Let’s Talk with Karla Brandenburg
Do you have a pet?
by Karla Brandenburg
Pets play an important part in our lives, and even if all haven’t adopted one, we generally have sympathy for some kind of animal. (Don’t ask me about my son and baby hippos). I grew up with and still have cats, which are often featured on my Facebook and Twitter pages. They are a source of entertainment and comfort. Some people prefer dogs.
I had two cats up until a couple of years ago, when the older one died. When we took in the younger one (abandoned in a dumpster), the older one showed her the ropes. How to behave. As much as he was a very well-behaved cat, he was a terrible big brother. He used to torment that little one every chance he got. He’d wait for her at the bottom of the steps, just out of sight, and when she came wandering down all nonchalant and looking for him, he’d jump out at her, sending her vertical. And then she’d hide for days on end because she’d been so traumatized. Or they’d run in circles, until the older one would stop and wait for her to come around the corner. Same story. Little Cat goes vertical and is traumatized for hours and sometimes days. Think about all those cucumber videos with cats. Hilarious to watch, but you can’t help but feel sorry for the “little sister” getting teased and picked on.
Do you have a pet? Or if not, a favorite animal? Do you have a favorite pet stories? Funny? Sweet, with that “awwww” moment?
Posted in Let's Talk, with Karla Brandenburg, zed: Former Authors • Tags: animal behavior, BLB Discussion, cats, Do you have a pet, Karla Brandenburg, Let's Talk | 12 Comments
For more than a decade we were a family of two cats (brother and sister), one dog (Golden retriever) and two humans. One by one the non-humans left this mortal coil. Because we are doing a fair piece of traveling, we have decided to postpone bringing animals back into our house in fairness to them.
I’m in that same boat, Jim. I’m down to the one cat now, even though we always stop to visit the ones at the store when we go to buy food. So far we’ve managed to avoid bringing a new one home 🙂
I have had a wonderful variety of pets throughout my life… my best friend for years was a parrot… Oscar would play games with me, give me kisses and guard my room…
My sister used to have birds – they’d land on your finger, which used to freak out my kids when they were little! I’ve heard parrots are good company though!
We’re currently pet-free, but we’ve had lots of pets through our lifetime. We had a pair of cats that were brother and sister. The brother was the typical lazy fat cat, and the sister was the Energizer Bunny on a power trip. She would climb everything, jump at everything, and generally provide hours of entertainment. She especially loved Chinese yo-yos and would do all sorts of leaps to try to attack that fluttering paper.
They’re certainly entertaining, especially in pairs!
We had dogs and cats growing up on a farm/ranch out in the boondocks in SoCal, but they frequently got run over by tractors and or snake bit…so my siblings and I never got too attached. Tried parakeets and cockatiels but found them too noisy for me. As an adult I’ve had both cats and dogs and don’t really have a fave, although my current pet is a Yorkie named Maggie, who is the love of my life and quite a character. She understands the word “squirrel” very well and will dash outside through her doggie door to bark even before she sees one. Because she doesn’t shed I don’t know if I’ll get another cat because I remember from six years ago when I had my last one, there was cat hair all over the place and covers on all the furniture until anyone came for a visit. I’ll have to think on that one. In the meantime, only one pet at a time really suits my budget best. And I do love animals in my stories too. jdh2690@gmail.com
I had a Sheltie years ago. She shed quite a lot, but she definitely knew the word Squirrel too!
Hamsters and goldfish as a kid. Then dogs. Right now, we’re blessed with Feebie our rescue dog mix.
And a beautiful dog she is
No pets. No plans. We’re gone too much of the time and I don’t like the idea of leaving one behind no matter how it’s done. So, we’re without for the foreseeable future.
Its hard on a pet not to have people to play with. Sounds like the best choice for your current situation, Terry