We found a stray kitten a couple of months ago and took her in as ours. She is a long hair tabby cat which our daughter named Simba Marie.

Well, this 5 month old kitten (according to the vet) has been a little angel in our lives. I have a debilitating disease called bilateral Meniere's disease and also Migraine Associated Vertigo. In short, I have severe dizzy episodes several times daily and without notice. I had to take early disability retirement from my employer, from which I loved my job sooo much.

Anyway, Simba stays by my side when I am unable to move off the couch, or bed - pats my leg to make sure i'm okay......... lays down at the end of our couch where i'm laying and just stares at me and when I get up to go somewhere, she's there. When I'm sick, she'll go "tell" someone.

This is the first pet we've had in 10 years and I never realized just how special pets can be!!!

I love cats, dogs, horses.....and racoons....... lol My sister lives in the country and she has a family of racoons that you can hand feed. I fed one by hand on Thanksgiving - which was so awesome! My mom and dad have a rottweiler - who's at least 7 years old - but think she's a puppy - she thinks she is still "small" and doesn't understand why she can't sit in my lap anymore. lol They have 3 cats - a calico, a tuxedo cat, and a persian..... I love animals and was raised with them all my life.

For our church Christmas celebration, they gave horse w/carriage rides....... well I love the Beatles........ I asked the guy what the horse's name was and he said Ringo and teasingly I said after Ringo Starr right - and he said as a matter of fact yes! The other horse was named Maxwell....... after Maxwell Smart (after Get Smart).

Any other pet owners/lovers out there? They brighten your day after having a rough day, that's for sure! And the loyalty!!!

I love animals! I'm a big dog-lover. We've always had at least 2 dogs in my house since before I was born. I have 2 now...Fletcher a 8-year-old beagle/bluetick hound mix (he's my baby) and Lilly a 2-year-old beagle/boxer mix. She's our new baby; we adopted her from the SPCA in March. We had a 12-year-old lab/rottweiler mix until we had to have him put down in May. That was the saddest, most humbling experience ever. Our dogs are our children and it was like losing a son for us. My mom has three jack russells and the rest of the family has a variety of dogs. Actually, I bought doggie cookies for all of them yesterday at the pet store and the girl laughed when I told her I needed 15 of them to cover all the family dogs!
Animals have a crazy way of knowing when we're not well and when we need their love. They are really a gift from God in the way they love us unconditionally. Good luck with your health and have a Merry Christmas!

I have a pet snake(pause for all women to go ewwwww) lol and I have a cat who just showed up last X-Mas and we think he is about 2 yrs old. He is so friendly and loveable and a complete goof ball. We call him Killer lol. I also have a canary, Pretty Boy and a cockatiel named Gracie.

Pets of the past:
Labrador Retriver=Maggie
4 cockatiels=Petrie, Popcorn, Lucky, Deon
Lots of lovebirds(they bred!)-Gizmo, Delilah, Sedona, Phoenix, Chico, Clover and so on
2 rabbits
guinea pig
frogs, lizards, turtles, fish lol

We have had just about everything I think lol

Corey ~ you're so funny!

Although - I can't stand snakes!!! We were fishing just outside of Charleston, SC where we lived at the time, and I whispered to my step mom that there was a snake....... she asked what?? and i pointed and said there was a snake........... yeah, she'll never let me live that down. I don't bother them, so they better never bother me!!! lol

We used to have a cockatiel named Gracie too!!!!! We had a male and a female Cockatiel - and they were named George and Gracie - after George Burns and Gracie!

We were raised with all types of critters too - and i've even had pets of course since leaving home.

In addition to the cockatiels, we had a parrot, parakeets, two american eskimo dogs named Big Guy and Sushi Pookie, an Alaskan Malamute named Katrina, a chihuahua that we learned how to speak mexican to - we adopted him from the spca, dog mutts named Scooby, Snoopy, Socks, Bell Starr, Belle, a toy poodle named Priscilla Godzilla, two lizards, two bunnies - one was named honey (brown and white), and the other named bunny (yeah - originally huh! lol), hamsters - oscar and felix (from the odd couple tv show), a mouse called minnie, finches, and cats named tigger, charro (after Elvis' movie), another cat named charro, Rambo (gray cat), Lady, Sunshine, Harley, Biscuit, Smokey....

I love hearing about others pets and the relationships! Pets are truly a Gift from God! Even the birds outside........ I have two bird feeders and a bird bath.... well, when they are empty, they will literally through themselves at my glass front door!!! One of the Robins' died this year........

Thank you for sharing your wonderful stories!!! oh, and horses......... I LOVE HORSES!!!!!! I can even putter like them - my daughter thinks it's hysterical!!!

Boxers are one of the best dogs!!!!!! My friend has two boxers and my sister just got a baby boxer!!!! Now granted they chew on everything and dig........... but they are so loveable!!! bluetick hounds are beautiful - my best friend had one. She did have beagles next door to them where they had about 5 of them and you could hear them all the time!!!

I love Golden Retrievers!!!! Our aunt Ina and Uncle Dale have a Shitzu and she's adorable!!!! We have another friend who has a Mastiff - Big dog but a baby! lol

I love dogs too!!!! Belle - my step-mom and dad's dog - the rottweiler who think she's still a baby but about 7 - 8 years old, thinks i come over there just to play with her. So even if it's freezing outside, I still make it a point to go out and play with her. My grandmother, who's 93, actually takes care of Belle. Belle is just as gentle as can be with my grandmother, doesn't stand up on two legs, run around or anything.......... it is truly awesome!! And Belle waves hi - seriously!!!!

I forgot to mention that I also had two ducks before too. They were mallard ducks - Trouble and Spurt. They would "talk" to me all the time, follow me around all the time....... it broke my heart when they died!!!!

We have a small pond in our small city where there are probably 30 or so ducks of various types but a new family of mallards are growing up...... so I go there when I can to sit on the ground amongst the ducks, talk to them, and feed them. They know me by my vehicle and when I get out and say Hi guys.......... they fly from every direction.

We lived out in the country, and had a hog show up at our house...... well I went out and "talked to him" in his language and he looked at me and ran to the farm across the street where he belonged......... my husband laughed his butt off!!! I even talk to the mean Emu's at the farm up the road........ they all act like they know what i'm saying.............

Animals can be very trusting ,and give 100% of love and devotion to an owner.
We have a bird who is now 15 human years old,and because he's loved by us he thinks he's king of the household.He loves us,though,and love can spread like a wildfire. I have found that pets who are loved live longer lives.People with pets are usually happier,less lonely,and healthier than those without them. In any case,animals do give all of their love if loved. We had a puppy who lived to be 18 human years,and he gave my family warnings of things happening to me before they happened. He was special.Animals are wonderful. :D

Im getting male cockatiel one of these days! But I was going to name him Willie...there for Will & Grace lol, hopefully he ends up gay too so I dont get any baby cockatiels lol