The past few days I have been questioning domesticated pets…I mean really! Who watched a wild cat stalking through a field one day hunting small rodents and thought…”I want to tame that cute little furry creature and invite it to live in my home with me.” What the heck!?!? I have always been an animal lover, but right now…….as a huge stinky cat poo sits atop a pile of ‘feline pine’ in the litter box in the small enclosed laundry room, where I need to spend a lot of time today, and as the air circulates through my house spreading the aroma…….I am thinking that the idea of an “indoor cat” is the most ridiculous thing EVER!!!!! I feel trapped. Our famously enormous feline, Harley, has been a part of the family for almost 10 years. And he’s been an indoor cat for his entire life. So what do I do now? Toss him outside so he can shred the weather stripping around every door to the house telling us how much he detests the Oregon spring rain!?!? He will cautiously venture outside for short periods of time as long as the sliding glass door is left open wide enough for him to run back in the house when he is spooked. It is so backwards…in the summer when we can leave the windows and door open and create a nice fresh breeze through the house…the cat will wander out the open slider to “do his business” outside. But, in the winter, when the house is closed up air tight to keep the heat in…yep, that’s right…poo in the house!
Then there’s the domestic dog…who is not provided with a small plastic box to poo and pee in the house…but who does require being let outside several times a day to “do his business” and then returns in the house with wet muddy paws that leave prints all over my dark hardwood floors. And most recently on my list of pet frusterations is the domestic dog who is trained to behave fairly well when his people are watching him, but throws all good behavior out the window when the people leave the house, and then steals a 1 pound brick of butter left to thaw on the counter. After the whole brick of butter has fully melted in his warm stomach he proceeds to barf it (and the rest of the things he has devoured over the past few hours) all over the floor!
Here I am excited that my sinuses are finally clearing from the crud I had last week, and happy to be smelling again (which apparently isn’t the blessing I had once thought it was!). And what do I smell? NOT the flowers that are just starting to open outside. NOT the fabric softener on the freshly folded clothes. NOT the cleaner I sprayed all over the kitchen counters. NOT the spring rain falling outside. NOT my freshly bathed kids. NOT the yummy apple candle I am burning…NOPE, I smell the lingering scent of the contents of Baker’s stomach and Harley’s poo! Wonderful! I think I might just go stir up some dust, get my allergies going and see if I can clog up my nose again 
4 Comments
March 3, 2009 at 9:16 am
Now you know one of the reasons why I don’t have a dog or an inside cat. Truth be told ,our cat is still wild for the most part unless she wants food or a little pat. She spends her days either hunting outside or sleeping on our bed or some other high place she just couldn’t resist jumping to. My biggest challenge is coming home to a dead bird or mouse she so lovingly brings in to us. Unfortunately the mouse is often not deceased and we have to spend the next few days tracking it down and removing it. Hang in there, spring starts later this month. Of course, that doesn’t always mean sunny weather, but at least it’s on the horizon.
March 4, 2009 at 2:55 pm
Thanks for reminding me why we have a hamster instead of ANYTHING else. Sad but true, even the hamster is on her way out and she has this huge growth on her cheek……eeewww!!
March 9, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Babe, I say again, go get a publisher, write a book with this stuff, and let the whole world benefit from the brilliant, humorous, real life “stuff” you just have such a nack for. It just seems to roll off your finger tips and is always so fun to read.
March 13, 2009 at 12:58 am
Okay, so you know I’ve always had a FIRM “no pet” policy in my family for the very reasons you described…I hate messes, and messes that are created from bodily functions are the worst! However, I caved recently and let Mark get a pet bunny! I have actually grown quite fond of the little thing, affectionately referred to by me as “DB” (Dumb Bunny). That was until TODAY, when I found that he had chewed through my laptop power cord and ruined it. I zipped off to the Mac Store to get a replacement and was annoyed to find that the replacement cord was $79! Arrrggg! Oh-well. What we do out of love for our kids!