Which pet is the right one for you?

So you have a pet or you're thinking about getting a pet ... but which pet?

Do you love staying home? Are you quite active and love getting up and going for walks or are you lazy? Are you social? Do you have a lot of free time to spend with your pet? Are you happy with walking a dog twice a day and taking him/her out on weekends? Do you have savings - because you have to consider food, vet bills and cleaning?

Are you patient? Puppies need to be trained. Puppies also need walks and a lot of attention. Dogs generally don't like being on their own. They will sleep with you, lavish you with love and attention and will follow you around ... they are fantastic company but they do need care.

If you like cleaning and are happy with something that's not cuddly, perhaps a fish would be a good bet. or a hamster, mouse or rat. Their cages/tanks need to be cleaned regularly and they need to be fed ... but they're very low maintenance. If you want a snake, you have to consider the fact that they eat baby mice which you will have to provide.

Pet birds are fairly easy. I clean out Molly Blue's cage once a week, feed her and clean out her water every morning, vacuum round the cage where she drops her **** and seeds. She's not cuddly, but she is entertaining.

Cats are fairly easy as well. I wash Hemingway every 3 months, de - flea him, I spend about $30 a week on him on food and I rarely have vet bills. He comes in to be fed, or to sleep on me when it is cold or raining or to sit by the heater ... so he is not the most social of pets.

What kind of pet would YOU be? (I'd be a pet dog.)

Can You Adopt Ace?

Hi, I'm Ace, a pure Australian cat.

I was born about 2 years ago and it wasn't my choice. But it happened and I'm here.

I was still a kitten when I got pregnant and I was dumped in a park in Leichhardt. I was rescued by a couple of students from Europe. They love me, feed me and give me everything I need - but the thing is they are going back overseas in 3 weeks. And they can't take me to their home country as it's very very very faraway.

I don't even want to go as I belong here.

Therefore I'm looking for a nice Ausssie family who will adopt me. My European parents have been trying to find someone for more than 3 months, but nobody seems to care, which makes the situation very very stressful.

I’m a very friendly, well behaved desexed cat with a great personality, who doesn’t need much. Therefore I would be very grateful for a new place to live as I don't want to end up in a cats and dogs home.

Because we all know they will put me to sleep.

And that's not fair, cos I'm so full of life and I've already managed to escape from hell once... :-(


Please write to: theacecat@gmail.com if you would like to adopt Ace.

Dear Dogs and Cats ...

The following was found posted very low on a refrigerator door:

Dear Dogs and Cats:

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain
your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food.
Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn't help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however.

Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that
sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize
space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom!

If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered.

Also, I have been using the bathroom for years - canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me FIRST, then go
smell the other dog or cat's butt. I cannot stress this enough.

Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

To all the people who visit and complain about our pets:

(1) They live here. You don't.
(2) If you don't want their hair on your
clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don't speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they:

(1) eat less,
(2) don't ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don't hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don't smoke or drink,
(8) don't want to wear your clothes,
(9) don't have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don't need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children

Cat Diaries

If my cat had a diary, it would consist of Hemingway writing things like Yeooowwll, pretend I have not been fed in days and decapitated another mouse head ... bliss.

Luckily I found Cat Diaries and can take comfort in the fact that Hemingway thinks he is human, thinks that everything belongs to him including anything in grocery bags and that all jumpers are his to lie on or tear up.

This is a great site for all sorts of cat info, competitions to win your cat food and cat facts, cat chat and cat hotels.

Give them everything they need ... right?

I love Pet Rescue

If you love pets, then what is the real need for getting an expensive new pet from a breeder when you can get and love a pet from Pet Rescue instead?

If you're in Victoria (Australia) that is there are a lot of pets who need foster care and some love because their owners have lost their homes, or the pets have run away or people have passed away and so there is a huge need for pets to be taken in.

If you're considering buying a pet, instead of spending thousands of dollars on a new pedigree, why not choose a puppy or older dog who needs a home?

You've only got to look at a few of these dogs and know you're doing the right thing.

If you've just adopted a pet, please let me know.

The Puppy Place

The Puppy Place, a site for seeing eye dogs and guide dogs is looking for donations.

They're also selling cookbooks to raise funds.

Pet News

A great pet news site,

All kinds of wonderful news items like a cat who can detect diabetes on breath and how breath can be a great medical way to determine health of people and looking at euthanising pit bulls, rather than putting them down automatically - they are considering looking at each individual dog.

I have found some great info on this site.