Our Pets. A Cat and a Dog

 Our house is filled with tiny, innocent creatures. Some have two legs, some have four. Each of these little treasures bring their own joys and challenges. You've read plenty about the challenges posed by the humans. You've also read about the adventures that come with the animals (the four-legged ones). Here's a little more about the pets in our happy home.

Kitty

Our cat came first. We got her about five years ago and kept her in what was the office at the time. She was a kitten, and we didn't want her to feel overwhelmed by seeing the entire house. She had a little cat apartment, and Kitty was content to sleep on the "top floor" of the apartment and walk around the room, seeing what was there and meowing "Hello" to anyone who dropped by to check on her.

There was an anxious moment when we first got Kitty. I was cooking dinner one night and I happened to set off the smoke alarm as I normally do when cooking. (Side note: I don't burn anything. The alarms get triggered because of the way the kitchen is laid out in relation to the fans and ventilation.) I immediately checked on Kitty and made sure she wasn't upset by the loud noise that I'm sure seemed even louder to a little kitten with little ears. She was fine. She picked her head up when I opened the door and put her head back down when she saw it was me.

Kitty patrolling the streets at night

As time went on, we allowed Kitty to explore more of the house as she grew. She's even gone out to the backyard to check things out and see what's there. I tell the family this is Kitty protecting us. When I go out, I tell Kitty to, "protect the house." Wife and the children look at me weird as if I'm saying something crazy. Sometimes it's tough being the only one in the house who can see what Kitty is really doing. That's okay, though. I still love my family.

Our cat is a hunter. One night I found a mouse. I texted my oldest daughter "Lovie", telling her to get the cat and bring her where I was. I took Kitty from her and held her in front of the mouse. I could see Kitty's eyes. You could tell she saw the rodent. I removed Lovie from the room. I didn't want to traumatize her with the carnage.

I like buying toys for Kitty. She goes nuts around strings and anything hanging from the end of the string. I like using laser pointers with Kitty. I point it right in front of her. She immediately stops whatever she is doing and stares at it. Tail swishes. Other than the tail, she doesn't move.

Sometimes, I like to keep the dot on the floor and have her "cover" it with her paw. I turn off the laser and let her remove the paw. She looks under the paw and sees nothing. That's when I turn the pointer back on. What! Wait a minute! It was there, it disappeared, and it just came back! Kitty is mesmerized by this, and it never gets old. My mother once asked me who I bought the laser pointer for, Kitty or me.

Kitty also comes to visit me and wife when we are in bed for the night. I like this, especially in the winter because she'll lay on top of me and keeps me warm. Kitty protects us and she keeps us warm. It's like a bonus.

Me and Kitty

Wife doesn't mind Kitty staying with us. (She doesn't exactly believe we are protected by Kitty. It's something I'm still trying to get her and our children to see and understand.) What Wife does mind is that Kitty only rests on her when she's about to get up out of bed for something. Now, Kitty isn't very big, but it does require a little bit of effort to move her, especially when you've been laying down comfortably and, when you're nice and relaxed, you realize you were going to do something before going to bed. Wife removes Kitty, prompting an unhappy, "Meow" from our guardian angel.

Yes, there is a lot of joy brought to our home thanks to Kitty. Sometimes, though, Kitty can be somewhat unhappy, and she'll let us know about it. This especially happens when she is hungry. When this happens, she will watch us, making sure we know she's watching us. When eye contact is made, she'll start to knock things off the counter. She will continue to do this until someone goes to the cabinet where we keep her treats (She'll get on her hind legs and reach for the cabinet door) and gets her something nice to eat.

I let Kitty know when I'm about to fill her bowl. I take a fork out of the drawer and call her. Kitty will turn her head in my direction. This is when I hold up the fork and give it a little shake. She stops whatever she is doing at that moment and follows me to her bowl, where I open a can of cat food and fill her bowl. Kitty purrs and proceeds to eat.

Doggie

That's our cat. Now allow me to introduce you to our dog. We got doggie in the middle of Coronapalooza. I believe Lovie found her online while researching dogs who were in need of a home. Wife and I figured we weren't being punished enough with a cat and four or five children. How much more trouble could a dog be? What could possibly happen?

Doggie (a mutt) came into our house with the usual caution and trepidation pets have when they enter a new home. It took her a while to get used to the new surroundings and people. We got her a crate, a mat, bowls for food and water, and some toys. Before long, Doggie soon became acclimated to the house and the family, especially the cat. How did Kitty take to all this? I'll let you know further down.

You learn to be careful with dogs, especially when cooking or laying out food. Dogs like human food and this dog is no exception. When people sit down to eat, Doggie will sit near any of us with sad puppy dog eyes and maybe a whimper, hoping someone will give or "drop" a morsel of something for her to enjoy. Of course, doggie has plenty to eat as it is. We make sure she is fed when it's time to, but seeing humans eat and makes her attempt to convince us that she is starving, in desperate need, and must eat now.

Excitement with Doggie and the Vet

If we're not careful, Doggie will take it upon herself to get some human food. One night I roasted a chicken. It smelled delicious coming out of the oven. I told you I'm a good cook. I needed to go out and pick up one of the cherubs. I called home in the middle of my errand to ask a child to do something for me. That way, everything would be ready to eat by the time I got home. It was getting late.

The child went to the kitchen and told me there was no chicken. I was confused. I was sure I had taken it out of the oven. Said child went to another room and saw what was left of the chicken. Most of the meat was gone and some of the bones were gone. Normally, this is when I would say, "Play stupid games, win stupid prizes," but, like my children, I need to be a responsible parent and see to it that there is no harm done to them.

I call the vet, who recommends that I take her in. Doggie gets an X-ray. The bones inside her are small and should pass with no trouble. Still, we're reminded to keep an eye on her and make sure there's no trouble when nature calls. I spend the next few days watching Doggie and making sure she is fine. She was fine. Everyone survived that latest round of excitement. I just hope we get a little time to recover before the next round.