we have several no-kill shelters here, so I know she will get a good home.

ugh, that would be so hard to give away a pet. A few years ago we decided we weren't going to continue keeping sheep as a hobby, and we sold them all for meat. It was so depressing having to send away my sheep Trixie, who I'd raised from a bottle when she was days old. *sniffsniff* But I wasn't as attached to her as I would be a dog. sigh

Funny story involving our dog, Sammy...so the other night I got up and went to the bathroom and just about tripped over my brother's comforter that was lying in the hall by the washing machine, I assumed it was going to be washed. The next day my mom said to my brother "so you want me to wash your bedding?" and he was like "uh no, I thought you did." And she said "well, who put the blankets out in the hall?"
We figured out that SAMMY dragged the blankets off poor Jon in the night and carried them down the hall! I have NO idea why he'd ever do that...but it was so hilarious.

Val, that's so funny! I guess Sammy thought they needed to be washed!

we have one lonely fish in our fish tank. we used to have lots, but they all died
we name all our fish and the lest one we have left is named "Remy" from the main character in the PIXAR movie "Ratatuillie"!

wild rose, I had a feeling when you started your story the turtles were going to escape. Pets can be so hard to find. One time we looked and looked and called and called for Shadow and we finally found her curled up in my sisters old backpack.

I bet it is hard to give away a pet. We fostered three cats, one had to go back to the human society right away because he got sick, one we socialized and willing gave back (she didn't like me (she would grab my legs and attack them) and we thought she was destructive although it could have been the third cat), one we socialized and couldn't give back (Blitzen). I'll be leaving our cats on Sunday. However, I'll be back to visit them. Then I'll be getting a new cat. I've already ordered a cat tree / tower for it. I probably shouldn't have spent money on that since I don't have a job yet and have very little furniture, but I would have needed to get a scratching post any way and a good scratching post can be expensive, so I might as well pay a extra to get more than one. I good at rationalizing things. My sister thinks I'm nuts. Here is a picture of what I got. I bought it for less than $80. It is 65 inches tall.

Val, your story reminds me of a story my mom tells about a cat she had. It would take heavy rugs from the basement and bring them upstairs. My mom has no idea how or why the cat did it.

Blitzen has been rather annoying. If she sees light reflections on the ceiling, she will howl / yell at them. She used to just do it every once in a while but she has learned that when I open the blinds in the morning it means there might be light to watch and yell at. She can be upstairs happily sleeping but as soon as I starat opening the blinds I hear a thump and Blitzen appears. Some times she howls / meows even if there are no apparent spots. I'm not sure what good she thinks she will do yelling at them.

My dog, Teyla jumps and tries to catch the dust that you can see in the light from the windows and the back door. At first we had no idea what she was doing, then we realized it was always where there is light streaming through. And she will spend a lot of time watching it, then she jumps up and bites at it. She's hasn't figured out that she will never catch it!

@PattertwigsPal
I wish I had that for my cats!!!! thats awesome!!!!
americangirlemmie

I had one of those (not quite so fancy) when my youngest cat was a kitten. She loved it when she was a kitten, but once she got older, she completely ignored it. And the other 3 cats (all adults at the time) completely ignored it from the beginning! Cats...you just never know...

Would anyone like to see my puppy?

Her name's Millie, and technically she's not a puppy. She's a three-year-old Maltipoo, a cross between a Maltese and a poodle. She weighs a whopping seven pounds! She thinks she's a huge guard dog because she'll hop up and perch on the armrest of a chair, look out the window, and bark and anyone who comes by. Silly doggie.

She's also very smart - she does lots of tricks (sit, stay, come, lay down, roll over, play dead, "twirl" where she gets up on her hind paws and spins in a circle, "walk" on her hind paws, beg, and shake), she knows the meaning of "cookie", "chicken", and "bacon", she rings a bell when she has to go outside, and she puts herself in her crate at night when she gets tired.

I love her lots!

That is a cute dog, Silver.
I got a new cat today. It is the one I was posted about earlier. That name she came with originally was "Star." The woman who was fostering her added "Bright" on the end. I'm renaming her Aravis. I would post a picture but she is currently hiding under my bed and I don't think a picture would turn out. Her foster mom was having a hard time giving her up. Aravis let me pet her right away and even climbed up next to me while I was filling out the paperwork and put her paw on my lap. Her foster mom said she had never done that with anyone else that visited her. She is so cute. She has a limp but it doesn't cause her any problems. She wipes out some while running but it doesn't seem to phase her. It could need surgery in the future but it isn't likely, especially if she stays a good weight. While I was filling out the paperwork she walked in and out of the carrier several times. However, she was not happy when she got shut in. She did very well on the car ride to my apartment. Her foster mom sent a few of her favorite toys with her, including a cat condo. I hope she will also use the cat tower I got for her. I hope she comes out from under my bed soon ...

I have a dog named Abby. She can be so weird sometimes.. She likes to eat soap... But I love her anyway!

Awww, these dogs are all so cute! I'e always wanted a dog, but my parents don't. So... I guess that's out until I get my own home somewhere.

I do have other pets, though. At the moment we have one cat, Chico, and a somewhat-grown-up kitten, Sofie. We got Sofie this summer in May, to keep Chico company. (His brother disappeared last February.) He's a wonderful cat -- abnormally friendly and people loving -- so we were majorly surprised when he hated her. And... I mean hated. It was not a pretty introduction.

Over time, however, he began to tolerate her, and (finally!) even like her. Now, the two of them are best buddies. It's so sweet when they play together.

What other pets have I had? Hmm. Awhile ago, we had a hamster, Scooby-Doo. He died. We also had another cat, Snickers (who disappeared), and a rabbit, Pedro (whom we gave away)--not counting Chico's brother, Pelé. So yes, I am definitely an animal lover. It's terribly sad when they go, but the years together with them are always worth it.

Here are some pictures of Aravis. No, she hasn’t stayed under the bed all this time. I’m just now getting to posting them. I petted her a little by reaching under the bed and she came right out and went through the house slinking and meowing. If I remember correctly she also climbed her cat tower that first evening.



Don’t let her angelic looks fool you, she can also be a little imp. When I left her alone the first time, she opened the cabinet under the sink in the bathroom and went in there to sleep. It took me a while to find her, although I checked in there I didn’t see her the first time. The next time I left I closed off that bathroom and blocked off the cabinet in the other bathroom. I found her under the sink in the kitchen.

I have a situation to tell about. Some people I tell this story to find it very humorous. I found it frightening and frustrating at the time, although I can see how it could be perhaps mildly humorous. You’ll have to decide for yourself. I shut her in the bathroom at night. We have always shut our pets somewhere at night to keep them from waking us up and to keep them out of trouble. When I went to open the door the next morning, it wouldn’t open. Right inside the door are three drawers. Aravis had opened them all and thus locked herself in the bathroom. The hinges of course are on the inside (her side) and there is no window. The door would only open a tiny crack. Luckily, Aravis was trying to get out and in the process she must have leaned against the drawers and closed them enough so I could get the door open. I was mad at her for quite a while after that. But she isn’t the kind that one can stay mad at for long.

She isn’t really a lap cat (she has sat in my lap 3 times though ) but she likes to be in the same room I am. She loves to play and be petted. Unfortunately she also loves to get into things. I had to get childproof locks for the cabinets and drawers to keep her out of them. She also likes to eat (not chew or shred but eat ) toilet paper and Kleenex. She was playing with the toilet paper and while I was in the process of trying to stop her, she ate a piece. I have to keep such items in the drawers or cabinets. Yesterday morning I caught her chewing my toothbrush. I have filled a cup with water to brush my teeth and she has lapped some up before I could stop her. Today she figured out she can get from the counter in the kitchen to the refrigerator to the top of the cabinets. She “helped” me get my new TV out of the box. In other words, she chewed on anything she could get her teeth on. I was worried for a minute she would eat the package of screws.

It may sound like I'm complaining but I really love the little monster (I use that word in the most affectionate meaning possible). She is really fun to watch when she is playing. She will toss a toy in the air and then do a wide spread paw pounce thing.

Miss R, your cats are all the cutest!

D'awwwwwwwww, PP! *melts* She's such a kyoot wittle silky thing! An imp, eh? That definitely increases her cuteness.

So...I have a big question... how does one effectively make a stubborn cat lose weight? I've tried laser toys, but her sister jumps at the laser beam and then this cat decides that she'll just let her sister get it and retires under a desk or something. Cinnamon (the tubby one) is on a low-fat diet now, but she still needs to excercise otherwise diabetes will result... :s

D'awwwwwwwww, PP! *melts* She's such a kyoot wittle silky thing! An imp, eh? That definitely increases her cuteness.

Be prepared to melt again ...



I had a hard time choosing which pictures to post.

So...I have a big question... how does one effectively make a stubborn cat lose weight? I've tried laser toys, but her sister jumps at the laser beam and then this cat decides that she'll just let her sister get it and retires under a desk or something. Cinnamon (the tubby one) is on a low-fat diet now, but she still needs to excercise otherwise diabetes will result... :s

First, I would separate the cats during play time. I've found that there tends to be an unwritten rule that only one cat can play at time. Sometimes they take turns but usually one cat will monopolize. I would also experiment to find out what kind of toy Cinnamon likes. Not all cats will play with all toys. Aravis enjoys playing with balls with bells inside but Mystery, Shadow, and Blitzen show no interest in them (so I raided the toy box when I was home and took all of the balls with bells ) Here is an article about different kinds of cat toys and some tips for play time. I'm guessing that Cinnamon likes to eat so I would probably see about getting some kind of treat dispensing toy. You can put Cinnamon's food in it and she will have to play with it to get it out. I used to put spread Clive's treats across the floor so he had to a least walk to get his next bite. You could also try walking around carrying her food dish. Just be careful not to trip over the cat. You could also try trailing a string, some ribbon, etc behind you as you walk around the room. That gets my cats interested faster than anything. (Just make sure the cats don't eat whatever it is). Hope that helps.

Pattertwigs Pal your cat is sooooooooo adorable, so cute and loveable, I just love her, she looks so sweet (even though you mentioned that she is a little imp )
It is so funny to see how Robby gets jeoulos of Sophie. When I am giving him a snack of apple or carrot and I offer some to Sophie he turns over and gives her a peck as if to say 'don't touch that, it's mine' I guess he doesn't really like the fact that he has to share me with her. He's used to all the attention going to him Sophie doesn't real care for any attention I give her, everytime I put my hand in the cage she gets very nervous and upset, like she doesn't want me there. Yesterday she did let me pet her foot a bit though and that was a real victory, hopefully I'll be able to fully tame her someday, although she is a stubborn little thing, and every disobedient (and awful loud)
It's so funny to see how Robby looks at me if I am eating something in front of the cage. He cocks his head a bit to the side and looks at me with an eagerness in his eyes as if to say 'you are going to share some with me aren't you?' and how can I resist....I can't