For the "Aww" Factor

[+ quoththeraven]

Before-and-after photos of baby pets with their toys and the grown-up versions with the same toy:

 

http://tumblr.tastefullyoffensive.com/post/118551347659/cats-and-dogs-growing-up-with-their-toys-photos#.VXKMBtJVhBc

 

All together now, awww! Love the relative difference in the pet's size vis-a-vis their toys.

[TruHart1]

Oh, THOSE kinds of toys, QTR! Of course my mind went THERE before opening the link!

 

I just wondered when I saw the pets and their toys how long would some of those flimsy stuffed toys hold up with day to day play? Some of the ones with the grown-up pets looked about ready to give up the ghost!

 

'My bad!

 

TruHart1

[ZhenXBear]

Before-and-after photos of baby pets with their toys and the grown-up versions with the same toy:

 

http://tumblr.tastefullyoffensive.com/post/118551347659/cats-and-dogs-growing-up-with-their-toys-photos#.VXKMBtJVhBc

 

All together now, awww! Love the relative difference in the pet's size vis-a-vis their toys.

 

 

Lol, awesome link. I particularly like the first one. Wow...from cuddly kitty to Pussasaurus Rex!

[+ purplekow]

Oh, THOSE kinds of toys, QTR! Of course my mind went THERE before opening the link!

 

I just wondered when I saw the pets and their toys how long would some of those flimsy stuffed toys hold up with day to day play? Some of the ones with the grown-up pets looked about ready to give up the ghost!

 

'My bad!

 

TruHart1

My dogs go through toys in a matter of hours to days. Even the most durable toys get throttled. I was admiring the fact that most of the toys looked pretty good.

[bostonman]

A touching story lol --

 

I got a kitten as a birthday present from a friend some years back (she lived until she was 16, just about 5 years ago, and even though I have a new wonderful cat now, the memories of my former cat remain vivid and warm) - and among the first toys I ever bought for her was a "tube sock" sort of thing - a stuffed toy, blue/white stripes, with a bell on the end, tied up with a ribbon. Over time, of course, the bell and ribbon fell off, and the stuffing came out, leaving nothing but the blue and while striped cloth shell. But she still loved to play with that.

 

That toy eventually became a "marker" of sorts - sometimes she would carry it with her to the room I was in, etc. Very endearing. For a few years I was in a living situation with a friend and her lover - my cat was extremely shy around anyone but me, so she often stayed in my room when the house was occupied, but when my housemates were gone, she would happily venture out to whatever room I was in, and often she would bring that toy with her. I suppose it was a way of claiming territory.

 

Well, one day, without realizing it, that old beaten-up remains of the toy ended up in the laundry basket. I didn't know until it was already washed/dried, and I was folding clothes afterwards. Of course this meant that years of recognizable scent had been washed away - and sure enough, my cat no longer recognized the toy at all. I did keep it around, but in its newly cleaned state, it meant absolutely nothing to her.

 

A sad story, and yet kinda sweet at the same time, in terms of "cats will be cats."

[rvwnsd]

Those pics are awwwwwwsome, QTR.

 

When he was a kitten, my dearly departed cat Willy was given a yellow sock stuffed with polyester fiber fill and closed with a twister. When I adopted him three years later that sock came with him and over the years it was his absolute favorite. He would not let his sister play with it and even after she passed away and I adopted a new cat (when he was 15) that toy was HIS. The one time I attempted to wash it he hissed at me. I didn't wash it. He played with it right up until his demise at age 21. A year later, I adopted two kittens and they liked playing with it, but always approached it with some trepidation and curiosity. I forgot to give it to their new parents when I re-homed them, so it is still here in my home. Every once in a while it turns up and the memories of my cuddly little pal come flooding back. Sigh.

[+ Charlie]

We got our dog Duke right after New Year's; Petco was having a sale on Christmas toys, so I bought him a small grey stuffed teddy bear wearing a Santa hat, and named it Sylvester. Duke carried Sylvester with him everywhere, even to bed at night. Whenever we boarded him anywhere while we were away, we always sent along Sylvester with him. Duke never chewed Sylvester hard enough to break the stuffing, but he did get fairly dirty and ragged over the years. After Duke died a couple of months ago, I found Sylvester on the living room floor. I locked him away in a cupboard, because I can't bear to get rid of him, but I also can't bear to look at him. Which is why I can't bring myself to watch what is surely a charming video.

[curiousnomore]

Thanks for this thread. I'm about to cry, so please excuse my shaky typing.

 

For reasons not relevant to the story, I went to the local animal shelter to get the idea of "having a dog" out of my system. No large dogs, no puppies, must be house trained. I was ready to leave sans pet.

 

The second dog I saw, in one quick glance, I knew. He was mine. He was there for me. (At that time, the shelter euthanized 86% of the adult dogs that they received, according to the local newspaper. The story was printed about 6 months after I adopted my dog.).

 

I thought I could tell this story, but I can't. For 10 years, he was as much a part of our family as my children. Hell, he was my first kid.

 

I still love dogs, but I don't want another one.

[+ quoththeraven]

Heh on TruHart's initial assumption as to what kind of toys we're talking about. I'm sure photos of pets playing with their owners' sex toys would be amusing as well as potentially embarrassing. I'm sitting here thinking of how much cleanser would be required. Slap a condom on those toys from now on!

 

They're photos comparing a kitten or puppy holding a new toy to what the same toy looks like held by the full-grown animal some years later, Charlie, not a video, but I'm not sure that makes much difference to your concerns.

 

And apologies for bringing up so many good but painful memories. I look at animal photos and think "aww," maybe because I'm still in the pet owning phase of my life. That doesn't mean I've never lost a pet; I've had one dog and four cats die, including a cat who was a companion for 21 years.