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Happy Holidays to our Furry Friends
A few weeks back, a blogging friend of mine posted some interesting statistics about pets and pet-owners in the United States. As the mother of two furry creatures myself, the stats didn’t much surprise me:
-More Americans own pets than ever before, and they’re spending more money to keep them healthy. There are almost 10 million more cats than dogs in the USA.
-The number of U.S. households with pets is 59.5%; by comparison, about 35% of U.S. households have children.
-The top five states with pet-owning households: Vermont (74.5%), Idaho (73.4%), Oregon (73.1%), Wyoming (70.3%) and New Mexico (70.1%). New York ranks 48th.
-Although there are more pet cats than dogs, more families actually have dogs; by household, 37.2% are dog owners while 32.4% are with cats. But cat owners have more of them: 2.2 per house compared with 1.7 for dogs.
(Source: American Veterinary Medical Association)
They’re all around us, in homes all across the nation…yet sometimes we take them for granted, don’t we? We hold full-time jobs, we parent, we write, we try to find time to have a social life too…but there they are, those fur-babies who live with us and love us and forgive us no matter what. They don’t care if we forget to take a shower, or if we’re having a really bad hair day. They look the other way if we are too harried to do more than pat them on the head as we rush out the door. When we are feeling lousy, they will climb into our laps or nuzzle our feet or lie in a big, protective heap near the door. When we are struggling through a revision, they will wander over the keyboard, wave their tails in our faces, and make us laugh through the frustration. They see us through marriages and breakups and births. They make us feel safe. They make us feel loved. They accept us for who we are, flaws and all.
They’re wonderful, aren’t they? Sometimes we are surprised by the grief that grips us when we have to say goodbye to them. We shouldn’t be. Pets represent the purest form of love and devotion. As romance readers and writers, we want to believe in the power of true love that lasts a lifetime…sometimes longer. We embrace the heroes in romance novels because they let the heroine be whoever she wants to be, and they love her for it. That’s what our furry friends do for us too, don’t they?
This holiday season, give your fur-babies an extra hug, an extra-brushing, an extra helping of the snack they’re not really supposed to have…and remember how lucky you are to have them in your life!
I will definitely give the fur-babies extra hugs.
A few years ago, we found a stray ginger kitten. We named her Spitfire and she was our youngest baby. She used to climb into my lap when I was writing and steal my pen—right out of my hand! Whenever I found myself stuck in a rut with my writing, she would lay on my papers, or my laptop and suddenly I would get inspired.
In spring 2006, she was hit by a car. She survived that, crawling back to our house. We took her to an emergency animal hospital. We found she had serious internal damage and there wasn’t any chance that she would survive the operation to correct it. Either way, she was going to die.
We had to put her to sleep. I miss my little inspiring fur-baby everyday.
Christmas is a hard time because she used to get in our Christmas tree and steal ornaments and hide them throughout the house.
Thanks for posting this. (and sorry for the long comment, got wrapped up in it)
Much Love Always,
Rose Marie Wolf
www.rosemariewolf.com
Yes, pets are those members of the household who not only always forgive you, but who are themselves easy to forgive. Our love for them is never complicated by a lot of who-shouldn’t-have-done-what and you-should’ve-known. They can always make me smile when I’ve had a stressful day, and that’s something pretty special.
My cat never gets on my computer, though. Lap, yes, but thankfully not the keyboard!
Hello, You have touched my heart with this article.
My brother was a Veterinarian for over 30 years before he passed. I was brought with so many kinds of pets, it is almost like I lived in a jungle! I lost my Kayleigh dog two years ago, she would have been 19 that same year. God bless the people who love their pets and take care of them. Thanks,Cindi
Special hugs for all of you who have lost beloved pets, especially those with recent losses. I still find myself dreaming about pets who have been gone for many years. Just last night I dreamed I came home to discover Boo had left me with a litter of beautifully fluffy, frolicky kittens, all who looked something like her, yet different. Old Boo died seven years ago at age 17.
Even though we know we will not have them for very long, we take them into our hearts, and the wonderful part is that’s where they remain for a lifetime,
ah yes, the little critters who bring such joy to our lives and such devastation when they leave it. We had to put our dog Scooby down last year after having endured more than a year of fighting doggie diabetes/daily shots, diet, etc. I still miss her so much… she was my deceased son’s dog (Kyle died at the age of 10 3 years ago) so losing his beloved dog was super hard.
Don’t even get me started on the menagre of barn cats I bring home. I know I can’t save them all but so far, I’ve saved 3 that live with me and found a home for another that someone dumped off – poor thing was so lost and confused and a genuine sweetheart.
Fur babies are well worth the heartache we endure with their passings just because of the joy they bring to our lives while they’re here. I wouldn’t trade a moment with any of mine … well ok, No-No does push the envelope sometimes! LOL I bottle fed her and she thinks I’m mom!