One of my favorite things about articles online is reading the comments by readers that follow. People get so heated; sometimes it feels like they are about to start throwing virtual blows.

One article I read was something like “Things you realize once you become a parent.”  The author stated that one of the epiphanies is when you realize that your dog is just a dog. Meaning, of course, that before you had kids, your dog was your “baby.”   Following the article were several comments that absolutely ripped this poor author up and down. One read, “I take offense to your comment about a dog being just a dog.  My dog is a member of our family and I will never think of him as less.”  There were several similar comments just going off the Richter about how their pets are most certainly as important as any person in the family. Hmmm. I get it. People are serious about their pets, but come on now. Can we at least agree that while we may love our pets with all our hearts, it is a different kind of love? I have a cat. I LOVE my cat. I am obsessed with my cat. I have a t-shirt of my cat. (Please note, I am officially blogging about my cat right now). But do I love my cat the same exact way I love my babies?  Can you REALLY compare?

Here’s an example, just to put things in perspective. Yesterday I went to the park with my two kids. Our cat likes to escort us there, wait across the street until we are finished, and then walk us back. She went a little too far this time, and came all the way to the grass…where the dogs are. A yellow lab made record time in darting across the park and pummeling my poor cat. She escaped and jumped up a ten-foot wall: arched back, hair standing on end, the whole deal. She hid in the bushes for a while, and then walked us home as usual. It was absolutely horrifying to see her basically get attacked by a dog. But it would be exponentially worse to see one of my children get tackled by said dog. See my point?  Am I going to get people chastising me for agreeing that our pets are just PETS? Probably.  Our cat followed us to the park again this morning. I guess she didn’t learn much from her big scare. At least I witnessed how far (and how quickly) cats can jump in a sticky situation. They are fantastic animals. It was pretty amazing to see her vertically bounce ten feet high. Not to compare, but I am pretty sure my kids can’t do that.