Pests And Kids...Ooops, Pets and Kids...

When making the decision to add a new family member to the family most people think it over, figure their budget, and time their ovulation cycles. When adding a new family member with fur and fleas most do not take the time to consider the responsibility that comes with having a pet and how much energy, time, and heart goes in to that responsibility. There are vet bills, food bills, medication bills, and the time for play, exercise, and love.

Growing up I loved pets and we had plenty of them: Chickens, ducks, geese, cats, dogs, cows, horses, pigs, deer (only 1), and other animals. Now I have 3 boys and the first pet in our home was 3 kittens. 2 I found under our home and 1 I picked up at a garage sale in a "FREE" box. Bandit, Bitty, and Baby were their names. I loved them all. They were cats. Baby and Bandit disappeared during the Floods of '93 (or shortly after) and Bitty we had to give away. It about broke my heart taking her to the shelter but it was out of necessity. She had given birth to two kittens and decided she was no longer going to use the litter box. The vet said she had no medical reasoning for it but that some cats will do that. She taught the kittens how to use the floor for a litter box. I locked her in a bathroom with just the litter box in there and she would shit and piss on the floor next to it. I could not have a cat in my home that refused to use the toilet.

Princess was the first dog Mr. and I had together. She was a Shar Pei and beautiful, fawn - colored coat and just the friendliest dog you could ever meet. She and Teen were best pals and loved nothing more than causing mischief and running like bats out of hell everywhere. Now Teen promised he take care of her and pick up her doody from the yard but, like most children, I ended up having to "help" him do it. We had Princess for a long time and then she developed a nasty ear infection that just would not go away. Hundreds of dollars in vet bills and no medication would fix it. We did the ear rinse, the drops, the cream, the pills, and other stuff to no avail. I was 7 months pregnant with Middle when I took her to have her put down. She hadn't eaten in 4 days and quit drinking her water too. She dug a hole in the side of her head, through the bone, and the vet assured me he could not help her. So...we put her down. I bawled sitting in the room watching her look at me with her big ol' puppy eyes, love shining through them, and no clue what was in store for her. She is now buried in our backyard.

After 6 years we decided to get a cat. That cat's name is Kiki and she's still living in our home and terrorizing loving us. She was a guest blogger on my blog back in August when we were still doing the remodel on the rooms.

We have had, since bringing Kiki in to our home, these pets:

Kiki
Gerbils (at one point numbered over 60)
Two gay parakeets (that are chirping behind me)
Two Praying Mantis' (One ate the other and laid 2 egg sacks)
Sassy - The "pussy" whipped dog. (No, really, Kiki whips her ass all the time and she loves it!) (Her picture is also in both Kiki's guest post and the Praying Mantis post.)
Rabbi the Rabbit (It's pronounced Rab - EEE)
2 Guinea Pigs - Piggy who we lost in May of '07 and Mo Mo - who is still alive
Fish (too many to name and they're all dead now)

I will let you guess who took/takes care of these pets the most...come on...yep! Me. Yay! Kudos to you.

So this post is to tell you to THINK before you invest in a pet because it is like having a child. They are a part of your family and deserve the same care and attention that you give to a child. They become a part of you that will last a lifetime. Of that I have no doubt.

“This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network as part of a sweepstakes sponsored by Burger King Corp.”

Did you know that Burger King is giving away Idogs with every kid's meal? Well, they are! The Parent Bloggers Network is running a blog blast this weekend so check it out!