Cat Whisperer Update

I’m a little worried about Shrek. It’s been two days and no sign. Have I told you that he lets me pet him now? He rubs his neck against me and I scratch his ears. Sure, I get hissed at every now and then, but we’re making progress...well, we were until he ran away. I’ll keep you posted.

Skye was trying to play it cool with me for awhile...I think a little jealousy was setting in, but how can you tell for sure with a cat? Anyhoo, he buckled under my charm and soon he was purring in my arms with a good cheek-scratching. Do you suppose Skye had anything to do with Shrek's sudden absence? Somehow I doubt it. Before Sky was neutered, we raised him as a female...so now he shows qualities of a metro-sexual.

Enough kitty talk...

For you hamster fans, Flash is good. Getting fatter.

And Molly is still alive. God bless the loyal mutt. She's gonna live forever.

Grandma Shirley and My Inherited Love for Animals

You know my cool Grandma with the tattoo? The one who plays guitar? The one I don't visit near often enough? Please keep her in your prayers as she is recovering from surgery.A large mass was removed from her intestines. We haven't heard the full report from the pathologist, so I can't tell you much more except that we're all worried.

Anyway, while I hate the fact that it always seems to take a misfortune to bring families together, it's been fun seeing three of my aunts -- Sandy, Kim and Angie. (Aunt Connie was hosting my parents in Phoenix, who were all sitting on pins and needles, waiting for the results of the operation.)

The Ronfeldt side of the family are great lovers of animals. (Perhaps this was what attracted my mother to the clan??) Anyway, my husband's affection for pets can best be described as 'tolerant.' As a matter of fact, our first real fight occurred after I brought a kitten home. And luckily, I found our dog by the bridge on a day when a few cocktails made Doug's heart soft for the abandoned pup. (That was 14 years ago, and we still have the 'pup'.) Anyway, I once picked up a Brittany Spaniel off the Interstate and brought it home. Doug absolutely refused another dog on the place -- luckily I worked with someone who knew of a Brittany Spaniel shelter. Another time, we found another black dog, mysteriously living with us. The destructive Lab bought a ticket to the shelter in Harlan. Anyway, Doug thinks I'm a little cuckoo when it comes to animals. So, after sitting in waiting rooms with my kin this weekend, I think Doug grew a deeper appreciation for my animal affection.

Aunt Sandy just got her fourth dog -- some sort of hairless Chihauhua that walks on its two hind feet.
Aunt Angie has four ferrets, and I lost count of the number of dogs she also owns.
Aunt Kim only has one dog, she refers to as Stupid Dog, but she also lives in an apartment.
My first cousin-once-removed (my cousin's son) has some sort of lizard, a python, a cat and a tarantula. I think he still has the tarantula anyway. There might have been a few other exotic species, but I couldn't quit thinking about the python as they spoke.

Of course my Grandma and step-Grandpa has a dog, who now looks more like a pot-belly pig. But she sure is a sweetie.

Anyway, who couldn't love a family as interesting and loving as mine? They remind me that the most important thing we can do is laugh and love each other while we're here. They also reinforce that just because we have a senile dog, a tomcat who thinks he's a female dog, a stray cat who resembles Shrek, and a rat-like hamster, we're not really crazy. We just like to laugh and love.

God Bless You, Grandma.

Flash and Me

So we're on the way home from the movie Marley and Me. No one is saying a word; we're all too emotionally distraught. I'm thinking of John Grogan's (Owen Wilson) soliloquy, reminding us how dogs don't care about material things and how they love us unconditionally. Of course, this is true of our own family dog, Molly, and most dogs in general I think.

Then my thoughts turn to Flash, our hamster.

Flash has been with our family now for, well, longer than any other hamster we've had. But I have prepared myself for his departure -- I know all to well that a hamster today doesn't guarantee a hamster tomorrow.

Flash. So dear to our family. When he or she (we're not sure)is gone, what won't we miss?

...Like fighting over who gets to clean the cage...or trying to lure the panic-stricken motionless mouse out of the cage...or the aroma of the cage that houses poop that could have come from a small cat...or the neurotic grinding of the cage bars in attempt to escape...I must stop, lest I cry.

Hamsters seem to have only one expression, but no one can deny it's adorableness. It's the "are you going to kill me now?" look. You've seen it -- if not, just look at one my many photos of Flash. (I have almost as many as my kids.)

While I write this blog mostly in jest, likely I will be a red-faced, watery-eyed mess the day we lose him. Unless, of course, we find him in the laundry again. If that happens, the family will rejoice upon the reunion, we'll stick him back in the cage, and go back to watching TV.