I have 5 pets - 4 cats and a turtle. The cats are an orange tabby named Belzer (the one in my profile picture), a black cat named Arthur, a black and white cat named Murray, and an orange and white cat named Pumpkinhead. Belzer and Arthur have arthritis and I have to give them shots to help them be able to move. They're not too fond of it, but it helps them. The turtle is 4 years old, he's an Eastern Painted turtle named Dexter and he likes to sit on top of his rock in his tank and sun himself under his lightbulb.

I have 3 dogs and 1 cat. My Lhasa apso is 8 yrs old she is named fluffy, black and white and is very sweet. My toy chihuahua is 7 years old light tan colored she is named cosita, she is quiet and loves to listen when I talk her ears go up and she stares at me. My 2 year old min Pin mix is an absolute joy, he is super energized and loves to cuddle when he sees me in pain. He is named lucky he is copper brown and he is super adorable. My black cat is named Mackenzie I believe she is 7 yrs old, she is sweet and lives to purr.

My pets keep me going, they each have their own personalities and they live me unconditionally

By my title you know what my obsession is!!
I love flat faced smooshy nosed cats! They actually are a breed called "exotic shorthair" the lazy mans Persian cat! My avi is Princeton who is 1.5. My 15 year old is Stimpy and my girl is 1 who's name is Phoebe. See my profile to see them!
Words can't describe how much love I have for my "fur babies"
They are always there for me.
xoxo MLC.

We have 2 dogs. One is a German Shorthair, my husbands hunting dog. She is very sweet, indoor dog, loves to sleep under the covers - when we let her. I had a Welsh Corgi, who died in June, at 14 years old. She was 40 pounds, but very docile and easy to walk. Whenever I would go down into the basement, she would lay at the top of the steps, waiting for me to come back. 3 weeks ago, I got a cockapoo. He should top out at 22 pounds. I picked that size because it would be easier for me to handle a 22 pound dog (bad shoulders and hands), and he would not NEED long walks - for those days when my feet and ankles are really hurting.

At our house, we have always had pets. I could not imagine life without them. We had 2 older dogs, aged 14 and 12, pass away within months of each other 2 years ago. It was very sad, and I did not want to get another for a while. One day when I came home, to my surprise, my husband and daughter "rescued" 2 black lab/airdale terrier mix puppies. Not long after my other daughter brought home a chocolate lab puppy! They are all now a year and a half old. Some days are so hectic because they are a bundle of energy. But they are so lovable and make us laugh so often. They definitely add so much love and laughter to our life.

I love my four footed friends so much. They love unconditionally and seem to understand when you are not doing so well.
We have 3 dogs our 2 little ones are bother and sister Maltese cross Claude and Muffin they are 11 years old. Gypsy our baby girl is 8 months old and a mastiff, wolfhound cross. At this early stage she already weighs around 22kgs. Then there are the cats. Weiner is a 9 year old tabby, Amber is a black tortoise shell and 5 years old, Harley is an orange tabby an is 4years old and he weighs 12kg one huge cat. Also we have a cockatiel he talks so well and is great company his name is cheeky.

I have my cat Zorro. He is my four legged baby. Well not so much a baby any more. He will be 9 this December. he is my comfort when I need him and he keeps me on my toes when he want's something. He always seems to know when I need him the most, emotionally or or just when I am hurting bad. He knows just when to come up to me while laying in bed and just lets me pet him for hours.

I can't imagine not having my furry little children! Curled up at my feet right now is Dooley, a 70 pound lemon colored Basset. For those who have never encountered a lemon Basset. They are white with blond spots, rather than the multi color. She's beautiful, and stops people everywhere she goes!

Curled up at my side is Cojo, a 7 pound Chi with the same coloring as Dooley. He was supposed to be my husbands dog, but he seems to have formed a strong attatchment to me instead ;)

Lounging in the couch, a cat twice the size of Cojo, with once again, blonde spots on white fur, whose name is Ginger. (No, this was not an intentional pattern LOL) But please, don't tell her she's a cat. If she hasn't figured it out in the past eight years, I don't want to be the one to break it to her.

My furry babies help me out in so many ways. One of them is by curling up with me like they are now. The other is by following my childrens suite and keeping me on my toes. Especially Dooley, who's nose leads her into a large amount of trouble. Why, just thirty minutes ago, I found her in the pantry helping herself to her dog food. Now, she's laid up all bloated and misserable.

Ja-Jay is my hsubands dog that lives outside. He's wonderful, loving, and sweet pitbull mix. He runs from Cojo, and hops like a bunny rabit. He adopted us a few years back, and has been the center of teasing for me. You see, he's black and white. People love to point this out, along with the fact that he's chained up outside while the other three are strictly indoors.

A life without pets? Never!

I have Tootsie- she is about 7 yrs old. We're not quite sure as we adopted her (without meeting her, from out of state), but that was the rescues best guess.
We were looking for a female Min Pin, small but spunky. We got a female, Min Pin / Chihuahua mix, that spends more time cuddling with me than anything else. She has no interest in being even close to "spunky"...lol. Unless of course the word Treat is uttered.
I wouldn't think of trading her for anything in the world. Even with her Bladder Stones, bad eyes, and lack of spunk.
My Husband says she is just my speed.
Once I get back to work, we are looking to find her a friend. This time, I think we will do a meet and greet first, to find one that the hubby can play with.

my life has never been without pets. My golden mutt is Cosmo, she is almost 15, and has bad hips, she's our queen.. I lost my schnauzer, Mollie, last year, and she was my baby. She recognized my joint pain long before I got diagnosed. My parrot Jocko keeps the whole house laughing, and considers my mother (who lives upstairs) his personal pet. My finches and budgies sing for us to remind us to smile!

I have a 6 yr old cocker spaniel named Bailey and my daughter has a 1yr old chihuahua named Bruce. They both know when I am not feeling well nd act as my hot water bottles. They are so funny and loving. They keep my spirits up and comfort me when I am down. One thing for sure is that I am never alone. They follow me all over and will stay in bed with me all day long on bad says. The little guys follows behind me and kisses the back of my legs when i walk around. LOL I have a special song I sing to my Bailey at night and he sings along with me. I would be lost without them. I lost my cocker spaniel named Bonkers 11 months ago to cancer and some days I still cry. They are the best companions/family/friends a person could ask for!

My house pet is Feisty (long haired black and white domestic). She is the survivor of three look a likes. The other two (RIP) were sisters but she was an extra.

She arrived because a friend's daughter aged 9 went to her mother one day and told her their male kitty Sylvester had "stolen some kittens" and taken them to the airing cupboard. Sylvester had to be renamed Sylvie.... Friend pleaded with me to take an extra.

She is great and encircles herself on bed with me when I have bad days. A talker. Have read somewhere recently there is scientific backup that there is something therapeutic about a cat's purr.

Also have a farm dog, Jaz, here at night. She is allowed into utility room overnight and is a smoocher and like most dogs a "peop[e pleaser". We have had her since puppy and when she arrived small daughter put her bed mattress down in the back entry room and slept with her cuddled all night. So knows how to pull heart strings!

Their very presence is a comfort but I think our love of animals is part of our personalities. Some people aren't into animals.

Maybe animals are the same. Wabby posted on here about her dog and its responsiveness. Some animals seem sensitive like some people are. In fact I think animals have our whole range of personality ticks and crosses through levels of intelligence to plain nastiness! Some would say that mirrors the owners but I actually think that as with people/nurture that is only part of the issue!!

So if any of us have empathetic pets we are lucky. I second the "toast".

I have tasha, a 11 year lab chow mix. she has been there for me through cancer, the beginnings of the ra when it was so bad, the good and the bad days. she can tell when "dad" walks her or I am walking. She knows the short walk on pain days and the long walk on good days. Pretty amazing how much they love and adore us. and how much we love and adore them.

Right now I have 1 cat named Cindy who is about 15 years old. She is mostly white with tabby spots on her head and 1 heel. She wants to be with me wherever I am, in the house of course. She loves to curl up right next to me or on my hips or back if I am lying down. The heat and her purring vibrations feel good since I have it in the hips and spine. It seems she is doing this much more since I started feeling the RA much more.

We almost always have dogs, but it was a bad year since we lost all 3 of our babies. One was a Cairn Terrier who was 15, another was a Chow/Sheperd mix who was 12, and the last one was a yellow lab who was 10. We need to get another soon, because I don't know what I'll do when we loose Cindy and there is no furry creature to comfort me.

We also have 2 cockateils, a male named Teekey and a female named Misty. They are just fun to watch. I don't like keeping birds caged up, so they have a cage my husband built that covers 1/3 of my son's old bedroom so they can fly. They were both given to me and I don't think they could survive in the wild. Teekey likes to whistle but the Misty just squalks and hangs upside down.

Life would be pretty boring without critters in my life. They give me a good reason to get up and do something.

This is a great thread. I have always had cats or cat in the the house since I was 10 years old. I had an orange tabby then. I love cats. I have 3 Tuxedo cats now. All with different personalities. One is 8 years old Kanya (female), The other two are 5 years old Batman and Robin ( both males). All unrelated and I love my cats.