Pet Care Discussion

[Treble Bolt 1,122]

So something came into my line of vision recently. There is currently a lawsuit battle going on between Blue Buffalo and Purina, the one a well known maker of dog/cat food, and the other a known name among the high end price wise dog/cat food lovers. Now I have two cats and a hedgehog who all eat Blue Buffalo, and this thus I am waiting to see how this battle will end. But it got me thinking about how everyone treats their pets differently. So I thought it'd be a fun discussion about how we spoil our pets and things we may avoid in the abundance that is the pet care market. List where they sleep, what they eat, do they have toys, what do you give for treats, and how close is that pet to you. Are there any pets you wish you had? Are there any beloved pets you miss? This topic isn't just what pet you have, explain how you care it, because how we care for our pets says a lot about us, and a lot about how much they mean to us.

 

Some may say my two cats (and hedgehog) are spoiled rotten. They get Blue Buffalo food, have their own bedroom, a plethora of toys, and a lot of attention. I don't see them as spoiled though. Their "bedroom" is area behind a tiny closet in our front entryway. It's big enough for a desk to fit in (it's about 4' by 6' room). My husband and I have no use for that area because it's just so inconvenient as a storage space, so I decided to put my cats' litterbox, bed, and water in there. Their litter doesn't permeate the house, I can lock them in if there are guests or we are doing something where they could get in the way or hurt, and because the one has attacked my husband's feet at night since he was a kitten, a convenient way to allow us some peace and quiet at night. My hedgehog has a large clear plastic bin for a cage, not very fancy but he does have a smaller one above it that he climb through a tube to get to.

I feed them all Blue Buffalo because I know what my husbands' parents feed the farm cats, and believe me, they are not very healthy looking. They do not grow very big and their poop stinks to high heaven and they are constantly eating (they are free fed, yet they all look immensely skinny and don't hunt). \

 

Toys...they have lots of toys, but most I get for free or extremely discounted prices. I have so many because they tend to go through them slowly but surely (for the plush ones) and I tend to step on and break their plastic jingle balls, which one of them loves to play with (he even picks them up in his mouth, carries it to a higher part of the room, drops it and chases it with glee). So, most of the toys I get are backups. My hedgehog has 3 small stuffed animals (all deer), that he's had since he was a baby. His cage has to be "just so" or he will dig under his fleece liner and tear the place apart. His stuffed animals have very specific places or he will throw a fit. He also has an area with fleece scraps he plays in and has a big salt lick horse dish as a wheel, which I made myself (it's super quiet). I let him sleep on me during the day when I am doing homework or reading at home, and sometimes I let him chase the cats. They don't want anything to do with my hedgehog and he knows it. When I let him run around, he beelines for the cats, chasing them around until they leave the room I am watching him in ( I don't want him getting hurt or behind anything).

 

So yeah, they are a bit spoiled. But not in a rich way. We are humble people, but I see my pets as my children and friends. One cat even calls me "mama" (it's really adorable). My husband doesn't see it that way, but every animal I ever had, I have cherished immensely. These are the first pets in my life that are all my own, I am wholly and fully responsible for their well-being and want to see them all live long, happy lives.

 

I used to have a wolf-husky named Velcro when I was a kid. I loved that dog, and I was the only one he really liked, but when I went into foster care, he was put down by the DNR because he was 3/4 wolf.  I miss him to this day. I also had a rescue hamster when I was a kid. He was 2 when we got him, but he lived 3 more years (that's super old for a hamster). All I remember was that he bit my sister a lot...

[Stalliongrad 982]

I had a dog and I loved him every day until he passed. My dog was a lot like me. He didn't get the best always but when he did it was an occasion. I think about it now because I'm older and wiser now. Maybe the big brand dog food wasn't the best food to buy. Heck back then I didn't care too much about what I ate either. I can understand paying more for higher quality dog food if the ingredients are more natural. My dog was a mutt when he was a puppy. Loved being dirty hated taking baths. Loved being out in the rain, hated being locked inside. As he got older he became like me. Didn't like being outside and loved laying around. The one thing I do think a lot about is when he died. My dog during his last week alive, Begged a lot for treats. The special ones I didn't give him often. I think now that he knew something was wrong and wanted to feel like a puppy again before he past. I dunno. I think love is more important than how much you spoil on your dog. It is all safe for the dog but if you choose the higher end stuff I totally get it. Some people feed their dog the expensive dog food and then never take the dog for a walk. Counter productive imo.

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

My dog is the biggest pain in the ass ever All he does is eat going as far as to steal the other dog's food. He tears things up and runs away to the highway, so I have to chase after him. He breaks things and he weighs almost as much as I do. He barks at the slightest twitch, too. I hit my elbow on the doorframe and this damn 150 pound black lab started barking his head off

Blechh. 
 

[Dr. Frasier Crane 319]

I have two gerbils in my room called Doug and Lucas.

They have both managed to escape from my room at least twice each, which is bad news because of my cat, and it usually takes ages to catch them again.

They love used kitchen rolls and bits of tissue, that pretty much keeps them happy for hours, where I've bought wooden toys for them in the past and they've not been interested. xD

They love running up people's arms and sitting on your shoulder, and they're really friendly and rarely bite. I love 'em!

[1111 1,284]

i loved my first dog i walked him feed him played alot with him and snugled with him time to time but he passed on and we bought a new one but he dosent care for me no matter how hard i try

[Venomous Deers 3]

A have a dog who looks a lot like a white dingo. She's a mutt so we don't know exactly what she is but she's my first dog and probably the best one I'll ever have. She's extremely low maintenance but sheds all year around and can be a bit annoying and begs at dinner. Near my birthday this year, my dad took her to the woods to run around like he does every morning since we got her and he forgot her at the woods (I don't know how he's nuts) once he noticed, she tried to come home and got hit by a car, SHE'S STILL ALIVE THOUGH, she just had to have a little wrap around her paw and couldn't move for a while. My dog has also never ran away and even got afraid and sat on our doorstep until we opened the door if she ever got out of the gate. She always bursts into my room though and sleeps under my desk