A look at some exceptional outdoor pets

“Well, the first time that I got it I was just 10 years old, I caught it from some kitty next door. I went to see the doctor and he gave me the cure, I think I’ve got it some more. Gave me cat scratch fever.” 

How fitting this verse from Ted Nugent’s hit song, Cat Scratch Fever. It takes me back to growing up in the Salem community where at the age of 10, I had a pet cat that at bedtime would get under my covers, crawl down to my feet, and crawl back up to lay its head on my pillow to sleep with me.

Now I’m a dog guy, and I’ve owned several different breeds. For a period of six years, I raised and sold Eskimo Spitz puppies.

Unfortunately, I live too close to U.S. 64 to give a dog a proper place to roam free as all dogs should, but now I do have a cat. 

I didn’t have to purchase him or tap into my fishing money for any needed expenses to give him a proper home. I did purchase him a flea collar. He just appeared about two months ago. But in a sense, he is a neighborhood cat. One of our neighbors told me that she keeps food out for him all the time. He’s just an average Tabby cat, a stray who was raised by my neighbor since it was a kitten.

“Floppy” was somewhat skittish at first, hiding under our shrubbery, hanging out with another cat, a female I discovered later, who is very shy and seldom comes around. 

The Tabby slowly became accustomed to me. He boldly walked onto the carport one evening, plopped down on a rug, stretched, and flopped over and over, left-right, left-right, and then looked at me as if to say, “Enjoy the show?” 

That did it. I relented and gave him some milk. What a mistake! He really got to me. 

It takes some time to become accustomed to a cat’s behavior. The typical cat traits are exhibited by this astounding feline. He’s aloof, curious, inquisitive, clean, funny, and very intelligent. Cats do not have the numbers of neurons that dogs have; dogs have over 500 million, and cats have less than 300 million. (We humans have billions.)

I’ll admit, he’s quite the companion, following me around outside as I make my morning rounds checking my tent, blueberry bushes, deer tracks, and the boat. He will catch and eat insects, jump into the wildflowers or the foliage, and scatter the leftover leaves. On my way back in, he loves to hide and ambush me, smacking the back of my legs. 

This Tabby will play with anything, but his favorite is a tennis ball, which he taps around, carries in his mouth, and hugs with all fours. While lying on his side, he will furiously kick it with both hind legs. His backhand does need more spin, which is exactly why his appetite increases daily from tennis practice and his daily jaunts. 

Every morning when I step outside, he is under my feet with a short “mew,” which translates into “milk.” Then it’s rotisserie chicken, tuna, smoked ham trimmings and pizza crust.

Most days he is out for his adventures, checking in with his mate and offspring, returning only for food and a cat nap. At least two days per week, he sleeps sporadically all day in various locations on the carport. 

I don’t call him with the typical “kitty-kitty.” He responds to a whistle and comes on the run. He likes to rub the sides of his face on absolutely everything, and at times he doesn’t want to be petted. He has only scratched me twice and bit me once, but no more since I’ve learned how to detect his moods. 

Fortunately, I’m no longer allergic to cats. Most times at night when I step out to put up my feet, he hops up onto my lap, curls up, and amps up the purring machine. I now get it, I know how you cat people feel.

Some mornings I drive to a nearby neighbor’s place to try to get a good angle on the morning sunrise for possibly a dramatic photograph. It’s during these frequent morning trips I became familiar with their goats and their dog. He barks at everybody, but I’ve learned that if I ignore him and do not look him in the eye, he ceases barking. 

Cotton is a 4-year-old Great Bernese herding protector. He certainly is a protector … always around the goats, following them, sleeping with them, and always looking around for any potential danger. 

Even if he is distracted, it’s temporary; he maintains total focus on the 10 does, one buck, and seven kids. With names such as Rose, Ruby, and Luna, the goats there are Savahana Whitesides’ pets. 

“They are fed a diet of grain, alfalfa, bananas, and pineapple. No one should ever give them potato peelings or onions because they are toxic to goats.” Whitesides said. “I like the idea of homesteading, and I make lotion from my goats’ milk which is good for skin ailments, such as a rash. It’s available at $10 for an 8-ounce jar. The kids are for sale too. For more information, contact me on Facebook at Piney Hollow Farm.”

Cotton is a beautiful affectionate guard dog. He shares his body heat with the aid of a red heat lamp during winter. Naturally, her goats will eat almost anything, even the loose wood on the power poles, where they stick their heads through the fence to nibble on the available wood. 

Morganton native Brittany Case has an 8-year-old German Shepard/Siberian Husky mix named Maximilian, or Max, who is a very smart dog. 

He is very alert and in tune with everything that’s going on around him, and a very loveable playful dog. He loves to run and play tug of war with his favorite toy. He never passes up the opportunity for a belly rub or a good scratch behind the ear. 

Max loves attention and doesn’t like to be left alone. We found this out when we adopted him. At the shelter, we were told that he has separation anxiety due to his former owner leaving him locked up in a tiny apartment for a long time while traveling for work. 

Max is extremely attached to my dad. Whenever dad leaves him, he will bark, whine, and wait patiently, watching the driveway entrance until he returns. Max hates it when it storms, but he loves the rain, lying out in it until he is soaking wet. He enjoys taking rides in my dad’s truck. 

My parents and I always knew that if we have to drive my dad’s truck anywhere, we have to take Max along since he has become attached to it. I suppose it’s because that is the very vehicle that we brought him home in.

“Max is a very special dog, and I knew it the moment I saw his picture online when we were searching for a dog.” said Case. 

I’m currently reading a paperback by Popular Science. It’s a special edition entitled “Secrets of a Dog’s Mind.” I am continuously enriched and enlightened as I attempt to absorb much of what I always suspected about dogs. They can sense many of our moods and give us subtle clues that we may not even notice. 

I was going through a rough patch of the blues at one time in my life. As I stepped out onto the deck, adult beverage in hand, my mixed breed Chow noticed me, ceased playing in the yard, came over to sit beside me, and looked up with sad soulful eyes. Most all the dogs that I meet here in Morganton – on the Catawba River Greenway, at Lake James, or anywhere else – begin wagging their tails and walking toward me. They can sense that I love them. Dogs are so much more than man’s best friend.

Domestic rabbits also make good outdoor pets. Like any other pet, they require some specific care. You need a pen with plenty of room to allow them to move about and get their much-needed exercise. 

One section of the pen should be open with a wire bottom and sides, and of course a cover. The other section should be wood, not plastic, for protection from the elements. They require a diet of lettuce, spinach, or any green leafy vegetable. Carrots and peas are also good with a portion of rabbit pellets designed specifically for rabbits as a side dish. 

A fresh supply of water daily is essential too. Shanna Peare, a friend of mine, keeps rabbits as pets. One is named “Greddy,” (which is also her son’s name) and the other’s called “Mama Axle.” 

She recently had a rabbit emergency when Greddy was throwing a fit and completely trashed their area. Greddy is still at the veterinarian with an uncertain future. Shanna recently took on an injured rabbit and nursed it back to good health. 

For a large portion of the past 40 years, Paul Shell has covered the outdoors for various newspapers and magazines, including Sports Afield and The Angler, and is the former owner of the Rod & Fly in Morganton. He can be reached at 828-443-4157 or rodfly82@gmail.com.