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February 10, 2006
The Truth About Cats And Dogs
'Cept only a teeny bit...
So, I love cats and dogs, but the truth is that I love cats just a teeny bit more than I love dogs simply because...
...Cats are less dependent than your average dog. Mostly. And cats look after themselves without too much intervention. Usually. And are a bit less of a headache when you are on the move from continent to contient and have to worry about things called quarantine, and your pet (insert animal of choice) being able to cope with it. It's true - cat's are (and please don't chuck rotten tomatoes at me, dog lovers) just a bit easier at adapting to that kind of stuff and, well, other stuff, too...which is why I've always had cats rather than dogs.
But I do love both, and here is a little bit about a dog and a cat I have known ...
The Truth About Dogs
Way back when, in the depths of time, I was three. Yes, I was three. At that time we had a rather largeish, very daft (which means stupid and silly) poodle named Poodle. Poodle was one of those poodles with all the right bits shaved off to make her look even more silly and poodlish than she actually was. (Why do people do that to poodles?) I loved Poodle with my whole being.
That year, (Christmas, to sell on to others) my dad got a great deal from *someone he knew* on liqueur chocolates. These were regular little chocolates, except were hollow but with an extra special something (alcholol volume 40% or thereabouts) in the middle. Dad had a lot of orders, and he stored the stock in our kitchen on a high shelf.
Well, one morning Poodle and I got up way early (about 5ish in the morning) and we eyed those chocolates on that high shelf with a great deal of interest. We only understood the chocolate part and not the (40% volume filling) liqueur part.
Anyhoo, I had an idea. I got a chair, and then I climbed on it, and all of a sudden I could reach those boxes of chocolates on their high shelf. I opened every single box. Poodle (because she loved chocolate as much as three-year-old me) and I had a fine old time eating those chocolates...
Our first hangover! My parents were mortified (and now broke - on account of having to replace all those chocolates)! Apparently, I stopped eating those chocolates (40% proof) after only a few, but Poodle went on and on and on...
(PS. she had a headache, and was off her regular food for a few days, but she was okay.)
The Truth About Cats
Quite a few years later Fred came into my life, shortly before Teenager #1 was born.
Freddie was a self-conserving coward (and generally an all-round self-preservationist kind of cat), but in a loveable kind of way. He always approached danger only if there was some kind of backup on hand to sort it out. Usually, that meant me or Oh Patient One.
One year we had a glut of snails in our backyard - and that meant a glut of birds (mainly thrushes) after eating the glut of snails.
Well. Fred took umbridge with (got really mad with) those thrushes in our backyard. He would come and yowl at me in the house, and then I'd follow him into the backyard, and he'd CHASE those thruses and generally see them off! With me as his champion. But the moment I went back into the kitchen, those thrushes would chase poor Freddie back indoors...
Ah, gotta love the underdog... (or undercat...)
Michelle
This blog was brought to you by Monkey Love, Brenda Scott Royce’s hilarious debut novel about love, odd jobs and odder pets.
Posted by Michelle at 12:47 PM | Comments (7)
Comments
I had a cat who chased the birds, daily, relentlessly. Until one day, I watched out the upstairs window in horror as the birds rallied and attacked my cat. Mom to the rescue. He lost interest in the birds after that, poor little bugger. \;+)
So, I guess chocolate won't really kill dogs?
Posted by: ZaZa at February 10, 2006 6:30 PM
i love u michelle!!
Posted by: Brittney at February 10, 2006 7:33 PM
Aw! Love the pet stories (especially The Drunk Poodle and the Chocoholic Thief)! ;o)
Posted by: cbahm ![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.literarychicks.com/nav-commenters.gif)
at February 10, 2006 8:07 PM
Oh my! Nothing would fill me with more dread than finding my toddler and dog had devoured cartons of liqueur chocolates! But what a fun story...
Posted by: Brenda at February 10, 2006 11:51 PM
Word on the street is that certain types of choclate are more toxic than others. Milk chocolate is not that bad--it's the dark chocolate and baker's chocolate that you have to watch out for.
I learned this the hard way when dog sitting a Bernese Mountain Dog who ate my ENTIRE choclate birthday cake. I was SURE this dog was going to do die, rushed her to the vet, etc. She never so much as burped. Apparently, most "choclate" cake mixes don't contain much chocolate at all. They're doctored with carcinogenic chemicals and artifical flavors and colors.
We can all feel good next time we sit down to some brownies or cupcakes!
Posted by: Beth at February 11, 2006 2:18 AM
Well, Poodle developed a very healthy dislike of chocolate after that event :-)
Apparently my mum freaked with my dad for leaving those chocolates in such a "bloody stupid place, you know Michelle's into everything!"
As it happens, that event left me with a fairly big aversion to chocolate, too. Please don't throw tomatoes at me for such sacrilege - I really don't like chocolate very much - now, throw me a nice hunk of Stilton cheese and I am in heaven! Heaven, I tell you!
Michelle :-)
Posted by: Michelle C at February 11, 2006 2:03 PM
Aw, thank you, Brittney :-)
Posted by: Michelle C at February 12, 2006 1:02 PM
