Have you ever owned a dog or a cat?

I have had dogs and cats most of my life.
I currently do not have cats as for the last 17 years or so I have owned purebred dogs and they have been hunting dogs who would kill a cat.

I have usually owned a dog and a cat till I went to live on acreage.

I prefer big dogs and especially now that I cannot bend properly -easier to pat!

I currently have two whippets - one blind, and one who lived in kennels for the first 6 years of her life and is definitely affected by this.

I always seem to get dogs with problems.

by Finy

I always find strays and problems too, Finy :-) I think my houses have always had a secret sign on them. My daughter has inherited the gene. Bahahahaha.

I too,end up with dogs which have issues!! But I love them all the more !! I also had not previously thought about the fact that larger dogs ARE much easier to par,because of less need to bend!!!This is SO true. I definitely have to bend right down to pat the little one!!!

I had to lean up against the porch support this morning to feed mine!! *creak creak*

I have two cats at present. One is a black and white cat, and the other is a Tonkinese blue kitten ( Siamese X Burmese). I have had cats most of my life. When I was growing up, all the neighbourhood cats would come and stay with us during the day, as their owners worked. Not long after 9am, they would start to arrive as Mum didn't work. I got the benefits of having a pet, with the cost of food and vet bills. Our black and white cat came to us as a stray. The kids came running inside one day saying they had found a cat on the side fence. It wasn't one of our cats in the neighbourhood. We put up posters everywhere and no one claimed him, so he is ours now. The other Tonkinese kitten is my daughters, and he is not quite a year old. Both cats seem to get along quite well, which is amazing.

by Lluxi

That should read ' without' the cost of food and vet bills

I've owned a dog as a child but never a cat. My former land lady's cats used to come over to my apartment. They were OK little creatures.

by dwatk

I have had both, and loved them very very much.

Can't afford them now, as Vet bills are out of this world.!

Sad but true.

by jonaja

We have something called ' Healthy Pets' and we don't have to pay for any vet visits or tests. Even operations are only a few hundred dollars.

Vet bills are high these days. Pets are living longer because of better care but senior pets can mean lots of money spent on maintaining their health.

I own a dog and a cat at the moment. Over the years I have had several dogs and numerous cats. They certainly add something special to a home.

by Marie Vonow

Yes, I've owned both of these, and for a time, had a cat and a dog at the same time. They are very different in many ways, but the need for food and shelter as well as their own form of companionship is the same.

by carolyncordon

Carolyn, just love your dogs!

I've never been without dogs and/or cats. When the last cat died I didn't bother with another as I now have two rescue dogs. One is never 100% sure what rescue dogs might do and the thought of them ratting through a litter tray turns my stomach anyway.

by Rice

ive finished with cats also Rice! only finished with stray dogs also -too old to adopt a shelter one -they wont give me one anyway!

Yes both. Our dogs had to be put to sleep due to
medical ailments, but, we still have our cat.
I love animals!

by janet

Have owns cat/s since I was 8!
When my last Siamese died, a stray wandered into my life, & stayed for 19 & half years! He was a beautiful British Blue, who loved being washed!

Then I got Corgi's, but my cat was 'lord & master' of the house, & kept the Corgi's 'in their place'!
It was very funny at times!

When my dear cat had to be euthanised, it was many years' before I got another, & who came from the RSPCA. She's beautiful!

My last Corgi died at 15 & a half.
I was given a rescued Siamese cat two years'
ago, & now I'm just one of 'those cat ladies'!

by donjo

Yes I have,but I am mostly a dog lover so I have had them most of my life, and couldn't stay without one.

by Diana Nairn

Oh yes! All of my life has been filled with darling animals,the first of which was a seal point siamese cat named Tiki! I would have been about 3 when we got him,and I still have one of his whiskers which had fallen out and I stuck it to a folded protective card!! We had various gorgeous cats before we adopted a dog who lived till he was 21 years old,and he was the most wonderfully affectionate and loyal fellow in the world.It broke our hearts when he finally left us.The vet said he was the oldest, and healthiest dog he had been lucky enough to know. All of our pets have tended to live very long and happy lives.In my own home as an adult,I have always had at least 2 dogs, sometimes 3 and even once ,there were 4 beloved rescued dogs in my life!At the moment I have a deaf shar pei,a rescued mixed breed which my vet saved and had to treat for 4 months at her surgery before I could adopt her,and also the little dog which my neighbours had adopted before buying the house next door.She decided that she would be happier here with my mottley pair,than being alone all the time while kids were at school and mum worked!! I have been adopted by CATS before,but this is the very first time that a dog has blatantly decided to live with me!!! The neighbour and I chatted and told the boys that Koo would live over here as she spent all daylight hours here anyway!They often come over here and she still visits them, so it has worked out perfectly for her,and it is HER happiness which we were trying to ensure, more than that of any of us humans! This trio of fur babies adore each other and are also MY best mates,giving such love and enjoyment all the time!Cats make me sneeze,so I do not have them as pets anymore.I do love their aloofness though!!! I have had the last 4 of my best friends cremated by the Pet Cemetery and this has eased the grief of the loss quite a bit.A local well-known potter creates the most gorgeous works in which the ashes are returned to owners,so anyone who visits does not think these items are such very special treasures,unless I tell them! The service was not available earlier in my dog loving life,but I still have fondest memories and photos of all the wonderful furry friends who have been such a huge part of my life. I cannot imagine my life not involving animals in a big way.I have found them to be marvellously supportive and even therapeutic in many situations.Most of all though,they are my family!

by Jules

I owned a cat with my husband until we lost him...the cat I mean. :-|

by Vee

Oh! Vee, so PLEASED you clarified who was lost! Lol!

I have two dogs and a cat.

Five chickens, two ducks, and two mice as well.

by meggf

.........and a partridge in a pear tree........

Ive always had animals as Im an animal lover. Dogs seem to find me wherever I go and one day a magpie dropped on my head. It must of been hit by a car as I nursed it til it passed away. I like cats too but the last cat I had was crafty and if it didnt like the food I gave it, it would wander away. I found out later that two other women thought they owned the cat. As I was relocating I thought it best to leave the cat with the other owners. It was a smart cat and I often wonder if he found more owners. My two dogs at the moment are my fur babies and love to watch David Attenborough documentaries, it keeps them occupied except for when they attack the T.V

by nat_c

Never had dogs, only a few cats. When i lived at home wie had a ginger cat called Orlando,(after the 1 in the book, 'Orlando The Marmalade Cat' When our girls still lived at home, we had a cat caked Smoky, because of his colouring. We didn't get anymore after he died. They're the only 2 I can remember us having, anyway.

by Miro

Yes. both together. My children learnt a lot about the care of animals on the planet due to caring for their pets. They became valued members of our family unit, and school projects were done on them, and lots of positive family discussions.

by trevo

I have always had a cat since childhood. Right now I have my dream cat, Yeti. He is a pure bred Maine Coon. He is 28 lbs. of fun and is the sweetest cat I have ever had. He even likes to be held.

by Polly