Someone's got Puppy Fever!

[Adina P]

It's not me.

My nearly 4 year old came into our room this morning and whispered that Rosco told her he wants a kitty.  We went along with it for a bit then she admitted she actually gave him this idea and "Mommy can we go to the pet store to look at kitties?"  My answer disappointed.  She then offered plan C: Let's go to the breeder and buy a puppy! Final negotiation was that when she turns 10 we can buy a puppy.  5 minutes later she brought me a piece of paper and marker so we could make a list of names for said way-far-into-the-future puppy.  Haha...she cracks me up!

[Pat and Traveler]

Natalie is a hoot!  I've had many cats, and must say I really love the absence of litter boxes.  Not only are they gross, but kitties fling the litter all over the place.  My last cat destroyed a couch and a chair by sharpening her claws on them, in spite of my providing a variety of scratching devices.  Trav hasn't mutilated any furniture.  :)  Hey, I like cats--they don't have to go for walks, they're hilarious to watch--but a dog is now the perfect companion for me. 

[Bonnie and Kona]

Oh Adina! There is something in the air. My DDIL told my DS that she is getting their almost 7 year old daughter a kitty for her birthday in January. He is highly opposed. Their GR is 13 and clearly declining. I think F is right. You should have told her 20. eek. 

[F, Calla & Luca]

OMD, Natalie is the funniest and most well spoken 4 year old ever. I do believe cats mostly train themselves but being allergic to cats I wouldn't know. But to be on the safe side I think you should have told her she had to be twenty : )

[BG and Gavin]

LOL Karen - growing up we had cats, dogs and horses!  But my childhood friend had a gerbil.  Guess who wanted a gerbil?  My mother explained to me later that the reason she had a gerbil is because she probably wanted a cat or a dog and her parents got her a gerbil as a "pacifier."

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I went through the same thing with my DD, Adina. They always want what they don't have. Dogs have been around since they first opened their eyes, ho hum, boring. Cats are exotic and interesting. If you had cats, she'd want a dog. You've got 6 years, I wouldn't worry. Just pray that next year she doesn't decide that she's a "horse person". LOL

[Adina P]

Oh no. Something terrible has happened. We spent Christmas at my Mom's. She has cats. My daughter bluntly asked me one day: "can we give away our dogs and get a cat instead?" Whaaa? Later she explained "even though i grew up with dogs, now that I'm 4 I'm a cat person." There were tears when she realized her wish would not be immediately granted. We talked about showing responsibility from now till she is ten. No promises were made. *sigh* I don't want litter boxes or cat training books. I think it will all hang on her willingness to toilet train the feline.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Oh yes - been there done that.  My daughter ended up with a stuffed dog from Santa that she named Noel from the land of misfit toys (complete with letter telling her that Noel was really a real dog).  Noel didn't bite or nip, but it was cuddly and could be taken for walks. This worked for a couple of years, but we didn't last til she was ten....

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

 She is just taking after her mama - I remember when you had puppy fever.... You  never know when that list might be needed.

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

A mini-YOU is what you have!  Enjoy the ride!

[Adina P]

I like cats in photos and in theory.  But their behaviors, I'm not a fan of.  When my mom had her cats indoors, they constantly startled me.  I'd pull out a chair from the table ready to sit down and there...AAAAH....would be a cat.  Or they'd jump out of nowhere.  I like their soft, cuddly nature, and I like how playful they are but I don't like that their snobbiness or how aloof they can be.  And I always forget they don't respond to commands and it frustrates me that I can't communicate with them and that they walk on counters.  But that is because none of these annoying cats have been MY cat. But it all boils down to two main things I object to: 1) Litter boxes and 2) My dogs would never stop stalking, hunting, chasing them.  I'm pretty sure of it.