Pets

I must admit it.  I love both cats and dogs but if I had to make a choice I would say I am a dog person.
To me the hardest part is saying good bye to either.  My last cat Sophie was bitten by something.  For hundreds of dollars I tried one lot of anti-venom.  I was offered to give another dose but I thought if these things bring down cows I am wasting my time. Sure enough she went where cats go.  I got one kitten I watched like a hawk. Trouble was a hawk was probably watching it to.  The kitten wandered out of the house and I never saw it again.
My last dog Sam I loved to bits and he loved me.  He was a small black and white dog.  His face made me think he had Kelpie somewhere in his background.  He had a big chest which looked even bigger when he wagged his tail.  He got a growth and I had to put him down.
I would not have either now for a couple of reasons.  We do dog sit and I have loved each dog.  They have all had such different temperaments.
The chief reason we do not want a pet is that it ties us down.  We like the option of being able to go somewhere on a whim.
Another reason we do not want a cat is they are not native.  I would prefer it if all cats wore a bell.  The reason for the bell is, I have seen cats hunt, and they are so good.
We have had the occasional visit from cats.  The bird feathers are a good testimony to that.  One cat is from down the road.  It likes to lay in wait under a tree we have at the front.  Ok a shrub.  A random watering of the front tends to bring it out.  High tailing it out might be the way to put it.  The back neighbours have a white cat.  It sure is an explorer.  I have seen it on the roof of their home.  It saw our bird feeders as a challenge.  I have a memory seared on my mind of it in mid-air with one paw extended trying to get the birds in our bird feeder.  It failed, and I escorted it from the property.
I had a budgie in a cage once.  I loaned it to someone when my mum passed away.  The person I loaned it to was hesitant to tell me that the bird passed away in her care.  It seems she put the cage on the floor on a really cold morning.   The bird ceased to be.
I have also kept various fish.  At one stage I had about 20 in a tank and we named them all.
I love having pets.  At the moment we have what I like to call “fly in, fly out birds.”  Ok I think they only love us because of the food we put out, but they are there, and they visit our place.