So you have a pet?

Fran

I really don't like to separate people and make judgments, but in the case of pet owners and non-pet owners, I have to say there is a totally different mind frame between the two. Someone who has never owned a cat will not for minute get why I get up at 5:45ish in the morning on a Saturday, put on my slippers and shuffle down the stairs to open a can of cat food. Then shuffle back to bed. Nor will they get why I turn my living into a ferret playground for a few hours a day, creating a mess that I will later have to clean up. And then do it all over again the next day.

I have no doubt my life would be simpler without my little zoo--two black cats: Lordie aka Lord Infamous (my daughter didn't know she was a girl when she named her), Francis, the cowardly but loving large male. Two ferrets: Bonnie, the older but sprite little bra-stealing princess and her cohort, Pauley the playful who is in to everything! And finally Giovanni(Gio or G), the stomping around tortoise who should have been named Bulldozer. Maybe they are not easy, but they are worth it!


Gio

I don't know how many times I have been blue and Francis will sense this and come and keep me company. Sometimes he will just stare at me, but even that makes me laugh. You would have to know Francis to know why. He has the rude habit of staring and staring without blinking for long periods of time. Try to beat Fran at a stare-down---impossible:)


Bonnie

Or when Sean, my husband, and I have an argument, Francis steps between us and raises his paw as if to say, QUIET! How can we not stop arguing and laugh. Yes it's the laughter and good feelings they create. Even Gio has his cute habits. Like how he loves green beans and after he eats has a green little ring around his mouth. Sometimes a stray chunk of bean sticking to his cheek. Yes, he does have cheeks!


Fran and Lordie

So no, my sister who never has been fond of animals will not understand any of this. But then again, she doesn't get the soft little wet kisses Bonnie gives me. Nor does she have a companion, long before anybody else is awake for the day, that will share some of her cheese from her cheese bagel. She will not get whipped in the face by a Fran-tail at 4 am either, but that's besides the point.


Pauley

So what is the point? The point is, pets give us the kind of love people can't. With no strings attached. As long as they are fed, that is:)


Good night!

Blog Change

Hello! I will be posting my pet blog monthly from now on. I hope you will stick around and join me!

My Blog

Bonnie and her toy ferret:)

I have been finding it very challenging to keep up with two blogs, my paintings and all my online stores. So I will be doing a monthly blog from now on instead of weekly. I hope you will continue to follow:)
Juli

Fourth Of July

Around the Fourth Of July my two sisters and their families come to stay with us. So I will be taking a small hiatus from my blog to get ready for the visit and to enjoy the time they are here! I wish you all a wonderful holiday!








Yankee Doodle Doggie Cheryl Ann Quigley @caqphotography
http://www.redbubble.com/people/caqphotography/portfolio



Glenna Walker Happy 4th of July! http://www.redbubble.com/people/iluvmyragdolls/portfolio

Photo Of The Week

Timmy wants a pancake!
Sent in by Ellen Norcott

Outdoors or Indoors?

Fran (in the back) and Lordie

If you own a cat, you have probably already had to face the dilemma of whether to let your cat outdoors for any length of time. Or to keep them an indoor only cat.

When our two cats, Fran and Lordie, were adult cats, we did let them out, since I worked from home. And we trained them to come in the house whenever I blew a horn. For a while, it was the perfect routine. They did get fleas, so we had to treat them for that, but otherwise, things ran smoothly. That is until the adventurous Fran decided to go too far and get lost. We didn't see him for 22 days.


Fran and Lordie in on of their favorite spots. They like to perch here and stare at me while I am on the computer:)

We were devastated! Fran was a stray my daughter Ashley brought home from the pet hospital she worked for. He had a cute, scraped up nose from trying to escape from his cage. They finally had to let him wonder around the hospital and he soon became a favorite there.



Fran finally had a home....ours:)



We put fliers up and went around the neighborhood looking everywhere. We put an ad in the newspaper. I didn't realize just how many black cats there were until I started looking for Fran. Every time someone called we would jump in out car to find him. Yes, it was a black cat, but it wasn't Fran.

22 days went by until suddenly my daughter sees a black cat in out back yard. I say, "it's not going to be him." We had looked everywhere! The next thing we know this cat is at out patio door looking in. And we both scream, "FRAN!" He had finally found his home again!


Fran gazing out the window.


Fran was my buddy because he would sit and watch me paint every day. I would throw Q-tips at him to play with (I used them to wipe off mistakes). He sleeps at the head of the bed right by me every night. So when my husband wondered whether we should ever let them out again, I said a definite "NO!"




Fran while I paint!


But now I am back to wondering if I am being selfish. But I never want to go through that again! Every spring it's the same guilty feeling I have that they have to stay indoors. We even asked our vet, who said if you want them to live longer, keep them inside.


Fran looking at his friend, a squirrel.

So now we have been contemplating buying some sort of fence. Or cat house. Or something. So I am posting this blog to get some opinions from all of you out there. What has worked for you?

Photo Week!

Happy June! Here are some fun photos I have come across and wanted to share with you:)