What makes people decide to bring a kitten into the house and not try to teach the little boy or girl how to behave? Then, when the cat is a little older and way out of control, these people think they can just kick him out of the house and the cat will be fine. Since when did knick-knacks become more important than life?

When we got the RugCats (or they got us, I should say), we knew our house would be full of cat-hair (we clean, but we're out-numbered!), we would be cleaning kitty-kakka (sometimes the cats have hairballs and stuff and that's what Scotchgard is for, right?), and that sometimes our house would smell (let's face it, cat doodoo is not the most pleasant perfume in the world). We knew that...why don't other people? Why do people just think that bringing cats or other animals into the house is going to be just wonderful? There's give-and-take in every situation, including animals.

If anyone is thinking of getting a pet, please take everything into consideration. That cute little bundle of fluff may someday grow into a 12-15 pound CAT. Yeah, he's a real little darling right now. But on his way to maturity, he is going to do things that we don't want him to do. He may break your cherished little knick-knacks and he may stink-up your house sometimes. But he's also going to give you some of the best unconditional love you may ever receive in your life. If your little knick-knacks are more important than that, I really pity you. (And if they're expensive little knick-knacks, put them away for crying out loud!)

What really bothers me is that the owners then make excuses for throwing the cat outside..."Well, cats are supposed to be outside" or "Cats love being outside," etc. Cats do not now and never did belong outside, especially cats that have been used to living in the house. Outside cats do not live as long as indoor cats and they are always at risk from cars, from other animals, from diseases, and from humans. If none of this bothers you, then go ahead and throw your cats out the door.

And, no, we're not perfect. We have problems with our furkids sometimes. But we don't throw them out on the streets to punish them for something that was probably our fault to begin with. And yeah, our house does stink sometimes (that's why we clean five litterboxes twice a day). And yeah, they do break things (that's why some of our more expensive items are put away). The thing is, we work to keep a good relationship with our furkids. And really, that's what love and companionship is all about, whether it's between humans or between humans and animals.