Mama's Midlife Mire: My Pet Stories

Then, There's the Dog

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:44:07 GMT

Merry likes coffee. With cream, please. Usually, I pour the last tablespoon or so out on the patio for her to lap up. She loves it Today I sort of misjudged and poured it right into the little crease which runs around the edge of the patio.... so she's licking it up - (all those wet marks are from her tongue!)

Trying to dig it out -

And look close at this pic - can you see the wrinkles above her nose? She's got her face smashed down as low as she can, trying to shove her tongue into that crack so she doesn't miss a drop of java - oh, yeah, she's my dog!

StupidCat - Update

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 20:12:48 GMT

No. No, he did not learn a thing. This is him, this morning.... (he'd been banned from going outside for the last two days; not to teach him - cause I don't think cats really learn that way, but because I was mad! Mad at him, for scaring me!) Look at his face - look closely.

Maybe you can see it better in this close-up.... see how his mouth is open? Yeah - he's yelling at me because I moved the porch swing, and he's up there on top of it, and he realizes he can't make it to the roof from there now! Dingledore.

I love this cat. I really do. If I didn't, I'd let him climb all over the roof, come what may. However, his lack of appreciation for this love and concern of mine just irritates the waddin' out of me!!

StupidCat (one word!)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:49:18 GMT

This is my cat.

This is my cat on the roof.

Any questions??

So, I'm sitting on the back patio, enjoying a cuppa joe and a magazine. The animals are out there with me. The cat likes to hop up on the table, then onto the canopy of the porch swing. He was sitting up there, watching the gardeners work out in the common area. I guess he got a wild hair or something, because he's never tried this before, but suddenly I hear scrambling and scritching, so I look up from my reading and he is pulling himself up onto the roof! Here's his tail, just disappearing around the bend from where he hopped up......

Obviously I need to pull the swing farther away from the house, so he won't do that again! Because I knew - I knew - he wouldn't be able to get back down. What is it with cats??! And sure enough... he's wandering all over the roof, meowing and yowling.... but not coming back down. He was all the way out front when I got that shot of him going up the peak - that's up to the 2nd floor - (yeah, of course I went in and got my camera! I've gotta document my life!!) I tried and tried to get him to go back to where he started and jump back down on the swing's canopy...uh-huh....as if, right?! He's a cat.

So, I wait, and watch. But he's starting to get stressed, and probably hot....it was pretty overcast yesterday (you can see the greyness of the sky) but still, it was probably nearing 80 (F) and we have dark grey asphalt roof shingles, so I imagine it was pretty warm up there. He is now wandering around, eyes large, mouth open and panting...so I am beginning to panic just a bit. I finally got him to hop down to a little spot out front where we have a little roof cover over a window that's a bit lower than the main roof, and I drug out our massively heavy ladder and plucked him down. I know he was happy to be off, but I betcha he'd do it again today, don't you? Well, we're having a lovely thunder storm today, but when it stops raining, I believe I'll go out and move that swing away from the house!

Kimba the White Lion is his name

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 00:48:22 GMT

Does anyone besides me remember this cartoon? Alan thinks I'm nutso, but I swear I used to watch it as a kid. I've seen "Kimba" stuff for sale on ebay, so at least I know it existed.... anyway, that is where my lovely kitten got the name Kimba. (you can look back and find a Photo Album titled Kimba if you want a look) Well, he is now 18 years old (and he's been an outdoor cat more often than indoors!) but I think he is finally on his 9th life. In fact, after all he's been thru, I've often suspected that he's actually on a borrowed life - maybe 10th or 11th at this point! He has long fluffy white hair, and we've never had to brush him because he did a wonderful job of keeping himself tidy - even when he lived with the dogs out in the dog house, with straw bedding to keep them warm in the snowy winters, and living in the mud and muck of the horsey acre, he always looked beautiful. For about the last 12 years, he's lived with my parents. Wow, I didn't realize until now how he's been with them longer than I had him after I rescued him! Huh. I took him there when I moved back in when Alan and I were separated, and when we (Alan and I) moved out of state and into an apartment, I didn't want to drag the poor guy into a city with busy streets and all. I always intended to get him back after we found a house, but by then Kimba was comfortably ensconced into my parent's home and into their hearts as well. The last couple years, he's spent much less time outdoors and much more time curled up on my parent's bed or in my mom's lap. In all these years, tho, I've always been his favorite. He always comes running when I go over (which is often) and he will do anything to climb up onto my shoulder - something he does with no one else. You see, when I had him on the acre, twice a day I would go out to feed the horses, and as soon as I came out the back door he would jump on top of the dog house and from there onto my shoulder. You have to understand that it was always the same - up onto the right side, nearest the dog house, then across to the left shoulder where he would drape himself and mercilessly knead my shoulder on the "ride" out to the barn. It was fine in the winter when I was wearing my heavy parka - you can still see the nearly new look of the right shoulder, compared with the nearly shredded shoulder on the left. Summer was a different matter - I have a wonderful network of spider-webby white scars covering my left shoulder! At the barn I dropped him off into the grain bin, where he'd nearly always find a mouse. After the feeding he'd walk on up to the house under his own power... unless he was still enjoying his 'mouse game'. Lately, about the last 6 months, we've seen a real decline in poor ol' Kimmy. Like, he can't seem to retract his claws easily, and they are always getting stuck in stuff. Like my shoulder. Which is way uncool. Also, he hasn't been keeping himself tidy, and he took to growling and nipping if we tried to brush him, so he looks like crap now, all matted and nasty. We tried to work on them, but gave up because it just makes him mad. And this is a cat who never got mad, who wouldn't bite or scratch even if you were a dog chewing him up (a pitbull nearly ended him one day) and even the vets loved him because as they attended to his awful wounds, he just sat still and purred his loud, loud purr. So we knew he wasn't quite himself lately. He's also become pretty thin, but he seemed happy and fine, just old - and well, dang it, he is old! Well, a couple days ago, he planted himself in one of his favorite spots - in my dad's garage, between the pump for the well and the water heater. He basically hasn't moved much since then. I went the next day, and petted and petted him, to tell him "goodbye". He never really even raised his head. The next day, he was still hanging in, so I went again, and this time he stirred at the sound of my voice, so I picked him up and loved on him. Mom and I were absolutely sure he'd be gone by the next day, as dad said he'd quit eating and drinking. (all the cat's stuff is in the workshop, and my dad practically lives out there, so he knows these things.) He didn't seem to be suffering, so we thought, well, just let him go "quietly into that good night". But, no. It's the 3rd day - 4th? and he's still hanging on. In fact, he actually seems a bit better - he's getting up to eat and drink, if only a tiny bit. But dad said he seems to be hurting when he uses his box. So, today mom and I discussed the ever-dreaded "maybe we need to take him to the vet" deal. Dreaded, because at the age of 18 I don't think we can really get him all "fixed up" you know - it's more of the 'end of life' kind of talk. Uhg. I hate that. It's always the hard part of having pets, isn't it? I took Kiki today to tell him goodbye... I'm going to pray really hard that Kimba decides to just drift away in his sleep tonight.

Mama's Midlife Madness - The Puppy Chapter

Wed, 28 May 2008 19:00:54 GMT

Oh, Yeah. What Puppy. Well...about that. You probably know I've had this wild-hair-up-my-hiney called MUST HAVE ANOTHER DOG for awhile now. I'm not sure what causes that; probably an all-out love of animals which sometimes causes grief. Case in point. This is what led me to bring home that Springer a couple weeks back, remember? So, I've been looking in the paper, online, Craig's List, you know, anywhere I thought I might find something interesting. Then I found this old book I've had called Your Purebred Puppy. It's all about finding out what kind of dog would be best for you and your family. Which seems kind of silly, because I've had dogs (of all sorts) my whole life. But I thought, well, maybe there is a breed out there I haven't thought about. Yeah. I know. This chick is crazy. So I decided I want an English Setter. I found a local breeder who had a litter and off we went...Alan and I went out Saturday. I want a male, and I want it Lemon or Orange (that is, with yellow or orange markings, lol!) So he had two pups left; the black and white female he is keeping, and an orange and white male. He is soooo dang cute!! Look at those green eyes!

But, here was the problem... (yeah; with me, it's always the problems!!) He was the last puppy left because he has this growth on his hind leg. The breeder's vet said it was probably just a wart and would fall off. Uh huh. But, the breeder had all the right answers to the other questions, about the Health Certifications, and why he bred his dog, and the bloodlines, and what-have-you. So. Alan and I left - (to buy a vacuum because mine broke 2 weeks ago, which means my house looks scarier than ever!) and we talked. And decided it was worth a shot. The breeder agreed to hold our check until we had the puppy checked out by our own vet and decided if we'd keep him or not. We had the puppy for three days. He was a really good little guy... I mean, sure, he pooped on the carpet, but he's a puppy! It's part of the deal. But, he was smart as a whip, only whined for like 5 minutes when we'd crate him up for the night, was learning to get along with the Bob and Merry, understood "down" and mostly picked up only his own toys and not Kiki's... I think he'd have been really easy to train. And sweet!! Oh, my. And it was so funny to watch him 'point' birds, not to mention pointing the cat, lol! Boy, is that an ingrained instinct! However.... yeah, there had to be that, didn't there?? I took him to my vet yesterday, and $86.00 later I found out he has a non-malignant tumor that needs to be removed at the cost of $400+. And, no knowing if he's susceptible to them or not.... Well, I know anything can happen with a pet, but I also think that you don't want to start out with issues right off. In fact, I'd been praying all morning "Lord, you know I want a second dog, and I really like this little guy. If he's the dog for us, then let this be simple and inexpensive. But, if there is some reason I'm not supposed to get a new dog right now, then let it be expensive and possibly problematic." You have to agree, God answered that pretty plainly. Dang it. My vet didn't say what I should do, of course, because they just don't, but I could tell he thought it wasn't the best idea ever to go ahead and buy this pup - I mean, same reason - why start with a problem? When I went up front to pay, the gal asked me "So, did you hear what you wanted?" and I had to say "No, not really." She asked if we were going to keep him, and when I told her no she said "Well, I wasn't going to say anything if you'd decided to keep him, but I can tell you now that I got a Brittany pup who had a bump like that, and I figured 'no big deal' and got her, and she's only a year and a half old, but if I didn't work here, she'd be an $1,800.00 dog at this point - it's just been one thing after another with her." So, I guess that confirmed my decision.

We took him back last night. The breeder was totally nice about it, wondered if we'd want him if his vet did the removal (but, no, it's just not right) and then said he'd keep our names because his brother also breeds and will probably have a litter next year...(and the vet said to tell the breeder it's not genetic or anything, just a fluke deal that happens sometimes) so, that's the end of this little chapter for now. I just pray he'll find a loving home, because he really deserves one. Well, all dogs do.

That's the end of my dog search for now. After two failures, I am just bruised in the heart and can't take it anymore for awhile. Poor Merry was so stressed out after the pup disappeared she threw up all over the place... I'm doing the laundry as we speak.... Bob, he's relaxing somewhere. Sometimes, I don't understand why I do what I do. But I can't help myself, I guess. So, there you have it - the puppy story in all it's sad detail. I am pretty sure, tho, that someday when I am up for it, I will get an English Setter.... even Alan said he'd sure like that kind of dog.

Cute and mischievious

Trying to make friends with Merry

Bob the Brave

Playing with Kiki

Looking for Bob

Bob hiding!

So, I'm an idiot....

Sun, 11 May 2008 16:44:32 GMT

and I don't even mean because my 'space' is being featured and I go missing for 5 days.... I mean, that's bad enough, but check this out....

I've been looking for a 2nd dog. Because I think Merry is a little lonely. She needs a buddy to play with, and personally I'd be happy if she'd quit being so 'clingy' on me! I've been checking the local humane society's website, local ads, Craig*slist, wherever.... so, the other day I find this 5 yr old male Springer Spaniel. I'm thinking it'd be great not to have to do the puppy thing (while forgetting that "doing the puppy thing" means doing it right so you have the dog you want on the other end...) I have always wanted a Springer, but Alan thinks they're crazy. So, Kiki and I go see him. He's a doll - sweet, well-behaved, blah blah blah - next thing you know I'm bringing him home! I have been sick to my stomach ever since! What was I thinking?? Well, I didn't - that's the problem. Didn't spend enough time thinking it through. He's totally housebroken; I didn't lose a wink of sleep last night because he just lay down and behaved himself; Kiki loves him, Alan is even suitably impressed, he and Merry aren't playing yet but they are getting along fine..... and he wants to eat our cat. I mean, really. Poor Bob-cat, he wanted to play with the dog at first (because he likes dogs!) but after a couple good 'snaps' he has spent the last several hours up on top of the china hutch, and I haven't even yelled at him to get down from there. Sigh. So I guess I am going to have to take him back. Which makes me feel like a total loser/nutcase. I sure talked us up to the gal who was fostering him! And now this. I know, maybe if we gave it some time the dog would learn how to behave around the cat. However, I'm not willing to risk an injured cat in the process. Besides, the Springer looks at the cat in the same glossed-ever-eyes-look that our Golden who was totally cat obsessed did.... he never got over cats, his entire life. So I'd rather just return him now and cut my losses before we all become completely attached, which we could pretty easily. Sigh. Why do I get myself into these things.....yuck. I feel sick.

Quietly Mourning

Sun, 04 May 2008 22:25:36 GMT

I am so, so sad over the death of the filly Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby yesterday. It put a shadow over the great run of Big Brown. Who was awesome. I just sat there and wept. That is the part of racing that I hate... they work the poor young horses too much too soon, and so often their immature bodies just can't take the stress. In any other discipline, you aren't even riding the horse until they are almost 3 years old! So they can still be going strong well into their 20's. How young do you think they are on a racehorse's back in order to be winning at the highest levels as 3 year-olds?? It's so much about the $$, and that just makes me cry a little.

A little information, if you wonder:

Horses' bones, ligaments and tendons in their legs usually aren't fully matured until somewhere around age 4, give or take depending on the size and breeding of the horse. The bigger the horse, the longer it takes - so, if you're talking about a 17 hand mare (that's her height - 1 hand = 4", so she was approx. 5'6" at the wither, that is, the bump just at the base of her neck.) like Eight Belles, you can bet her little legs really weren't up to the stress. In my Equine Studies classes in college, we watched footage of horse racing in slow motion.... it was wild how their hooves were just wildly flopping at the end of their ankles as they made the full stride - it's a wonder any of them step down properly at all. In my opinion, they shouldn't be racing until they are at least 4 years old; 5 or 6 would be better. Unfortunately, it is a money-driven sport, and that is too long to wait, I guess. I'm not saying most people in the sport don't love their animals; they just take risks that I, as a horse owner, would be unwilling to take.

Happy Times with my $5.00 Horse

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 07:24:21 GMT

This was probably the best horse I've ever had. I got him as a yearling, and raised him and did all the training myself. He was a purebred Arabian gelding, and was one of the most level-headed and sensible horses I've ever owned. The very first time I took him on a trail ride up in the hills, he loaded right on the trailer for the trip out there, and the whole ride all he ever did when he encountered new things was he'd stop dead, plant all four feet, and just stare. But he never spooked or got silly at all.

This picture is me longeing him.... that's ground training with a long rope, basically....

So, why was he a $5.00 horse? This is a great story! I'd had other horses before him, but at the moment (in college and newly married) I was "horseless". I was taking riding lessons from a woman who taught Equestrian courses at my University. I'd met her through the program there and really liked her. One day she suggested I attend a local show, just to observe, because she was hoping I'd be showing soon. So, I drug Alan out to the show. It was an all-breed show, hunter-jumper show, but at the lunch break they were going to raffle off a horse to raise money for their horse club. Of course I had to check it out! Turns out the horse they were raffling off was an Arabian gelding! I adore Arabians! In fact, all but one of the horses I've owned have been purebred or partbred Arabs. They just tug at my heart. Well, the tickets were going for $5.00 each. Alan said, "well, we have exactly $5.00 (remember, college students, newly married!) We can either both have a hot dog for lunch, or buy a raffle ticket." What do you think I did??!! Of course I bought the ticket! Now, I'd never won anything in my life. Right after I'd gotten the ticket, I heard a lady ask "Is the horse that yearling over there?" Okay, because I had no expectations of winning - and maybe I'm not so bright - I hadn't even thought to ask to see the horse! Duh. When I heard it was a yearling, I almost went and asked to return my ticket! I'd never raised a young horse, and what I really wanted was a horse to ride. But, I figured, I wasn't going to win, so it wasn't worth the embarassment of asking for my money back .

Skip to lunch time. I'd been having a great ol' time watching the show. Alan, not so much. Back then, though, he used to humor me, and at least pretend he enjoyed it, lol. Then they led out this beautiful little grey yearling gelding, and trotted him around the arena, and read off his pedigree. He had really nice bloodlines, and he sure was a pretty guy! (I have pics of me and him at that very moment, but couldn't find them today) Then, they call off the winning number. People all around me are looking at their huge long strings of tickets they'd bought. No one responded. Number called again. Quiet in the stands. I pull my ticket out of my pocket, and realize I've got the winning ticket!! What do I do?? Do I want this horse? Do I keep my mouth shut and let them call another number? That would be the sensible thing to do.... Sensible-Shmensible!! I just won a HORSE!!! Of course I jumped up and yelled "it's me, it's me!!" Wow. Simply wow. I was offered money for him within the hour, lol, but by then I was in love with him.

I have to tell you the folks who donated the foal were a bit concerned. You see, I didn't have a trailer, no way to get him home....lol. I arranged for them to bring him the next day to my parent's house, as they had a half-acre zoned for horses. I know they thought I was some doofus "backyard horse owner" who didn't have a clue. By the way, being a "backyard horse owner" is a huge insult for anyone who knows horses, lol. I didn't care what they thought, I was on cloud nine.

This picture is about 5 years later. As a 2 year old, he'd won Grand Champion Gelding at the local fair, with Alan actually handling him in the class!! (That is, a halter class, no riding.) This picture was our first show under saddle. I'd done all his training, with some riding lessons on him from a really great gal who helped us a lot. He did so great!! (I competed against a gal whose parents owned the big stable where we'd boarded him before getting our own property, and her horse was the same age as mine, and she'd done the training....so when I placed above her in both of my classes, well, you can just say I was puffed up and proud, lol!!)

Okay, he looks a little ratty in this next picture (he was tired and it was windy) but those are our ribbons - a 2nd place and a 3rd place!! I was so proud of us!

I'll wait for another post to tell you what happened to this wonderful horse of mine - I don't feel like crying tonite.

What's up with Bob??

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:03:36 GMT

I guess my cat has reached the age of "teenhood". Because he is driving me crazy. He is pushing his boundaries, doing stuff he shouldn't, stuff which is foolhardy and maybe even dangerous... he has no fear. Remind you of a teenage boy?? I think he's trying to figure out if he can somehow - someway - get up on the ceiling. I'm not making this up! I've been moving breakable items to 'safe' areas... Here, he's just looking out the window - not too crazy, yet...

and loafing around (I think it looks hilarious when he lays like this!)

Then he climbed up on the fireplace mantle, on top of the clock, and wondered if he could climb up the pictures...

Then up on top of the curio cabinet....

He moved my picture...trying to find a way up...

"Should I jump to the top of the curtains?"

"Nah, I'll just get down..."

"Dude, that totally wore me out."

"A bag! Radical. I think I'll take a nap."

That Crazy Cat!

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 23:19:18 GMT

I made Alan admit that the cat is entertaining. I made him admit the cat is a pretty good pet. ("for a cat", he said) I tried to get him to admit having the cat is a good thing... he said "that's pushing it!" Alright, so he can be a bit of a pain (I mean the cat, lol).... yesterday, Kiki and I were in another room doing school when we heard a big crash and a 'meow'... I heard the cat running off, so I figured if he was okay there was no point in running to see what had happened! Why ruin the morning, huh? Later though, I discovered that he had knocked over our lamp in the livingroom... it's one of those torchiere type floor lamps. Fortunately, it's old, and was cheap to begin with, because it's sort of tweaked now... kinda hard to turn on and off, but it still works.

So - today we are sitting in the livingroom, and the cat hops up on my rocking chair, and is looking very hard at the top of the bookcase. The bookcase is right next to the rocker and about 7 feet tall.... next thing you know ~ up the cat goes! Pretty good jump! He looked startled, actually, like he hadn't thought he'd make it! He sat up there for a long time, just looking around. Pretty happy with himself. I was beginning to wonder if he knew how to get down! He made it - leapt down onto the rocker and kept on going.... what a nut! He didn't even break anything! What a knucklehead!

Update:

Today (Sunday) I moved these two suh-weet Russian porcelain figurines I have (a zebra and a camel) from on top of my curio cabinet to inside of my curio cabinet... Bob-cat was up on top of the piano, peering intently at the top of said cabinet! Better safe than sorry, I figured!

The Dog Dish

Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:42:11 GMT

First let me say that I've gotten tired of referring to the dog as 'the dog'...so since everyone else on my blog goes by an alias, I made ones up for the pets as well... Girlie Dog (no, not her real name!!) will be called "Merry", since she was born on Christmas day. The cat will be "Bob"... Bob cat.... get it?...hahaha.... oh, well...! That's all I got.....

So, I bought Merry a new food dish. She doesn't eat her food, she inhales it. This dish is supposed to slow her down.

It works! And she is so - not - happy.

A question for Cat Owners

Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:57:41 GMT

We have a new pet food store in town, which is really cool because it is just around the corner from me! The nearest "Pet*Co" or "Petsm*art" is at least 20 minutes away - in good traffic - not to mention I prefer supporting a small, local business whenever I can. We feed quality (read: expensive!) pet food, and this guy sells our brand of dog food for even less than the big chains do... and I'll save gas $! We are looking for a good cat food, as our little guy is about to graduate from kitten food to adult. So I went in to ask what he recommends. He gave me a ton of samples (I haven't paid for cat food all week!) and was told to put several bowls out, try different foods and see what the cat prefers... that all the ones he sells are good so it's really personal preference. So far, he likes the least expensive!! I would never have guessed that outcome! So - here's the question - The store owner told me that cats aren't big water drinkers and that they get most of their moisture from their food, so although it's very important to feed dry food it is also very important to feed canned food so they get enough water. Especially cats like ours who are total housecats and never go outside (to eat a nice juicy bug I guess). I've never heard this. We always have fed just dry food, and canned food was a 'once in a blue moon' treat. I don't know how much water the cat drinks (he shares a bowl with the dog) - he plays in it a lot! I realize proper amounts of water are important to good health.... what do you think? How do you feed your cats, and what information have you been given? I'd appreciate some input here....

Crazy Cat in a Closet

Sat, 22 Mar 2008 05:51:53 GMT

So not only does he insist on climbing to the highest shelf (which I am pretty sure he does by clawing his way up my clothing) he is intent on finding a way to get to the light fixture... it's not gonna happen, but he's still in the planning stages.....

But then he wants down, which stresses him out a little....

Here's a terrible pic, but you can see he finally just took the leap....

He may drive me crazy (we have a saying at our house - "How do you spell 'cat'? A-n-n-o-y-i-n-g.") However, I do find him endlessly entertaining!!

Why it's hard to be a good person

Sun, 02 Mar 2008 00:58:19 GMT

Alan, Kiki and I just went on a walk. A stray dog found us. He is a black lab, seems pretty young, unnuetered. He only has one tag on, from a local animal shelter. So I called the number, and they are closed. Of course. So I call the other local shelter - well, they can't send anyone out tonight, they are done for today. If I'm willing to keep him overnight, I can call back in the morning and get someone to come out. "Well, can I bring him to you?" "Sure, but we close in 25 minutes..." well, where I live compared to where the shelter is, it's a good 35 minutes if not more. Will they wait? Well, she'll have to transfer me to the front desk...of course, they don't answer the phone. I left a message, but they haven't called back. I don't know anything about this dog. I'm not sure I want to keep him in my back yard all night. What if he barks and howls? What if he digs, or tears up my patio furniture? What if he has some disease he can pass on to my dog? (Okay - right now, he's out, she's in... she doesn't like any other big dogs, so they aren't together). He's already been jumping up on my sliding glass door (he's really sweet, and he really wants to be inside with us!) Urhg! I hate when trying to do the right thing bites ya in the hiney!! I'm going to try that phone# again....

Update #1 ~

The dog is in the backyard. He is such a sweetie! I played fetch with him, rubbed his ears, loved on him....He has perfect, white teeth....I don't think he's even a year old, probably. Alan and I took the dog crate out of the garage and put it on the back porch for him, in case it gets chilly. I gave him an old rubber chewie bone that was T.'s, and he was totally excited about that! Alan just shakes his head. I wonder if he wishes he'd married a non-animal lovin' gal? Too bad for him, eh? So far tonight, he hasn't whined too much... he really wants to come in (and I swear that silly cat would run right out to that dog, he's been hanging out looking out the door at him all night!!) We'll see how the night goes - if we sleep, or if Alan wants to strangle me sometime before dawn comes! I will call the humane society in the morning - she told me they take pick-up calls from 8am - 10am. Not sure how that'll affect my church-going. Poor doggie, I hope he finds his family. I'll keep you posted.

Update #2 ~

Well, we survived the night. He's actually a really well behaved guy. He barely whined, just as we were going to bed, but then he settled right down and we didn't hear a peep from him all night. He hasn't barked, even once, since we found him! Good boy! I really expected to wake up to a few chawed and mutilated patio chairs, but he didn't mess with a thing - not even the doggie bed that's inside the crate! I'm impressed, really. I called Animal Control again this morning, and they are sending someone out to pick him up. I hope he finds his family, or someone else to love him - he's a really nice dog, and deserves love. Gosh, when I go out there to hang with him, it's like he tries to crawl into my skin, like he can't get close enough...he's a lover. He knows 'sit' and 'stay', so someone has been working with him. It's kind of a hassle going out there, because I don't know what kind of "doggie cooties" he has, and I don't want to pass anything to our dog, so I have to change clothes each time...I've got the "black dog" clothes out in the garage, and I keep changing back and forth out there... I don't know, maybe the germs will cling to my hair or something... but I'm doing the best I know how!

Alan and Kiki are off to church. I hate to miss, but I couldn't just turn the big guy out! The dog, that is... !! lol. Actually, I am loving the peace and quiet....Kiki has been on my last nerve lately. I'm sure it's me, the stress getting to me... but several times a day I feel myself wanting to scream at her to JUST SHUT UP!!! Poor kiddo, I mean, it's not like I do, but I know she senses it... and yet, she doesn't stop....hmmmm. Well, gotta run....my dog is barking like crazy, so I bet they've arrived...

.Here he is... isn't he a nice looking guy?

You have to understand... it was hard to get a good picture of him because the first thing he did when we put him in the yard was to totally slime up the glass doors...eeyywww...lol

The cat was very interested in him...

So, I tried one last time to get a decent pic - so I went outside - he was so excited to see me, he was trying to jump up and lick my face.... ah, well.

It's all over but the crying..... and the cleaning

I was right - all of girlie dog's furious barking did mean the humane society truck was here. It broke my heart to see him loaded up - he was sooo scared....he piddled all over my driveway, poor guy. The handler was a nice guy, and was pretty irritated at how tight the dog's collar was (I had actually loosened it as much as I could, to the last hole, but it was still too tight - when I told him that, he said "well, I hope I'm there when his owners come in - I'll explain a little to them about how things are supposed to be!" lol. I hope he finds his people. Or some new good people. Why in the world some people do not have dog tags on their dog's collars is beyond me ~ he could've been home in his proper place last night! Urgh. Anyway, now I have to go clean up the back yard - doodie wise, that is... and Lysol down the dog crate... I hope that's good enough. I've been making girlie dog go out front to do her business, and I probably won't let her out back until tomorrow. That's all I know to do. She's up on her vaccines; should be okay.

Well, now I guess I will go make myself useful around the house...maybe work on my closet some more...yay....

More of the Crazy Kitty

Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:04:56 GMT

You would think I like the darn cat more than I like the dog...no, it's just that the cat is more....hmmm....interesting. Goofy. Photogenic?? I don't know, but he's always doing something that makes me run for my camera...

such as...climbing into the clothes storage/shelf thingy I put in Kiki's closet (to put clothes in, for Heaven's sake...)

or climbing into rolled up posters...

and promptly going to sleep....

He has also claimed posession of my best and most favorite chair, which is now adorned with a lovely beach towel to keep it clean, if not particularly elegant looking....

All the poor dog can do is try to help Kiki with her schoolwork!!

Cats - good entertainment value

Mon, 04 Feb 2008 19:48:11 GMT

I think I need a good lighthearted blog entry, so I think I'll write about the cat. Oh-my-gosh!! I can't tell you how much enjoyment I get out of this little guy...even if some of it comes in sort of a twisted sense (hahaha!! look, he's stuck again, lol!!) Yeah, okay, so we can be a little mean - hey, if he can attack our ankles when we walk by, then he deserves to get the dog 'sikked' on him! Hey, where did that saying come from, anyhow? You know - "sik 'em, dog"...?? Which, of course, we don't actually say to our dog anymore, because she doesn't get it - she'll just look at us with a blank stare ... we just yell "get the kitty!!" That gets her going. She'd never hurt the cat... and he'll just keep coming back for more, so it obviously is just a game for him.

The cat loves hair-doobies. Oh - well, that's what we call them here...I'm talking about those round, covered-elastic pony tail holders. The weird thing is what he does with them... if I leave any laying around, he snatches them, and puts it.... in the water bowl. Every time. I bet I pick about one a day out of that water dish. Yeah, I know, Alan keeps telling me "well, if you'd just put them away.." Whatever, dude. Most of the time, I leave them on the bathroom counter...it's not like they are all over the house or anything. So, the cat will jump up on the masterbathroom countertop, snatch the hair-doobie, carry it into the kitchen, and drop it in the waterbowl. Why?? Can anyone answer that? Yesterday, I picked two hair-doobies and a plastic twist tie out of the bowl.

What a weirdie!!

He also enjoys a ride in the stroller (Kiki has one for her dolls).....

He's also pretty sure he could catch some snowflakes if we'd just let him go out!!!

So, we did. He's supposed to be an indoor-only kind of cat, but we've let him out a few times, just when we're out, too, because he yowls and yowls and wants out sooooo bad!! He didn't hate the snow nearly as much as we'd hoped... dang it.

Except when the dog started chasing him... he didn't appreciate that so much.

You know how cats like to knead? Well, every cat I've ever known does it in this slow, contented "I'm happy and all's well with my world" kind of way. Not this guy! First of all, the only place he kneads is my hair against my pillow. Why?? Not only that, he does it with the speed and enthusiasm of a terrier digging in the garden! I swear he's gonna destroy my hair. What is his deal??!

Cat vs. Christmas Tree

Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:20:23 GMT

It will be mine....oh, yes, it will be mine.....

Why Our Dog Has No Tail

Wed, 05 Dec 2007 20:09:11 GMT

This has been mentioned a few times in comments and such, so although I've mentioned the story before, it was very early on in my blogging life, so I decided I would tell the story again...in fact, I will tell the whole story of Girlie Dog.

Girlie Dog is not her real name. Which is probably good, because that isn't a very inventive name.... When I started this blog, I wanted to be a bit anonymous, as I like to "vent and whine" now and again, and just in case someone would come by who might know me in "real" life, I wanted to be able to deny all knowledge of this site, lol!! Which is why our names are 'nicknames' and I don't post pictures of our faces directly. I'm just weird that way. All the stories are completely true, however.

Girlie Dog's mama is a purebred Yellow Lab. When she became old enough to breed, her owners began looking for a suitable match. Mama had other ideas, and trotted down the lane to visit the Golden Retriever living at the farm next door. On the following Christmas eve, one little pup was born. Her owners thought it strange that she just had one, as large dogs tend to have large litters, but it was her first batch of puppies, so who knew? The next day, after the Christmas festivities had calmed down, they noticed that Mama seemed uncomfortable and unhappy. They took her to the vet, who sadly delivered 6 little stillborn puppies. Then, to everyones amazement, one more pup, very much alive. This pup is our Girlie Dog. When she does something particularly dumb - which is quite often - we just say "well, she was in her mama too long and probably has oxygen deprivation brain damage, so we can't really get angry with her!"

Yellow Labs tend to be heavy boned, and Goldens a bit more delicate. Labs have thick, hard tails that will leave a mark on you when they wag. Goldens don't hurt, their tails have fine little bones in them but the long hair tends to wipe off everything in it's path. Girlie Dog looks mostly like a Lab...in fact, I've had people tell me she's a beautiful Lab. What she got from her daddy though was super soft Golden hair. Not stiff like Lab hair. She's the softest dog I've ever felt, honestly. From her daddy she also got the end of her tail. Most of her tail is large and hard, and I used to have constant bruises on my thighs from her enthusiastic tail wagging. Poor little Kiki, she was just 3 when we got the pup, she was constantly getting smacked in the face by it. But, the last two inches of her tail was thin and delicate...and, because she wagged from her ribs back, and so wildly, she would whack the end of her tail on walls and doorframes and such, and break it open, and it would bleed and bleed. And because she was still wagging, blood would be splattered all over the walls. Thank goodness for easy-clean paint and baby wipes! For almost a year, we tried all sorts of things to protect her tail, but nothing worked. Finally, our vet said the best thing would be to amputate her tail. Docking is a much nicer word, but aparently is only applicable when you are talking about a puppy....that being a little 'snip', and poor girlie dog needing actually surgery. We finally decided to go for it, and the vet said that it would actually be better to remove the entire thing than just part or half. So we did. Watching her in the Elizabethan Collar (that plastic cone they put on a dog's head so they can't mess with the wound) was the funniest thing ever!! She is so dumb. Not her fault, remember, but still! She is the only pet I've ever had that simply could not figure that collar out. She would try to walk thru a door, get stuck on the frame, and just stand there until someone came and rescued her.. you had to physically move her head and collar over so she could move. She would put her head down to smell something, and get the collar pushed against the carpet, then she'd trip over it. It was summer, so we'd be wearing shorts, and all of us had giant scrapes on our legs from her coming by and just full-force shoving past us instead of turning her head a bit to pass by. What a doofus. A sweet, sweet doofus.

So, she has no tail. We get funny looks, because Yellow Labs do not have docked tails. I'm sure some folks think we're really weird. (Well, we are, but not for this reason! Ha.) We do not miss that tail at all! No bruises on our thighs. No whacking small children in the face. No blood on the walls. Besides, it's terribly cute, don't ya think? Our little 'wiggle bootie' Girlie Dog.

See...the cat already rules the roost

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 23:59:33 GMT

Already thinking he is King of all he surveys....he had pulled down this curtain, and I picked it up and layed it carefully overmy chair until I could re-hang it... nope, he doesn't have it so bad. (no, nobody 'hucked' him for this)...all I did was take the picture...and re-hung the curtain, but not until later, when he woke up...lol

Crash!! Thud!! And other Cat-tastrophies (and the "my hubby is a dork" story!)

Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:40:25 GMT

It's official - I am NOT a cat person. This guy is making me crazy. Last night I woke up to a loud crashing sound...the stinkin' kitten was on top of my kitchen cabinets, (like, up by the ceiling!) and he knocked down a metal bucket of silk flowers. Sure, at least he picked something unbreakable. I heard more crashing later - jumped back out of bed - but never did figure out what it was that time. I've had to take down Kiki's bed canopy, move bunches of breakable things, and can't figure out how we'll do our Christmas decorating....crud. I've had to chase him around the back yard for more than 15 minutes in below freezing temperatures at 2 am because he shot out past the dog (being let out for a potty break) and refused to come in. If he wasn't Kiki's cat, I'd have left him out there. Even if he froze. Or got eaten by the neighbor's dog. I was that pissed. So that's what I get for trying to be a good mom. For letting Kiki get the pet of her dreams. But haha!! She agrees with me now....she should've gotten a puppy. At least at some point a puppy turns into a dog who wants to please you and learns what you want. Sure, the cat knows what I want - or more specifically, where I don't want him. He just doesn't give a crap. Because he's a cat.

Don't get me wrong... I love him. He's furry, and he's ours. I am an animal lover. He's not going to get sent to the pound or anything. He's endlessly entertaining. He and the dog get along great...it's fun to watch them play. For a cat, he's a pretty good one. But there's the rub...he's a cat. Oh, boy, is he a cat.

The promised story....it involves the cat.....

Kiki made this Indian Diorama for history (oh, sorry...Native American) and the cat thinks it's his new bed. He loves boxes; especially one someone spent hours decorating, I guess. We finally put it on top of the TV so he couldn't (ha) get it. But, there he was. Alan subscribes to the "training pets by throwing them across the room" method, so after my failed attempt to coax the cat down (I can't reach that high) Alan grabs him and attempts to huck him out of the room. (I know, it's not a good method...sue him. I can't change the man, I've tried...) Well, on the way out, the cat grabs the wire top of the rat cage...and I guess he got a good grip with those cat claws...so cat, cage, rat, everything comes crashing down. Kiki and the rat both are silent and wide-eyed. The cat takes off for parts unknown. The bottom half of the cage is a glass aquarium, now broken and shattered. Alan is just standing there...the expression on his face was priceless! It was like, crap. I just did something very very stupid. I knew it was a bad idea before I did it, but I am the "knower of all things", so I can do what I want. But everyone saw me. What a dork I am. Now, just for throwing the cat, I'd have been all opening the can of whoop a** on him...it makes me so mad when he does something like that! So I don't know why, exactly, but the look on his face I guess...I just started laughing. And laughing. I just looked at him and said "what a moron!" and he said, "uh, yep." He had to clean up the mess...Kiki and I cleaned up the other cage and re-settled the poor rat. I just found the whole thing hilarious. Because I love it when my dear "logical and smart" husband does something so utterly stupid. Because I can use it against him! This one, for years to come. Call me a bad pet owner for laughing, but geez it was funny! And no one got hurt! Well, it may have shortened the poor ratties little life, I don't know. Okay, so that part is sad. But still. I can't wait to share this incident with our families!!

To clear things up...

Wed, 31 Oct 2007 08:28:45 GMT

No! The cat did not "take care of" the rat!!! Golly....what do you all think of me?? lol. The poor little rattie was humanely euthanized by a veterinarian. The cat just is a wierdie who seems to like being in an aquarium....which gives me a good idea for Christmas... because I am pretty sure he is the kind of kitty who will be the "Destroyer of All Things Pretty and Christmas-y"....lol....

Kitty update

Fri, 19 Oct 2007 05:35:23 GMT

Never thought I'd be saying this while doing a happy dance, but the cat pooped!! doin' the dance...ooh oohooh uh uh uh oooooh.....

Poor, poor Fluffanutter

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:41:39 GMT

Poor Kitty boy. Went to the vet today to get "tutored", lol. Guess what he learned is dang my people are heartless. Of course, leave it to my pet to have issues... he was, well, he had one undescended object which needed removing, if you get my drift. (you know you have to watch what you write here to avoid strange 'googl*ing'!!) It seems to only happen in 1 - 2% of cats. So, of course, my pet. Murphy's law and all that. Fortunately, it was not the 'worst case' scenario - it wasn't up into his abdomen, which I guess requires major surgery ... he did require a bigger incision and some stitches, though. Poor little dude. He's been hunched up in the most uncomfortable looking little clump tonight...I really do feel bad for him. At least he is hanging out with the family. Unlike our last cat, who came home from the vet and hid out under the bed for a full week. This guy is a bit more forgiving, I think! So get this... the instructions say "don't let your pet lick the incision." Uh, do your cats lick their bum?! Like, totally??! "Do not allow any jumping, running or playing." Yeah, we're talking about a kitten here, folks!! Should I duct tape him up inside the closet??

Fluffanutter the kitten

Mon, 09 Jul 2007 21:52:11 GMT

Okay, so that's not his real name...if you recall, my spouse's one concern was that I blog "incognito"....he's afraid of the boogeyman, you know... (or of me embarrassing him - hmm, I hadn't thought of that...!) Anyhoo, the kitty is fluffy, and he is nutty, so there ya go! He's doing well. His little 'cold in the eye' is going away, and he is not shy at all. He wants to be around us wherever we are. He loves the dog; he'll run up to her and attack her...she, on the other hand, isn't quite sure what to do with him! She'd love to play, but I think she's afraid she'll get in trouble. Which is probably for the best right now, as he's such a little thing. We've been very careful not to yell at her if she chases him, because we do want them to be playmates, eventually. She'd never hurt him on purpose, so it's all good. The only fear I had that is coming true so far is that he is becoming more attached to me than to Kiki. He is supposed to be her cat, but.... I don't know if this is true for all kids, but I know in my experience of nieces and nephews, the child wants a pet of their own, but they really don't want to put in the effort required. I mean, she's being great about feeding him, cleaning his litterbox, making sure he gets put in 'his room' at night, and so forth; but the constant loving and attention that he demands right now is a bit more than she wants to give. She wants to play, and he swats her toys; she wants to watch tv, and he smacks her ear.... so then she wants to put him away because he's 'annoying' her. Sheesh, if I put her away when she annoyed me I'd get in big trouble for keeping my kid in the closet!! hahaha. So, well, I just can't help it. I am an animal person to my core, and I can't let the little guy suffer because she's 'not in the mood' to deal. This very moment is a case in point: She left to go play at her friend's house. I suppose I could have shut him back into the bathroom while she was gone; but it seems to me that if someone is home, he ought to be out. So, while I checked my email, he perched on my shoulder, and right now, he is sleeping on my desk, curled up next to my keyboard. It's a dilemma, honestly. I want this little guy to be her friend, her pal.... but, I can't help being kind and compassionate to an animal in my household, so.....what to do?

On the lighter side, this little guy, while not afraid of the dog in the least, even tho her head is bigger than he is, is terrified of the rats! Alan was holding him and walked past the rats' cage to go watch TV, and the little guy fuzzed up, and leaped out of Alan's arms. He doesn't even want to be in the room with them! My crazy life.... our dog is afraid of our cat who is afraid of our rats.... lol!!

Kiki got a kitty!

Tue, 03 Jul 2007 07:40:33 GMT

Kiki has wanted a kitten at least since she's been old enough to voice that desire. Up until now, though, we had the excuse of T. - our since-passed-on doggie - who obsessed over cats. Well, it didn't take long after he'd died that it crossed Kiki's mind that she could now have her kitten. I have to give her credit....we told her that yes, she could have a kitten. Or, any other type of pet she wanted, but she could only get one.... kitten, puppy, ferret, bunny, whatever. (Well, okay, not any thing.... I don't like birds, reptiles, or fish...if you can't pet their soft furry body, I don't think they're a good pet!) I've had chicken and ducks, but they actually were 'pettable'.... any hooo.... she spent a long time debating it. We listed the pros and cons of feline vs. canine, kitten vs. adult cat, puppy vs. adult dog, and other types of pets that she had an interest in. We looked at ads, visited the pound, watched for the occasional box of 'free' baby somethings.... Then on one of our outings, she saw him...the pet she'd been waiting for. She just knew. He is a little boy kitty, white with orange spots and rather grey-blue eyes. Just a tiny scrap of a thing. We adopted him two weeks ago, but he was still too little to leave his mama, so we picked him up just today. He is, at this moment, shut in the bathroom which is off Kiki's bedroom. I haven't heard any yowling lately, so I guess he settled down and went to sleep. He and the dog have been sniffing each other thru the closed door. I am a little stressed out. I haven't raised a kitten in...gosh, like 17 years! And our last cat was demon-possessed, I'm sure of it. So I am a little nervous. I was kind of pulling for a dog, as all of the pups I've raised have turned out to be lovely pets. Don't get me wrong, I like cats... just haven't had great luck with them. Time will tell, I guess. I hope he is every bit as wonderful as Kiki has been praying for. I will post some pics of him soon.