changes at the zoo
October 22, 2006 l 1 Comment
- Peanut walked out of the pen and explored my bedroom for the first time in four months. Even though she still prefers the security of the pen walls, I am completely thrilled. She’s such a brave girl. Meanwhile, Rex has been running and binkying his heart out - I keep having to remind myself that he’s seven years old. He certainly doesn’t act his age.
- Stephen’s bedroom now has a screen door, so that PJ can see/hear/interact with the other cats even when they’re not meeting face-to-face. Having him be more a regular part of the household means that the girls are finally working out their territoriality and redirected-aggression, and we’re finally making positive progress.
- Beeper has officially moved in with my grandfather. She’s been living in the addition of the house since mid-summer, preferring to camp out in the storage room where it’s quiet and there are multiple levels of boxes to lounge on. But with the cold weather she’s found that Papa’s heated apartment is much nicer than the storage room, so we moved her litterbox and dishes over. Right now she’s curled up on his bed, sound asleep. He’s happy to have a little companion, and she’s happy to still have a low-key place to stay (at 17, she’s earned the peace and quiet)
- Beeper has also transitioned herself to raw food. She was the most stubborn, intractable cat when it came to making the switch, refusing any and all fresh meat in favor of Fancy Feast *blech* But last week, after she broke into a fresh package of chicken wings, I thought I’d give it another try. She’s been wolfing down breast meat, livers, and hearts, and has now stopped eating Fancy Feast altogether. Just goes to show you that cats will do what they want to do when they want to do it. My biggest concern is that she cannot chew bones and she detests the smell of supplements, so grinding whole prey, along with chunks of meat and organs, is going to be our best bet. Let’s just hope she doesn’t mind the texture. Crazy animals…they certainly keep me on my toes.
Miko ate breakfast a little too quickly this morning, and puked up a small pile of froth on the tile floor. No big deal, having cats = occassional puke. You get used to it.
But as I was grabbing the paper towels, I saw Scully walking towards the scene of the crime. I caught her attention and she looked at me, subsequently not looking where she was going, and stepped right in it. I saw the expression spread across her face.
eeeewwww!
She did what any self-respecting cat would do and shook her paw thoroughly, spraying upchuck in all directions, then climbed the ladder to my bed to wash herself.
On the bright side, that floor is cleaner now than it has been in weeks.
Not so long ago
October 18, 2006 l 2 Comments
In a land not so far away, a princess lived in her woodland estate. All who had met her said the princess was very beautiful, with her deep green eyes and melodic voice. The princess was not unaware of her good looks, and she spent hours grooming and smoothing down her silken hair. Like many princesses, she could be quite finicky and demanding. But she loved her subjects, and always treated them with fairness.
The princess lived with her brother, the prince. They looked quite a lot alike, but the prince’s temperament was as fiery as his red hair. Where his sister was reserved, he was outgoing. Where she preferred to sit quietly, he was always on the move. He loved rough games and was known to even taunt the local ogre into a wrestling match. The prince always one. That’s the way it is with handsome princes, you know.
There also live a peasant, who did most of the cleanup around the estate. She was built large and was very strong, but her heart was very kind. She kept mostly to herself, save for the stuffed toy that was her constant companion. Because she bothered no one, and no one bothered her (the prince tried once - did I mention she was very strong?), she was allowed to have a few strange habits.
The peasant was the only one who could manage the ogre, a beast who loved to amble around the estate and ambush passersby. The ogre, who was quite simple and mostly gentle, had never hurt anyone. But princesses don’t appreciate being tackled, and the prince was simply too brash for the ogre’s liking, so the peasant and the ogre, each in their unique way, came to be close friends.
On the outskirts of the estate, behind a tall white fence, there lived an old couple. They had been there since before the prince, princess, peasant, or even the ogre had been born. He was a rather quiet gentleman who liked to take walks, but never ventured too far from home. He spent hours resting with and caring for his companion, who had seen illness and many difficult days. It is said that their love surpassed differing appearances and abilities, and all were welcome in their home. Even the ogre.
Just beyond their home were two small fortresses, each housing a single resident. These two neighbors were brothers and had grown together until fighting and bickering drove them apart. This is not unusual for brothers of their kind. They prided themselves on their strength and cunning, but in reality they loved food, and had grown quite fat and lazy. They lived behind their solid fortress walls, content to have full plates and padded nests.
Finally, beyond the realm of the prince and princess, beyond the lair of the ogre and the home of the old couple, even beyond those two small fortresses, there lived a very ancient warrior. Her eyes were piercing, and her temper was volatile. The long years had taken with them the strength of her youth, but her heart knew no fear, and her courage more than made up for her waning health. Even the young brash prince knew better than to cross her. She would often walk the perimeter of the kingdom, remembering days past, and letting the sun soak into her old tired bones.
Like the others who lived not so long ago, and not so far away, she was happy.
yet another use for egg crate
October 7, 2006 l 2 Comments
First, litterbox grates. Then, window security (preventing the cats from popping the screens out). Now, the safety of one tilty lop.
As you can see in the photos posted last week, I swapped out the exercise pen for a Configure Gate. It’s more aesthetically pleasing, and it has a door, so I don’t have to worry about tripping over the pen while climbing in. I’ve had the gate for awhile, and used it for the rabbits several years ago.
Back then Peanut was, shall we say, a little rounder. Rex could, and still can, easily fit his head through the bars, but Peanut could never get past her chubby lil’ cheeks. She lost weight and muscle tone during her illness, and that includes her chubby cheeks. Now she can fit her head through the bars, and while that isn’t an issue for a normal rabbit, with her head tilt she slips through the bars and then cocks her neck, effectively locking her in place.
Luckily for her, it only happened once, and she wasn’t injured. But I scrambled to find something that would prevent her from slipping through. Egg crate to the rescue!
Now that the windows are closed up for the winter, we had several extra grids lying around. I took one, trimmed it to just under a foot high, and zip tied it to the outside of the pen. And it’s white, so it blends rather nicely. Rex is disappointed, of course. He liked poking his head out and teasing the cats. But Peanut is safer and I’m rather proud of this resourceful solution.
