When you have been absent for an extended time, do your animals pay special
attention to you when you return?  I travel quite a bit, and when I come home,
our dog just acts like he does normally when I come home from a day at work.
He is happy to see me, but within a few seconds, he is back to his normal
business.  When my wife or my oldest daughter comes home, however, the dog
just absolutely goes nuts.  He yelps, jumps, rolls around, runs in fast
circles, jumps all over them etc.  He keeps this up for a long time.  This
even happens when my daughter has been gone for several months.  When my
youngest daughter comes home, however, the dog is sort of Ho-Hum, just like
with me.

Our cat, on the other hand, could care less if we are around as long as food
is in the dish.  

42 responses total.

My cat's personality gets a bit off when I've been away.  That's in a house
with nobody else, though.  I finally just got another cat to keep him busy
when I'm being busy.

I'd guess that certain people in your household have played with the dog more,
perhaps at an early (dog) age?

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  My last dog, Duke, who was a black Lab. was just nuts about my father, and
the same with me, on the other hand, he detested Marlene but tolerated her.
When my Dad passed away, Duke knew it, and didn't eat for a long time, and
eventually killed himself over it. (that was the vet's theory at least)
  I think it might have something to do with intelligence. We also had 2
collies and 2 dalmations, and they were more "I could care less, as long as
I'm fed" types.

11 years ago, when I was away for a month (it was supposed to be only about
a week, but I drove into a tree and ...), we had only one cat and Dave was
often working late.  A friend happened to arrive with him once during that
time, & was surprised that the cat showed more interest in being petted than
in her fresh food.  This was Ethel, our now-21-year-old presently getting
last-minute hospice care. 

Wow, Ethel "Methusala" lovelace in our midst.

My dog goes nuts when ever I come home (it's usually after
an extended period away)  She's more excited to see my
brother Jim ythough.  Jim is *her* boy, out of everyone
in the family she loves him best.  Course, she just in general
gets nuts whenever anyone walks in the door.

The cat, he could care less... Unless it's my mom so he knows
it's almost food time and the whining beging...

We also have a 21 year old cat.  "Moose" is always happy to see us return,
but, (George Burns' accent) when you are that age, you are happy to see
anyone.

 Moose was my wife's college cat, lo these...several... years ago. One of
her childhood cats lived to 23, which she reminds Moose of frequently for
encouragement. I'm hoping she has the same effect on spouses.

<grin>  Sounds great. :)

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If my rats are awake, they'll generally perk up and come over to
the side of the cage closest to me, sniffing away.  Which almost
certianly means they want food.  >8)

If they're asleep, they generally stay asleep.

Rats can be soo cute. :)

Actually, yah, they can, which still surprises me.

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I rahter like rodents....  I just can't keep them as pets-
I'm allergic, and unlike cats, I'm not quite willing to deal
with te sniffles at all times. ;)

Gomez looks forlorn every time I put on my work uniform, and he greets 
me at the door when I get home.  Matt says Gomez perks his ears when he 
hears my car park, then runs to the landing when he hears me on the 
stairs.  =)

When I go on an overnight or longer, he greets me by meowing "hello" 
and jumping up on me.  I have to hold him, pet him, and let him roll 
around in my lap for about an hour before he's happy.  Then, he follows 
me around the house for the rest of the evening.

Well, my puppy piczi, seems to get overly excited when ever I am gone for a
short while and comes home, as if to say "Look at me.. He came back! Now I
can sit on his nice warm lap! Mwahaha" and Dusty just kind of looks at me
funny now in her old age. She'll walk up to my feet sit down and look up at
me as if I had been gone fer years.

Dogs have a strange sense of time.  Once you're there, you've always been
there, and when you're gone you're gone forever! <grins>  With cats its
all about food.  When they're hungry they've been starving for *three*
weeks!!!! (If not years... <grins>)

I will be leaving for Europe in 2 weeks. I will be gone for three weeks.
I am going nuts about leaving my cat for so long. Saying goodbye to him 
will break my heart, because I can't explain to him that it's only for a 
little while and I'm not abandoning him. 

He will stay in the apartment, and my mom and aunt will take turns 
checking in on him. They're both good with him, my aunt especially. I 
know he will be taken care of well. So I have nothing to worry about 
other than him missing me.

It'll be hardest at night, because he goes to bed when I do. He's used 
to sleeping near me and I won't be there. Despite having people care for 
him, he'll be alone much of the time. He's not really into toys. I wish 
I could make it easier for him somehow. 

(Both my cat and my dog are helped very much to stay comfortable when I'm gone
if I leave, pleasantly, extremely worn clothing with very strong scents of
me.  Meow in particular loves to sleep with her head in my shoes, and
occasionally in my dirty clothes basket, when I'm not around.)  

There's something about cats and dirty laundry... Right after my roommate
and I moved in (last June) we were both horibly sweaty and changed/showered
we found her white cat, Bernadette, rolling around in her sweat-soaked
t-shirt just purring up a storm.

Hmm. I may try that. I also have a body pillow he can snuggle up to. 

(My dog has been found to do this odd thing where she separates *my* dirty
laudry from that of my mom, dad, and grandmother and then drags pieces of it
with her around the basement--she's not too good w/ the stairs--while I'm
away.) 

Aww... She just wants to be near you.

My cat, Tao always pukes before i go camping(etc.) 
and he gets real excited when i come back!
(:

A new thing: when I start putting things into my purse in the morning in
 preparation to leave, the silly kitten will do her best to knock the 
whole thing onto the floor and scatter the contents. I've had to start 
hanging the purse on a doorknob so she can't spill it, but that doesn't 
keep her from jumping up and hanging on it, or getting IN the purse and 
tossing things out. Goofy? Maybe. Dumb? Never.

<nods> Sasha went through that phase... she used to hide out *in* my
sister's purse (My sister always has huge purses).  At one point my
sister didn't realise Sasha was in the purse until she got to the car.
(Sasha weighed all of about 2 pounds at the time and my sister's purse
weighed a total of about 15- so she didn't notice the difference. <grins> )

A cat in your purse. Hilarious :)

Well, it's been since October and she *still* does it. And now that I'm 
carrying a tote, she can just climb in and empty it as soon as I start to 
fill it for the day.
Kenn says that when I'm gone, BuckShot keeps mostly to herself and sleeps 
a lot. (Yes, they're nocturnal, but...) She never fails to meet me at the 
door for a hug and a few pets, then spends several minutes running all 
over the house in a fit of feline exuberance. This happens with lunchtime 
visits as well as coming home for the day. 
She does her best to spend all weekend on my lap (she's there now) and 
always, always sleeps with me most of the night.
Yup, she misses me.

I was gone for the weekend and when i sat down Scott was right there with a
loud purr and ready for many pets.  

I wonder if Scott Helmke is like that, too.        =)

uhm... I don't know... maybe you should ask him?  =P

(jiffer ducks and hides!)

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wow... Scott Helmke purs and likes to be petted!
 .

<falls down laughing>  Go figure...

Well well... learn something new everyday... <grins>

Does Sasha miss me?  I would have to say yes... given that she hears me 
coming and runs to the door when I come home and then 'yells' at me for 
being gone.  According to my way cool roomie, she's really quiet when 
I'm not home... 

<nod>  She only meows around you.  It's sickening.  =)

Today I worked late. Kenn said that when it got dark out, Her Grace 
started worrying around the front door, looking and pacing and 
'glinking'. When I got home, she climbed me. It is good to be loved and 
missed.

OK. We have crossed the line into ridiculous.
This morning we woke up to about three inches of snow, so I was heading 
out to fill the bird feeders. It was just a matter of pulling on a coat 
and boots over the jammies, as I would then be heading down here to hop 
on line.
So, I put on the coat and sat down, picked up a boot and began pulling it 
on, then saw the other boot making its way across the kitchen floor. 
BuckShot had apparently decided that I would not be leaving, especially 
with only one boot. =8^}
She is absolutely the sweetest thing.
Once the feeders were full, she and I spent a good long time cuddled up 
watching birdies.

aw

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