Our Animals

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

ET, oh dear! Tara sounds like hard work! How is she getting on with the feline population?

Tara and the cats mostly ignore each other. Both groups (the cats and the dog) tend to sleep about 20 out of 24 hours, so there's not much opportunity for shenanigans. As for the work - I'd say that Tara is about the same amount of work as 24 cats. Feels like more, because it never lets up with the two-hour interval between walkies.

[IspywithmeI]

Do you have a heat lamp for your turtle?

No, I monitor her activity. If she's very active I let her out of the water. If she doesn't eat I heat the water. I agree she would be in a more natural environment with a heat lamp. Unfortunately I don't have room in my apartment for a terrarium with land and water area's. A heat lamp is of no use without such an arrangement. From April to October she goes to an enclosure outside where she is free to choose between sunbathing and swimming.

[Tigger_the_Wing]

Hi DavidH!

About the turtle - I asked, because I'm missing my dog so much, but my daughter has (nearly) persuaded me that I'm really not reliably fit enough any more to have one. So I've been looking at smaller pets. When we were at the petstore (just browsing, much to my grandsons' disappointment) she kept steering me towards the reptiles. I refused to contemplate getting one, because our rural electricity supply isn't reliable enough for something that needs a heatlamp on all the time.

I'm thinking that perhaps I might get a couple of rats instead.

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

I'm thinking that perhaps I might get a couple of rats instead.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal to keep politicians for pets.

[Almighty Doer of Stuff]

My friend Fel loves rats. They can be very intelligent and affectionate.

I live with three cats, Bailey (Russian White), Stress (Turkish Van), and Morticia (American Shorthair). They're adorable!

I miss Mousie (American Shorthair) and Cookie (Cockatiel) though, now that I've moved out of my mother's house and into my fiancee's. I don't especially miss Kitty (American Shorthair).

[Milo the dog]

[Roy Hunter]

I took this Δ lazy pair for a walk on my own tonight. Mrs H is away at the COSLA Local Authorities conference / bacchinalia until Friday. There was an unprecedented amount of conspiracy to sniff lamp posts, investigate doorways and standing staring into space instead of walking.. Mrs H says they do it to her whan I am out for the evening. I thought she was just being a soft touch, but no. They're a pair of lazy swines.

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

Had a visit from a Peregrine Falcon today. Flew down and perched on a branch maybe 15 feet from the window over my kitchen sink. Didn't stay long enough to fetch the camera, but what a beauty. I've seen her(?) around a couple of other times, perched in one of the big maples out back, just waiting for lunch to come by.

[Roy Hunter]

We had a sparrowhawk in the garden a few months ago. It's the quietest I have ever heard our garden. It landed on the bike shed, and I pointed at it and said "That! What is that? Raptor thing! That?" I said it like that because I have post-grad qualifications, and English is my first language.

Mrs H said "Expletive deleted! That's a sparrowhawk! I think..." That is not artistic license, by the way, she actually said "Expletive deleted!" I love how spouses still have surprises. Anyway, assholes have been killing our raptors. We are not happy about this.

[Tigger_the_Wing]

My friend Fel loves rats. They can be very intelligent and affectionate.

I live with three cats, Bailey (Russian White), Stress (Turkish Van), and Morticia (American Shorthair). They're adorable!

I miss Mousie (American Shorthair) and Cookie (Cockatiel) though, now that I've moved out of my mother's house and into my fiancee's. I don't especially miss Kitty (American Shorthair).

I have a rat - and his name is Bailey! Not because I named him after your cat (well, except chronologically!) but because my daughter thinks he is the same colour as Bailey's Irish Cream.

Here's his ratty mansion:



He is very friendly - he was the only rat in the pet shop for months, and became attached to humans. He spends a lot of time on my shoulder.

[DavidH]

Tig, there's a rat emerging from your left ear. It hasn't gnawed its way right through, I hope.

[Tigger_the_Wing]

He's popped out to take a break from the wheel that powers my brain. Hence the gormless expression on my face.

[ET, the Extra Terrestrial]

Well, it's been a bitch of a few weeks here at the T house. On July 21, we lost Smudgie to liver cancer. He had been with us since he was born, the day after my birthday in 2000. Last Tuesday, we had to put Tara to sleep. We adopted her last December. She was a Boxer, about 15 or so years old, found emaciated wandering the streets. We got her back up to nearly her normal weight, but she had tumors in her lungs and eventually it was just too much for her. Then today, we had to put Squeekie down. He was rescued from euthanasia about 12 years ago. He had Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - kitty AIDS - and they were going to off him because they didn't understand that it's non-fatal, and very difficult to transmit. He was probably the best behaved cat we've had. He had lymphoma, and it was closing off his throat. Cancer sucks. Not a happy time for us.

[Roy Hunter]

Well, it's been a bitch of a few weeks here at the T house. On July 21, we lost Smudgie to liver cancer. He had been with us since he was born, the day after my birthday in 2000. Last Tuesday, we had to put Tara to sleep. We adopted her last December. She was a Boxer, about 15 or so years old, found emaciated wandering the streets. We got her back up to nearly her normal weight, but she had tumors in her lungs and eventually it was just too much for her. Then today, we had to put Squeekie down. He was rescued from euthanasia about 12 years ago. He had Feline Immunodeficiency Virus - kitty AIDS - and they were going to off him because they didn't understand that it's non-fatal, and very difficult to transmit. He was probably the best behaved cat we've had. He had lymphoma, and it was closing off his throat. Cancer sucks. Not a happy time for us.

Really sorry to hear that, ET. I am just glad you are there to take care of them while you can, and to remember them once they are gone.

[DavidH]

Blimey, ET, that's a real run of bad luck. My condolences.