Pets

"A righteous man regards the life of his animal..." Proverbs 12:10

Some thoughts about pets. We got a new kitten for Christmas from some friends. His name is Petzl (anyone familiar with rock climbing equipment may recognize the name) and he compliments our growing family of two budgies, Rafiki & Thumper & our one portly & somewhat scowly cat, Shy.

Interestingly enough, I'm allergic to cats. When Lawrence & I got married, Shy got the boot and became an outdoor cat. This past December we had quite a cold snap, too cold for her to be outside so she came in to live in the heated porch, allowed in the rest of the house when we are home. Lawrence bought a kitty door & built it in so she can go out if she wants. Hasn't wanted to much. But I had always felt a bit of an allergic reaction around her.

In comes Petzl, adorable cute & fuzzy little kitten. *like who can resist a kitten...even with allergies* At first, my allergies went nuts, itchy eyes, runny nose, eczema & sneezing because I couldn't stop touching him. But, as the days & now weeks have passed, my body seems to be fighting back. The symptoms are still there but they've GREATLY reduced even though I spend more time with both cats.

Can you outgrow allergies the same way they come on? I never had a cat allergy until about 5 years ago. Up till then, I always had cats around. Then something changed & I couldn't even be in a room with them. Now, its somewhere in the middle & seems to be decreasing. Its a little bit exciting actually.

I've always loved pets! They can add such life to a home, both joy & frustration. I've had birds, dogs, cats & fish. There's nothing like the unconditional love of a dog. Always happy to see you, play with you, go for car rides. I will definitely have a dog again one day. Fish are actually quite a relaxing pet. I could stare in the fish tank and watch them & feel soothed. Birds can be very entertaining. Especially when there is two of them. But they also make quite a racket and quite a mess. Not a pet for the insanely neat.

You can learn a lot about people by whether or not they like animals or have pets I think! I think people with pets are often more 'down to earth'. I see a lot more compassion in animal people. Dunno, just an observation.

Do you ever wonder WHY some animals were put on earth? I mean, afterall, they were created first and THEN us humans & yet we were set to 'have dominion' over the animals. What are their purposes? Not every animal is good for eating or working, some are just beautiful and some are pretty funny looking. Somehow I think they were just put on this earth for people's enjoyment or amusement and companionship. I can't help but smile when I see a hippo or giraffe! How did God come up with the idea for a platypus, or the hammerhead shark or the ostrich? What about heaven? Will animals be there? Its a much debated topic that I guess I'll just have to wait & see. There are a few pets I would love to see again for their loving & loyal qualities. Hmm, I bet Shy won't be there.