On Dec 20, 11:46�am, "David McCracken"
wrote:
Hi everyone:

I haven't posted in this forum in a long while, but have always found it
full of great people with much knowledge and love for cats. �So I
immediately thought of this newsgroup when I wanted to share this
perspective about cat ownership.

One of my two 10-year-old cats suddenly became ill over the last weekend and
she's been in the hospital for the last few days. �The vet says her immune
system is attacking her red blood cells and platelets, so they've put her on
steroids and IV fluids. �They've stabilized her enough that I'm about to
pick her up in about a half hour. �She stopped eating once she got to the
vet, so their hope is that she'll start back up once she returns home and
gets back to her routine. �Otherwise, she may be returning to the vet and
spending the holidays there.

What I really want to discuss is what I've had to endure over the past few
days with friends and co-workers as I deal with my pet's health crisis. �I
suppose I could be imagining much of this, so bear with me. �My general
impression is that most dog people or non-pet owners don't seem to
understand the need to, for example, stay home from work babysitting a sick
cat. �I get the feeling as though cat ownership is less valid of an excuse
to be at home vs. a sick child or even a sick dog.

Jokes typically come up when I discuss how much I've already spent on my cat
(about $700 this week). �Someone had commented that they're not even sure
they'd spend that much on their own child, let alone a cat. �I realize they
were just ribbing me about it, but you know what they say about there always
being a shred of truth behind every joke. �On some base level, I think they
were actually being sincere. �I should point out that these are otherwise
good co-workers with whom I get along fine.

I'm wondering first if this is just my imagination...if other cat owners out
there have felt the sting of this stigma. �Perhaps people just have a hard
time linking a 6 foot, 2-inch, 235-pound male to two little kitties instead
of, say, a Doberman.

Would appreciate any thoughts or experiences.

Thanks again and happy holidays.

YOU are a NUT. What 'men' like you need MORE THAN ANYTHING is to be
thrust up to the front lines over in Iraq, with a gun in your hand and
a target painted on your chest. Or better yet, they should do it to
your CHILD (assuming you're not a queer, which something tells
me....)This would REALLY help put things into their proper
perspectives! All this BULLKRAP about 'staying homes with the sick
baby' bullkrap.
Bullkrap.