In general, I avoid doing columns on my animals because I know there are people out there who don’t believe dogs should be kept in the house and some who think all cats should be used for target practice.

I would be remiss if I failed to mention that my husband fits into both categories.  But the kids and I are working on him.

He was never allowed to have an indoor dog when he was growing up, so I think I can blame his attitude on that.  He tells me that any dog that doesn’t hunt or fetch or have some other “purpose in life” is a woosie dog.  Woosie dogs include any lap dog, or any dog that is curly, fluffy, tiny, or cute. 

The opposite of woosie dogs are manly dogs.  These include Labradors, golden retrievers, and other huge canines.  I’ve owned several manly dogs in my life. 

Let me tell you what I know about big manly dogs:  They eat plants, they dig big holes, they stink, and they poop profusely.  They can go through a backyard full of shrubs within a week.  Their poop piles are so big that within days the children will refuse to play in the backyard.

I had my woosie dog when we got married so he didn’t have much choice in the matter, but he’s slowly accepted the fact that I’m not going to lock her outside.  He even goes with me now when I take her for an evening walk. 

Fast forward to when she had puppies.  The first thing he would do when he came home from work would be to go play with the puppies.  There was one tiny one that he would put in his shirt pocket and carry back to our bedroom while he changed clothes.  I would hear him talking baby talk to this cute little ball of fur.

He may talk rough in public, but it turns out he likes little, cute, woosie puppies.

Cats are a different thing.  I have found that in general, men don’t like cats.  I think they automatically go in the “woosie” category.  When my daughter suggested a kitten for a Mother’s Day gift, he replied with a few choice words.

But my daughter knew that I really loved this particular breed of cats.  They were really fluffy and pretty.  He finally agreed to go look at this kitten with her. 

Well, to make a long story short, they bought the kitty and it sat in his lap on the way home.  That night she slept in our bed.  Between our pillows.  In the dark, I reached out to pet her and found his hand already there.  Boy, he had come a long way in just a few days.

When I suggested we give my daughter her own kitten for Christmas, he only put up a small fight. 

These two cats are so big and so fluffy now, I can’t even remember when they were small.  The younger one has personality coming out the wazoo, and rolls over on his back like he’s playing dead.  He lays there, spread-eagle, waiting for someone to come stroke his stomach.  I never met a cat that liked having his tummy rubbed.

I even catch my husband petting him sometimes.  But I think I’ve about stretched my luck in the animal department. 

I wonder what’s gonna happen if we have kittens …