the domestic zoo

So I was killing a little time this afternoon (read: procrastinating on my schoolwork) and I decided to check out Google Analytics’ stats for The Domestic Zoo.

In the past month, we’ve had almost 100 visitors. Most were from the United States, but we’ve also had visits from Canada, Australia, Ireland, Great Britain, India, Germany, Romania, Lithuania (Hi, Kayla!), Malta, the Bahamas, Israel and Sweden. Wow! And thanks for stopping by.

It’s also interesting to look at the keyword searches that led people to our internet abode:

“homemade mouse food”

Check out Suebee’s Rat Diet, which can be easily modified for mousey-sized portions.

animals slave

Well, welcome to the club…

bedding for disabled rabbits

I’ve posted about it here, and Zooh Corner Rabbit Rescue also has a nice article on their site.

raw food beginning tutorial

If you’re a feline owner, catnutrition.org and catinfo.org are really great resources for raw feeding; both provide recipes and tutorials with photos. I’m afraid I’m not familiar with resources for other raw-fed pets such as dogs or ferrets.

note: I’m hoping to build onto this site over the next few months, adding pages for both Raw Feeding and Peanut: Caring for Disabled Bunnies. Stay tuned!

burmese cat eating plastic

Yeah, we have a PICA-kitty too: When Cats Eat Weird Things

can fresh fruit and veggies harm my kitten or cat

That depends. Here’s a brief list of foods that are toxic to cats: Human Foods for Cats?

do cats need annual shots?

In short, no. The new Feline Vaccination Guidelines recommend boosters every three years for indoor cats, though outdoor cats may need more frequent boosters, and you’ll need to check with your state requirements to see how often the rabies vaccine is required.

head tilt disabled rabbit + safe enclosure

This is an excellent site for information, including directions and photos for making head tilt-safe enclosures: Housing & Care for Critically Ill Rabbits

~ ~ ~

And there were no less than a dozen inquiries about the dangers of pine and cedar bedding for small pets and/or pine litter for cats. We use Woody Pet as a litter for the cats and for Rex; it’s a soft-wood bedding without any additives and free from the aromatic hydrocarbons that can be so problematic for animals. It’s also a much better deal than any of the other non-clay litters and I couldn’t recommend it more highly!

Softwood bedding (pine and/or cedar) can be really dangerous for small animals, and should definitely be avoided: The Problem With Pine. I haven’t yet found any information that says pine litters are bad for cats, but if you find something, feel free to send it along.

Yeah, I’m skipping class tonight.

My (rather half-assed) reason is that it’s snowing and the roads are slick. Sort of.

In truth, I’m exhausted, I haven’t finished the assignment for today, and…I just don’t care.

I mean I really, really don’t. I’ve done a great job in this class so far, and this paper I’m killing myself over is not quite 2% of my grade. Does that make sense to anyone else?

Now I’m going to go pour my energy into something that’s a bit more important, and then I’m going to enjoy a relaxing evening at home.

And you know, I really hope this isn’t what my last month of school is going to be like. Because that’s just too disheartening to think about.

Stephen was asked by the youth pastor to co-lead this week’s youth group with another guy. It involves planning the game, setting up the music and preparing a talk.

This week’s subject?

Why Bad Things Happen to Good People.

Because that’s not a tough theme to tackle.

Is it cheating to have your pastor dad help draft up some notes? Because I have a feeling that’s what he’s going to do…

With the help of God, we have almost reached the middle of the course of the Fast, where our strength has been worn down through abstinence, and the full difficulty of the labor set before us becomes apparent.

I’m torn between “We’re halfway through already?” and “Holy cow, we’re only halfway through?”

Such is Lent.

A few weeks ago I was telling Dad that of the three ‘components’ of fasting (restricted diet, increased prayer, increased giving) it always seems like two come rather easily, while the third is a mighty struggle. And for this Great Fast, it’s prayer. Taking the time to pray is like taking the time to, say, get a root canal. I just don’t want to.

Now, this last month of Lent is unique as it almost perfectly coincides with my last month of school, making the road before me all the more…what’s the word I’m looking for: formidable? arduous? challenging?

And so for all of my stubborness, I pray the Lord will have mercy on me…

Therefore our holy Mother, the Church of Christ, now brings to our help the all-holy Cross, the joy of the world, the strength of the faithful, the staff of the just, and the hope of sinners, so that by venerating it reverently, we might receive strength and grace to complete the divine struggle of the Fast.

May He have mercy on us all as we press onward.

The Lord said: “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

When people find out that I work third shift, their first response is usually How can you possibly stay awake? (answer: caffeine drip) followed by, Don’t you get bored all night long? Answer: Not when you’re as proficient at killing time online as I am. And now with these proven methods you too can become a certified Internet Time Waster^©:

1. Go down, down, down the rabbit hole of links. Here, Wikipedia is your friend; thanks to a multitude of hyperlinks, one thing often leads to another, and you can go from reading about Elizabeth I to learning more about existential psychotherapy, all without ever leaving your computer!

2. Catch up on your favorite television shows. Network sites (ABC, NBC, CBS) are great for this, as they’ve started putting streaming videos of their current shows online for you to watch whenever you want. Alternatively, you can go to places like fanpop.com or sidereel.com to catch back episodes of truly classic shows, like The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers.

3. For more viewing fun, cruise around YouTube looking for fun and amusing clips. There’s a multitude of precious bunnies, talkative kitties, giggly babies, and other cute critters. Not to mention the littlest Beatle.

4. Find an interesting blog and spend a few hours sifting through their old posts. Some of my favorites: Fighting Monsters with Rubber Swords, Baggage and Bug, 6YearMed, sweet salty, and The Daily Coyote.

5. Write e-mails to all of those people you’ve been intending to write e-mails to. Or don’t. At this point it’s likely that they’ve accepted your slacker status.

And finally, you can always blog at 3:43 in the morning about all the ways to kill time…at 3:43 in the morning.