By Patty Wilber
Back to teaching biology this week at CNM, so I really don’t have a non-bio topic leaping off my fingertips onto paper. But it is Wednesday night and I will be conveying microscopically relevant info to some students tomorrow night so I am hoping to come up with something quick…
Well, ok!
Here it is!
We got a new cat. Her name is…wait for it…
“Arena.”
My daughter said, “That’s kind of obvious, Mom!”
But there’s a twist!
I didn’t name her!
My friend (who rescued “Rena first and kept her until she had her kittens and they were weaned) did.
Then she talked me into taking her… And yes this friend does have equines. She even found our subject at the Bosque Farms Rodeo Arena. Get it? Arena?
But I suspect she might be a cat person first.
So, that got me thinking…
Are horse people dog people or cat people?
Are cat people dog people or horse people?
I am a horse person (What? Really? No! ) but my second choice is cat person.
No barn cats here. Ours live in the house and do not go out due to the danger of Coyote and Owl-led cat-napping. And those guys don’t send ransom notes. They eat their marks.
That man I am married to is a converted cat person. He used to be a Capital “D” Dog Person (=anti-cat). Cats could be squished under doors without anyone batting an eye.
I will not describe the conversion process. It may be too graphic for this blog.
Currently we have two cats and no dogs (and a horse or two…or five … that we own plus three that just live here for training.)
Which brings me back to my original topic: What kind of animal person(s) are you and what’s your secondary or are they all tied?
Maybe we should delve into breeds.
Are Quarter Horse people terrier folks? Or maybe Mastiff owners prefer Arabian horses?!
Are small cuddly dog people really cat people in disguise?
Or maybe there is no pattern at all.
But I am definitely horse first and cat second.
I was almost forced to write CAT (bold and capitals) first and horse second, by my assistants, but I fooled them by bringing up a syllabus for school and they lost interest!
What are you?
Wait, wait…now I have a dog named Rena and you have a cat named…
I know! First there was that little dart Overlap thing and now this. We tried to change her name. Jim kept calling her Angel, which he didn’t even like, it just kept coming out, and I kept calling her Sylvia, which was actually the name of one of her kittens, and which Jim also didn’t like. So then we tried movie or book heroines that we like and so we tried a few of those–some of whom people around here might recognize, so I won’t brown-nose–Nothing stuck, so Arena/ ‘Rena it is!!
I did the same with Dart. “Oh dear, wait–is there any other name–?”
“NO,” he said. “I am DART!”
Happy new kitty! I’ve wanted to get a barn kitty for us, but those looking to adopt kitties understandably want them to be home kitties, so I need to wait and see if the right cat comes along, as they sometimes do. It’s not a great thing, with the coyotes out there–but then again, there are plenty of cats who aren’t quite tame and want to stay that way.
The indoor cat who lives here isn’t interested in having another cat who lives here.
And I know people whose barn cats are quite competent– I think so long as they have a safe place to go at night (and are somewhat saavy to start with). And maybe not a light color so they don’t stick out if they are out at night…
Ha! I’ll make a note: Dark Blending-into-things kitty…
I really would like a barn cat. *wistful* Not just for the varmints, but because I love having a cat as part of the barn scene.
I have been too afraid to try a barn kitty!
Let’s see, I grew up with a Beagle/Border Collie mix who was just about active enough to keep up with me. And a stray black longhaired cat. And hamsters. And parakeets. And a couple snakes. Then I switched to Dachshunds. And then Her Nobility, Starblaze Prettycat Tahja Feline, a Maine Coon, turned up on my doorstep, abandoned. Ruffian, our Dachshund, was appalled, until he realized how WET the tiny kitten was. Then he licked her dry, to HER consternation. She was with us for 19 years. At one point, we had four Dachshunds and 7 cats in residence. No horses. The yard is too small. PS, this is Marilyn. Disqus won’t let me log in today.
I have always been fascinated by those coon cats! And as far back as I can remember have loved horses and cats best, though I do like most other animals as well!
I was fascinated by horses as a kid — I had lots of toy ones. My sister tamed an Indian pony who had been allowed to run wild for about five years — when she was done, the owner’s five year old could ride him. But we moved too frequently, and never had the land for horses of our own, so I never had full familiarity with them. Starblaze was an amazing cat. Silk-furred, plume-tailed, elegant in all ways. I miss her yet.
As a teenager and beyond I kept finding ways to get horse time–well worth it for all the many many horses I was able to work with!
Two dogs and two cats—so I guess I’m both a dog person and a cat person. I would also be a horse, goat, sheep, cow, turtle, even snake person if my husband would let me.
LOL!
Cat person, but I love dogs who are calmer… Cat person, dog breed dependant..Rick has been Converted 🙂
LOL!
Dog person. Most definitely.
Parrot/bird first, cat second, dog a distant third. I have no idea where horses would fit in there as I have never had a chance to spend a great deal of time with one, but I love them, too!
I don’t know I much about birds as pets but I understand they are very smart and live a long time!
I was always a cat person (she slept in my crib!), became a horse person as soon as I was old enough to be strapped into a saddle, and wanted to be a dog person.
In high school/college, I became a horse person WITH a horse (the discussion with my father when he realized that the horse WAS coming to college with me was epic).
And then, when I was in my 20s (a long time ago now), I discovered that there are dogs that allow you to be a cat+dog person (they look like dogs, but behave like cats), and was totally enthralled. I raised, showed (conformation and obediance), and lure coursed my Borzoi for many years (having as many as 8+ on the property at a time, along with the cats).
So…I would say that I am an “animal person”!
Are Borzoi’s cat like? I would not have suspected that but have not spent any time with that breed!
Oh, yes…they only hear what they want to hear (very independent); don’t just love everyone automatically, although they are very gracious to most people; have a sly sense of humor; are very intelligent (but again very independent); plot schemes out well in advance (and I do mean PLOT!); lie around in positions that you would think are totally uncomfortable; and love to do things that humiliate you in public.
My first obedience Borzoi, in her last trial before retirement, performed each exercise in a way that showed she knew what she was supposed to do but found her way much more enjoyable, and then looked all around at the audience to share her enjoyment (and they were all, including the judge, laughing uncontrollably). And she was #9 in the standings for Novice B obedience Borzoi in the country at the time!
That would have been a hilarious video to voice over!!