I view pets as more trouble and expense than they are worth. Though I accept that this is not the way people who love their pets feel.

I'm a pet agnostic.

This is me. I like other people's pets fine (or, shall I say some other people's pets - insert rant about poorly trained dogs here), but have no desire for them myself. I defnitely got that from my parents, neither of whom were pet people (though most of my siblings are).

Hell, I can't even remember to do the work to keep a plant alive; I'm not going to subject an animal to that.

Whoa! I'm totally having deja vu about this conversation!

I can't keep a plant alive but, evidently, have no problem keeping pets alive into advanced old age.

Plus, a hair-free environment would be thrillingly fun for a bit.

yes, it is. Until you realize that the dog had been eating all the crumbs that the ants like.

and I say this with love. not for the ants.

Ugh Kat, sorry to hear that the recovery was rough there. Glad she's out of surgery. She's spending the night, isn't she? Does that mean you're spending the night too?

Our pets have always been beloved, but they aren't human. Does that make me a dominionist? Is it OK if I have no idea what they mean by seeing your pet as an apendage? What kind of apendage is a cat?

Yeah, of those choices, I felt like dominionist was the most "me," but meh.

If you can train a cat to act like a dog, I think your category is "magician".

Both my cats are either waiting for me by the front door or come running up to it when I come in every single night*.

That's worth at least an abracadabra, I think.

• Well, except for last night, when Perkins did, but Dita had managed to get herself trapped in the blanket on the sofa, and needed me to come rescue her.

Both my cats are either waiting for me by the front door or come running up to it when I come in every single night*.

Mine do that unless I come home mid-afternoon (during naptime). Then they take a little longer to greet me while stretching and yawning.

Our pets have always been beloved, but they aren't human. Does that make me a dominionist? Is it OK if I have no idea what they mean by seeing your pet as an apendage? What kind of apendage is a cat?

Yeah, they should have real descriptors like Do you post about them on Facebook? Do they appear on Christmas cards? Do you let them plan sneak attacks on houseguests?

Things like that.

Kat, I hope you both can get a break from the surgeries soon. Poor both of you.

I'm probably mostly a dominionist. I interviewed a kid who trained sled dogs in Wyoming, and I remember Jake was horrified that the dogs slept outside in dog houses, with a run. It didn't surprise me at all. For that kid, they weren't pets, they were ... coworkers, sort of.

Both my cats are either waiting for me by the front door or come running up to it when I come in every single night*.

Oh, mine too! But I can't say that I trained them at all. I think that's just their personalities. Or, possibly, I did train them since I feed them when I come home in the evening.

I do sometimes post about them on Facebook! They are hilarious and cute to me.