Greeting ...

What have you trained your pet to do?


My cat, Hemingway knows how to greet and murmurs a soft and subtle greeting every time I walk in and out of a room he is lying in. I assume because I always greet him, say hello by his name when I come and go and he picked it up.


It is the sweetest sound, a very soft one syllable greeting and he does it to visitors as well.


He has also learnt what kiss is. And either rubs his head against my lips when I say kiss or bends his head down for a kiss.


I am not sure if this is acquired behaviour or some sort of conditioning, but he has been living with me for 8 years nearly and definitely has picked up some of my traits.


What does your pet do?

Seafaring cats

Here is a great post by the cat diaries about sea faring cats.

Do you believe that cats have magical powers?

Well they certainly kept the rats and mice away.

Sydney's favourite pet shops

Sydney has hundreds of pet shops, pet supply stores, pet accessories and even discount pet shops.

Which are your favourites? I like these two:

Mollycoddledpets

Oz Pet Shop

What kind of animals are you likely to meet in Sydney ...

I love knowing what kind of wildlife lives in Sydney.

I live above a gully so I have met ducks, butterflies, possums and sewer rats. The sewer rats are probably the most unpleasant rat I have ever seen. They are huge and nasty.

I have a kookaburra who comes to visit my courtyard and cat, ducks who visit the swimming pool and a huge collection of birds who scream outside the windows at dawn.

Do you know the wildlife in your area?

Here are some insects, bugs and other animals you may encounter.

Take your dog or cat on holiday ...

Ok, sometimes you need a pet sitter to look after your cat, dog, lizard or bird while you go on holiday for the weekend, month or whatever.

It's great to have someone pet sit and you don't have to worry about a thing.

But you also have the chance to take them with you. I'd say it's more likely that they'd accommodate dogs rather than cats because there is something about dogs. They tend to me more loyal in some ways and probably wouldn't run away.

I wouldn't dare take my cat with me on holiday. He'd flip out. But I have a friend who has a Burmese and he goes everywhere including on holidays with her. They've been on a train and camping and taken road trips, this is one unique cat. Do you know of cats so sedate and calm?

Here is a list of pet friendly accommodation. I am actually very impressed by this site, they have romantic, cheap and haunted options for Sydney stayz as well.

Take your dog or cat with you and enjoy!

Cats who change peoples' lives

I love cats.

Hemingway is feral and is like a tiger but has this incredible spirit and personality. Sometimes he is completely mad and then suddenly docile and he keeps life interesting. I know there are thousands of stories of people whose cats have literally changed their lives or circumstances or brought them some kind of value.

Here are some:

Cleo - a tiny black runt kitten who came into Helen's life in possible the worst time of grief and helped her and her son Rob heal. This book is a tearjerker and it is so interesting to read about the kind of cat Cleo is (was?)

Dewey - was literally abandoned at the library. And become the library cat. This cat touched everybody and as you can see from the website Dewey became the town cat. Vicki believes that Dewey had a sixth sense about people in need and came into hers at a very much needed time.

3 cats - This book is an incredible read about three different cats who literally seemed like Thea's babies. Each cat offered her something and the bond she developed with each of them and what she gained from them was really great to read.

Sissy the cat - Sissy helped a family through loss.

They had me at meow - the true story of a woman and the 30 cats she loved inside a feral cat colony.

And, Trim the seafaring cat who travelled with Flinders and Bass.

Most authors and people who have loved cats all say the same thing. Cats choose their owners. Hemingway licked my arm when I was trying to choose a kitten and I took him home. They come to you when needed - and while Hemmy is feral and probably less affectionate and doesn't sit on my lap, we have an incredible bond and I feel that my life is richer because of him.

There are hundreds of stories and books about cats and their owners. (Or masters!)

Please tell me your cat stories.

Rescued dogs generally need less training

And a whole lot of love.

Adopt a homeless pet. The Pedigree Adoption Drive is all about adopting homeless dogs.

And giving them happy endings.

http://www.pedigreeadoption.com.au/