# Do you have housepets?



## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

If so, what are they??

I'm curious because on a different site there's an OT thread asking members to post photos of their pets. And it seems to me, there is an overwhelming number of cats on there! So now I'm wondering if there's some draw between a fiber artist and cats.

I personally do have 2 cats, but also a couple cages full of cavies (guinea pigs), which I breed on a small scale (miniscule really) for show. There's an outdoor dog here too, she comes inside during infrequent cold winter nights or snowy days.


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## weever (Oct 1, 2006)

Dog inside, barn cats outside.


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

'No cats in the house' is one of my personal mottos. 

I do have 2 dogs who are predominantly outdoor pets.
They come in the house on winter nights and sleep on their dog beds on the bedroom floor, never on my furniture.

Marchwind has my share of the cats at her place. :teehee:


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## netskyblue (Jul 25, 2012)

We have 3 cats...in a 2 bedroom apartment. I'm well on my way to becoming the "crazy cat lady!"


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## Shazza (Nov 20, 2004)

We have 8 pugs inside...they do go outside too lol...we also have 5 cats but they are not allowed inside, they are supposed to catch mice etc outside.


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## KyMama (Jun 15, 2011)

We have 2 cats inside and 2 dogs outside. I'd be more than happy to send one of my cats to your house if anyone needs one.


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## chickenista (Mar 24, 2007)

No pets inside.
Sad, but true.
The very old dog will come in from time to time to warm her bones by the fire, but that's it.
No animals on the furniture, no animals in the kitchen.. just an old dog by the fire sometimes.


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## Chaty (Apr 4, 2008)

I have 7 dogs in various sizes in the house and 5 outside dogs, 2 cats inside, yes the cats do catch mice here. I love my dogs the best!


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## SvenskaFlicka (Nov 2, 2011)

We have four hermit crabs. Sometimes hubby lets one loose on my knitting. :hohum:

I would dearly love a cat, but our rent would go up if we had a kitty.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

no inside animals. 2 barn cats. Though with all the fluff I found under the furniture, behind the doors and under tables, we might as well get that dog I'd like.


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## larryfoster (May 15, 2009)

Inside: German Shepherd, guinea pig, gerbil and parakeet and beta fish
Outside: 3 cats, 23 chickens


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## Pearl B (Sep 27, 2008)

Just one bird.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

2 black cats that are indoor/outdoor. A German Shepard rescue mix dog inside. No animals are allowed in my kitchen or soap room. Dog sleeps in his crate at night. I don't allow any of the critters to mess around with my fiber or yarn. That skeeves me out to think of sending out an order that has cat hair in it! If I had my druthers, the cats would be booted out to the barn. Do NOT like a cat in the house! DH loves the dang things, so I guess I have to put up with them.... I'm definitely a dog person!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Okay let's talk crazy cat lady :teehee: not really but I suppose in some people's eyes (GAM :kiss I am. I now have 6 cats that I moved with me. I had 13 at one point. Now, before you all think I'm really crazy these were all rescues and all indoor/outdoor cats. I lived in a rural area and people would just dump their animals. I couldn't say no to a stray. I found homes for several of them before I moved. These 6 meant too much to me . I also have 3 large dogs all rescues. The dogs are technically inside dogs. They do get on the furniture (dogs and cats alike).

When and if I ever get my house in MN sold I will buy a place here with a bit of land and have a kennel outside so the dogs can be out more. They sleep on an old futon in the basement and are down there when I'm at work. This city living, although convenient is for other folks. I need a bit more land

As for cats an fiber people. There is something about a raw fleece that cats love. It's almost like catnip to them. Cats love fibers of all kind but they particularly love raw fleeces.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Dog person here.But i do have a certian cat that has made his way into my heart.


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## IowaLez (Mar 6, 2006)

Is cat-loving hereditary?

I have 1 older cat that came from Cali with me, and we adopted 2 farm kittens that came to us as strays here, one starving and helpless, one confident and self-sufficient. They are all indoor-outdoor.

My birthmother has 6 cats, and between my two kids they have 4. None of us are dog people, altho I grew up with a nice one. 

Missy loves to sleep in clean fiber or buried in a pile of yarn, or on top of my knitting or crochet work. Felix loves the stinky raw stuff, and loves to attack skeins of yarn like they are prey to kill with claws, teeth, and feet flying. He goes nuts and loses his mind. He has never really hurt any of the yarn, so I let him play (but not with delicate stuff or competition skeins). Julie just likes to sleep in my spinning chair. No fiber for her...


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## Lythrum (Dec 19, 2005)

We don't currently have any pets, though I'd like to get one for my daughter. I usually had an outside dog for most of my life, and a couple of cats living inside when I was growing up. When I got out on my own, I had one cat inside and had her for 13 years. I tried the inside dog thing and it didn't work too well. We both work long hours, and as WIHH said, I didn't feel it was fair to him. My hubby is not a pet person at all, but he got pretty attached to our cat and it was hard on him when I had to get her put down again. I think he is afraid of losing another pet. Probably at some point soon we'll end up with another cat, I just haven't felt strongly enough about it to make it happen.


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## Ana Bluebird (Dec 8, 2002)

Three outside cats---have their own shed with a heat pad, two outside dogs, one little pain-in-the-neck inside dog. Seems I need the companionship.


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## MullersLaneFarm (Jul 23, 2004)

2 indoor/outdoor dogs

3 cats, predominately barn cats, but they will occasionally come inside (one at a time). Our tripod kittie, Mr Jones, is getting acclimated to being a barn cat again. His full brother, Mr Smith, is my favorite 'knitten-kitten'. Having yarn trail across his face doesn't phase him a bit.


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## bergere (May 11, 2002)

I have 3 cats.
But only two are full time indoor cats and in the side of the house my spinning wheel is. Knock on wood, they have always left it, my fibre and yarn,, alone.
My Antisocial to other cats... outside during the day cat, lives in the other side of the house.

These are not pets and are out side...but I also have
3 hair sheep
2 goats
2 Icelandic Horses
1 Mini Horse
15 chickens

Have down sized a lot over the years. 
Wanted to start breeding some traditional Leicester sheep, however living in dog hunting country, doesn't make that possible.


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## neparose (Nov 16, 2009)

six cats inside, one dog outside. All six are "leftover" from my fostering days at the spca. Occasionally there will be a kitten in a litter with problems that you know make them unadoptable. Since I couldnt let them be put down....They take turns chewing the drive band off my wheel, and sometimes when your not paying attention, you can be knitting away and suddenly come up with a very soggy "break" in your yarn...


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## hoggie (Feb 11, 2007)

I currently have 1 house cat but that is an accident. I am in reality more of a dog person but have ended up with one house cat and four barn cats ALL of which, coincidentally, behave more like dogs than cats LOL 

And I HAVE learned to really love my cats for who they are


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

A year ago we were the crazy cat people! Lol!
We had 14 cats and 4 dogs. All inside/outside.
Now though with the impending move, we have whittled it down to 4 cats and increased to 5 dogs.
How we managed to rehome 10 cats is beyond me, it wasn't easy.:help: , and our sweet wonderful 13 yo gp/retreiver mix passed away. Then of course we simply had to get our 2 gp puppies. Need them for sheep patrol when we get settled up north ya know.ound:
At one time we had 187 hooded rats too, but that's a whole'nother story!


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## vicki in NW OH (May 10, 2002)

Five cats at the present time, four inside, one outside. We are dogless for the time being, as our beloved golden passed away last spring. We have been discussing another dog. The chickens, etc., are not pets. 

I love cats. My Maine **** is my buddy. Found him and his brother as small kittens in our wood pile. Have no idea why someone would abandon Maine **** kittens. When I knit or crochet, he lies on the armrest and puts his paw on my forearm and keeps it there as I work.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

I miss my Main **** a lot. Actually I blame his death on me having so many cats now. I tried to find one to replace him and none of them were up to the task.


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## Windgefluester (Apr 10, 2011)

i have right now 1 dog & 2 cats, all three inside  but the cats go out too ....


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## MDKatie (Dec 13, 2010)

We have 2 dogs and a cat inside (the dogs of course go out to potty). We have a "barn cat" outside, although he's really a house cat the got booted out when he refused to pee in the litter box. He's declawed in the front (I adopted him that way), but he's still a great mouser and enjoys being outside. Every now and then he can come in for some snuggles, but not for very long. My new rule is after our current housecat passes, NO MORE inside cats. I hate litter boxes!!!

I used to have lots of small animals inside, from fish to guinea pigs, gerbil, hamster, rats, etc....but now my motto is "ain't nobody got time fo that." :hysterical: Life is much simpler without all those cages to clean. Maybe when the kids are older/more responsible they can get their own small pet if they want.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

I currently have 7 dogs, most are totally inside, and some just come in when they want to. We have one cat that can come in or go out as she pleases. The other cats are really feral and we just put out food for them. I'm not sure how many there are, at least 6 or so. Some people moved away way down the road, and a lot of cats have seemed to migrate this way for food. I don't think these were ever their pets exactly, but you know how feral cats just show up if you feed them.


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## Falls-Acre (May 13, 2009)

I used to be a hardcore showman... had over 200 rabbits and more than 150 cavies plus 30 or more chickens. These days the cost of feed and gas has all but driven me away from these particular critters. We only have around 20 rabbits, a dozen chickens, and behind me in the house are half a dozen cavies. Our dog is ancient, don't really think we'll be getting any more when she's gone. And I'm really not a cat person either. I love hairless pets. My Sphynx cat, we had a Chinese Crested dog for awhile too, and once upon a time I raised hairless cavies too.

Maybe I'm just getting older, but I really prefer the lessened numbers around here.


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## RedTartan (May 2, 2006)




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## dranger1108 (Aug 7, 2010)

I have four small dogs, one cat that inside/outside, one sun conure, and a bunch of cute sugar gliders...


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## Miz Mary (Feb 15, 2003)

I have 3 little dogs inside ....
2 indoor/outdoor cats .....
.... and about 30 chickens who stay OUTSIDE  !!


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## PKBoo (Apr 10, 2008)

We lost our golden a year and a half ago, and haven't replaced her (I would love an English Shepherd, but DH does not want another dog). My DD and SIL adopted a greyhound, and he was here at Thanksgiving - reminded me what it was like to have that responsibility again, so it was a good reminder.

We have three barn cats that do come in, one at a time, to get cuddles sometimes (whoever scratches and meows loudest outside the door at night haha!) It's funny, but they don't do that very often at all. So I figure when they do, they really NEED some lovin' right then!



Falls-Acre said:


> Maybe I'm just getting older, but I really prefer the lessened numbers around here.


We just downsized a bunch of critters here too. It's crazy how the numbers so easily creep up! We are down to 7 sheep, 3 alpacas, 2 steers and a cow, 3 goats, and a bunch of chickens (not sure how many right now - minus 2 in the last 3 days due to a hawk!). But there will be lambs and goat kids in March, so we'll be back up again. But that's just FUN!


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## frazzlehead (Aug 23, 2005)

There are the Livestock Guardian Dogs who live outside with the sheep and cows. 

Then there's Caleb, who wasn't supposed to be as big as he is ... he's a Lab/Collie/Heeler cross and hopefully someday will learn to herd (we wanted a crossbreed so he wouldn't be *OMG MUST HERD THE ANIMALS* insane like straight collies are, and that worked out well ... but he needs some training). He lives in the house and goes outside to 'help'.

We have outside cats, they live in the barn mostly and keep the mice down. The attrition rate is rather high - hawks, coyotes, dunno what all gets 'em but they don't stay around long. Kinda sad.

We have two indoor cats now too - the first was rescued when her mama disappeared leaving 3 kittens behind ... two of the 3 died before we realized mama was really gone, and we saved the last one, and she came in. She was indoor/outdoor, then got knocked up and had kittens ... one of which we kept (and then got mama fixed). Those two live inside now. I never thought I'd have indoor cats, but I sure do like them! And, I hate mice. Cats means no mice. 

So, yep, we have housepets! But, we live on a farm. Animals and farms just ... happen.


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## betty modin (May 15, 2002)

I have three elderly dogs who now live indoors-keeping each other company in the laundry room while I'm at work-two indoor/outdoor cats(both are fiber pests-esp when I'm working with raw fleece or spinning), a cockatiel and some fish...outside I have two barn cats that would like to be house cats, the chickens, duck, goose and 6 shetland sheep-who'd also like to be house pets. They're shameless beggars of apples, cookies and other treats-standing at the gate, staring at the house and calling me if they see me through the french doors...silly sheep.
betty


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Hi Betty! Great to see your smiling face here again . I've missed your posts.


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