i’m relatively new to the realm of cats. i added the gigantic orange cat, Huey Newton, to the family a couple of years ago – mostly to be a companion to my aging brown dog, Mr. Pickles.
The cat did not, however, sign on for that particular partnership arrangement.
But they co-exist nicely. Mr. P always wants to play. Huey wants nothing to do with this – except for rare moments of whimsy when he decides that it would be good fun to whack the sleeping dog in the nose and then run for cover.
i love them both. My relationship with each is quite different.
As i sat in my bedroom comfy chair a couple of days after getting my leg stitched up, the difference between cats and dogs became fairly obvious.
Mr. P wanted to lick my stitches. Make it all better.
Huey, on the other hand, decided that the strings sticking out of my shin bone would be big fun. Catastrophe avoided, as i started a new game of “Kitty Aviator” before he finished swatting at my embroidered leg with extended claws.
Heard this a few years ago, and believe it to be true.
If a dog had thumbs? He’d get you a beer.
If a cat had thumbs? He’d steal your car.
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Note: Photos are approximate re-enactments. The stitches came out today, and my leg looks like a rather disgusting pile of fetid ground beef. i am only taking that wrapper off when absolutely necessary to re-pack the muck. There’s a reason i chose engineering over medicine…. Only have to do this for about a month. Blechhh.
Trailer Park Refugee 
Peter gave me a card that reads “Cats know how you feel. They don’t give a damn, but they know…”
Huey is pretty cuddly, especially in the morning. i’m sure it’s because he loves me, and has nothing to do with his empty food bowl…
No, I refuse to believe this. Malarchy, I say. My cats would totally take care of me in a time of crisis. They love it when I’m sick, and even sit on me at the same time to nurse me back to health. And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I’m a toasty 98.6 and soft and snuggly. Total coincidence.
Absolutely coincidence! My cat has every right to be a little cranky with me — i do force him to live with a big, slobbery dog!
Force? You couldn’t force US to live with one of those!
Geiger, once again posting as his housemate, makes a valid point…. Huey really didn’t have much say in the matter. He was delivered here. The dog was already in residence…
Awwww, go Mr Pickles!
i did not, in fact, let him lick my actual stitches. but he was about to try it…
it was funny – when i was trying to get the ‘re-enactment’ pictures, i was able to get a photo of my dog licking my leg within about 2 minutes. The cat shot, however, took all evening, as he seemed to know i wanted him to do something and would not cooperate…
Reminds me of my favourite cat ad
hitch hiking to the coast would be another option, i think! this was a HOOT! thanks for posting it!
That was brilliant. I loved it. And I dread the day that our cats develop thumbs.
they’re killers!
Probably my favorite aphorism concerning cats and dogs is that dogs have owners; cats have staff. Glad to hear your leg is healing. And equally glad not to have to see it. My feelings about the insides of living things are about the same as yours. With a small number of notable exceptions.
made it through the first dressing change this morning without passing out. but i did it sort of in the dark, barely looking at it. it’s either going to come together or it won’t. me looking at it closely is not going to make a difference.
i’ll be polite and not ask what those exceptions are…
I take it that you didn’t realise that you were signing up for servitude when you invited Huey Newton into your home?
Personally, I quite liked being subservient to the Emperor of the Universe (Jack the cat).
i was a little naieve, but i’ve got no doubts about who works for whom in this household! and it’s just fine…
I voted for a cat but we ended up with a dog, who is now an annoying five-month old. Everyone assured me that since I didn’t want a dog, I’d be the one who was closest to her. I’m still waiting for that magic to happen. Cats rule.
i look forward to the day when you are fussing over your little pup, putting on his little winter outfit so he doesn’t get chilled out in the snow! you better post pictures…
Okay I don’t know whether to laugh or puke. In any event, I side with Mr. Newton! Love that name.
don’t puke… i’m done with the commentary on the body parts. at least for now… hoping that it looks like a human leg again in a couple weeks!
i didn’t name the cat – he came with that name. he has a sister named Angela Davis.
Always wondered about the name. Sporran and I were almost named after militant s.But we like the names we have.:-)
Geiger and Sporran are pretty good names… you’ve landed in safe harbour. It occurs to me that i should ask after Huey’s sister, Davis (she goes by her last name, by the way). Perhaps they can be reunited some day…
oh. my goodness. that beer/car thing made me crack up. a dog would totally get drunk with you and fall asleep on the bar. a cat would stay sober and then take your car.
wishing you a speedy recovery! (if you write anymore about your ground beef leg, i think i’m going to faint.)
welcome to The Park, lunch! (hmmm…. “lunch” in “the park”. why am i suddenly hungry?) i think you’re right about the critters — the cat would lift your wallet, along with the car keys!
i’ll quit with the technicolor descriptions of the leg… fingers crossed that it gets a little better each day, because it’s everything i can do not to pass out when i have to change the dressing in the morning!
yes! glad i found you on here! it was your supercute cartoony profile pic that lured me in!
three snaps in a z formation for you a) changing your dressing on your own and b) not fainting. yeah, i’m totally not capable of doing those kinds of things on my own! *thump* sorry, just fainted writing about that 😉
you’re far too young to know who she is – “Fritzi Ritz” was the tramptastic aunt of the ancient comic book character, Nancy. She seemed mighty fancy and classy to the kids, but she was a party girl, pure and unfettered. Right outta the trailer park… it suits me. although i’m not nearly that hot. Not by any stretch of the imagination. but hey, out here on the internet, we can pretend to be anyone we want to, right?
regarding the medical issues? oh, i can swap that stuff out without looking. and i do. in the vague darkness of the morning bedroom light, i can unwrap it. then shower (without my glasses i am blind). let it air dry (without looking) then slap an antibiotic covered dressing over it before taping it up. seriously. i DO NOT look at it. ugh. and i’m a bit faint just writing about it again…
Dogs: you feed them, give them shelter, play with them and pet them. They know that you are a God.
Cats: You feed them, give them shelter, amuse them, pet them. They know that THEY are gods.
Glad things are looking up, loved the pictures and the story.
and i love them both… it’s all about expectation management, and learning to co-exist….
Glad your leg’s getting better!
This is why I’m a dog person…I need that love from my doggie!
“Disgusting pile of fetid ground beef.” Yikes!
i remain mostly in the ‘dog’ camp, but i completely understand the joys of living with a cat… their degree of autonomy is good for someone who travels as much as i do!
I’ve had several cats over the years. My first cat liked to play with fire. Well, he did until he found out what burning cat hair smelled like. He was staring at a candle flame, then he tried to jump the flame. It was a tall candle.
That first cat also liked to slalom my legs while I walked. While I ran, it was a challenge for him. He stopped doing it after he learned to fly.
That first cat liked to sleep on the staircase. That habit actually frightened me a bit. If he wasn’t white, I never would have seen him in the dark and probably would have stepped on him then tumbled down the stairs.
My current cat, she doesn’t come inside much. I don’t let her in. Besides, she has a heated house of her own. She doesn’t need to come inside the people house. Her favourite activities seem to be sex, sex and more sex. She likes it kitty style. She’s been nailed by every tomcat in the neighbourhood. I have no idea where she get’s this behaviour from. I run a chaste and pure home.
burning cat (or dog) fur is a horrid smell… and i’ve seen the cat ‘slalom’ – huey has learned quickly that it’s going to end badly for the smaller creature. your current cat has a grand life — a place of her own, and all the casual sex she can manage. assuming she’s been neutered so it’s reasonably safe!
You would assume wrong. Two litters a year.
ouch. if i send you some duct tape, will you at least try to provide her a little respite?
I’m a dog person mostly, but I had the most wonderful cat when I was little, and I’ll never forget her. It’s great that you have both!
i do like having both. seems to fit my pattern. commitment issues translate into pet choices? am i a cat person? a dog person? yes. both.
That definitely describes the cat dog relationships and hostilities in our home! Hope you are healing well.
and yet every morning, i wake up with both critters happily snoozing away in my bed…
The cat is probably thinking, “If you add a raw egg, onions and some seasoning, that might make some decent steak tartare”.
he was helping tenderize his next meal. hadn’t thought of it like that. i’m a bit relieved that it’s now bound tightly and no longer tempting his taste buds. blechhhh…
Jeeze! Kyknoord disappears from the planet for…how long? …then pops up, all Martha Stewart.
I think I’ll go to bed!
at least he didn’t suggest glitter glue and ribbons to make my wound look a little more fashionable…
Having finally reached a zen-like state of doglessness *and* catlessness, I’m thinking I like it like that and I’ll never go back…
i love these critters. i am not sure i will replace them. i’ve got a friend who gets his dog fix by volunteering at the local humane society to walk dogs. i think that’s a good deal for all the creatures involved….