Category: Critters

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Critters

The Critter Census

Just for giggles, using this article about determining your pets’ age, I decided to do a quick “critter census” of our herd of pets. (If indeed such a label can be applied to our four-legged overlords.) Here’s what I came up with:

Xena is approximately 64 years old in dog years. No wonder she’s delegated guard dog duties to Gabby, who is now a rambunctious teenager: she’s getting ready to retire.

Olivia and Oberon are both running up on 40. No wonder they hang out with me so much these days. Puck is 28, and he’s still nuts – Pucknuts, that is. That helps him to keep up with Portia and Maria, who are both teenagers.

Pour in a four-year-old human on top of all these four-legged teenagers, and now you know why I’m going grey.… Read more

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Critters

It’s Portia Day!

For those of you just tuning in, it was about a year ago this weekend that our herd of 2011 rescue animals started showing up, beginning with Portia, an attitudinal little red-headed tabby kitten my wife spotted up in a tree… surrounded by hungry dogs. The dogs were chased off and Portia was promptly whisked away in the tail waggin’ mail wagon to join our family.

She’s celebrating today in fine style. … Read more

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Critters

Portia’s the baby, gotta love her

Portia

This is why the high chair, still in the dining room area and these days supporting various pieces of bric-a-brac (including sleepy Portia, who falls asleep in the thing standing up), needs to go to a new home. That, and the very high likelihood that any further additions to this family are likely to be of the four-legged furry variety.… Read more

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Critters

Kitten update

Ever wonder about those two strays we rescued last year? Sure you do. I gotta tell you, they were both as feral as cats can get, and they still, to this day, struggle mightily with the life of a domesticated housecat.

Portia struggles to comprehend the life of a non-feral housecat
Portia snoozes on the clean towels

Maria struggles to comprehend the life of a non-feral housecat
Maria just crashes where-EVAH

This fight to adjust to their new lives will probably take years. Keep tuning in to Mutual of Omaha’s Mild Kingdom for updates.… Read more

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Critters

I miss my horse

Sultry

Five years ago today, I lost my big beautiful brown Arabian horse. It was, and still is, one of the worst things I’ve ever seen with these eyes in my entire life.

I still miss that big beautiful horse. She had health problems that forced us to give up on trying to breed her (which, for most folks, eliminates the only reason you’d own a horse of that age), and she wound up becoming a great big pet.

I remember her laying down and letting me sit next to her and lay my head on her belly on sunny days. Or just strolling around with her following me. She knew I was “her person.” I only had her for seven years, but you’d swear we’d grown up together. I had never owned a horse before. And the way it all ended… I can never own a horse again. I love horses, but this just broke my heart.

I wish she could’ve stuck around long enough to spend time with Little E. I think they could’ve had a special bond too. I would’ve trusted her with him – she was always very gentle around me.

In a way, her replacement showed up the same day – we weren’t even taking applications yet. And the boy loves that cat. There’s some small consolation.

I still miss that big horse.… Read more