Ran some errands today. Brought the food in on the first trip. Went back out to get more stuff and found this. I guess someone was hungry.
I was installing a wireless range extender in the false ceiling in the kitchen. It was fine until all of a sudden I felt a kitten tongue licking my big toe. I climbed down...he decided to go up.
Last night he suddenly started acting very weird. He kept staring up at the counter over my sink, and a couple of times he actually went up there. There aren't many place he's forbidden to go, and he had never shown any real undue interest in the counter before. He just sat on the arm of the couch and stared. I couldn't distract him with his toys or by giving him affection. It was perplexing.
Then I went into the bedroom and he followed me, looking at me with gigantic eyes. I assumed he wanted attention, but the he sat down and started staring up at my bedroom/bathroom sink area. And I'm like, WTF, why is this cat suddenly wanting to get up on counters? So I picked him up and put him on the little sink counter, and he immediately started nosing the faucet.
It finally dawned on me.
Sure enough, his water bowl was empty. He was trying to tell me he was thirsty. Instead of sitting by his water bowl and crying, he just displayed a weird interest in counters/sinks.
Last night he suddenly started acting very weird. He kept staring up at the counter over my sink, and a couple of times he actually went up there. There aren't many place he's forbidden to go, and he had never shown any real undue interest in the counter before. He just sat on the arm of the couch and stared. I couldn't distract him with his toys or by giving him affection. It was perplexing.
Then I went into the bedroom and he followed me, looking at me with gigantic eyes. I assumed he wanted attention, but the he sat down and started staring up at my bedroom/bathroom sink area. And I'm like, WTF, why is this cat suddenly wanting to get up on counters? So I picked him up and put him on the little sink counter, and he immediately started nosing the faucet.
It finally dawned on me.
Sure enough, his water bowl was empty. He was trying to tell me he was thirsty. Instead of sitting by his water bowl and crying, he just displayed a weird interest in counters/sinks.
What a little goofball.
Slag's been fascinated with toilets since day 1. It took me months to break him of the notion that "going to the bathroom" was NOT a group activity and every now and again when the seat lid is left up he'll pounce on me with wet paws.
Speaking of Slag, I got him snipped a few weeks back and he went through a period of wearing a "cone of shame".
He quickly figured out how to get around it so they gave him a clown collar.
He quickly figure out how to get around that and they gave him a BIGGER cone of shame.
The morning I left for Vegas was the day it was supposed to come off. He had been quite good about leaving it on (only escaping from it once), but apparently he knew it was time and I woke up that morning with the cone sitting next to me and the kitten no where to be found.
He keeps breaking free from his breakaway collar so I got him a stretchy Velcro one that seemed appropriate given my return from Vegas
And a quick comparison shot from when I first got him to today:
I hate to break this to you, but going to the bathroom IS a group activity as far as the cat's concerned. Otis is the same way - shut doors drive him nuts.
So I went to the pub on Saturday, and woke up on Sunday morning the proud owner of a guinea pig.
Hardly the most rock n roll degen story of my life, but alcohol was certainly a factor. My local pub has a huge beer garden, and I spent the entire day and evening drinking in the sun with my mates. At some point my ex wife appeared with our daughter and her little friend, and the girls were immediately drawn to the "secret garden" play area that features a few climbing frames and a small pet enclosure full of cute fluffy bunnies and guinea pigs. One of the staff let a few animals out for the kids to hold, and my daughter and her friend instantly fell in love with this little guy:
Spoiler:
Cynically, the woman in charge of the animals pointed out to the kids that some of the animals were actually available for sale to a good home, as they were almost at full capacity and the rabbits insisted on breeding. After trying and failing to persuade her mother to let her take the guinea pig home, my little girl realised Daddy was an infinitely softer target. Especially after 6 pints of Perroni! So I handed over the £3 (after all, it was only 3 quid and how much trouble can a little guinea pig possibly be?), and my ex-wife took the creature home in a small plastic container on the understanding that I would take full responsibility the next day.
So, another £75 later and after 2 hours of struggling to nail the bloody thing together whilst nursing the hangover from hell on Sunday, I now have this in my back garden:
Spoiler:
But Cinnamon (I wanted to call him Basil, but my daughter dismissed that) is actually quite likeable. He seems happy enough with the house I built for him:
Spoiler:
And my daughter absolutely adores him, so I guess he's here to stay.
LOL!!! This is awesome. Thanks for bringing this story here LO, instead of another forum
I do think that Cinnamon needs a friend...from what I know these little guys are pretty social and can get depressed without socializing!!
Funny you should say that Katie, we've decided the same and are going to get another this weekend. My daughter and her friend (I call them the Siamese twins as they're never apart) can have responsibility for one each, and they're already planning to save all their pocket money to help pimp up the hutch. Balla guinea pig Cribz pics to follow soon!
I have had purebred AKC dogs (Scotties) and shelter dogs simultaneously for a long time. I would not hesitate to get another shelter dog. You just have to keep in mind that you may not know their entire history.
Personally, this does not deter me but it is something you need to be aware of. I have had 3 unique shelter dog experiences:
Bryan was a 6 month old abused stray Lab mix when I adopted him. We dealt with these complications for his entire life. Several times, my grandmother advised me to have him euthanized because throughout the years he had bitten children, adults, and other pets. I could not give up on him though. I resorted to segregating my animals any time I left the house. Overall, he was a great dog and a very smart, happy, scruffy, tough boy. But his early abuse did cause many problems, and I am sure 99% of owners who went through what I did would have euthanized him many years before he passed at 14.5 years old just a few months ago.
In contrast to Bryan, however, was my German Shepherd, Skye. I adopted her at 9 months old; she had been given up due to being "destructive" and yes, she was a puppy and did puppy things, but she turned out to be such a sweet girl and loved everyone in sight. She was def the favorite among all my friends, and was so full of energy. She passed away last year at age 12.
One of my foster dogs I ended up adopting was an elderly Shih Tzu named Charlene. She was a puppy mill mom, and was so rigid from having been confined for so many years producing litter after litter that her body was barely flexible. She could not be picked up without screaming out in pain. Change for her was traumatic. She she was very skittish and did not like social contact. I eventually ended up keeping her, simply to spare her the stress of going to and adjusting to another home. She passed away several years ago, but spent her last couple years happy with me, as once she warmed up, all she did was kiss me and jump up and down with her ears flapping. I remember the day when I first saw her get excited...it was a very happy moment for me.
Here is a pic of these three shelter dogs, they have all passed, but I think about every one of them every day.
This has brought tears in my eyes. God Bless You
Last edited by beatmydeuces; 12-16-2012 at 06:27 PM.
We have a bag of about 20 old dog toys in the closet. When the door was open, my dog went in and picked out a bear with a Christmas hat as her toy of choice for the season. How can a dog possibly know it's the Christmas season?!
Two Plus Two
They're just dogs with genetic deformities. Extremely unhealthy dogs.
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