, Snaggle and Boogie; then four cats, Ding, Anna, Ling and Starvin Marvin. All have their own story and all have their own ways that win my heart. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite.

Sep 2, 2008 at 08:09 AM : Sharon,...

Sharon, "bertha" reminded me of my own chickens when I was 5 years old. Back in the "good old days", living in the SF Valley there were gas wars on every corner (25 cents a gallon!!). Sometimes the stations would have promotions, like a free chick with every fill-up at Easter. Well, I ended up with 8 chickens. Those were my babies. They would let me pull them around in my little red wagon. I would put them in my little toy refrigerator in my playhouse (that turned out to be a premonition of sorts) and they wouldn't make a peep. My parents grew up on farms, chickens were not pets. One day not long after my chicks had matured, I came into the kitchen where my mother was busy at work plucking one of my babies while two of the others were limply laying on the counter. Dinner. I screamed at the top of my little lungs "I hate you Daddy!" - needless to say, he gave away the remainder of my "babies".

No one has mentioned rats...lol. We had a rat once name Ms. Herbert. We thought she was a he, so added the 'Ms' when we discovered we were wrong. I loved that rat, she was actually my oldest daughter's pet, but that was the smartest animal I'd ever dealt with. I credit her with saving our lives one night. I never hesitated to take her to the exotic animal vet even though my friends and family thought I was nuts...

Sep 2, 2008 at 08:09 AM : Both! ...

Both! Currently, we only have two little dogs (yup, the ones on my icon picture). But I love cats, too. I had a kitty that I got before my oldest born, we had her for over 15 years and loosing her was so hard, I cried for days. We also had two BIG dogs that we had for over 12 years, and we lost all three of our pets to illness and old age over the course of 11 months. That was rough...heartbreaking. It is also how we ended up with these two little ones. After loosing our last dog, I went to the adoption day at PetSmart just to pet the dogs and try to feel better...shoulda known better....long story short, I adopted 2 dogs on one weekend! What a rewarding experience. These two babies were rescued by an Animal Rescue in Rosamond as they were running out of time. They both had their issues, and we had some work to do when we brought them home, but now, they are absolutely members of our family. It has been very rewarding for me to watch these two blossom into the personalities that they are now. It is amazing how much a loving home, good nutrition and a structured environment can do for a pet. Next month will be our 1 year "anniversary" of having these guys come to our home, and they are different dogs from who brought home. I cannot say enough about rescuing a pet, if you are willing to commit 100%.

It has been interesting to go from having older, slower, easy going pets to younger, energetic ones. Cripes...they can wear you out. Perry, the reddish one, is a Norfolk Terrier. I have never had a terrier before...wow, he's fun but full of energy. Such a character. Sophie, the black and white one is a Shih-Poo and and the sweetest, most loving girl. She keeps Perry in line, but would much rather sit on Moms lap and snuggle.

Pets add so much to our lives. I know people that are not "pet people" and I respect that. If you are not a pet person, don't get one and then neglect it. But as for our house....we'll always have critters.

Sep 2, 2008 at 09:09 AM : I like...

I like horses... but the question was cats or dogs huh? Ok, I can very easily say I like dogs better, preferably a big dog.

Sep 2, 2008 at 11:09 AM : I have two huge dogs...

I have two huge dogs for cuddling and one scrappy cat for mousing. My cat really is a sweetheart though- when he feels like it.

Sep 2, 2008 at 12:09 PM : madkow, that brings to...

madkow, that brings to mind the phrase "Dogs have masters, cats have staff". They allow us to take care of them. Dogs are in every sense, people pleasers and in this debate, I think gives them an edge. :)

Sep 2, 2008 at 01:09 PM : Joty, On Bertha the...

Joty,

On Bertha the chicken, my brother brought her home one night.

He worked at the Mobil Oil Station at the corner of Hwy. 99 & "R" Street in Merced and closed the place at midnight. I came in from a date and this white chicken was sitting on newspapers on the coffee table. I went over and pet her, and she just sat there allowing me to do it which I thought was weird. I figured someone would tell me where she came from.

About that time my brother Lowell came down the hall, I saracastically asked him if she followed him home? He said no "I found her." She had fallen off a truck on Hwy. 99 and he couldn't just allow her to get run over. His next words "Do you think Mom will let me keep her?" (This from a 19 year old!) I told him she needed to be cleaned up and made to look better.

So here we are at about 2 a.m. giving this chicken a bath in the laundry room...the odd thing was she didn't seem to mind!

Anyway, I used bluing in her rinse water to make her look whiter (only she came out with a tinge of blue) and I put a big red bow on her. By the time we were all done, it was nearly time for my parents to get up as they were both early risers. We put Bertha on newspapers on the kitchen table where my Dad usually sat (she stayed put where ever she was put) and then we hid in the livingroom waiting to see what would happen.

When Dad came out of the bedroom, he walked into the kitchen spotting the chicken. Never said a word nor did he look puzzled or anything. He just walked over and plugged the coffee pot in gave her a pat and went into the bathroom. We knew it was ok with him because he pet her, that seemed to be the defining factor in our house "once they're pet, we got to keep them".

He came out of the bathroom, went out front to get the newspaper, came back and poured his coffee and sat down. After he sat, he moved the newspaper Bertha was sitting on over so he could open and read his newspaper. That's about the time Mom came out of the bedroom.

She didn't see Bertha at first because Dad had his paper open and upright so it blocked her view. She poured her coffee and started to go to her end of the table and that's when she spotted Bertha. She looked at the chicken, looked at my Dad and reached over and pet Bertha (we knew then!) but before she said anything my Dad pipes up "It's NOT my chicken and I don't know anything about the chicken."

By then Lowell and I were laughing so were discovered and had to explain about Bertha.

We had her for about 6 months, but the neighbor's dog kept getting into the yard and pulling the feathers out of her butt, so a friend's grandmother took her as a pet. She had four chickens that were special to her and they accepted Bertha into their flock. We went to visit her a couple of times so I know she was still there a year later, but after that I don't know what happened to her.

Estaban, the duck is another story by itself.

Sep 3, 2008 at 02:09 AM : I am more of a dog...

I am more of a dog person, but years ago ended up with a cat, and have loved Kitty ever since. I will straight-up get in the MIDDLE of a cat-fight to pull her out and protect her from getting hurt, and I cannot sleep until she is in the house. Yes, I have been scratched pretty badly pulling her out of scrappers.

We had some pretty strange pets when I was a kid, too. I think the horny toad named Clint was the one who took the cake, though... Or maybe just who I remember the best and fondest. When he died (I'm sure we "loved" him to death), I remember all of us crying our eyes out, and giving him a complete, and official pet burial.

I love the story about Bertha the chicken.

Sep 3, 2008 at 08:09 AM : My parents seemed to...

My parents seemed to be the type that truly believed in caring for the animals. We never had a lot of material things while I was growing up, but we did have animals!

When I was in high school, three of my girlfriends and I decided we wanted to get ducks. The Merced County Fair was coming up and they always had this game where you pitched nickels at plates and if they stuck you won a baby duck. So we girls decided this is what we were going to try for.

Well, my Mom overheard our plans and as we were going out the door called me back in to tell me I was NOT to bring home a duck! I thought rats! Now I wasn't going to be like the rest of my friends.

When we arrived at the Fair, I ran into my brother and a number of his friends and the light bulb came on over my head. I asked Lowell if he had talked to Mom before he left the house and he said only to say goodbye and to tell her what time he'd be home. I told him not to ask questions, but to get us a duck and not tell Mom anything...then gave him my bag of nickels. That's how Estaban came into our lives.

I don't know if you've had ducks, but when they are babies they latch onto anything or anyone as their Mama. He became Mom's shadow. She couldn't stand the thoughts of him being outside by himself so fixed a pen in the laundry area for him to stay in while he was a baby. Our dog Chibi San (Albino Peke) became his best buddy and would get in the pen with him. Mom would let him out off and on during the day to be with her when she'd go out in the yard or be working in the kitchen. When he was in the house area, she would put baggies on him like diapers so he wouldn't mess up the house.

He ate with the cats and dogs, and loved Gravy Train. He didn't seem to care for the meal food we bought specifically for him so he was raised on the Gravy Train with other stuff he found out in the yard. He got along great with the other animals, and would play with Chibi San out in the yard. People would stop their cars and bang on the door to tell us the dog was killing the duck and about that time Estaban would get ahold of Chibi's tongue or lip and you'd hear him yelping and hollering like he was being killed,

We also took Estaban with us fishing and camping once in awhile (along with the dog and cat). He traveled in the car in an old milk crate. We used "one-man" rafts to fish out of and Estaban would swim along beside us while we fished at home he had his own wading pool.

One of my cats had four kittens and the first time I allowed them outside (they were about 5 weeks old) I had to go into the house for a moment and when I came out I couldn't find the kittens! I couldn't imagine them getting too far because they were so young and not able to run and jump yet. My Mom told me to check out Estaban. He was sitting on them like a mother hen. When they tried to crawl out, he'd gently tuck them back in underneath him. As they got bigger and fiestier, he was beside himself that they didn't stay right with him like baby ducks were suppose to.

Another time Estaban was missing. Couldn't find him, and Mom walked the neighborhood calling him. Her call? "Eedah little quack quackie!" Talk about embarrassing! But that was my Mom. Anyway, after awhile, Mom got it into her head that someone thought Estaban was an escapee from the local park that was about three blocks away from our house. She talked me into going with her at midnight and climbing the fence into the duck pen to "feel" the ducks to see if any of them were Estaban. Naturally we were caught by the authorities and hauled in. When we told them what we were doing, they called my Dad (woke him up) and asked him if there would be any reason we'd be in the duck pen at Applegate Park. His answer? "They were probably looking for Estaban." So we were brought home. I'm sure they had a field day with that story.

Estaban was found the next day. He had eaten so much Gravy Train and then drank water to where he swelled up and couldn't walk so had crawled under the ivy at the back of the house. He must have been huge! When he came out, he still had difficulty walking.

Estaban was with us for about three years and truly brought some light into our lives.

Sep 3, 2008 at 07:09 PM : Awww... I don't...

Awww... I don't know if I love Bertha or Esteban more! Great story-telling, Sharonc. Thank you!!

Sep 3, 2008 at 07:09 PM : Estaban is a GREAT ...

Estaban is a GREAT name for a duck. I love to see what names people come up with for their pets. People can be so clever when naming animal family members.

Sep 3, 2008 at 07:09 PM : Love your stories...

Love your stories Sharon!

Oh-and my vote's for dogs!Cats are nice,and I've loved quite a few,but I'm a dog-person!

Sep 3, 2008 at 08:09 PM : I wrote the below true...

I wrote the below true story for the Tehachapi Humane Society Newsletter that is coming out.

About two weeks ago, the daughter of one of our long time members called me asking what she could do to help two feral cats that had started coming around her home. The story goes like this:

Last year some kittens started coming around her home. She felt certain they were from a neighbor’s cat, but when the neighbors were approached they said it wasn’t their cat…never mind the fact that they kept their garage door partially open and had cat food out. Anyway, she decided to take in two of the kittens to socialize them and then found a home for them. Something happened to where the person couldn’t keep them after all so she took them back and made her home theirs.

To get back to the ferals, she thinks these two ferals are the brother and sister to her two cats and she wanted to know if we had traps available as the male had a horrible wound on the side of his face and was limping. I took her a trap, and in the course of our conversation she mentioned she was a “dog person”, not a cat person. Didn’t see any dog, but there were cat toys, scratching posts, cat beds in various areas of her house…then she introduced me to her two cats. Real beauties! She combs them a lot, and their fur is like rabbit fur; you part it and can’t see skin it’s so thick and even though they are shorthairs their fur feels soft as silk. But she’s a dog person.

I showed her how to set up the trap as she said that she had made an appointment to have the male cat treated for his wounds and be neutered also. Then she said his sister looked pregnant and she wondered if I could tell when she would be due. I saw the sister on the breezeway and felt by her roundness she would probably have them within two weeks or less. She thought about it and wondered if she could trap her and then keep her confined until the babies were born, socialize the kittens and work to find homes for them then spay the mama when it was feasible. I told her I had a cage I could loan her if she wanted to do that and then I had another cage if she needed it for the male to be able to treat his wounds. She took me up on the offer of the cages. But she’s a dog person.

She trapped the male, had him neutered, his wounds treated, an antibiotic shot given, and then vaccinated him and even though she used our Feral Cat Voucher, it still cost her around $100 for her share of the neuter plus all the other stuff. But she’s a dog person.

Shortly after that, she called me with a dilemma…she had caught mama but was leaving on vacation to visit her son for two weeks and was afraid that if mama had her babies while she was gone it would be too much for her mother to handle. She asked if I thought she could use my cage to take mama with her on vacation. I said yes, it was ok with me. So that’s what she did. But she’s a dog person.

I received a call this past week letting me know that mama had six babies right after she got to her son’s house, and she’ll be bringing them home with her when her visit with her son is over. But she’s a dog person.

I’d say she’s a kind and loving person.