Pets and middle eastern spouses

[Nasturtium 500]

my husband loves animals-- outside. He insisted that the cats go outside as soon as he came... but then once he arrived he decided to put up with them for a bit because they had no place TO go outside and I wouldn't let them. he freaked out every time they came near him and it was like torture. he closed off the bedroom and would freak out about them being on anything but the floor. Slowly he got over it and now he doesn't get up and yell arabic curses if they touch him...now I catch him talking to them and petting them. He still would prefer them to go outside and he still hates that they are on the couch, but he doesn't do anything about it. It's an individual preference thing. Some people just do not like aniumals and when that is cultured with a cultural belief that aniumals are dirty and belong outside, then in some people that is unbreakable.

[Jenn! 918]

We have two cats that were Wadi's idea to adopt. He'd really like a dog, but that's not a possibility at the moment since we're still apartment dwellers. He tells me his family had pet cats while he was growing up.

[*Maureen* 0]

Yes, Molly is fat and happy at my daughter Jessicas house. It has been 4 years since I gave her up and she still to this day will look at me as if to say 'When are you bringing me home?' I still call her 'my' baby. I work full time and I can't have her where I am now. La Princessa doesn't care if I am gone 9 hours. Molly Tamale would worry herself to a frazzle if left alone that long.

glad to hear that

[sara535 15]

My husband never had pets and didnt know what to expect but bless his heart he not only grew to love the 2 cats I had when he got here but he also loves the 4 orphaned strays I have taken in over time. I beleive he would like a dog but we just cant do it for now with all these rotten cats

[amal 4]

my husband loves animals-- outside. He insisted that the cats go outside as soon as he came... but then once he arrived he decided to put up with them for a bit because they had no place TO go outside and I wouldn't let them. he freaked out every time they came near him and it was like torture. he closed off the bedroom and would freak out about them being on anything but the floor. Slowly he got over it and now he doesn't get up and yell arabic curses if they touch him...now I catch him talking to them and petting them. He still would prefer them to go outside and he still hates that they are on the couch, but he doesn't do anything about it. It's an individual preference thing. Some people just do not like aniumals and when that is cultured with a cultural belief that aniumals are dirty and belong outside, then in some people that is unbreakable.

Mine had the exact same reaction to my dog. The cat wasn't as much of a problem but he didn't like it on the couch. He slowly accepted the dog until it was time for us to move and about 2 days before we moved he let it be known that we absolutely WOULD NOT be taking the dog and we HAD to get rid of 2 of our cats I miss those guys. The 2 cats we kept were coz 1 of them shares a birthday with my son and we've had him since my son was 6 months old. They are the exact same age. The other cat is one my husband fell in love with at the pet store one day and bought so of course, he didn't wanna let her go.

So, to sum up, yes the pets were great before he got here but after he got here and saw that they actually lived with us.. it has been torture on everyone. We still have our days...... Good luck to you!

[~Jackie~ 30]

Here is MollyTamale doing what she does best...eating Notice the plastic bin with a folded paper napkin next to her. Lexy spoils her a little.

[panamania79 2]

I am just curious, but do any of you have pets and you had to convince your spouse that it is okay to keep them in the house? I had to go look for fatwas to convince my husband it was Islamically permissable to keep a cat in the house, but thank God I proved it to him. Though he is still unsure about the idea, he has come around a lot since the beginning. I convinced him I could not survive the lonliness if I didn't at least have a pet for this long wait until he comes. Really, having a pet does help a lot, at least for me. Not sure why, but many middle eastern people do not like to let their pets live in the house, though some will have pets. My husband was shocked by all the amenities we have for pets. He joked that our pets have it better than the Iraqis do.

Just wondering what everyone else's opinion is.

Latin Americans are like that also,not just Middle Easterns.I won't get another dog because two of mine died and I was bawling just as if they were people who died.But my fiance wants a Rottweiler and thinks he can keep it outside.Oh well,that's what HE thinks.

[~~~water~~~ 0]

I am just curious, but do any of you have pets and you had to convince your spouse that it is okay to keep them in the house? I had to go look for fatwas to convince my husband it was Islamically permissable to keep a cat in the house, but thank God I proved it to him. Though he is still unsure about the idea, he has come around a lot since the beginning. I convinced him I could not survive the lonliness if I didn't at least have a pet for this long wait until he comes. Really, having a pet does help a lot, at least for me. Not sure why, but many middle eastern people do not like to let their pets live in the house, though some will have pets. My husband was shocked by all the amenities we have for pets. He joked that our pets have it better than the Iraqis do.

Just wondering what everyone else's opinion is.

this sounds just like what I went through. I have two indoor/outdoor pets a cat and an insane/manic/boxer puppy. at first my husband did not like my dog at ALL but he saw how much I love her and has worked really hard to accept her. He also told me he would never make me get rid of her cause I love her but if it were his choice we wouldn't have a dog. As for the cat he likes her because in comparisson of the dog shes polite and well behaved. It has been two months now and I am happy to say my husband goes to the dog parh with us and throws the ball for lucy (thanks to a device called the chuck it) . In the end things all worked out and he even likes her now

I think it is cultural , not many people have pets (dogs - cats) in the middle east especially like here in the us.

[sereia 0]

Mine had the exact same reaction to my dog. The cat wasn't as much of a problem but he didn't like it on the couch. He slowly accepted the dog until it was time for us to move and about 2 days before we moved he let it be known that we absolutely WOULD NOT be taking the dog and we HAD to get rid of 2 of our cats I miss those guys. The 2 cats we kept were coz 1 of them shares a birthday with my son and we've had him since my son was 6 months old. They are the exact same age. The other cat is one my husband fell in love with at the pet store one day and bought so of course, he didn't wanna let her go.

So, to sum up, yes the pets were great before he got here but after he got here and saw that they actually lived with us.. it has been torture on everyone. We still have our days...... Good luck to you!

Hearing that makes me so upset!!! ARGH!!! I can't imagine if my husband said something like that to me. I would definitely NOT get rid of my cats for anyone unless they were extremely allergic. Even then I would take his azz to the doctor to get some medicines first! I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Grrrr!

[S and S 12]

I am not suprised about the dogs. I couldn't find anything good about dogs when I searched Islamic material for it. The only thing it said was that dogs should only be kept around for guard or work purposes, outside that is (so if that could help anyone).

I found lots of positive things about cats in Islam that you can use against your spouses. If anyone wants to read the quotes let me know, I kept them saved just in case after my husband gets here and if he doesn't want the cat around. Then I can prove that she is even considered "clean" in Islam. He still threatens that she should not sleep on the bed, but everyone knows that convincing cats of that is no walk in the park.

[sara535 15]

I think it is cultural , not many people have pets (dogs - cats) in the middle east especially like here in the us.

I agree and I have to say, what my husband REALLY thought was weird were the stores like Petco and PetSmart, huge stores all full of just pet foods and supplies. His experience in Morocco was that the animals just eat whatever they can find or what someone tosses to them. and I also was one of those that fed every stray cat I saw when I was there. I just couldnt help it.

[S and S 12]

I am really loving that so many of us were over in the middle east feading the poor stray cats. I swear there were a million of them and many looked malnurished, though a few didn't. I never saw dogs at all in the big cities, but cats were everywhere.

Oh, and about petsmart, that is one of the first places I want to take my husband just to shock him, lol.

Edited April 13, 2008 by S and S

[~~~water~~~ 0]

yeah neither pet is allowed on the bed......

[SaadBell 0]

Latin Americans are like that also,not just Middle Easterns.I won't get another dog because two of mine died and I was bawling just as if they were people who died.But my fiance wants a Rottweiler and thinks he can keep it outside.Oh well,that's what HE thinks.

I was just going to jump in and say that my grandmother, who is now passed, always thought animals stay outside, they are dirty , My great grandmother took it even a step more, told my mother she had seen me playing with the flithy animals, and my soul was damned, it just wasn't right. Ok so yes, she saw me trying to lift my leg to use the potty like the dog did. Needless to say, this went over really well with my family, but I never changed, and always had some kind of animal with me. So I am used to hearing that animals belong outside.

[sarahaziz 0]

Animals on beds and couches that's absolutely disgusting in my opinion. My spouse doesn't like that either. Our chihuahua only understands arabic & french commands tho .