Do Pets Make the World a Better Place?

By Julia Williams

If you’ve ever shared a special bond with a pet, that question probably seems a bit silly. Of course the world is a better place because of pets, you’d say. As a lifelong animal lover, I wholeheartedly agree. However, I also know there are people who have no use for pets. Just as I can’t fathom why anyone would ever want to live without a pet, the non-pet people don’t really understand how humans can form strong bonds with animals, or why they would want to. I suppose the universe is big enough for all kinds, but just between us, I am eternally thankful that I’m a pet person. My world is absolutely a better place because of my pets, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

I am the polar opposite of the cat-hating boyfriend featured on Must Love Cats, who demanded that the bedroom be a “cat free zone.” I have very few cat free zones in my home. For sanitary reasons, I do try to make the kitchen counters and table cat free zones, but Rocky challenges that notion daily. I don’t have cat free zones because my home is their home too, and they should be allowed to live in it.

I certainly could have been – but sadly wasn’t – the person who came up with the funny saying, “If you don’t want pet hair on your clothes, stay off my furniture!” True, this policy of letting my pets sleep wherever they feel like it does present some moments of embarrassment. I’ll never forgot the day a visitor turned to leave and I discovered he was wearing what amounted to “half a cat” on the seat of his pants. It was mortifying in the moment, but I laugh about it now. I came to realize that if he was a pet person, he’d understand, and if he wasn’t…c’est la vie. I don’t much care.

“I could not imagine my life without pets” was a recurring comment in response to my article “My Best Friends All Wear Fur.” Nor could I imagine life without my cats. Well, actually I can imagine it, and it’s certainly not the life I would want for myself. I find that no matter what might be wrong with my life “in the moment,” a head-bump from my heart cat Annabelle can make it right again in an instant. I think I love her exuberant kitty head-bumps more than anything else on earth, and I simply can’t imagine life without them.

When we lay together on my bed, me with brush in hand and she with rumbling purr, I tell her, “This is the best part of my day.” And I mean it. As I brush Belle, she drools in a way that only a truly contented cat can. We settle into the rhythm of the brush-brush-headbump ritual we’ve both come to love and need. People who believe that felines only tolerate people for the food they provide, have obviously never had a cat like Belle. They’ve never experienced the sheer delight of a kitty headbump, or the amazing, transformative power of the purr. I have, and I can say without any doubt, there’s nothing quite like loving and being loved by a cat like Belle. 

Sometimes I wonder if I might love Belle too much. She is only 8 and in very good health – thanks in part to her wonderful Felidae cat food! – yet now and then I have fleeting thoughts of how much I will miss this beautiful soul when she’s gone, and it scares me. It doesn’t seem fair that our animal companions have such short lives compared to ours. I don’t want to outlive Belle; I want her to be with me forever, but I know I can’t change what is. I can only enjoy the special kitty headbump moments we share each day. I can only love her with all my heart for as long as I am able. And each day that Belle is here, I say a prayer of thanks for this special soul that makes my world a better place.

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Can You Love Your Pet Too Much?

By Linda Cole

Pets give us unconditional love from the moment we form a bond with them, or for some pets, from the moment they enter our home. In return, we shower our pets with toys, good food, great treats like CANIDAE TidNips™, and all the love they deserve. But is there such a thing as giving your pet too much love?

Suzanne Alicie wrote a fun article recently on “The World's Most Expensive Dog Accessories,” and it made me giggle. I looked at one of my dogs sleeping peacefully on an old blanket that has seen better days. It reminded me of when two of my dogs were puppies. They had a disagreement one night over who would get the blanket – the poor blanket was caught in the middle and ended up with a few holes in the middle. Once they finally settled their disagreement, they laid down together on their prize, each one sure they had won the argument. The dogs don't care if it's a ratty old blanket or an expensive throw; as long as it's where I am, everything is right in their world. I love who my pets are as individuals. I love how they want to be with me all the time, and if that's loving them too much – then I'm guilty.

My pets aren't children in fur, but they are my furry kids. I worry about them when they're home alone, I want to keep them safe during a storm and if one gets sick, I fret over them until they're better. If it's chilly, I throw down the tattered blanket because it has comfortable smells on it they love. I enjoy working from home so I can be here to make sure they're alright. When one of the cats wants to spend some time chatting about nothing, I'll stop what I'm doing to listen to them. I like knowing my dogs can roam freely in their dog pen and don't have to be tied up when they're outside, and they all know basic commands and what I expect from them. They aren't perfect, and I don't want them to be perfect. I'm not, and they still love me!

I have non-pet friends who don't understand how I could be happy spending so much time with my pets. They try to convince me I'm spoiling them, and say I care more about my dogs and cats than I do about having a life. They don't understand; my pets are my life. It's who I am. I could never be happy as a non-pet person. And if that’s loving pets too much, so be it.

I know full well my pets are pets. I don't refuse dinner invitations or a night out with my friends just so I can stay at home with my pets. As long as I have someone who I trust to look after my pets, I'll take a vacation. I expect my dogs to pay attention to me and do as I ask. Part of loving a pet is knowing them well enough that you can see behavioral issues before they become a problem, and get them help when it's needed. We all want stable, happy and healthy pets that are glad to see us every time we come home.

We make a commitment to our pets the minute we bring them into our homes. We promise to care for them through sickness and health, and sometimes that means declining dinner invitations or postponing a vacation. That doesn't mean I've put my pets ahead of other people. It means I'm fulfilling my commitment to my pets. Yes, sometimes your life will revolve around your pets if they have medical issues or behavioral problems that need correcting. That's being a responsible pet owner, not someone who loves their pet too much.

I don't have a problem with pet owners who can afford to spend a small fortune on their pets, and I don't see that as spoiling the pet. Not correcting them when they need it is spoiling them, because that's when they can develop unwanted and destructive behaviors. It's similar to correcting children so they can learn how to behave and what you expect from them.

Being a pet owner is an awesome responsibility, and not one that should be taken lightly. Pets make our lives happier and healthier, and as far as I'm concerned you just can't give your pet too much love.

Photo by capsicina

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