Happiness is........

[miasmum]

watching my Mowgli playing with an empty party popper case. He was jumping on it, chasing it, batting it......I never tire of watching them play, well I never tire of them being well and really hope all our animals can get well and stay well and happy.

[Diflower]

MM I always so loved having cats, and never ever thought I'd be without one. I'd kind of assumed when we moved here we'd get both a cat and a dog, but it being a small enclosed garden I've changed my mind, we love having the birds and they'd be too easy pickings.
Plus of course not having any family or anything nearby it's harder to leave them, in the past I'd always had someone who could come to feed them etc.

[Kaz]

Aw bless Pepper is fun to watch too - she's so loopy

[Ally]

I adore cats and would have loved to have them..but I am SO allergic to them.

I'm only just getting over my fear of dogs..I had a terrible experience with a dog as a young girl.

I love watching dogs and seeing how much they're loved by their owners..but it's taken me many, many years to conquer my fear of them.

[Kaz]

I was scared of dogs for a while Ally, when I was a little girl I was playing in the park with my friends - sitting on the grass making daisy chains as it happens, it is still very vivid - when this cute little puppy bounded up to me - and bit right through my earlobe By the time I'd run home - five minutes away - the sleeve of my white jumper was crimson and my poor mum nearly passed out! Of course it looked worse than it was, ears bleed profusely, but I did have to have it stitched and it did make me jumpy of dogs for a while.....

Then we got our gorgeous Susie, our Sheltie, and of course I loved her to bits, but I still don't like strange dogs bounding up to me when I don't know them......

Like you I am very allergic to cats - they bring on hives (I come up if one brushes against me!) and also severe asthma We had cats when I was a child and I was ok then - this has developed in my adult life and got worse as I get older.......

[debih]

I love cats too. We have had two in the past - Boris and Mandu.

Unfortunately they make my asthma worse. I did get used to our two but it took a little time but now I am wary about having another cat as my asthma has got worse over the years.

[Ally]

I know exactly when and where my fear began.

My mum's aunty had a lovely spaniel (at the time I wasn't scared of dogs) and whenever we went to visit I remember being ok with her dog.

We all went for a walk one day and another absolutely huge dog came over and started barking like a nutter.

I got scared and ran..stupid I now know..but I was so scared.

The dog chased me and pinned me flat against a wall raising itself on its hind legs and was snarling and baring its teeth (as I type I remember every drop of its horrible saliva! )

It was ages before my mum and aunt got to me..mum says I ran like the wind..and pulled the dog off me.

I have been scared of dogs ever since.

Most of my friends over here have dogs and I'm ok(ish) with them although I will never pet them or be overjoyed to have them too near me. Sigh.

I think I'll always be like this.

But like I said I do like watching dogs playing etc..as long as they're a safe distance from me.

[meriad]

I love both dogs and cats and would love to have a dog - but my working hours just don't allow for one; so cats it is (and very happily so).

I love watching them (cats and dogs) have their mad moments in life - it never ceases to make me smile. My brothers has a dog and cat and we were always worried how Bella (Lab/Collie x) would react when Merlin (cat) joined the family. They were lucky that it worked and now whenever they see each other they give each other a lick and rub; fantastic and so cute to watch.

Kaz and Debih; I'm allergic to cats as well. Apparently cat and horse dander are the two most common animal allergies. I seem to be worse with shorter hair cats and whenever I get a new furry friend I have to take my antihistamines for a bit. But it's a small price to pay. Thankfully I don't have asthma; that is a totally different ball game.


Ally - I think I'd also be scared of dogs if I experienced that. And to be honest it's not a bad thing to have a healthy respect for them . And one day when this cute teeny little puppy comes along and needs your help.... well

[Kaz]

(((Ally))) That sounds very scary xxxx

Yes, like you say Meri asthma is a different ball game - sneezing and taking anti-histamines for a while I could probably cope with, but not being able to breathe is different xx

[Gal]

I'm not really a doggy person at all - we had a Springer spaniel years ago and she was lovely but there is one aspect of dog owning that I'm afraid I just could NOT bring myself to do, and that is pick up poo Plus dogs have to be walked, in all weathers, and we are basically a lazy pair, Jen and I, so we opt for a cuddly furry pusscat instead

I have every sympathy for people whose allergies prevent them owning a cat, but it's a fact that you do acclimatise to them over time, although I'm not sure about asthma sufferers. It's interesting that some of you have owned a cat in the past and it didn't affect you then - you probably still had the allergy but had acclimatised