If teenaged years are tough, the twenties can bring into one’s life both challenge and change. At twenty-one ileostomy surgery altered the direction of and the manner in which I lived my life. I’m focused here on just one of the several ways in which my days became different. At twenty-three, still dealing with my new plumbing but growing more accustomed to it, I met a girl for keeping. At twenty-five, I married her. She introduced me to a new pleasure. No, not just that. She was an animal person, an experience my past lacked. She was country, you might say, and I was city. So I learned to bring domestic animals into the home. We’ve had dogs; we’ve had cats. Right now, it’s just four cats. When I get up early in the morning, feeding them is my first chore, even before I put my coffee on. I enjoy watching cats eat. It’s like when you watch a baby sleep. Both the tiny Homo sapiens, and the small Felis catus, are dependent beings for whom you are responsible. There is satisfaction in providing that care. A home with a domestic pet is a warmer, less selfish, place. When my big, long-haired orange girl Fancy Pants climbs up upon my chest and licks my chin, it is a good time of my day.
As long as she licks her ass AFTER she licks your face!!Hi Henry!Yes, animals are pretty special. I've noticed you can tell the pet owners from the non-pet owners with just a simple conversation. Pets tend to keep us grounded.........now matter how high class you think you are ....having to clean up poop, urine or puke from your spotlessly clean carpet will do that to you. I know I couldn't live without a pooch by my side. If I had to come home to a silent lonely house every day after work I'd just go nuts. And listening to the radio only gets you so far. My previous pooch died just after my chick-babe and I split up......and not having her (the pooch, not the babe) there to greet me when I came home was incredibly sad. They do tend to occupy a special place in both your heart and your life.......carry on.
regards,
bob
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Hi,
Not blowing my own trumpet or anything, but I was at the healthiest I had ever been prior to getting UC symptoms. I was eating very healthy and exercising 6/7 days. I'd love to know if any lifestyle factors affect UC, but I suppose I'll have to wait until they figure out what causes it.
I've been trying to occupy myself by being in contact with friends often, but some days I am really not in the mood and find it hard to drag my mind away from what ends up being a mountain of thoughts. I suppose it's all part of the learning process and I'm sure it'll happen less with time. This website has been great so far. It's great to be able to write this sort of stuff down and chat with people that understand what's going on. For that, I thank everyone on this website.
Thanks,
Hamish.
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My moniker for this site, Padfoot, was the name of one of our favourite cats, now deceased. We currently have no pets because we are now retired, and want to do more travelling. But Bob is right - a home with no pets is just not the same.
Laurie
Living with Your Ostomy | Hollister
I have worked in pet rescue for 30 years. It is one of the most rewarding and saddest things I have ever done! I have had from one to five dogs and always a few cats at any given time. I have tried to go pet-free through attrition, but there seems to be a line at my back door. It seems when one cat passes, out of respect, they wait two days and another one, maybe two, will show up! I spay and neuter anything that walks by my door and am beginning to think my neighbors drop their cats off on Sunday nights for my standing vet appointment on Monday mornings! When my current dog, Macy, which is my profile picture, goes to doggie heaven, I will again try to be dog-free for the first time in my adult life. Not sure I can do it, but it sounds good. The cats will be a while; they are young! Cats are easier to own, though.
Puppyluv
Yes, cats are easier to own, I agree. We recently buried one, so we're down to four. My wife, who used to work in the clinic at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah, has done TNR volunteer work for years. We have a feral cat in our garage right now that she just got neutered yesterday; it will be released later today. I know how the line at the back door of which you speak works too. They seemed to gravitate to us when we lived in rural Utah. Of our current four, two were abandoned by heartless idiots, and two were feral that we semi-domesticated. Cats are wise little beasts. You'll never see a bunch of cats pulling a sled. As they say, dogs have owners; cats have slaves.