I declare, it’s just getting to where you can’t trust pets anymore.  All my cat does is meow and complain.  She doesn’t like her food and plays finicky, going on a hunger strike until I offer the right food.  She doesn’t want to sleep on the floor, only the best chair in the house will do.  She doesn’t like it if I sleep late in the morning, and walks all over me until I wake up and get out of bed.  What is the world coming to when animals rule?

We spend a fortune in this country every year on pet food, and another fortune on pet care.  I remember the days when cats were cats.  They caught mice and grasshoppers and maybe got cheap cat food occasionally.  Nowadays, you have to give ‘em gourmet cat food in a crystal dish or they turn up their nose.

In the olden days, dogs ran free and slept under the front porch or in a dog house.  They might get some flea and tick powder in the summer and a rabies shot, but they ate table scraps, if there were any, and were glad to get ‘em. Then dog food production became an industry and we found out table scraps are bad for animals.

Now there are dog shows, dog groomers, dog trainers, dog toys, dog health care experts, dog nutritionists and dog stores.  We have giant pet marts that specialize in items only for pets.  The pets are even allowed to go shopping with their owners in these places.  Yes, this country has definitely gone to the dogs.

Well, all said, I must admit that I love pets.  I have both a cat and a dog at my house, and they are well cared for.  After all, it isn’t right to have an animal and neglect it or to fail to care about its needs.  But what every happened to real sand in the sandbox?  Now we have clumping litter and pooper-scoopers.

I tell you, the pets are taking over.  They even have their own websites and blogs.  Yep, it’s true.  I caught my cat walking on the keyboard just the other day.  She denied it and hid under the bed, but I’m sure she was on Facebook.

Guess I am just about as fond of my pets as everyone else.  The fact that there are so many homeless animals and so many animals being put to sleep for humane reasons seems almost unbelievable in view of the “pampered pet” class that we are familiar with.

My cat got out of hand some time ago and has been in charge around my home for a long time.  Animals seem to have a way of working themselves into our home and heart and before we even realize what is happening, they have taken over.

If you happen to run into my cat in a computer chat room, don’t tell her I’ve been complaining.  She will miss the litter box again to show her anger, and I really hate it when she does that! I’m wise to that cat, though.  I know what she is up to – it is just that there does not seem to be much I can do about it.

One of these days when you are not too busy, you might want to visit her website. No doubt about it, the pampered pet set is definitely taking over.

©1998 Sheila Moss

Admit it, how spoiled is your pet?