The story:
Here are a few pics of my cat, Chompers. My partner and I adopted her a little over a year ago from Pets in Need, a small rescue group in eastern Massachusetts. She was 5 months old when we got her; she’s now a year and a half. My partner and I frequently remark that getting her was the best thing we’ve ever done. She wakes me up in the morning by rubbing her face against mine or walking all over me. In the winter, if we’re sitting on the couch under a blanket, she likes to climb under it and onto our laps, or huddle on top of our feet. Every once in a while, she gets a crazy look in her eyes and suddenly streaks across the apartment at full speed. This occasionally ends with her slamming headfirst into a wall, but this does not appear to faze her.
Here, also, is a link to a series of pictures in which Chompers picks a fight with, and loses to, an empty tissue box.
I also want to plug Southwest Collie Rescue. My stepmother, Lee More, helps run it, and it is really a stand-up organization. They take in any collie, no matter how old or how sick, and make sure they get great care and loving homes. They go to great lengths to make sure that every placement is right for dog and owner.
Consider this an open thread
ilsita
Also, you can Save Santa’s Little Helper.
AhabTRuler
@ilsita: Nope, sorry. I’m holding out for Santos L. Halper.
Ben JB
Two things:
1) Anyone have any advice on dog breeds that are less likely to cause allergic reactions? My gf and I fostered an adorable bichon frise puppy, and I was fine; but she’s also interested in a wheaten terrier or possibly a schauzer. Anyone have any experience with those breeds?
2) I can’t get this out of my head:
Orwell’s “Two Minutes’ Hate” + Warhol’s “Fifteen Minutes of Fame” = Sarah Palin
ellaesther
I miss my Chauncie. She was a very annoying cat, almost her whole life, with the loudest damn demanding voice you ever heard. And yet I miss her little body curled up against my thigh, or on my chest at night.
She was alright, all told, and I miss her. RIP, ya old pain in the butt.
(It’s been about a year. I’m guessing that up in pet heaven, my childhood dogs have been thoroughly cowed by her by now).
comrade scott's agenda of rage
I’m sitting here listening to the DVD-A release of Porcupine Tree’s “Lightbulb Sun” (listening to the quite excellent bonus tracks right now) with Elsie the Tonkinese mix on the sofa next to me, Bozo the Blind In One Eye, Three Legged Dog with a Chronic Skin condition asleep on his bed in front of the TV while waiting for the wife to come back from the shelter with FIVE 3-month old kittens who need a couple of weeks of fostering (they be sick).
That is all.
Martin
This day at work is at least 77 hours long so far, and I’ve another hour to go. Setting fire to the building might be worth the risk.
demkat620
I love these stories.
And the pictures are great!
gogol's wife
Thanks for these wonderful stories. I’ve adopted 8 cats over the years from various streets and our own backyard, and there is no better, more rewarding experience. There have been a lot of comments on previous threads about the pain of seeing your beloved pet grow sick and die, and it is certainly wrenching. But what helps to get you through it is thinking about the extra weeks, months, years of happy life you gave the animal. Cats in the wild have a very short life span, about 2 years, I believe. My beloved Pookie died at 18.
ilsita
@AhabTRuler:
Can I interest you in San Toes Lilhopper, then?
The Dangerman
This activity could also explain Sarah Palin, her supporters, or perhaps both (and I just did an Anagram for “President Palin” and got “Trained Nipples”, so perhaps this explains me, too)
Violet
@Ben JB:
Do you mean schnauzer? We had them when I was growing up and I loved them. Miniature schnauzers. One was docile and lovely and the other was a terror and a complete handful. They were both loving and great. No biting, but lots of barking and yapping when the doorbell rang or people came over. We didn’t have a lot of shedding problems and no one had an allergic reaction to them, although we don’t seem to have a ton of allergies in my family so not sure we’re the best for a check of that.
A cousin’s family got a schnauzer for their family because one of her kids has allergies. She said schnauzers are supposed to be good for people who have allergies. Don’t know anything about it, but figure she would have looked into it.
I just love schnauzers. They’re smart, energetic and very loyal. I still melt when I see one.
MikeJ
I recall hearing somewhere that Portuguese water dogs were good that way. (202) 208-1631 may have more info.
Linkmeister
@Ben JB: This list looks to be compiled by some person with a website, so take it for what it’s worth, but he/she claims that dogs on the list are okay for allergy sufferers.
Linkmeister
@Linkmeister: I take it back. The site is called DogBreedInfo Center, so it may have a little more credibility than I first thought.
Steph
OK I’m new here and don’t want to be all complainer-y, but why isn’t the Balloon Juice logo at the top a link that will reload the blog from the entry point?
Ben JB
@Violet: Yeah, I meant schnauzer; thanks for the perspective–I think we’re going to a shelter tomorrow to check one out. (I do love these adoption stories; maybe I’ll have my own to contribute.)
@MikeJ: Our socialist overlords have all the best dogs! I hear they’re going to nationalize our dogs. Or ration our dogs? There’s going to be dog panels deciding if grandma gets her required kibble transplant!
GReynoldsCT00
@Martin:
I’ve had a week like that too…
@MikeJ:
Maltese, Bijons, Havanese… hair versus fur
Linkmeister
@Steph: Click the tagline instead (Consistently wrong since…)
Steph
@Linkmeister D’oh! Thanks.
WereBear
What people tell me is that the dogs need hair, not fur. Poodle-types and terrier-types need more grooming, but do not shed.
Do visit a breeder and see how the person reacts to such close contact. Good breeders don’t mind. They don’t want a puppy returned.
Annie
“This occasionally ends with her slamming headfirst into a wall, but this does not appear to faze her.”
LOL. Thanks so much for the story. I love the above sentence. Cats are so funny. One minute mine are sleeping peacefully, and the next minute they are racing across the living room, and we can’t figure out why. When they fight, which they do occasionally, one of mine can growl like a dog. The first time I heard the growl, I was shocked. Now, it just makes me laugh…it seems almost natural. A growling cat.
Side note: Schnauzers are fantastic dogs. Great with children, and incredibly loyal. We had one when I was growing up, and he came on every vacation with us. A great traveler. He was my first pet, and I never imagined that I could love an animal as much as I loved him. My brother and I still trade Pepper stories 30 years later.
Linkmeister
@Steph: Sure. It took me two weeks off-and-on to figure out that the little curly arrow on the right of each comment encoded a link to that comment in the body of my reply to that comment, too.
That’s how @Steph shows as a link. Kinda like an audit trail. ;)
Mnemosyne
So one day, a few months after our cat Natasha died of cancer, I was walking through Petco to buy food for our remaining cat, Boris. A cat rescue group was just getting packed up to leave and I stopped to see what was going on. A black-and-white kitten reached out from between the bars of his carrier and grabbed onto my arm.
No, I didn’t take him home that day — our wedding was only a month away and we really couldn’t take on a kitten right before all of that madness. But when the dust finally settled, I checked back with the rescue group and that kitten was still available. G. was reluctant at first (Natasha had been his pal and he wasn’t sure he wanted to go through that again) but he came around once they actually met.
Now we have a giant 15-pound tuxedo cat who we strongly suspect is a Maine Coon mix. Why didn’t anyone warn us?
Happy Strays, La Canada and Santa Clarita, Calif.
Bad Horse's Filly
Those are great pictures and I loved the link with her in the kleenex box, kind of reminds me of this weekend when I was trying to put on a corset and then a boned-dressed which laced up in the back, as well. May you, your partner and Chompers have many happy years together.
Keith G
@Steph: Welcome to the neighborhood!
John Cole
@Bad Horse’s Filly: I’m a big fan of how she struggles for a while and then says “Screw it” and falls asleep.
ET
Those were great pictures. How did you get any that weren’t blurry? I would have been laughing so hard none of mine would have come out.
Shell
Damn Kleenex! I don’t trust ’em as far as you can throw ’em.
Keith G
Ok. Since this is Thursday, I have a recipe question. I love raw oysters and now a developing chronic issue has made it wise to avoid them.
So I want an oyster recipe or two. Something that leaves intact as much of the texture and taste that I am increasingly growing to miss.
Help.
Steph
@Linkmeister:
OH! I was typing the “@” sign. Just now, I typed the curly arrow. Fun!
:)
Thank you, Keith G! I found BJ through Daily Dish, as it happens. This is a very good blog and commentary site (though occasionally some of you people say the filthiest things, which in the old days would not have piqued me, but now I’m aspiring to the Quaker faith, and I think they probably frown on all that…This is TMI, but I felt I needed to bulk up my comment).
John Cole
@Steph: My mother and grandmother and uncle were all Quakers.
Me- not so much.
Mnemosyne
As I understand it, it depends on the meeting you join. There are different branches of Quakers, some quite conservative, but most are pretty liberal and aren’t going to worry about the language someone else uses. I’ve been tempted to join myself, but I think the lack of structure would drive my fallen-away-Catholic self up the wall.
RedKitten
@Steph:
Yep — you’ll see some pretty salty language here. Mind you, for the most part, it tends to be fairly good-natured profanity.
South of I-10
@Keith G: What are you looking for, like Oysters Rockerfeller, Oysters Bienville? I have any number of Cajun cookbooks with lots of oyster recipes. Not that I can cook any of them, mind you. But I would gladly search for a recipe.
Linkmeister
Cat and tissue box = LOLcat worthy, or maybe CuteOverload.
Steph
@Mnemosyne:
Yes, I hear you, as a Catholic. We’re looking at the conservative branch, but only those meetings that are gay-friendly…so a very small group, and not located anywhere near here (New England).
It’s hard. Leaving the Catholic church is frankly breaking my heart, but we can’t raise our sons there, especially given the ramping up on the anti-gay agenda.
But……..I can’t see myself as a Protestant. Growing up, the Protestant people (who were all very nice, of course) played golf and were freakishly over tanned. That old image is dying hard.
And yet, I know we’ll eventually wind up in the nice Congregational church nearby, which is my husband’s first choice anyway. But I’m not going to go easy.
Re: profanity, I hope I didn’t sound like a prude. I cuss like a sailor myself, but I’m trying to give the Quaker way the old college try, and they have a thing about indulging only in “wholesome entertainment”. Or something.
Betsy
OMG it’s my kitty!!! So excited!!!
Betsy
Ok there were supposed to be exclamation marks between “kitty” and “So.” Don’t know where they went.
Betsy
@John Cole:
That is totally what happened. I had to (carefully) tear the box open for her to get out. Dumbass.
Betsy
@ET:
Honestly, I could not believe they turned out. My camera has a “kids and pets” function that somehow makes it focus and snap really quickly for things that are always in motion, and I used that. But it was only possible because my camera was right next to me when she decided to freak the fuck out and start diving at the tissue box.
South of I-10
@Betsy: Kitty is adorable. I love the Kleenex box pics. I should be taking some pictures right now, Little South is cutting paper into strips and giving it to the kitten, who is shredding it. I think I am going to have quite a mess to clean up.
Keith G
@South of I-10:
I love Oysters Rockerfeller. I was looking for something a little more stripped down, as “oystery” as possible.
Anne Laurie
@Ben JB:
Congratulations! Since you use the construction “less likely”, you’re already better informed than most people who go looking for a ‘guaranteed non-allergic’ dog (no such live animal).
Basically, you’re looking for a low-dander dog with not much undercoat. Some short-haired dogs, like beagles & retrievers, are bred for ‘oily’ coats that produce tons of dander. Some long-haired dogs, like papillons & shi-tzus, are bred to have as little undercoat as possible (ideally, none). Some dogs, like poodles, bichons & portugese water dogs, are bred to have “hair instead of fur”, which means that their top coats (guard hairs) don’t drop out on a regular basis (shed) and they’ve got relatively little undercoat. That means they’re traditionally “hypoallergenic” (i.e., low allergy potential) but it also means they need to be professionally groomed on a regular basis.
Whatever dog you finally choose, regular grooming & house-cleaning are key to your happiness. Your allergist would probably advise you to keep the dog out of your bedroom, and to have your gf do the dog-grooming. But I knew a woman with moderately severe dog allergies who chose to live with the Alaskan malamutes she loved — giant dogs with dense undercoats — she just traded rugs & drapes for vinyl floors & shades, wore a mask when she brushed her dogs every night, and paid a professional to clean her house every week. You’re grownups, you get to choose how much expense/inconvenience you can balance without starting to resent the dog (or each other).
One thing your allergist will not tell you: Most people with mild-to-moderate pet allergies habituate to their own pets over time. I’m moderately allergic to dogs, but I live with three rescue papillons (& 3 rescue cats) and never have a problem. But if I go to an indoor dog-related event (training classes, dog shows) without taking antihistimines in advance, I pay for it later!
Wheaten terriers and schnauzers are both said to be good choices for allergy sufferers — partially, I think, because they have to be groomed on a regular basis to look right, and regular grooming reduces the amount of dander they’re spreading around your joint living quarters. Mini-schnauzers are small enough to fit under most condo/rental / hotel-related “small dog only” regulations, if that’s a factor in your decision. But they are also traditionally more “terrier terrors” behavior-wise, while wheatens in America have always been happy party clowns. If you don’t feel up to coping with a puppy, there are active rescue groups for both breeds, who can help you find Your Perfect Dog — good luck!
South of I-10
@Keith G: There is a recipe for grilled oysters and oyster skewers. You can’t get much more oystery than grilled. It is pretty much get a hot grill and put oysters in the shell on it. When the shells start to open, flip them over. Season to taste.
Anne Laurie
@John Cole:
From what you’ve said about your adolescence, you must have tested your mom’s faith rather severely.
Keith G
@South of I-10: never thought of that – Duh – can’t wait….Thanks!
gogol's wife
@Steph:
Don’t worry too much about it, because Quakers are also Protestants.
Shell Goddamnit
These are gorgeous photos of this really outstandingly cute cat.
Chompers will gain a little gravitas with age but it is obvious other things are more important to her than her dignity, bless her. :D
The sudden streaking-around and wild looks are acid, man. As I understand it cats go on self-generated psychoactive trips. I envy them this skill.
Gus
@Ben JB:
My next door neighbor has a Wheaten, and he’s awesome. Friendly with both people and dogs (though cats beware!), mellow, yet playful. Another neighbor has a really sweet schnauzer, though she prefers dogs to people. The fact that she’s 14 may contribute to her docile nature. My wife has allergy problems, and we have a cockapoo and a terrier mix. She has no problems with them. I’m a big fan of mutts myself.
Betsy
@Shell Goddamnit:
Truer words were never spoken.
Also, thanks. :D
Shell Goddamnit
And I said that BEFORE I looked at the tissue-box series!
Really, contrast with Tunch, who, although he may play, has a self image that doesn’t allow for the concepts “goofy” or “silly”. EVER.
As a goofy, silly person, I recognize a compatriot in Chompers.
asdf
Oysters Bienville?
The very words bring a smile to my face.
asiangrrlMN
@Betsy: Chompers is the cutest (girl) kitteh ever! I had to insert the girl part because otherwise, I would have two VERY ANGRY boy cats on my hands. I can’t believe someone once said some not-so-nice things about her when she was on the front page. So cute and sweet. Happy sigh.
@John Cole: Seriously? You are a Quaker’s son? Wow. Just–wow.
Anne Laurie
@asiangrrlMN:
From what I have read about the founders of the Society of Friends (people like Anne Hutchinson, Mary Dyer & George Fox) they, like our bloghost, seem to have come to tolerance and a certain acceptance of other peoples’ failibility only after many years of butting heads & making public nuisances of themselves. Just sayin’.
Carlyle Moulton
“she gets a crazy look in her eyes and suddenly streaks across the apartment at full speed”.
Some cats do this type of thing, become hypractive and frantically chase invisible mice. years ago we had a cat that did this and we used to call it “The mads’. We would say that “The cat has got the mads”.
mommybrain
When I was in college (George Mason when it was still part of UVA) I moved to Lincoln, VA, a tiny Quaker town not too far from Leesburg. I attended the local Quaker meeting with an eye toward becoming a Quaker.
The Elders gave me a copy of Thought Forms by Annie Bessant and Clyde Leadbeater (Theosophists, not Quakers) and said if you can grok this, ( they really said grok) you are welcome in our meeting. I didn’t, quite, at age 20, grok it but they let me come to meetings, anyway.
Is this usual Quaker reading material or some kind of Quaker mysticism?
Steph
@gogol’s wife:
Actually, from what I’ve read, they don’t consider themselves Protestant. They were a departure from the Protestant faiths, a return to “primitive Christianity”, as they saw it – so a movement apart.
But I appreciate the sentiment. And Quakers are quite welcome to golf and be tanned, of course.
By the way, my husband is Congregationalist. He neither golfs nor is tanned, but if he were, I’d still be nuts about him, of course.
Steph
@mommybrain:
I’m guessing those folks were Liberal Quakers? I can’t see Conservative or Evangelical Quakers passing that link on…
koolaide
Steph: If the Quaker thing doesn’t work out, there’s always the Episcopalians. Catholic-lite & generally gay friendly (but that varies by diocese — Ft. Worth & SC, not so much. New Hampshire, pretty darn welcoming).
As for the Cat vs Tissue Box pics, I laughed out loud. At work.
Steph
@koolaide: Yes, the more liberal Episcopalians (vs. those that are running from the gays and ladies) tend to attract quite a number of former Catholics. But the Episcopalian church as a whole is experiencing a lot of turmoil these days, and I’m kinda over turmoil.
:(
Maybe we’ll just go with that spaghetti monster I keep hearing about…of course, they’ll probably suffer their own schisms one day…seems inevitable.
gogol's wife
@Steph: Consider going Congregationalist. It’s a great denomination. No one in my church has a tan or plays golf. Thanks for teaching me something: I had no idea Quakers didn’t consider themselves Protestants. I guess it’s like Russian Old Believers, who were considered rebels and breakaways by the Orthodox church, but who considered themselves to be returning to what the true church should be.
Steph
@gogol’s wife:
Thanks for the encouragement – I’m actually going to contact the minister today (been on my to do list forever). I’ve met her a couple times – very friendly, and has a fantastic reputation.
It’s going to be a long, painful transition, though. Cradle Catholics tend to be all Papist to their pores. (And wait til my mother hears about this………..oh, the guilt…………..)
Steph
@Steph:
PS It may be that Evangelical Friends do consider themselves protestant these days, as they have more in common with protestant evangelical denominations than with either liberal or conservative Quakers.
Steph
@gogol’s wife: Oops I meant the above to be to you, not to me. Not that I don’t talk to myself, and write myself little notes here and there…
Rob
Now that’s definitely a cute cat.