Animals

I realize that some people are not animal people, and that’s OK.  However, I don’t remember what life was like without them.  I have been with “needy” animals since we got Squiggy (as a surprise from my mother) in October of 2007.

Every morning, I have to wake up and feed the outside animals (Squiggy & Lana.)  Then I bring Lana in (Squiggy wants nothing to do with coming inside the house now, which is strange considering he was an indoor piggy the first 3 years of his life up until a few months ago!)  I spend time with Lana – one on one.  Then, it is time for her to go play with piggy for the day.  It’s funny, after about an hour or two, she whimpers wanting to go outside back to Squiggy.  I think she misses the little porker.

After taking Lana back outside, the kittens get to come and play with us in the Family Room.  It is like we are in shifts.  Right now, Lana wants to play with the kittens.  Lana is still 100% puppy (she will be 7 months in a few weeks,) and I could see her pouncing on the kittens and hurting them.  That’s why we work in shifts.  

The kittens are a bundle of fun, as well as the older cats (Chance – the 11 year old is still my baby boy.) 

Then, in the evenings, it starts all over again.  Feeding the outdoor animals around 6 or 6:30, bringing Lana in to play for a little while and spend time with us (Todd does not spend time with them outdoors like I do.)  Then Lana whimpers for Squiggy, and she goes outside for the night to sleep with the Squig-ster.

No matter what kind of day I am having, these little critters bring a smile to my face.  Every single last one of them.  Logan ( the 1 ½ year old cat) does NOT like the new kittens.  She grumbles and hisses at them constantly.  However, as moody as she is, there are moments that she just wants to be with ME. She will rub against my leg, or follow me into the bathroom in the mornings to get some love.  She jumps up on the bathroom counter (she has done this since she was a kitten) and drinks out of the tap. Yes, some of you may think that’s gross, but I think it’s cute.

As much as Chance is my baby boy (I’ve had him for 10 years now.  I keep saying he’s 11, but he’s actually 12,) Squiggy is also my man.  I love that pig so much.  He is so much fun to be around.  The grunts and squeals he makes (that I don’t even notice anymore until someone comes over and mentions how cute it is,) the way he follows me around, when he chases us around the yard to play, the way he flops over to get his belly rubbed.  He cracks me up.  It’s like we are on the same wavelength all of the time.  He knows just what to do to make me smile. 

Lana, as rambunctious as she is will look at me with those puppy dog eyes and it makes my heart melt.  When I’m in the shower in the morning, she sits outside of the curtain and puts her head in to drink water from my hands.  When I walk into a room, I say, “Hi honey!  It’s me…and my shadow!” Because I enter first, and then Lana is at my heels.

Red and Tux; I’m really glad they came to us within days of one another.  They keep each other company (instead of antagonizing the “older” cats.”)  It’s hard to think that I was going to give Tux away to a farm.  I call Red my “trophy kitten,” because she is this beautiful red color and a big puff-ball.  She is so pretty, but not the brightest bulb if you know what I mean. I fell in love with her pretty quickly.  In the beginning, I could do without Tux.  But within a week, he warmed right up to us and he is the most affectionate of the cats we have!  I hope he always stays that way!  When he first sees us, he crawls up our legs to be right in our faces and to give and get some love.  I continually have scratches on my legs because he has yet to realize when I’m not wearing pants!  And yes, he crawls up my leg WITHOUT any pants on!  It’s quite painful, but I love him anyways.

That is our crazy, hectic house on a daily basis.  These “granimals” keep us busy!  I couldn’t imagine what it’s like with a couple of children to the mix!!  These fur-balls are a lot of work as it is!

And on a sad note, I don’t even want to think about the day that we lose any of these critters.  It would be devastating for me.  How in the world would we transport a 200 lb pig?  Todd knows that if anything were to happen to Squiggy, he’d have to build a box and burry him in the yard. And the same goes with Lana, or any of the cats.  Oy.  I don’t even want to think about it.