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In reply to the discussion: Have you ever rescued a stray animal? [View all]PoindexterOglethorpe
(25,856 posts)And what a wonderful vet to give you a huge break on the price of caring for her.
Okay, so I am personally not much of a dog person, far more of a cat person. But I cannot begin to imagine abandoning a dog you've take responsibility for, and just leaving it out to die. Same for a cat.
I do realize that sometimes a dog or cat simply goes astray. There are lots of reasons this might occur. But still.
In post 21 above I talked about the cat who showed up in my front yard. She had clearly been a well loved and taken care of cat before whatever happened to make her show up in our front yard. Over time I realized that she'd lived in a home with guys. In our house, I was the only female. Other than me there was my husband, my two sons, and my brother who lived in our basement. This cat, who I named Gracie, clearly preferred any of the guys to me.
Her previous home must have included dogs. Large dogs. She had a habit of sprawling at the intersection between two rooms, just like a large dog. And in a much earlier version of my life large dogs were a factor, and so I know that behavior.
Also, she liked to go on walks. Initially my brother who lived in the basement would take her for walks in the hope of losing her. (This was while I was out of town, before I returned and assesed what was going on.)Nope. She'd follow like a good dog. Later, when I was there (when Gracid originally showed up I was out of town) I'd also go on walks with her. What struck me the most was how she'd alert to dogs along the way. It was clear she was very interested in them and wanted them to connect with her. Alas, for her, we were a cat only household. She did eventually adjust and live out the final two or three years of her life with us. I will say that she was a wonderful cat and I'm extremely grateful she was in my life if only for a short while.
I sincerely hope everyone who reads this will feel the same way. It's not that cats are better than dogs or vice versa. It's that both cats and dogs have been part of our human heritage for a very long time. It's okay to prefer one to the other. But NEVER forget how closely we are connected.