animals, books, Fantasy, Food, Mysteries, Nature, pets, Uncategorized

Large House Cats?

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Last November there was a post that I clipped part of and have kept on my desktop.  I don’t remember what we were talking about but this string always intrigued me:

Part of the reason it has stuck with me is that it reminds me of two books.  My dad loved everything written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, especially the John Carter/Mars series, so I’ve read quite a few as well.  In the Gods of Mars series, the Therns have bamboozled another species, the Barsoomians, luring them with the promise of a journey to paradise, when in fact, they just get captured and eaten.  My father and I had some long conversations about this; he thought it was the best justification for being a vegetarian he had ever read.

The other book that our conversation reminds me of is The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell.  Also science fiction and a similar scenario in which the traveling Earthman discovers that the dominant species eats the non-dominant, although to his eye, they are both sentient beings.  There is also a VERY disturbing sub-plot in which the Earthman is basically kept as a pet and from his (and the reader’s) perspective, abused and maimed, although his “owner” fairly easily deflects and explains those actions away.  And it was believable.  Way too believable.  It took me a few years to work up the nerve to read the next book in the series.

Even though all these memories got dredged up back in November, I still thought it was a funny exchange. Although I’m pretty sure I’m already the pet of my cat Nimue….

What’s the most exotic animal you’ve ever fantasized about getting as a pet?

45 thoughts on “Large House Cats?”

  1. Since I love cats, I’d probably go for a big cat. Since I live in a winter climate, it might as well be a snow leopard (also happens to be one of the most beautiful creatures on earth). But I’ve never really thought about it enough to call it fantasizing. I mean, come on, the food bill alone would bankrupt me! I’d have to buy Ben’s farm to have enough room to raise the livestock needed to keep “Kitty Kat” happy and healthy. 😉

    Chris in Owatonna

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  2. I have considered a bunny, but that’s not very exotic unless you get into the show breeds like American Blue or Flemish Lop… And I knew someone with a ferret once, but that also didn’t seem very appealing.

    Thinking…

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  3. To Serve Man
    Twilight Zone
    “It’s a cookbook!”
    Love to have an African Gray parrot but it would likely outlive me AND my son who is already tasked with care for the budgies.

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        1. For a minute I was thinking you were talking about Mary Kay Place. “I feel like I’m getting a great deal on a used car.” (Anybody, anybody?)

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    2. My folks had a beautiful parrot, Ahab, but when my mother had to go back to work, he was so lonely. They found a guy who was on disability so staying home all the time. Ahab ended up being quite happy with him. Good thing, but my mom is turning 90 in July and I’m pretty sure Ahab is still alive!

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  4. OT: I thought of another small space for yesterday’s question: My grandma’s house. My cousins and I knew every nook and cranny – every closet and hiding space, every inch of the basement including the fruit room and the coal bin.

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  6. The most exotic pet I’ve ever really wanted was a ferret, which is not all that unusual. I never did get one, and in this house one would vanish into the walls in the first 10 minutes, so I’ll stick to cats. However, when I was about nine, I pretended to have a clutch of fire lizards, which are miniature dragons from Anne McCaffrey’s Pern books (I was reading the Harper Hall trilogy at the time, obviously).

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  7. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    WP is giving me trouble again today. AAAAHHH.

    The clip in the post made me laugh. Of course I had forgotten about it.

    We have not had a cat for a few years now because I am allergic, and it is so difficult to keep cats out of the bed which is a magnet for allergens. I do enjoy them, though. I cannot say I have ever wanted an exotic animal as a pet. Really I enjoy observing the wildlife that is so abundant here, and that is enough.

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  8. My pet owning life ended in 1997, which is fine with me. But wish Sandy’s home had a dog for her sake. Just any complacent mutt would be great.

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    1. I’m sure there are people in your community with therapy dogs, Clyde. Perhaps someone from her home could arrange for regular visits? I know that when I was in Regions Hospital, and subsequently, a month in the transitional care in the same building, after my fall in 2012, the regular visits by several different therapy dogs was a real day brightener. I was especially fond of a little beagle that had the sweetest personality, but there at least three other breeds that regularly made the rounds. It would certainly be worth asking.

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      1. At my mom’s place there are therapy dogs once in a while. I was surprised to learn a few months ago that mom never had pets growing up and she’s not really a fan of dogs. I mean, we always had dogs on the farm, but I guess I never did see her pet them.
        There’s one therapy dog that just sits next to her and she rubs his head; she’s ok with that. Then there was the puppies they put in her lap and it climbed up and nuzzled her neck. That was enough of that. 🙂

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        1. At City View, the rehab facility, patients were asked if they’d like a visit by a therapy dog, and they only go to the rooms of patients who had indicated an interest in such a visit. That little beagle, would snuggle up in bed right next to me for a few minutes. Made my day.

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      2. Dogs always cheer me up. I still have a picture of the therapy dog Gideon (the one that Steve sent to me Thanksgiving weekend last year) up on the fridge. Makes me smile… although wistfully.

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      3. I’ve mentioned before that Sunrise Asst. Living, when my mom was there, had a resident dog, a mixed breed, and very mellow, probably pretty old, too. It was wonderful for the residents, and I wish every sr. living residence could have one. They also allowed their residents to bring in their cats to live with them, if they could be kept in their room.

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    2. I think it’s rare for a memory care facility, but Milestone Senior Living in Faribault allowed my mom to keep her dog with her until she fell and fractured her hip and was no longer able to care for Sami. My presence there every day wasn’t enough and they asked me to take her home one day. It was heartbreaking for Mom. I think Sami was good for everyone there. Finding a memory care place that allows dogs is really difficult but it was a deal-breaker for Mom. The only requirement they had was that Mom had to be able to care for Sami herself, which she did up until the time she broke her hip. I wish there were more places like that.

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  9. I never thought much about it. Wouldn’t want a mouse or rat as a pet. Took care of the neighbors chinchilla once in a while, but that wasn’t very interesting. There was a local guy who had a lion on his farm. It seems like there was an issue and he had to get rid of it. He was the sort of guy you would expect to have a lion for a pet…

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  10. I can’t say that I’ve ever fantasized about having an exotic pet, but I did, as and eight or nine year old kid, fantasize about becoming a lion tamer when I grew up.

    A traveling circus visited our small town, and set up their big top a couple of blocks from our house. We kids loved to hang out and help out where we could just to catch a glimpse of the animals and be around the performers. Despite the smell, hard physical work, and the less than glamorous accommodations for the performers, it all seemed so adventurous and exotic to me; I wanted to be part of it. Seeing the actual performance cemented in my mind a vision of me wearing a stylish calf-length red coat with gold buttons, black riding boots and cracking a whip to make lions jump through flaming hoops. Fortunately, the use of wild animals in circuses was outlawed in Denmark long before I could realize that fantasy.

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  11. Here is a list of animals that YA has wanted over the years. Chinchilla, ferret, panda, tiger, cheetah, llama, iguana, hedgehog, sugar glider, bunny, snake (that was a hard no from her mother). The latest request (last month) was a capybara. I’m probably forgetting a few.
    Unfortunately she lives with me so it’s only been dogs, cats and one fish.

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    3. I am surprised to learn that you are actually allowed to keep capybaras as pets. Seems like a bad idea, and one that has the potential for creating all kinds of problems down the road. Glad you stood your ground on that one, vs.

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      1. I actually didn’t know you could keep capybaras as pets. YA has never been very discerning about checking whether it was allowable before she asked. I think there was some display of capybaras recently and that’s why she mentioned it. But I’m kind of imagining it might be hard to house train a capybara.

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  12. There was a puppy who shall not be named at my work today (There is a no animal policy in our building) but all administrative folks turned a blind eye while they scritched said pup, who was a perfect gentleman and who fell asleep at my feet under my desk.

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      1. He was pretty therapeutic for everyone. He has a calm, gentle demeanor, and sat through two meetings on my or someone elses’ lap. He agreed to HIPAA privacy regulations.

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  13. I wanted a monkey once but then I learned about fleas and diseases. I always thought a poison-dart frog would be a cool pet but a little scary. They’re so beautiful. Otherwise, I’ve always been content with dogs. They really make the best pets.

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  14. My dad grew up in the woods of Cloquet, so he was very comfortable around animals. When I was about 5, dad caught a wild raccoon that we kept as a pet. He was great until my sister was bringing home some fresh bread from the bakery and he wanted it. He growled at her and chased her into the house. After that, we had to kick him back into the woods.

    On an unrelated note, after about 30 years of applying for jobs at MPR/APM, I just had my first interview to be a Host on The Current. Waiting to hear back…

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    1. Welcome to the trail. What kind of cats. I have a terrorist tabby named Nimue. She’s giving me the evil eye right now from her favorite box. I’m pretty sure she knows what I’m talking about her.

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  17. I love that you named your cat Nimue!
    And I was raised with a mountain lion so I have a soft spot for the bigger, more exotic cats. I would probably start with a Serval or Caracal though..

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