help me decide...............

[lorin]

Should I get a dog...........
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.or should I have kids?
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[Orlion]

You could always could get a cat
t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:FZKv5pQ3JaUK5M:www.taiko.org.nz/cat1.jpg

[Kil Tyme]

The dog looks innocent. Blame the kids for the couch, too. Dang, Lorin, that is one expensive clean-up/tv replacment bill.

[Harbinger]

Have both. A photo like that is worth a lot a chores when they get older and you remind them how cool you were about it. A well trained dog won't do that type of thing.

Cats are great, but unless they are trained to use a toilet (which is easy) they are filthy creatures to have indoors. Think about it. They pee and poop and scratch around in it and they walk on your counters where you prepare food. Gross. Have you ever been in a house with several cats? UGH!!

[Avatar]

Neither.

--A

[stonemaybe]

What he said ^

Dirty messy smelly things, that use up too much of your disposable income and 'me-time'!

[drew]

I always had a dog growing up.
I don't like them at all.

too much work.

Cats, are very little work; especially if you live somewhere you can send them out side. My cats only use the littler box in the winter.

Kids.
Mine won't use the littler box no matter WHAT!!! But I have three boys...so take a look at that picture, and add another 50% to it!!!!

[Cagliostro]

[Avatar]

Uh...there's a dead rodent on your floor...

--A

[DukkhaWaynhim]

Dogs are needy, frequently gross, can be slightly obsessive if not maintained properly... but they are *always* happy to see you, and this makes them man's best friend. There are exceptions, but as a rule dogs are awesome.

Cats are solitary, vile, disgusting little monsters who consider humans as barely tolerable servile cohabitants. There are exceptions, but as a rule cats suck because they make terrible dogs.

Although they can sometimes, exhibit dog-like behaviors, the same goes for kids as cats.... unless you are in it for the whole 'who will care for me when I'm decrepit' angle. But you could hire servants for that, and save yourself a few hundred thousand dollars.

dw

[dANdeLION]

Wow, talk about getting a feeling of deja vu. I've seen this thread before (or at least the pics and the same basic question) before. Maybe it was an email, or maybe on another forum. My first thought was 'didn't I already respond to this?'.

[Cagliostro]

Uh...there's a dead rodent on your floor...

--A

Nah...it's a ferret. They are more cat related than rodent related. And supposedly he's drunk.

[Avatar]

Ah, I see, it's a mustelid, not a rodent. Not related to felines though AFAIK. Biologically speaking.

--A

[aliantha]

To all you cat haters:

I've had cats for the past, oh, 20 years or so. Let me tell you why cats are superior to dogs:

* They walk themselves.
* They bathe themselves.
* They only have an "accident" indoors when they're sick.
* You can leave your sandwich on the coffee table while you go to the kitchen to get a beer, and it will still be there when you get back.
* No kennel fees when you go on vacation. Leave the cat with kibble in a gravity feeder, an automatic waterer (mine uses a 2L bottle for the reservoir), and a clean litter box, and say, "See ya in a week!"
* The neighbors never call the cops for a meowing cat.
* You don't have to lay out money for obedience classes, or assert your dominance as the pack leader, or any of that other junk.
* If you have more than one cat, you don't need TV for entertainment.
* Dog toys: rubber Kong, nasty gloopy pig ears, your shoes. Cat toys: feather you picked up in the yard, milk bottle ring, paper or plastic bag.

And indoor-only cats are superior to outdoor cats because:
* They never bring you a "present" of a dead critter.
* They won't catch a vile disease like feline leukemia from the feral cats in the neighborhood.
* You never have to worry about them being run over by a car or something.

And in fairness, the other side:
* Some cats can be aloof, it's true. But if you select carefully when you adopt your cat, you can pretty much avoid getting one that's antisocial. And if you adopt a kitten, you can train it to appreciate and seek out human contact. Of the five cats I have owned over the years, only one didn't like to be picked up and cuddled. (My current cat is almost *too* affectionate -- she insists on me putting her up on my shoulder whenever I'm sitting down.)
* Okay, hairballs. There's nothing whatsoever redeeming about hairballs.

[Cagliostro]

Okay, well, polecat related then. They have cat-like teeth instead of the huge rodent incisors, which I guess was the point I was shooting for.

And to add to Ali's points for ferrets:

* They walk themselves.
* They don't bathe themselves, but they are fun in the tub, especially once they are out. The post bath ferret dash is hilarious.
* You can littlebox train them, but you have to be diligent. Occasionally they don't fully learn it, but I've had pretty good success with one notable exception.
* You can leave your sandwich on the coffee table while you go to the kitchen to get a beer, and it will still be there when you get back. However, if you leave it on the floor...
* No kennel fees when you go on vacation. Leave the ferret with kibble in a gravity feeder, an automatic waterer (mine uses a 2L bottle for the reservoir), and a clean litter box, and say, "See ya in a week!"
* The neighbors never call the cops for a ferret - they don't make noise much at all unless frightened or really hurt, and a very quiet noise when playing.
* You don't have to lay out money for obedience classes, as I don't think they exist. You do have to lay out that you are the one in charge, but that doesn't last too long.
* If you have more than one ferret, you don't need TV for entertainment. At least while they are awake, which, if my two were any indication, will be for only a few hours a day.
* Ferret toys: rubber Kong, your shoes (especially the laces), feather you picked up in the yard, milk bottle ring, paper or plastic bag, anything rubbery. In fact, just about anything they can reach is a toy. And they do tend to hide things, so if you have a keychain, expect some scary hunts for your keys. I don't know if male ferrets do this, but all of my girls found some object they imprinted as their baby, and became very protective of. Which is funny when it is a rubber squeaky toy larger than her that she will drag back to the "safe" spot whenever the squeaker is squeaked.

And in fairness, the other side:
* You do have to play with your ferret and give them space and they will be very friendly. Caged ferrets are not happy ferrets (from my experience).
* They are pretty damn stubborn when it is something they want. If ferrets can get their heads into a hole, the rest of their snake-like body will get through. Ferret-proofing is quite an extensive job for a little while. And once they get into someplace, they don't quickly forget. In fact, we had ferret-proofed under the dishwasher, and our girls had gotten under there when we first moved in. 5 years on after blocking it up with cardboard and tape, they still checked that spot to see if they could get under there.
* Okay, biting. They do bite, and within a year it is easy to train them to not bite hard. They will probably still nip in play, but it will not hurt. However, if you live on a futon, as I did, those first nights with them biting your toes at random hours throughout the night do get old very quickly. Buy some bitter apple at a pet store and it won't be long before they stop.
* Ferrets are diggers by nature, and if there is a space under a door that they are not allowed in, yet they cannot fit their head under, and there is carpet underneath, expect to see some carpet fibers and strings dug up.
* Even with the best destinked ferret, there is still a bit of musk. You get used to it and like it after a bit, but visitors will notice the smell, but only upon entry into your house.

[DukkhaWaynhim]

To all you cat haters:

I've had cats for the past, oh, 20 years or so. Let me tell you why cats are superior to dogs:

* They walk themselves.
* They bathe themselves.
* They only have an "accident" indoors when they're sick.
* You can leave your sandwich on the coffee table while you go to the kitchen to get a beer, and it will still be there when you get back.
* No kennel fees when you go on vacation. Leave the cat with kibble in a gravity feeder, an automatic waterer (mine uses a 2L bottle for the reservoir), and a clean litter box, and say, "See ya in a week!"
* The neighbors never call the cops for a meowing cat.
* You don't have to lay out money for obedience classes, or assert your dominance as the pack leader, or any of that other junk.
* If you have more than one cat, you don't need TV for entertainment.
* Dog toys: rubber Kong, nasty gloopy pig ears, your shoes. Cat toys: feather you picked up in the yard, milk bottle ring, paper or plastic bag.

And indoor-only cats are superior to outdoor cats because:
* They never bring you a "present" of a dead critter.
* They won't catch a vile disease like feline leukemia from the feral cats in the neighborhood.
* You never have to worry about them being run over by a car or something.

And in fairness, the other side:
* Some cats can be aloof, it's true. But if you select carefully when you adopt your cat, you can pretty much avoid getting one that's antisocial. And if you adopt a kitten, you can train it to appreciate and seek out human contact. Of the five cats I have owned over the years, only one didn't like to be picked up and cuddled. (My current cat is almost *too* affectionate -- she insists on me putting her up on my shoulder whenever I'm sitting down.)
* Okay, hairballs. There's nothing whatsoever redeeming about hairballs.

I guess individual results may vary. The cat I owned briefly thought the litter box was too much of a challenge, so used the apartment instead. Or my wife's shoes (but only the left shoe -- every time). Once it even decided to go on top of the lid to the litter box instead of going inside it, even though the box itself was always kept immaculate (to avoid the uber-nastiness that is cat waste).
The cat, a long-haired, part himalayan persian, barfed a lot, did not like to be petted, and ignored cat toys in favor of attempting to shred furniture (though its front claws were gone). The final straw was when the cat bit my wife on the neck (drawing blood) when trying to retrieve him after he leapt out a second story window (through the screen, btw) to get out. Kitty want to go bye-bye? Kitty go bye-bye.

Dogs rock, because they think we rock!

dw

[Harbinger]

I would like to clarify that I am not a cat hater. I love cats. I love all animals. I even rescued a wild kitty during single digit weather when I was much younger and could ill afford the goddam $400.00 vet bill. The litter box thing just grosses me out.

[[Syl]]

I miss the ferrets. I even miss having to dig out several pairs of socks from the back of the couch (along with that pack of cigarettes I thought I lost) before doing laundry. Or watching them run around playing, doing the weasel war dance and making the little Urrr-urr noises. Or seeing a little head poke under the door while I'm on the can.

One drawback that wasn't mentioned is that they're terribly prone to cancer. Lost all four of ours to one form or another and at different points of their lifespan. Marshall ferrets are supposed to be the worst when it comes to that, though Freya was a Marshall and she lived about nine years.

Another thing to worry about is their digestive tract. It's really narrow and can be blocked by chunks of rubber/foam that they may chew off. Luckily we never had any problems, even though I found a rather large piece of a condom in the litter box once.

[Cagliostro]

My first ferret nearly died to a popcorn kernel.
The next two died of sugar related deaths, supposedly. They loved the sugar treats, and we were too ready to give them out until we learned...

[wayfriend]

* They bathe themselves.