the future
So, since my dream dog is about to come true, (one month and three days from now... :( ) I have been thinking about my other future pets that I would love to own someday. My ideal household would have one or two dogs, a cat, and a parrot.
I currently have a black American Shorthair cat, Shadow, who, as I have mentioned before, is nearing fifteen years of age. Although I wish he could last forever, I know that he is entering the finale of our time together. He still acts the same, and shows no signs of his age, but I need to prepare myself for the inevitable. As such, I will get a second cat to attempt to soften the blow for when he goes. Not that he could EVER be replaced in my heart--I've had him since I was ten years old after all--but getting the second one early would mainly be for my pup. I don't ever want there to be a time in my house where there are no cats. I want her to always be around them so that there is /less/ of a risk of her seeing them as fuzzy prey. (Also, I found out that the breeder is raising the puppies with cats, so I am very pleased to hear that. Yay!)
In any case, I've done a fair amount of research on cat breeds. I never knew there were so many! I mean, I knew there were different breeds of cat, of course, but I was surprised at the amount. I read about each one and I think I have made a decision...
They even LOOK like sweet stuffed animals.
Ta-da! The Ragdoll cat is the winner. There isn't much bad that can be said about them. Other than their size, they are pretty much the cat of my dreams. They are a bit bigger than I was expecting, but I have a feeling it wouldn't be a problem after the initial snuggle session. It was a tie between the Russian Blue and the Ragdoll, but I just love the Ragdoll's laid back nature, bunny-like coat, and their blue eyes.
The main draw to them is a past experience I had with a stray cat that adopted us, whom we named Midnight. Midnight was the sweetest cat I ever knew. He would just turn into a ball of love in your arms. He would let you pet him and snuggle him all day without the slightest hint of malice, and if you were outside he would follow you from place to place. Although I do not think he had any part of ragdoll in him (even though he was long haired), his nature was so similar to the description that I just can't resist the charm. Unfortunately, our time together with Midnight was only limited to about six or seven years. He died about two years ago, and I still miss him terribly.
The Ragdoll is more expensive than I was expecting, but I have found many breeders in the Maryland area--which was NICE I have to say! However, I will not be purchasing a kitten if I can help it. An older kitten or a young adult male cat would do just nicely. They are usually cheaper, plus I don't think I could handle having a new kitten AND a young whippet in the house. I'd be going bonkers!
Another reason why I don't mind the Ragdoll's large size is that it /might/ deter my whippet girl from thinking he is prey. I'm not sure if that will work, but since these cats are bigger than some small dogs and probably 2.5 times the size of rabbits, my theory MIGHT work. It might not...in fact, it probably won't. XD; Even so, they would never be left unsupervised together. Better to ere on the side of caution...
So, that is my cat decision. Now for the bird!
Originally I had my heart absolutely SET on an African Grey (Timneh) parrot. I love these birds. I've done TONNNNNNNS of research on them. But they are just so danged expensive! Plus I don't think I could dedicate the time and love that these sensitive birds need from an owner. At least I couldn't in the near and/or semi-distant future. If I ever get to be a stay-at-home-wife type of person, then maybe. So I think I have to let that dream go... for now.
I still want to a bird owner, so I did some more research for something smaller, less maintenance and yet still a parrot. So, of course, what species do I stumble upon? It's none other than...
Awww. The love. I feels it.
...the Lovebird! Lovebirds are pretty popular apparently, so I feel a bit unoriginal. But how can one resist the cuteness? You just can't. And it seems they make good pets to boot. Relatively quiet (for a parrot), easy to care for, and affectionate, the Lovebird seems like it could fit right into my little family. I will only get one, however, so I would need to give her/him a decent amount of attention.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether I want to get just one. I will already be busy with training my dog, plus I'd need to love on the cats. Hmmmm, I might have to give this more thought. Although, it might not be worth worrying about so much, as I would not be purchasing a bird right away. It would probably be a couple years from now before I am ready. By then I hope I would have a routine going with my current animals, so I could be comfortable adding another one. (Hope!)
Either way, those are my desires. With a nice medium freshwater fish tank and these animals in my house, I will be happy as a clam. (Though I might need to get ONE more whippet....eventually!) I get more excited over the prospect of owning animals than I have ever felt about potentially having children! I hope that doesn't make me weird. O_o
Flatcat Shad has no comment.
I currently have a black American Shorthair cat, Shadow, who, as I have mentioned before, is nearing fifteen years of age. Although I wish he could last forever, I know that he is entering the finale of our time together. He still acts the same, and shows no signs of his age, but I need to prepare myself for the inevitable. As such, I will get a second cat to attempt to soften the blow for when he goes. Not that he could EVER be replaced in my heart--I've had him since I was ten years old after all--but getting the second one early would mainly be for my pup. I don't ever want there to be a time in my house where there are no cats. I want her to always be around them so that there is /less/ of a risk of her seeing them as fuzzy prey. (Also, I found out that the breeder is raising the puppies with cats, so I am very pleased to hear that. Yay!)
In any case, I've done a fair amount of research on cat breeds. I never knew there were so many! I mean, I knew there were different breeds of cat, of course, but I was surprised at the amount. I read about each one and I think I have made a decision...
They even LOOK like sweet stuffed animals.
Ta-da! The Ragdoll cat is the winner. There isn't much bad that can be said about them. Other than their size, they are pretty much the cat of my dreams. They are a bit bigger than I was expecting, but I have a feeling it wouldn't be a problem after the initial snuggle session. It was a tie between the Russian Blue and the Ragdoll, but I just love the Ragdoll's laid back nature, bunny-like coat, and their blue eyes.
The main draw to them is a past experience I had with a stray cat that adopted us, whom we named Midnight. Midnight was the sweetest cat I ever knew. He would just turn into a ball of love in your arms. He would let you pet him and snuggle him all day without the slightest hint of malice, and if you were outside he would follow you from place to place. Although I do not think he had any part of ragdoll in him (even though he was long haired), his nature was so similar to the description that I just can't resist the charm. Unfortunately, our time together with Midnight was only limited to about six or seven years. He died about two years ago, and I still miss him terribly.
The Ragdoll is more expensive than I was expecting, but I have found many breeders in the Maryland area--which was NICE I have to say! However, I will not be purchasing a kitten if I can help it. An older kitten or a young adult male cat would do just nicely. They are usually cheaper, plus I don't think I could handle having a new kitten AND a young whippet in the house. I'd be going bonkers!
Another reason why I don't mind the Ragdoll's large size is that it /might/ deter my whippet girl from thinking he is prey. I'm not sure if that will work, but since these cats are bigger than some small dogs and probably 2.5 times the size of rabbits, my theory MIGHT work. It might not...in fact, it probably won't. XD; Even so, they would never be left unsupervised together. Better to ere on the side of caution...
So, that is my cat decision. Now for the bird!
Originally I had my heart absolutely SET on an African Grey (Timneh) parrot. I love these birds. I've done TONNNNNNNS of research on them. But they are just so danged expensive! Plus I don't think I could dedicate the time and love that these sensitive birds need from an owner. At least I couldn't in the near and/or semi-distant future. If I ever get to be a stay-at-home-wife type of person, then maybe. So I think I have to let that dream go... for now.
I still want to a bird owner, so I did some more research for something smaller, less maintenance and yet still a parrot. So, of course, what species do I stumble upon? It's none other than...
Awww. The love. I feels it.
...the Lovebird! Lovebirds are pretty popular apparently, so I feel a bit unoriginal. But how can one resist the cuteness? You just can't. And it seems they make good pets to boot. Relatively quiet (for a parrot), easy to care for, and affectionate, the Lovebird seems like it could fit right into my little family. I will only get one, however, so I would need to give her/him a decent amount of attention.
Hmm, now that I think about it, I'm not sure whether I want to get just one. I will already be busy with training my dog, plus I'd need to love on the cats. Hmmmm, I might have to give this more thought. Although, it might not be worth worrying about so much, as I would not be purchasing a bird right away. It would probably be a couple years from now before I am ready. By then I hope I would have a routine going with my current animals, so I could be comfortable adding another one. (Hope!)
Either way, those are my desires. With a nice medium freshwater fish tank and these animals in my house, I will be happy as a clam. (Though I might need to get ONE more whippet....eventually!) I get more excited over the prospect of owning animals than I have ever felt about potentially having children! I hope that doesn't make me weird. O_o
Flatcat Shad has no comment.