sandiegopets

I just got back from Santa Catalina Island about an hour off the coast of L.A. where I visited the nature conservancy. One of their programs is how to control the feral cat population. Feral cats are the wild offspring of domestic cats that have gone wild. Often, it’s because their owner has moved away and left the cat behind.

There are feral cats here in San Diego as well. A big gray one used to frequent our back yard. I’ve also seen them hanging out in a nearby park. Cats seem to be more prone to abandonment than dogs. A lot of people assume that a cat can fend for itself so if they move away, they will simply leave the cat behind. Cats who have been domesticated, however, can have a very hard time in the wild and you may be abandoning your cat to starvation or death from a predator that it hasn’t developed the skills from which to escape. Furthermore, when these cats are captured, they often have to be put to sleep because they can’t adjust to human company.

The only way feral cats will ever be contained is for people to take responsibility. Always spay or neuter your pet and if you move and can’t take them with you, it’s better to take them to a shelter than leave them on their own.

The feline species has attitude. Cats don’t care what you think of them and they have no qualms letting you know what they think of you. When I first brought my dog home, my cat complained loudly for days, then disappeared. Eventually, she made herself known again but not without a bit of spite.

A little attitude can go a long ways. It’s easy to get hung-up on what others think of you, easy to feel insecure. Have you ever seen an insecure cat? Okay, maybe they’re out there, but most cats walk with their heads held high. They might be skittish and shy but they are usually proud.

Cats have a sly sense of play, unlike dogs who slobber and romp through the yard, a cat likes to tease. A cat likes to stalk. I used to think cats were manipulative but now I think they simply like to have their own way. And if they’re not getting it, they may very likely piss in your shoe.

First, there are the obvious noble traits: loyalty, trust, forgiveness. But dogs also have a certain Zen-like simplicity. They are not complicated the way cats are. When they meet, they sniff one another’s tails. If they like the smell they play or hump each other. If they don’t they bite the other’s necks. I can’t help wondering what our own dealings in life would be like with this straightforward approach.

Some things I don’t admire so much. They care what others think. They want love and will do just about anything, even grovel with their tails between their legs to get it. Not so good.

And, then, they are the ways they are like us or at least like our children. They act out when they’re not getting the attention they need. They get into the things that they should most leave alone.

One of the things I most admire about dogs is their immense capacity to appreciate life. It takes so little. A walk on dog beach. A pat on the head. Throwing the Frisbee around the yard for a few minutes. It’s a good reminder to me to stop and appreciate what I have. I get caught up in daily stress, making a living, finding enough time to finish my work assignments, getting the house cleaned. Instead of worrying so much I should probably just go chase a ball around the yard for a while.

I’m a converted animal lover. Actually, I loved animals as a child, then went through a period of time when I didn’t “believe” in pets. Recently, I got a dog, Radar, from the shelter. She’s a shiba inu mix and in the few months she’s been with my family, has enriched us all. I’m also a travel writer, journalist and English instructor. I love words.

So, when I saw this opportunity to write about something, I thought, why not marry my love of words with a love for animals and try something that I haven’t done before.

I think that animals soften us, help us with compassion and enrich our lives in many ways. Being responsible for another creature teaches us to be more responsible in our lives and toward our fellow humans as well. There’s a reason pets are used for therapy.

Some of the things I would like to address on this blog, are adopting dogs and cats from a shelter, health issues, the best places to walk with dogs. I might get esoteric now and then and talk about animals in literature and myth. Or from time to time, I may talk about individual breeds or even individual dogs. The topics are endless.

So, here I am in the blogsphere looking forward to exploring new opportunities.