Cats and Dogs...

this rant was inspired by an article in The Washington Post
Bird Lovers See Roaming Cats as a Major Threat to Many Species
http://www.washingtonpost.com/

we all know... there are cat people and there are dog people

I am a dog person
it is not that I do not like cats
I just prefer dogs

okay... I do not care much for cats
and you know what... cats know this
if I ever go to a house with cats
the cat or cats feel compelled to sit in my lap

as a dog owner there have been some dog to cat confrontations
as a dog person in my life there have been dog person to cat person confrontations

a number of years ago a friend of mine's dog mauled a cat
the dog was inside... the cat was outside
the dog saw the cat... the dog rushed for the door
the door was knocked open
the dog caught the cat

the cat lived... but only after a costly visit to the veterinarian
the dog owners stepped up and covered a percentage (if not all) of the vet bills

but... what if things had played out differently?

what if the dog had chased the cat... the cat had run across the street... and the dog had been hit and killed by a car
how would the cat owner respond?
more than likely they would have shrugged their shoulders and said to themselves... dumb dog

what if someone's exotic bird landed on a window sill or maybe the porch of a house where a cat resides... what if this exotic bird landed within range of a house cat... would the cat owner feel responsible for their cat eating the bird?

my dog is old...
no longer does Brutus chase squirrels, cats, or homeless people
but... in his youth... Brutus and his brother Roscoe were game to chase just about anything
for the most part they were kept free and clear of cats
when walking them around the neighborhood I kept them unleash
pulling the leash tight and controlling them in areas where I knew cats roamed
but... what if... what if something had happened in this situation?

just some thoughts to ponder

http://roscoeandbrutus.blogspot.com/

image of Kerry Litka of Small Things Considered
www.kerry-litka.com

http://gwadzilla.blogspot.com/search?q=litka