Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Dog Person or Cat Person?

One of my sisters, after reading my last post, said Intelligentsia looked like a fun restaurant with delicious food. She understood why it was one of my new favorite places, and she suggested that next time maybe I should leave Tommy home.

She has a point.

Lately I’ve been running myself ragged trying to do too much. There’s the full-time job and the daily challenge to burn off Tommy’s excessive energy, and then there’s squeezing a social life in between the cracks of those two demands as well as looking for a house. I’m exhausted. It might be different if I had a fenced yard for Tommy but I don’t. That’s why I take him to Starcrest Kennels all the time: constant stimulation, fenced yards. Tommy can run!

And that’s why on weekends I bring him along when I tool around town. If I leave Tommy at home while I’m out and about for a few hours, the moment I walk through the door I have to step right back out to walk him. But when Tommy joins me on my excursions, he’s ready for a nice long nap when we get home. Then I too get to kick off my shoes and relax (at least until Tommy’s ready for his next walk).

Last Saturday I went to the Verizon store in Old Town (yes, I have succumbed to the allure of the smartphone). The store was empty so the sales clerk let me bring Tommy in. I love that.

Then I walked down the street to Crossroads and discovered the perfect hitching post for Tommy.


Notice the doorway is not used as an entrance. Check out the shaded cubbyhole, where Tommy is set back from pedestrians passing on the sidewalk. Appreciate the door latch and how easily a leash can loop through it and the big window, making it easy for me to watch Tommy while I shop. And marvel at that mail slot, perfect for slipping treats to the pooch.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

My good friend Kelley, who I met in L.A. when I lived with just the cats (my friends call it BT as in “Before Tommy”), had a dear Rottweiler named Nikka. Kelley adored Nikka, while I adored my cats. We once talked about the difference between dog people and cat people and pretty much agreed on these blanket generalizations: dog people are more extroverted and active; cat people are more introverted and neurotic.  

Kelley now lives on the east coast, and after reading this blog she wrote “she’s a dog person now!’ I had to laugh.

My true nature may be that of a cat person. But Tommy (with his all-consuming, high-maintenance, “the world revolves around me” energy) tips the scale, and so I don’t get to indulge the cat person as much. But I sneak it in when I can.


Of course I’m really both. 

23 comments:

  1. Miss J grew up with cats, never had a dog until her dear, departed Ralph. Mr. J cannot abide a cat so its unlikely Miss J will ever have another. That's OK- two dogs is plenty. Both require plenty of exercise and attention. And would probably not be willing to share with a cat.

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  2. Miss J, your pooches look like they have strong personalities, just like Tommy, so it's just as well not to mix them with cats. I love how they are best buddies though.

    Dog people should check out Miss J's:
    http://missjaneysmuttmusings.blogspot.com/

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  3. Love that relaxing photo of you and your cat. Just a beautiful photo. Quiet, calm and relaxing. I have not witness those 3 words in a very long time. ;-D

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  4. The Crossroads setup is indeed amazing. I suggest you shop there all the time. Not hard to do, since it's a fantastic store and provides an ideal combination of retail therapy and away-but-oh-so-close time for Tommy.
    Ramona, Frida and Tommy are all blessed to have you as their human. And they know you're both a dog and cat person--no teacher's pets here!

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  5. All I'd have to see is perfectly painted toenails to know which side of the fence you spray.

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  6. hi sue I thought I posted but it did not show up. oh girl how you love your tommy. Look at his little face.Oh but this is my fav posting of yours. Add that you are both a dog and a cat. dogs believe that they have more fun don't you think? I am a dog, Brady and Todd are dogs too. Finney my doggie, has more fun than any creature alive I think. I love my bunny don't get me wrong, puff is my biggest dreamboat ever but Finney makes me beam - he really is the light and life force in this house. He gets in more trouble than the baby too - oh Tommy keep your stories back home to use we LOVE them and you and your mommy.

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  7. Im a dog person all the way! Never really beena cat fan


    Kari
    http://dogisgodinreverse.com/

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  8. Daisy Dog, I wish Tommy and my cats got along as well as Daisy and Milk.

    Dog Rescuer, you're more dog person than anyone I know. And I mean that as a compliment. But we're going to have to work on getting you a little r&r.

    Melanie, awwww.... thank you. Come on over to Pasadena and join me and Tommy at Crossroads.

    Hiker, ha! Those painted toenails are usually in dirty hiking boots. (You have the best lines.)

    Kristen, welcome! "Finney makes me beam." That's a great line too. Be careful or you'll be starting a blog about your dog before you know it.

    Kari in WeHo, why does that not surprise me?

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  9. I've always swore I was a dog person, but I ended up with a dog who acts more like a cat (complete with jumping up on and walking all over the counter-tops). So, I'm not sure where that leaves me...

    LOVING reading about Tommy!

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  10. Melanie Neslo, thanks for your kind words! Do your big dogs really jump up on the counter? Wow. That I'd like to see.

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  11. Raymond Chandler was a cat man. Thought I'd throw that in for the LA credibility factor.

    So how about a mini rant? I'm all about spontaneity; not necessarily good sense.

    As a cat person, I don't take issue with dogs. I like them. By and large, 99% of cat people feel the same way I do. (ok I made that up, but I'm probably right). What I take issue with is how many dog people feel compelled to announce their dislike of cats. Often following this announcement with some offensive description. I had one friend send me a video of a cat that had been hooked up to a ceiling fan. I wrote her back and asked her why she thought I'd be amused by that; would she find a video of a dog on a chain being dragged behind a truck amusing (she apologized).

    A favorite moment was at some event where the fellow we were talking to got ready to go into his "cats are nasty" diatribe. Thats when I caught Mr V look the guy in the eye then look over at me followed by a quick "no" shake of his head. Stopped him in his tracks

    Adorable photo of Tommy in the door photo

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  12. I received an e-mail from Bastet's owner that I thought I'd pass on to the "Friends of Bastet"

    This is absolutely incredible !!! Thank you for forwarding all the previous emails too! I just called Bastet's vet to have her medical records faxed to the Pasadena Humane Society.

    Bastet is very fortunate to have such wonderful angels looking after her.

    Love,
    Robin

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  13. Susan,

    Yep, our Whippet jumps up on the counter (and then uses that pointy nose to open the upper cupboards and dig for snacks). Thus earning the nickname "monkey-cat-dog". :)

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  14. PA, as a cat (and dog) person, I appreciate your well-said rant! I think most cat and dog people are animal lovers, and so while they may choose to live with one over the other, they wouldn't hang the other one from a ceiling fan. (I'm tempted to ask a clarifying question about that image, but I'm afraid of the answer so I won't.) How could cruelty to any animal be funny?

    I'd be ganging up on that "cats are nasty" guy right along with you.

    Thanks so much for posting the email from Robin. I'm glad to be part of the cat people brigade helping to find Bastet a loving home.

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  15. Melanie Neslo, what a resourceful Whippet you have!

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  16. i'm allergic to cats so of course they love me.

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  17. the actor's diet, what's not to love?! Thanks for stopping by.

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  18. I happen to love cats. Wish Boz did, too. We'd have collected a few by now to keep him company.

    PA, is there news on Bastet? Did she get adopted?

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  19. Petrea, Boz may like cats the way Tommy does: he wants to chase and eat them.

    Bastet is being fostered through a cat rescue organization, http://www.brilandpotcats.com/. I believe she's still available for adoption. I'll send you an email with more info.

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  20. That's great news! I'll update my blog when I get your info.

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  21. Hey Sue,

    And I read about Ponch', too. Nice work!

    Willie

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  22. bandit (or should I call you Willie?), thanks for visiting! Nice to see you here.

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