Do You Have a Pet

Piste

I have a 2-year-old Beagle who is absolutely mad, completely ruled by her nose and incredibly disobedient unless there's food as a reward for being good. If someone sits on the couch in the kitchen she'll jump on their lab, paw at them, turn in a few circles get comfy and then just flop down with a big sigh and doze as long as you'll let her. I love her to bits. Every so often she'll wander up to me with a toy in her mouth or some treasure she's found in the garden and headbut my legs for me to play with her.

NewStart!

To many pets
2 gerbils
2 dogs a rottieXalisation and a foxhound puppy
9 pet fish
3 cats
2 horses
and 2 donkeys . . .I think ive enough now hahaha

Abi

Piste wrote: »

I have a 2-year-old Beagle who is absolutely mad, completely ruled by her nose and incredibly disobedient unless there's food as a reward for being good. If someone sits on the couch in the kitchen she'll jump on their lab, paw at them, turn in a few circles get comfy and then just flop down with a big sigh and doze as long as you'll let her. I love her to bits. Every so often she'll wander up to me with a toy in her mouth or some treasure she's found in the garden and headbut my legs for me to play with her.

They are a lovely dog. You'd want to be very active and walk them a lot. If you haven't already, get her a farmers leg, she'll love it

Rothko

I have a pet cat

OneArt

I have a cat at my parent's house. It's only nice to you when it wants food. Sometimes she'll sit on your chest facing you and pure softly for about half an hour or so. Then suddenly, with no provocation, she'll open her eyes, her ears will go back, she'll bare her teeth and attack your face.

I don't let her sit with me anymore.

blacklilly

Ive a Springer spaniel who's a total fruit cake, she killed a badger once!
Also have 4 horses.
No cats, don't like them, well they don't like me to be honest

Smidge

Dog and a cat.

Love the dog.

The cat on the other hand....................


Let me explain

I have always been a cat owner and have had 5 over the years.

We rescued this cat when she was about 8wks(7 yrs now) old and to be frank, she is an a**hole!

I have never had a cat like her, will not do a damn thing she is asked(yes you can train cats)
Any other cat I have had was well behaved, this f**king thing wrecks the place and attacks everything:mad:
They do say animals are like people though so its possible this cat is the type if human, you would avoid down the pub:D:D

FanadMan

Abi wrote: »

They are a lovely dog. You'd want to be very active and walk them a lot. If you haven't already, get her a farmers leg, she'll love it

What's a farmers leg or should I even ask?

madcabbage

Ya haven't lived till ya have had a dog! We got a Border Terrier, mad little yoke but love him to bits.

Hank Scorpio

Have had a black lab for the past 10 years, she's still going strong.

RayM

I have two dogs. Well, I don't really consider them 'mine'. I sort of 'inherited' them from my mother when she died. I'll always think of them as being her dogs. One is a toy Poodle and the other is a cross between a Cairn Terrier and a Poodle. To be honest, I'm not a big fan of dogs, but we're slowly learning to tolerate each other. They still bark whenever they hear the wind blowing or see a bird in the garden, and they occasionally use the kitchen floor as a toilet, but at least they no longer try to bite my hand off when I try to retrieve a missing sock from them.

They still miss my mum a lot. Whenever they hear somebody at the front door, they become very excited. And then they become very subdued when they see that it's not her.

kylith

steddyeddy wrote: »

Does anyones cats ever climb up on their shoulder? A cat I had as a kid used to do the that

Two dogs, a pile of fish, and 3 snails.

The_Thing

I have a Patterdale terrier, his name is Jack. He is my best friend.

meoklmrk91

1 cat will be 10 next year, she is and always has been the grumpiest cnut in the world, she likes to sleep on the bed and if you move she will growl at you and if you piss her off too much she will go for your feet, despises the other animals too, all the have to do is walk past her to get clawed. Every so often though she will be really nice, plus she used to sneak in the neighbours window and sleep on their bed, said neighbour had allergies and I must admit I kinda wanted to high five the cat for her evilness.

Other cat is 2 in September, she was found a 4 weeks by myself on the side of the road, brought her everywhere with me for three weeks to give her a milk, as a result she is super friendly and adores people. She will regularly take off in sprints around the house, from the kitchen up into the bedrooms and then back down, lather, rinse repeat. She also loves going in the car as she was so used to coming around the place with me and has been known to hop into peoples cars when they leave the door open. One got the fright of their lives driving along, looked in the rear view mirror to see the cat chilling on the parcel shelf which is her favourite place in the car. Her favourite hobby is pissing off the other cat.

The dog is 2, he is a Boxer so basically wired to the moon, loves chasing the cats if he can get the chance. He is famous for his aim, he will jump up at people and lick them on the mouth or even better in the mouth, I call him pervert dog. He gives high fives though so thats cool, and he has a really expressive face and will turn his head when I talk to him like he is trying to comprehend what I am saying.

KTRIC

I have a pet monkey, its naughty so I have to spank it a lot :pac:

Duiske

German Shepherd and an African Grey parrot.

dodderangler

I have a 4 year old American Akita named kuma
Have 2 ferrets named velvet and sandy
And have a 11 month old female Harris hawk named Kratos
And still want more

Smidge

[QUOTE=meoklmrk91;79851596]1 cat will be 10 next year, she is and always has been the grumpiest cnut in the world, she likes to sleep on the bed and if you move she will growl at you and if you piss her off too much she will go for your feet, despises the other animals too, all the have to do is walk past her to get clawed. Every so often though she will be really nice, plus she used to sneak in the neighbours window and sleep on their bed, said neighbour had allergies and I must admit I kinda wanted to high five the cat for her evilness.

Other cat is 2 in September, she was found a 4 weeks by myself on the side of the road, brought her everywhere with me for three weeks to give her a milk, as a result she is super friendly and adores people. She will regularly take off in sprints around the house, from the kitchen up into the bedrooms and then back down, lather, rinse repeat. She also loves going in the car as she was so used to coming around the place with me and has been known to hop into peoples cars when they leave the door open. One got the fright of their lives driving along, looked in the rear view mirror to see the cat chilling on the parcel shelf which is her favourite place in the car. Her favourite hobby is pissing off the other cat.

The dog is 2, he is a Boxer so basically wired to the moon, loves chasing the cats if he can get the chance. He is famous for his aim, he will jump up at people and lick them on the mouth or even better in the mouth, I call him pervert dog. He gives high fives though so thats cool, and he has a really expressive face and will turn his head when I talk to him like he is trying to comprehend what I am saying.[/QUOTE]


Did you read my post?
Our cats must be related:pac:

metaoblivia

I have one cat who delights everyone who meets her. She's very friendly, curious and playful, even at 9 years old.
Then my mum and her boyfriend each have their own cats, who are both very sweet, but not as outgoing as mine. And we have a family dog - a cross between a pug and an Italian greyhound - who's a complete goofball!
My cat likes to chase the dog and my mum's cat all over the house. And my mum's cat loves cuddling with the dog, which both terrifies and confuses him.

Doc Ruby

Study links parasite in cats to suicide risk in humans

A wily parasite well known for influencing the behavior of its animal hosts appears to play a troubling role in humans, increasing the risk of suicide among women who are infected, new research shows.

Chances are you or someone you know has been infiltrated by the parasite, called Toxoplasma gondii. Researchers estimate that T. gondii is carried by 10% to 20% of Americans, who can get it by changing litter used by infected cats or eating undercooked meat from an animal carrying the bug.

Despite its prevalence in humans, the protozoan is most famous for the strange effect it has on the brains of rats and mice.

The parasite's optimal host is the cat — it can fully complete its reproductive cycle only in the feline intestinal tract. So T. gondii has developed an ingenious, and as yet unexplained, mechanism for ensuring survival: It turns rodents into willing cat food.

When a rat or a mouse is infected, it suddenly flips from being petrified of cats to being attracted to them. Studies have shown that the cells in the rodent brain that regulate sexual arousal become active when mice and rats get a whiff of cat urine, suggesting the smell turns them on. As a result, they drop their guard, the cats eat them — and the parasite wins the day, reproducing at will.

But studies in humans have suggested that rats and mice are not the only animals to undergo worrying behavioral changes in response to T. gondii infection.

The parasite has been linked to an increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in humans. A few small studies have also suggested a relationship between suicide attempts and infection with T. gondii.

A new study seems to confirm the link by examining infection rates and suicide attempts in thousands of women in Denmark.

The study, published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, takes advantage of Denmark's relentless tracking of its population's medical records. Those records allowed researchers to analyze T. gondii levels and the incidence of suicide attempts in more than 45,000 women who were tracked for more than 10 years.

Over the period covered in the study, 1% of the women tried to take their own lives. But the risk wasn't the same for everyone. Women with T. gondii infections were 53% more likely to attempt suicide than women who were not infected.

Moreover, the researchers found a dose-response relationship, with the women carrying the highest levels of T. gondii in their bloodstreams having a 90% increased rate of attempted suicides compared with women who were not infected.

While previous studies had looked at people who already had a history of mental disorders, the study of Danish women was able to control for that by using a large population with no such disposition.

"To our surprise, a history of mental illness did not appear to play a major role," said Dr. Teodor Postolache of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, the study's senior author.

Though the study focused on women, there's no reason to believe the results would be any different in men, according to Dr. Robert Yolken, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who was not involved with the study.

"Other smaller studies have been carried out in both men and women, and they find the same thing," he said.

Scientists still do not know how T. gondii prompts behavioral changes in the animals it infects, but they have some intriguing theories.

Experiments conducted in the laboratory of Glenn McConkey at the University of Leeds in England have demonstrated that when the parasite reaches the brain of a rodent, it produces a key chemical component of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is fundamental for regulation of mood, motivation and social behavior. Perhaps increased levels of dopamine play a central role in the behavior changes that follow infection, Yolken said.

Another possible explanation is that the parasite causes inflammation in the brain, which may have numerous effects on behavior, he added.

---

I'm a Pomeranian man, myself.

Senna

The thread confirms my belief that cats are a waste of a life form, why would anyone want a cat when even their owners don't like them.

metaoblivia

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Study links parasite in cats to suicide risk in humans

A wily parasite well known for influencing the behavior of its animal hosts appears to play a troubling role in humans, increasing the risk of suicide among women who are infected, new research shows.

Chances are you or someone you know has been infiltrated by the parasite, called Toxoplasma gondii. Researchers estimate that T. gondii is carried by 10% to 20% of Americans, who can get it by changing litter used by infected cats or eating undercooked meat from an animal carrying the bug.

Despite its prevalence in humans, the protozoan is most famous for the strange effect it has on the brains of rats and mice.

The parasite's optimal host is the cat — it can fully complete its reproductive cycle only in the feline intestinal tract. So T. gondii has developed an ingenious, and as yet unexplained, mechanism for ensuring survival: It turns rodents into willing cat food.

When a rat or a mouse is infected, it suddenly flips from being petrified of cats to being attracted to them. Studies have shown that the cells in the rodent brain that regulate sexual arousal become active when mice and rats get a whiff of cat urine, suggesting the smell turns them on. As a result, they drop their guard, the cats eat them — and the parasite wins the day, reproducing at will.

But studies in humans have suggested that rats and mice are not the only animals to undergo worrying behavioral changes in response to T. gondii infection.

The parasite has been linked to an increased risk of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in humans. A few small studies have also suggested a relationship between suicide attempts and infection with T. gondii.

A new study seems to confirm the link by examining infection rates and suicide attempts in thousands of women in Denmark.

The study, published this week in the Archives of General Psychiatry, takes advantage of Denmark's relentless tracking of its population's medical records. Those records allowed researchers to analyze T. gondii levels and the incidence of suicide attempts in more than 45,000 women who were tracked for more than 10 years.

Over the period covered in the study, 1% of the women tried to take their own lives. But the risk wasn't the same for everyone. Women with T. gondii infections were 53% more likely to attempt suicide than women who were not infected.

Moreover, the researchers found a dose-response relationship, with the women carrying the highest levels of T. gondii in their bloodstreams having a 90% increased rate of attempted suicides compared with women who were not infected.

While previous studies had looked at people who already had a history of mental disorders, the study of Danish women was able to control for that by using a large population with no such disposition.

"To our surprise, a history of mental illness did not appear to play a major role," said Dr. Teodor Postolache of the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, the study's senior author.

Though the study focused on women, there's no reason to believe the results would be any different in men, according to Dr. Robert Yolken, an infectious disease expert at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, who was not involved with the study.

"Other smaller studies have been carried out in both men and women, and they find the same thing," he said.

Scientists still do not know how T. gondii prompts behavioral changes in the animals it infects, but they have some intriguing theories.

Experiments conducted in the laboratory of Glenn McConkey at the University of Leeds in England have demonstrated that when the parasite reaches the brain of a rodent, it produces a key chemical component of the neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is fundamental for regulation of mood, motivation and social behavior. Perhaps increased levels of dopamine play a central role in the behavior changes that follow infection, Yolken said.

Another possible explanation is that the parasite causes inflammation in the brain, which may have numerous effects on behavior, he added.

---

I'm a Pomeranian man, myself.

Notice how you left out the caption under the picture and the final paragraphs that said pet owners shouldn't worry as most people get the parasite due to undercooked meat. :rolleyes:

Doc Ruby

metaoblivia wrote: »

Notice how you left out the caption under the picture and the final paragraphs that said pet owners shouldn't worry as most people get the parasite due to undercooked meat. :rolleyes:

Oh sure, enjoy your brainworms.

RumDrinker

I have a cat.

metaoblivia

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Oh sure, enjoy your brainworms.

Sorry dear, I don't change the litter box - our cats go in the garden.

dodderangler

Senna wrote: »

The thread confirms my belief that cats are a waste of a life form, why would anyone want a cat when even their owners don't like them.

Hate them myself
Think their sly little bastards
Cant trust them at all
Was gonna say can't trust em as far as ya could throw them but could probably throw a cat pretty far

Duggy747

I have a pair of Degus, great pets who are fascinating to watch. Very smart and friendly.

People do be creeped out that I have them but I needed a break from dogs when my last one died. Plus, it does be fun showing pictures of them at their most "rattiest" and see people's expressions.

We call them Pinky and Stumpy, considering she's missing half her tail :pac:

Then, upon going to the pet shop to buy food and treats for them we ended up coming home with Buddy, the Syrian Hamster.

People expect me to say that the Degus bite us when in reality they've never stepped out of line as opposed to the hamster who must've drawn blood from nearly everyone who's met him

mikemac1

Golden retriever

Laziest dog in Ireland, I reckon he spends more of his life asleep then awake

Patted my lap to get him to hop up

He doesn't know his own strength, he lept up, paw hit my face and gave me a bloody nose :mad:



Had a cat, she was a stray, took her in, everything she needed from the vet, lots of comfort and let sleep inside, lots of food, fattened her up and of course.......

She fooked off and moved in with the neighbours!

zero19

We've 3 Guinea Pigs here, great friendly things altogether. Unlike our hamster, vicious little bollox it was.

meoklmrk91

mishkalucy wrote: »

[QUOTE=meoklmrk91;79851596]1 cat will be 10 next year, she is and always has been the grumpiest cnut in the world, she likes to sleep on the bed and if you move she will growl at you and if you piss her off too much she will go for your feet, despises the other animals too, all the have to do is walk past her to get clawed. Every so often though she will be really nice, plus she used to sneak in the neighbours window and sleep on their bed, said neighbour had allergies and I must admit I kinda wanted to high five the cat for her evilness.

Other cat is 2 in September, she was found a 4 weeks by myself on the side of the road, brought her everywhere with me for three weeks to give her a milk, as a result she is super friendly and adores people. She will regularly take off in sprints around the house, from the kitchen up into the bedrooms and then back down, lather, rinse repeat. She also loves going in the car as she was so used to coming around the place with me and has been known to hop into peoples cars when they leave the door open. One got the fright of their lives driving along, looked in the rear view mirror to see the cat chilling on the parcel shelf which is her favourite place in the car. Her favourite hobby is pissing off the other cat.

The dog is 2, he is a Boxer so basically wired to the moon, loves chasing the cats if he can get the chance. He is famous for his aim, he will jump up at people and lick them on the mouth or even better in the mouth, I call him pervert dog. He gives high fives though so thats cool, and he has a really expressive face and will turn his head when I talk to him like he is trying to comprehend what I am saying.

Did you read my post?
Our cats must be related:pac:[/Quote]

I did indeed, it wouldnt surprise me by the sounds of it. I think of my cat as tony soprano, I love her to bits but I wouldn't be messing for her, she also looks quite like tony soprano, as she has gotten seriously fat in the last year or.

Denise90

We have three Axolotls. Toothless, Flacor and The Dark Knight. Hours of entertainment from them and they don't mess up the house. Win win. The only down side is I can't cuddle them... sigh.

Also an abundance of fish, fresh and salt water.

enter_name

Had a dog as a kid. When he died it was worse than my gran's death. Still miss him

Smidge

meoklmrk91 wrote: »

Did you read my post?
Our cats must be related:pac:

I did indeed, it wouldnt surprise me by the sounds of it. I think of my cat as tony soprano, I love her to bits but I wouldn't be messing for her, she also looks quite like tony soprano, as she has gotten seriously fat in the last year or.[/QUOTE]

My cat looks at me like I owe her money

Vicious little brat too:mad:

After 7 years of care and feeding?

Ungrateful little s*it.

Never had a cat like her.

kowloon

Had dogs in the past but when the last one died at a good old age she wasn't replaced. Always had cats but two of three had to be put down after they got a virus. Had Doves and Pigeons years ago.

So just the one cat, a whole bunch of chickens and some ducks.

meoklmrk91

mishkalucy wrote: »

I did indeed, it wouldnt surprise me by the sounds of it. I think of my cat as tony soprano, I love her to bits but I wouldn't be messing for her, she also looks quite like tony soprano, as she has gotten seriously fat in the last year or.

My cat looks at me like I owe her money

Vicious little brat too:mad:

After 7 years of care and feeding?

Ungrateful little s*it.

Never had a cat like her.[/QUOTE]

I've had three cats, she was my first one, the second one went missing and now we have the 2 year old, so for all her evilness she hasn't turned me off cats, I consider myself a cat/dog person but I don't think I could ever be without a cat for any period of time.

Johro

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

Yep a dog. He's the worst behaved pet I ever met. He regularly farts on people, jumps on them, tries to shift them, steals shoes, socks, anything he can get his paws on really.
He's great & I wouldn't be without him.

I think I know him.

Mars Bar

I have a white cat called Smirnoff (and numerous other names...)

We had a dog for 18 and a half years!

Johro

Two cats.
Suki.
DSC00146.JPG

Purrl.
Purrl.JPG

VEN

2 Rottweilers
lots of Hens
2 fresh water Caimans - had to get rid of their new offspring 2 weeks ago as nobody would take them. don't swim in a certain river
in about a year from now, they're only wee things at the moment

Coffeeteasugar

Yeah, a Bichon dog, he's a legend!:)

Odysseus

Yeah a female brarded dragon called Cordelia

DuvetCover

I have a border collie, she makes a great guard dog.

PucaMama

5 hamsters 2 birds and a fish.

Precious flower

Our cat (he looks just like the cat in the Felix ad) arrived to us purely by accident. At first when he arrived we weren't to keen to encourage him to stay (by 'we' I mean my mother and father:p). However he was equally adamant that he was not going to leave, and that night it was a particularly cold winter night and as much as we didn't want to encourage him we couldn't leave him out in the cold. So my dad made him a little house and we gave him some food and he stayed.

My mum left notes in the surrounding area and some posters to check if he belonged to anyone. However we got no reply so we kept him and he's been with us for the last five years. We joke that he's half dog as he used to 'walk' me to school (school was five minutes from home) and follow my mum when she'd go on walks, so much so, that she would have to gather him back to stop him from following her all the way:p. He never crossed the main road though that I had to cross but I was always afraid he would.

It's funny I'm so use to him being around now and his funny quirks that I can't imagine him ever not being part of the family.

juan.kerr

Wacker The Attacker wrote: »

Pets are shyte.

So are you.

Galwayguy35

dodderangler wrote: »

Hate them myself
Think their sly little bastards
Cant trust them at all
Was gonna say can't trust em as far as ya could throw them but could probably throw a cat pretty far

Sounds like something from the Middle ages when people thought cats were the devil.
Don't get why anyone would hate an animal.

0000879k

girl in the striped socks wrote: »

Yep a dog. He's the worst behaved pet I ever met. He regularly farts on people, jumps on them, tries to shift them, steals shoes, socks, anything he can get his paws on really.
He's great & I wouldn't be without him.

MARLEY IS BACK FROM THE DEAD?

REPTILEDAN88

I have a four Leopard Geckos, two Central American Banded Geckos, a Fiji Banded Iguana and a Bull Terrier.

Big Nasty

Two cats, Jynx and Pedro. Love them dearly.

Thankfully this thread hasn't decended in to cat vs dog (yet).

Cats are freaking awesome BTW!

Tipperary animal lover

Have to German sheppards Clio(14)and princy po(15)
Spaniel called fluffy(12)
And two cats pepper(6) and pus pus(2) .....
Love them all should see the sleeping arrangements at night 2adults and 5 pets 1 king size bed..... Ya've To get in early or lose your space