http://i520.photobucket.com/albums/w...ico_Kitten.jpg
Kittens are lovely, because they imprint on you as they grow. But seriously, keep them indoors, it saves a bundle of time and tears.

A good friend of mine has a cat that is more or less constantly in heat. It's starting to get disturbing; I can't walk through his house to the toilet without her presenting herself for me.

Knowing what they would grow up into, I would rather get a baby alligator.

It's not a labrador. Labrador's have short hair.

It's a Golden Retriever, right? I always get them mixed up. But they're both awesome.

You have that effect on alot of animals.

Yeah.

Could you explain this? I'm not sure what you mean.

Golden Retrievers and labs are about as different as Toe nails and Fingernails.

In before BM spews science all over the above statement

House cats are prime targets for being eaten by anything, since they're basically defenseless if you've kept them inside their whole life. Plus they tend to wander around to place where they shouldn't be.

Have no fear, it was far too inscrutable to be of any use.

You know how I like my similes. Inscrutable.

Keeping cats inside helps a lot with worms and ticks, plus, it keeps them from killing birds or toads or whatever and dragging them home for you to admire. It's just healthier for them.

An Akita makes for a great guard dog and at the same time a lovable companion. Through experience, Akitas are one of the best dogs to have, as well as Golden Retrievers, and occasionally Rotweilers. Also, unless you're planning on using the dog for hunting or some sort of show, don't crop it's ears and tail.

I'm not a cat person, but if you're going to be on your own I see no problem. Too bad you're not for Siamese, I was going to recommend getting one of those.

get a slog! not really i prefer cats, dog are just mean!

Ugh. I thought you were banned.

I had a warning because i was mean, well thats the old me, i didn't know how to act on a fourm!


I WOULD LIKE TO SAY SORRY TO ALL THE PEOPLE I WAS MEAN TO LAST YEAR!

That type of behavior will never be forgiven or forgotten.

I've had (as in, my family's kept) three cats in my lifetime, and two of them have disappeared without a trace by just plumb running away.

Luckily, the cat we have no has some sort of Feline aspergers ( or it's, y'know, winter) but I'd only let it out if I was reading on the porch or something and could keep an eye on it.
I'll certainly look into it, but I'm kind of set on a Whippet at this point. I do have a long list of "Dogs to adopt if you can't find anything else" and I'll add an Akita to it.
I don't hate Siamese, but from experience they're far too vocal. I seem to remember having a bit more prejudice against them than that but I guess that's it, again, I'll keep them in mind.

I will jubilantly disagree. Dogs are some of the most sociable, friendly and pants-shittingly adorable animals to ever grace this Earth. While some do seem to have a bad case against them (Pit Bulls, most notably) I find it hard to see why a dog barking at me from behind a fence is 'mean'. A puppy is not born to attack you. Typically it's the owners.


You know that 'Dog Whisperer' guy? I hate his guts. I think that he has this disrespectful and 'clinical' streak in dealing with dogs and he's just a dick in general. Fucking dick.

EDIT: did my research, Akitas seem nice, but I don;t need a long-haired hunting dog that bores easily. Nobody likes hanging out with a mirror.

Cats don't really love you they just get food off you while dogs are social and consider you as a fellow member of the "pack".

Shut the hell up.

My cat loved me heaps. We'd spend cold nights on the carpet in the living room, watching Robot Wars together...

*sniff*

I still miss her!

No, she just found that sitting on your lap was convenient, warm and a good way to get extra attention.

So why did she lick my nose?

Quiet, you'se, cats are still great.

Did it elicit a response the cat would have found favourable? If so: congratulations. You were trained by your cat.

I sneezed.

Cats like that?

I don't know your cat. Maybe.

Still, I was freezing. Why did she come over and warm me up when the heated armchair was cozier?

I believe they do show affection and love for an owner if you show it to them. Sure, you can look at it as just getting things from you, but it's no different to a kid hugging his mum and getting a new transformer in return.

Aaaand... I agree with you entirely. Thankyou for proving my point.

Only a fragile human mind is capable of producing something as Insipid as love.

Oh, that's just too cynical for words.

Yeah, similar emotional attachments have been observed in the behaviour of other species, too. But it is difficult to use the word "love," because this runs the risk of anthropomorphising other species, which is scientifically irresponsible.