Pets Aren't Toys...Don't Forget.

Life goes on after Christmas, you know...

Of course they look cute as can be when they look up at you from their pen. Kittens and puppies especially. Who can say no? But, please consider what happens to a pet when it ceases to have a cute and cuddly look. There are countless dogs and cats the world over, who are being ignored or worse, abandoned.

Children are notoriously fickle when it comes to playing with their toys. If they give more than a weeks attention to it, it must have been a hit. How many cupboards, boxes and attics are filled to the rafters with almost as good as new toys?

Gosh, I have to admit that Le Bob and I have also morphed into those parents and tend to spoil our kitten. Somehow it is hard not to when you see the vast ocean of potential toys for sale at any pet emporium. Yes, pets are a big deal and pet shops have expanded. Our lounge isn't littered with cat toys, but at times you do have to watch your footing!

The irony of it is, that the very first toy she got from my parents, a small blue bouncy rubber ball, is still her favourite. She carries it around and bounces it where she deems it best bounced. Should it roll under our kitchen cupboard, she will put on a meow concert until we do to her bidding...

Way back when I was in high school, the teachers had a clever ploy for teenage girls ( honestly I don't know whether it fell into the biology or home economics category ). You had to carry a 2,5 kg bag of flour around with you for a week. As it was the equivalent of a baby, it had to be with you 24 hours a day. Perhaps it should be done with kids wanting a puppy or a kitten. Let them feel first hand that a pet takes more effort than the occasional pat or cuddle.

Just in case you are wondering if Bob and I had lost interest in our little kitten, not at all...we adore her and she is treated like the princess she has become. We are her servants and do to her bidding at all times. In fact, we bend over backward to garner a royal cuddle and even though parents should be neutral, we have a daily tally of who got more attention from La Princess...

Biggi

Bob and the princess! Aah, it used to be me....