Do you own the pet...or does the pet own you?

If you’re living alone, then probably since many desire attention. I definitely own my cat. Of the three of us, he’s most loyal to me. He does follow me, but isn’t always in my face. He’ll sleep on my lap or next to me, but only when he feels like it. He is still new to us so he doesn’t come when you call him.

Cats own people, not the other way around. This is common knowledge and anyone that thinks they own their cat is in denial. Though, I must say, our cat is very low maintenance compared to yours.

I forgot to add my wife and four daughters live here too, yet I’m the one drafted for service. Damn cat is on my lap now!

Maybe I have ‘pushover’ stamped across my forehead.

I wrote this regarding the difficulty one has with teenagers, but it points out my position on dogs and cats.

Raising teenagers is the most ghastly experience in life.
It’s like dogs and cats.
When you come home from work, the dog greets you at the door, excited you’re home.
A dog comes when it is called.
A dog plays with you when you want to play.
Feed a dog, it will eat.
Dogs think you are the smartest, most wonderful person, and they love to show you their affection.

When you come home from work, the cat doesn’t care.
Call a cat, the cat ignores you.
Try to play with a cat, and it ignores you, till it gets angry and snaps at you.
Try to feed a cat, and it may or may not eat. It often just ignores you.
Cats think you don’t know anything. They think it’s best if they pretend you aren’t there.
Cats figure you are at best an incovenience. If they choose to show you any affection, it is probably only for their own personal gain.

Children are born dogs. When they turn 13 or 14, they suddenly turn into cats. They stay cats for 5 or so years, then fade into a middle ground between dog and cat behavior. They never fully become dogs again.

I never realized how frustraiting, painful, difficult, and demoralizing being a parent would be. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

My siamese is sitting right next to me at the window right now waiting for the magic word” breakfast!” haha

I am a devoted animal owner but not overly neurotic.
The cats are easy but I am rather anal about my geese.
That’s “Marwyn” my baby, in my avatar.
He is 15 years old this year and I raised him from a 2 week old gosling.

I am his mother goose. lol

I MUST be home by dark or have my neighbors lock the geese in their barn or I worry about bobcats jumping over the fence to nab them.
I fill their his & hers swimming pools daily, they have beach umbrellas too and a landscaped corral provide floating salad bars of healthy greens, keep plenty of 10,000 grain bread on hand for treats and Marwyn is gravely upset if he doesn’t get some adult swim time in the hot tub with me fairly often. lol

In the summer you should see his eyes light up when I ask him if he wants to go in the “big, big, tubby!” He paces around the spa and makes little whimpering sounds and when I toss him in he dives and splashes and dunks and goes into his seductive posturing routine.
I love my geezers but they are a fair amount of work.

@SABOTEUR Cats can sense weakness or vulnerability in people, and may take that for granted.

@filmfann Generally correct, methinks. My cat does greet me at the sidewalk or the door when I arrive home from work. Not that she cares for me…most likely her way of telling me I’m late once again for her feeding.

@dxs Ah! That explains why The Cat walks circles around my wife.

Smart cat.

@SABOTEUR Well I shouldn’t have said weak, but what I meant was that she can take account of who gives in to her food-begging the most and who is most willing to host a lap for her.

@dxs And that explains why I’m continually brushing hair off my pants.

MIlo here: That’s simple. I am the king, the ruler of the universe, the highest potentate, the grand inquisititor, the dominator and the head of household. I rule. Gail obeys.

For the most part, the behaviours you describe are things I actually want from my relationship with a cat, so no complaints. The one thing I will not do, however, is get up in the middle of the night for feeding or any other demand. So either they learn over time that waking me up will not produce the desired result, or I find a way to physically prevent them from reaching my bedroom.

@gailcalled You are not alone.

@glacial Well…uh…I kinda slanted my description. Actually, my day begins at 4:30.

If I don’t ignore the alarm. Or forget to set it.

The Cat knows what time I’m supposed to get up. Oftentimes, I’d oversleep if it wasn’t for The Cat waking me up on time.

@gailcalled My cat is named Milo too. And he has quite an ego, as usual with cats.

My cat’s name is Missy.

She also responds to Fred, bus stop or Dancing With the Stars.

Whatever comes to mind.

I have cats, my parents have a dog. Times I’ve babysat the dog, and had to walk it at all hours just so when morning came I might get a little sleep, following that dog around outside with the baggie to pick up her shit, I said to myself “When we’re following an animal picking up its shit, we’re not the dog’s owner, the dog is apparently our owner.”

I have the “M” gang. “Mia, Myles & Marwyn”....Marwyn’s wife is named Sonora.
Sonora is involved in an interspecies affair with the neighbors sheep. She is a brazen hussy and flaunts her affair shamelessly in front of poor Marwyn. Of course he and I are also involved in an interspecies affair. Goose and woman, goose and sheep. Yeah, it’s a liberal little microfarm scene over here.

@jca Bingo.

@SABOTEUR Ah! That’s a lot easier to accept. Sounds llke you might be better off for having her own you!

@SABOTEUR Maybe it’s bad cat karma coming home to roost, on your shoulders. lol
Perhaps you were an evil pussy abuser in another era. Making little kitty fur muffs and coat collars and stringing violins with catgut. You might be able to redeem yourself so I’d suggest some serious pussyfooting around your little diva cat.

My cat is he kid I never had, and he owns me totally. Of course, he does occasionally get a “time out” in the guest room.

I allow my cats to own me. Sometimes, though, I have to put my foot down if they get too demanding. :)

@Coloma (((groan)))

@SABOTEUR Yes, unless you want endless spins on the cat karma wheel you better kiss this kitties ass for the next 15 years. lol

I have been implementing the intermittent reward system with my cats for about a month now. Works like a charm. You just have to be SMARTER than the cat, as it should be.

“Breakfast” is THE catchall word for the Fancy Feast moment, but…“breakfast” could be morning, noon or night, depending on the control I want to attain. lol
I hold the breakfast card until it is really needed for immediate compliance.
Yesterday it was calling them in at dusk before the coyotes come out.

Hilarious, my one huge cat Myles came leaping and bounding down the hill off of my deck, made a dramatic like 4 foot leap over the little creek and came thundering up to the house.
I have now discovered that I can bring them home at will instead of being ignored. I have control!

I love my dog. My third one now. I treat her well and shower her with love and affection – but I’m very clear with her. If the shit ever hits the fan, she’s 350-degrees for 30-minutes away from keeping me from starving.

I love my cat she greets me when I come home. She follows me around the house as I put things away and keeps me company or annoys me.

If I am busy she will take a flyin leap from a piece of furniture to land on me. If none are available she will leap and climb up me.

She is there the moment I find the can opener. She will watch me from across the room as I get settled in to knit watch a movie or read a book or write and the moment I stop getting up or shifting she is on my lap or close by.

She sits on the counter and watches me cook. She cuddles me when I am not feeling well she won’t leave me alone until I lift the covers for her when I get in bed at night. Even though she can crawl under them on her own.

She wakes me up when she figures I have slept enough, though I usually persist in getting her to go away.

She loves walking on me while I am in the bath tub flirting with the danger of water.

Or hiding between the shower curtains and attacking me.

In the summer she is always bringing me presents and tries to sneak in her new friends. Sometimes she practices witch craft on the door step disassembling bowels.

She almost always comes when calls and when I insist on something she protests and I may come back to plants dug up or what not but she does not scratch up my furniture or carpet. She lets me remove her eye boogers and toss her around carry her upside down and she doesn’t shed much or throw up. She even on occasion goes on a walk with me.

But I was told she would be better behaved if I was a more responsible pet owner. If I put my foot down. Really most of the time I think she is too cute. And as annoying as she is we are well suited for each other.

Ha! Sadie may be a female dog, but I’m most certainly her b*tch!!!

@rosehips I’m glad you posted. Our experience seems almost identical. She won’t go near the shower or bathtub though, but her favorite place to nap is on my lap…

…when I’m on the “can”.

My wife is annoyed to no end. She doesn’t like the cat and she often mutters that there’s something strange going on whenever she sees Missy on my lap.

But as much as she annoys me sometimes, I like the fact that Missy chose me to nurture her. I think I’m a much better person with her around.

@SABOTEUR “Do you own the pet…or does the pet own you?” That is a matter of continuing debate between Spoony THE Cat and myself. So far, she’s winning.

Perspective is key. Can you take her to a shelter and leave her, legally? or have her put down or give her away? It sounds like you are simply a walk-over and she has trained you accordingly. I’m not a cat person, but I have known the odd cat that has won my respect and affection, but I would never let one boss me around.

@cazzie I am a pushover…and she has perfectly trained me.

But, so has my wife.

I wouldn’t part with either.

@ETpro Sounds like a frustratingly fabulous relationship.

@SABOTEUR I know what you mean. I feel like my life is richer because of her. We teach each other. She makes me a better person. To animals as difficult and as complex as we are.

@SABOTEUR Don’t you mean “purr-fectly!”

@Coloma Yes, yes…of course you’re correct. Meow.

@SABOTEUR wrote, ”@ETpro Sounds like a frustratingly fabulous relationship.” Indeed it is, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.