"he is a pretty girl and I also have a white longhair that annoints all my carpets with clumps of white fur. I try to use available light on pet shots. "

I use what I can. If I use available light, I often have to kick up the ISO to 1600 - and I do not always like to do that. The other problem is that I wind up switching to primes. Don't get me wrong, I prefer primes. However, when I shoot animals, I find that I wind up switching lenses too often otherwise. Time is precious.

Do others have the same situation?

Cheers
James