http://www.care2.com/greenliving/kitty-companionship.html
Kitty Play Dates
Is it just me, or do any of you hate the term “play date”? Whatever happened to Johnny going over to Timmy’s to hang out? Or how about a kid showing up at your front door asking if Sarah can come out to play?
Chalk it up to my righteous indignation, but life has gotten too formal, too structured, too pretentious. Play dates? I felt the same way about doggy day care. Come on, I thought!
After mulling it over, I realized that “day care” for pets was a fabulous idea. Instead of being home alone while their humans were working, canines could socialize and enjoy some four-legged companionship. It was just the semantics I disliked. Couldn’t they come up with something better than doggy day care?
Then one day I was telling my friend about our new cat, Buddy. I told her how Buddy loves everyone. His theme song is Why Can’t We Be Friends? by War. He is so kind and gentle with our 17 year old cat, Vinny.
All of a sudden I heard myself say it.
“Buddy even has Tiger and Lovey over for play dates.”
You know when the words come out, and we immediately think, I can’t believe I just said that! Wait! Erase that! What I meant to say was that the neighbor cats like to come over and spend time with him. (Of course they are really coming over for the comfy couch and treats, but hey, I don’t want to hurt Buddy’s feelings.)
Am I really one of those people my righteous indignation loathes? Or maybe I just need to get over myself, and learn to love anything that brings two-legged and four-legged creatures together for some fun. Life is hard enough without getting caught up in words.
I have to go now - need to call Buster’s mom to see what he’s doing today.
related stories
-
(72 comments)
-
(14 comments)
-
(24 comments)
Robyn
Melissa
Deepak
Eric
Dave
Dr. Brent
Isha
Susan
Delia
Michelle
Wendy
Megan
Hilary
Ann
Judi
Ronnie
Kelly
Lily
Terri
Betsy
Cait
Andrew
Jana
Annie B.
Veronica
10 comments
add your comment »Correction: The boy cats are not DEsexed.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I wonder what dads think of their ten yr old boy going over to have a 'play date' with the neighbours boy. Would he use that terminology himself?
Doggy and Moggy play dates, cute. I just wish my four legged kittygirls were a bit more sociable. My neighbour has four male cats and my cats hate them. Perhaps it's because the 'boys' are not sexed and they can tell. (BTW My 'girls' are). Their cats only have to be caught looking at my cats from their side of the fence and they get hissed at and the fence takes a few fast slaps. Just so they know not to dare step foot over to this side. It's like "Don't even think about it pal"! Lol.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
I have to agree - "play date" doesn't sound good to me. When I first heard the term I had a picture of a couple of ten year olds engaged in make out training!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
For nearly 10 years...nearly every day, I have been taking my cat Ziggy for "play dates" with my neighbor's cat Cassie. I have a wonderful next door neighbor and we really enjoy this time together. They are indoor kitties (combo tested negative, have had all shots, are microchiped), but they get supervised walks back and forth to each other's yard. Ziggy is an only kitty and I wanted him to have cat companionship (I was unable to have another cat).
I just have to say "walkies" and jiggle his collar and he is ready and eager...at the door like a puppy. Then he trots over Cassie's yard. Sometimes he goes up her walk to her door and by then Cassie is so eager too. They are so cute together.
They sit together, play "peek and pounce", "race and chase", climb trees and pretend hunt. They have a set routine/path. Ziggy goes into Cassie's raspberry patch (his office) and sniffs around. Cassie sometimes joins him. Then they have a nice sit with us while we chat and/or enjoy catnip or treats, at various places. Then they either amble or race over to Ziggy's yard, poke around some more, sit...we chat... and finally Cassie asks to come into my house for a snoop. Ziggy will often follow her. That wraps up their walk and my neighbor goes back with Cassie.
This walk means a lot to them and they ask for it regularly. It is their routine. Sometimes Cassie and my neighbor come over first.
Our "play date"....I highly recommend it for exercise and a happy cat.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
awe, i wish my kitty was social with other cats! she is a only cat who came from the wild, she never enjoyed play dates! thats not true actually she loves little dogs, she best friend in the town we lived in before was beautiful chihuahua!
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
The whole issue is based in political correctness, which is also a pretentious way to insult people.
We worry too much over the superficial and then, when the real things come up, we don't know what to do and fall into the pc actions that have been drummed into our heads for decades.
Who cares what we call it? It is what it is and changing the name will not change what it is.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Is there any wonder WHY Garfield is America's favorite cat?!! I mean really. Now I don't feel so strange when I tell people that Sonya, my snow Bengal, visits with the lizards, or sits IN the bird feeding station waiting for the birds to come eat . ..
Then there's Jellybean who has to 'talk" on the phone to my best friend . .who is trying to talk me into writing a book about my cats and their antics--heaven knows I have enough stories to fill one! Like the day, Kati Jo locked me out of my own house. .
In all seriousness, animals do a lot for us in the way of comfort and companionship--perhaps it is good that they get to be with their own kind and what better way that a "play date" just for them.
Darling post and couldn't have started my day off better than with a smile. Thanks for a great article.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Katie V.,
Better get him sorted - or you never know when there might be that knock on the door, called to account for the patter of kittens' feet! :)
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
So cute. My cat has a girlfriend accross the street and when he was ill this past winter and could not go out; he laid on my bed and stared at his girlfriend accross the street from my bedroom window. When we moved here, everyone warned us that the cat over there was very nasty and to watch my cats...Well; my little orange fella won her over and now they sit side by side under her front yard tree :) Animals are so sweet to watch.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Did you come up with the theme song, or did Buddy think of it all by himself? My dog and I usually just dicuss our favorite books and sometimes movies on the comfy couchie. We've never discussed a theme song though.
send green star | flag as inappropriate
why is this inappropriate?
Facebook account: