‘There either is or is not’, that’s the way it is. There are no grey areas: you are either a cat or dog person, or you can be neither. Sadly I never had a cat, except for a brief time when I was a kid. I was hanging around the patio when I chanced upon a stray white cat. I immediately began thinking, as the cat appeared to have no owner. Soon I was ignoring our three dogs and spending more time with the feline. I even fashioned a house for it, basically a cardboard box with some ornaments lol. 

String ties

To put my stamp on my newest pet, I cut a piece of string and attached this to it. This proved handy that night, as the cat had practically escaped via the patio. I pulled and pulled on the string, which fit tightly round her neck, until the black sheep returned. I was just glad to have her back; the manner of her recapture was trivial. Meanwhile, our dogs would have none of this feline phase. As I was making the cat at home in the cardboard the dogs started attacking the slim animal. She was no match, so I decided to remove said box and let the cat in the house. At this point I was feeding her some meat and veggie soup, but at least she wasn’t a fussy eater.

Endless future

I was beginning to think about our future when I woke up one day to see the string on the ground, the cat gone. At that point, I felt betrayed, but not all cat owners would feel the same way. My former classmate, Danielle, had a cat and she absolutely adored it, proudly showing me a pic of her friend eating Purina. She wouldn’t say no to a dog either, maybe a chihuahua or a labradoodle, but I can’t imagine how she’d be able to reconcile those two species.

A dog person

Now I just feel nostalgic. That’s the thing about pets: some are loyal and unstinting companions; others, not so much. I grew up having dogs as my guards; I’ll always have a soft spot for canines. 

And cats? I’ve had a brief link with those creatures, but by all means I won’t domesticate them. They’re a lot of trouble, and are high maintenance. Given our history, I’m just not that convinced that they’ll desert me once more. So think before you scat. While cats may be fun, dogs will always be ‘man’s best friend.’