Need Advice? Ask Paws For Thought!

Well, I made the mistake of telling the pets about my blog. They have decided they want to participate. So they came up to me with a demand. They want their own advice column, where they will give answers to people's problems with down to earth advice. Maddie, Murphy and Rogue are now the Paws For Thought advice crew.

So if you need advice or have a question that needs an answer, send it to dearpaws@hotmail.com. The crew will be choosing one or two letters to be answered on Sundays.

I can't guarantee that their advice will be helpful, but it will definitely be coming from an unusual viewpoint.

So send in your questions and make sure to check in on Sundays to see if your question was chosen.

The Paws For Thought Crew:


Maddie
4 yrs old
Lab mix
Hates the rain and wet grass, loves to run, lives for her ball and thinks belly rubs are heaven

Murphy
11 yrs old
Beagle
Hates loud noises, crinkly bags, loves food and getting into the trash, lives to sniff and thinks thunder is evil


Rogue
3 yrs old
Mediumhair Puppycat
Loves ear scratches, likes to nip, thinks wrestling with Maddie is great, loves to freak out and race around the house for no reason, and watch T.V. Favorite show: Planets Funniest Animals

A Dog? A Cat? No, it's a Puppycat!

I have never been much of a cat person. I have always liked dogs. I would study them and read about dogs and wolves and any other canine type. I am good with dogs, I know them very well. But I never really paid attention to cats. Oh sure, I thought some were pretty, and I would pet them if I could. But I never spent any time learning about them. I didn't hate cats, I just never really thought about them. My sister liked cats and so did a few of my friends, and I used to joke around with them when cats came up in discussion. My favorite line was: Cats are great, they are self-propelled dog toys.

Three years ago I was living with my sister. I had a dog, she had a dog and 3 cats. I barely ever noticed the cats, they were just kind of there, no more noticeable to me than before. One day, she brought home this tiny kitten. It was in poor shape and it was not certain it would survive. It had been neglected and was very sick and almost starved to death. Sure, I felt sorry for it, but it didn't really catch my attention. My sis was taking care of it, it was her cat to keep or find a home for if it survived. It was just another rather unnoticeable cat to me.

Until the day I had to go into the room she was keeping it in. This tiny, pathetic kitten struggled to climb up to a high spot. Once it did it looked at me and gave this pitiful little mew. I looked down at this miniature bundle of bones and spoke without realizing it:"Oh Rogue, you are gonna be just fine."

This caught me dead in my tracks. I had just spoken a name for this cat. The only other times that has happened, that I have named an animal, was when it was mine or meant to be mine when it was old enough. "Oh no," I thought, "I think I just got a cat." I went and found my sister and asked her if I could keep it. She thought it over and Rogue became mine 2 days later.

This was the first cat I had ever owned (or been owned by, lol) and I had no clue how to treat a cat. So I treated as I did my dog. My sister's cats spent most of their time outdoors, so this tiny kitten spent most of his time around dogs. Plus, he had me for an owner. Is it any wonder he turned out to be a rather unusual cat?

That is, if he is a cat at all. :) He looks like a cat, he purrs, he uses the litter box. But other than that he is a great dog. He comes when I call him. He sits up pretty for treats. He gives kisses when allowed, he sleeps on the bed, sometimes under the covers. A few times he has barked at loud noises. Well, kind of, he makes a short, abrupt "mrowf! mrowf! Sure comes close to being a bark, lol.

In short, Rogue is a pretty cat, and he is the best dog I have ever owned. He is my Puppycat and I love him with all my heart.