Fur Babies

I couldn't resist sharing some photos.

Josie was on my bed, and when I lay down next to her we were snuggled up pretty close together. Then as I was fiddling with my phone, Kokopelle decided that he wanted in on the cuddles. And not only did he lay down on top of me, he also got on top of Josie.

Sweet kitten and puppy

Gotta love them.

Ditto

It was difficult to get a good photo, but you can see that he's lying across her rear end. And she just lay there allowing it. I was pretty amazed.

He has also claimed my desk

After some time of my desk (and bedroom...) being really messy I finally did some cleaning. This has resulted in Kokopelle finding my desk a very comfortable place to hang out now, despite there being a perfectly good cat tree next to it. A cat tree which, as it happens, he's sitting on as I write this.

So, yeah, just wanted to share some photos.

Herbs!

So...I may be a little bit overexcited about having herb plants in my bedroom. I should have done this ages ago.

Life finds a way...

Much to my surprise, the lemon balm that I got from the backyard managed to find an air pocket inside the jar I planted in for its roots to start growing leaves. That plant is determined to grow in any way and in any place possible. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised since it's related to mint, and that will also take over given half a chance (which I discovered by accident a few years ago). Maybe it'll sound odd when I say I admire plants, but I do admire those that have a knack for surviving...even though some of them are called weeds.

Mint with opinions...

The first time I tried watering my peppermint plant was a bit...messy. I guess the dirt wasn't keen on soaking up the water.

Neither the mint or the lemon balm hang out on my desk regularly. The first was just easier to photograph on my desk, and I set the mint on my desk when it was creating watery problems for me.

Thirsty Kokopelle

I set down my watering pitcher (ok, a cup measure, but whatever...) and Kokopelle decided that it looked like a good water bowl. I decided not to argue.

Sunflowers!

I've generally been more enthusiastic about herbs than about flowers, but when I happened across a cheap kit for growing sunflowers I couldn't resist. They're growing rather nicely so far...and will probably need to be moved into a larger pot at some point, though they're supposed to be small so I don't know how what size pot will be needed...basically, I don't know what the heck I'm doing. But they're doing fine so far, so I guess I'm doing well with them so far.

Time for thyme!

...no, I'm not the slightest bit sorry for that pun. I know it's bad and I doubt I'm the first to make it, but I can find no room for remorse in myself.

It's winter/English thyme, and as I understand it it's one that doesn't need direct sunlight to do well. It seems happy enough so far. :)

And yes, I do like dragons. Did you guess that from my dragon lamp that the thyme is sitting next to? And yes, that's also Dracula in the background. My boyfriend won it because he's a horror geek and then gave it to me.

Oregano!

Greek oregano, hanging out on my bookshelf. Another one that seems to be happy in the shade. At least, it's thriving so far.

There are also Cerridwen and Brighid dolls made by Dancing Goddess Dolls. I adore both of them, and having them plus the oregano next to my religious/spiritual section of my bookshelf seems to cheer things up.

Window Garden

On Tuesday I walked to a grocery store to see if they might have any plants that I'd want for my window herb garden. I found a lovely mint plant, and when I walked there again today I came away with rosemary and sweet marjoram plants.

This might sound like nothing, just something that anyone could do without thinking twice about it. But due to my fear of going out and about by myself, and sometimes even of going out when I've got someone with me (agoraphobia..fun), this was actually something of a victory for me. I've also found that a breathing exercise can help me when I'm out and about: breathe in for two steps, hold the breath for two steps, breath out for two steps, hold that for two steps, breath in again for two steps...and so on.

I'm still not exactly doing great, but I don't know when I was last doing this well. And it's strange, but it sometimes takes some improvement for me to realize exactly how bad off I've been.

But on to the window garden! It's what I really wanted to share, along with a few other plants, but I found that I also wanted to note a bit of the progress I'm making.

Herbs and cat

I'm not sure if I was more photographing Kokopelle or the plants. Either way, we've got both. Plus a lovely Gallifrey poster that's at the foot of my bed.

The herbs here are peppermint, sweet marjoram (that's a new one to me but I love the smell), rosemary, and aloe vera. Fun fact: I know how to spell aloe vera, but can never remember how to actually say the darned name. I'm not sure how many times I've had to ask the correct pronunciation. It's one of a few words I have that trouble with.

Ditto

Again, herbs and kitty. This time you can also see the lemon balm on the left. I couldn't find that one at the store, but there's a lot of it in the backyard so I found a bit of it to bring inside. Its smell reminds me of Camp Mountaindale, where I spent a week of day camp every summer for years. I have happy memories of that place.

But now, getting away from herbs, though still to do with green growing things...

Scifi madness

I also got some air plants that hang upside down from shells. They either look like jellyfish or like some madness out of a scifi story...or maybe even like they belong in a horror story. Whichever way, I figured they'd go well paired with the exploding TARDIS poster that's over my computer.

Also, the hand knit octopus...that was part of a care package someone put together for me last summer when the anxiety really hit me hard. My chair was supposed to be a temporary place for Mr. Octopus, but he's so happy there that it seems to have become his permanent home. 

Moss! ...and fairy statue

Then there's a bit of watery moss. It's happy in water, and floats or sinks depending on its mood. I figured it might look nice on my desk. I think I like it because it's odd, and I may just like having odd things around. This may also explain why I got the mad jellyfish previously mentioned.

Cats and the Dog

Having a new dog in the house has really changed some dynamics.

For one thing, the two cats are treating each other differently. Historically Kokopelle has bothered Saphira a lot, leading to squabbles. ("Bothered" as in, he doesn't know he's neutered.) When Josie came along they had a common...not enemy, but a common source of uncertainty to be cautious of. This united the two for a while, and even though Kokopelle is perfectly fine with Josie now he's still getting along with Saphira better than he had been before.

Kokopelle and Josie

What's really amazing to me is that Kokopelle and Josie actually get along great now, as you can see in the above photo where they're happily relaxing next to each other. They even play together! This is a major change from when Kokopelle was a kitten and clawed me up to escape when he glimpsed a friend's dog one evening. That was a somewhat unpleasant experience.

Kokopelle has also started changing some of his habits, in some delightful but also annoying ways that I'm sure are Josie's fault.

First of all, Josie has taken to sleeping under the blankets with my mom. (Except for when she decides to sleep on my bed...not sure how she decides who to sleep with.) Despite Kokopelle seeing Saphira sleep under the blankets with dad for years, he's apparently finally figured out that it might be fun to snuggle with a human friend (me) under the blankets from watching Josie. So, he was asking to get under the blankets with me for about a week. Which was sweet, except for when it wasn't.

Yeah, it's difficult to find it sweet when Kokopelle wakes me up to request that I allow him under my blankets. Can't he figure out how to get under them by himself? Or at least climb right in rather than gaze at them thoughtfully when I hold the blanket up for him?

When I got tired of waiting for a decision on his part and decided to go back to sleep one night, Kokopelle decided to bat at my head. And when I pulled the blanket over my head, would you care to guess what he did? If you guessed crawl up on top of my head and bathe himself, you guessed correctly. I still can't quite believe he did that.

Josie escaping

Not only is Josie settling in, but she also finds way to get into...trouble. As pictured, Josie managed to chew a large enough hole in the crate that mom bought for the car to stick her head out of it. She also keeps escaping from harnesses that mom buys her. When Josie isn't teaching my cat new tricks she spends her time trying to outwit my mom, and so far the dog seems to have a knack for winning those contests if mom isn't careful.

Josie

I've said before that mom needs a dog, and I wasn't the only one who thought that. So I was delighted when mom started talking last month about getting one, and even happier when she brought home Josie this evening. Josie's a small white dog, mixed breed, but we know she's part Cairn Terrier.

Meeting Josie

This was my first photo of Josie. I tried to get a photo of mom holding her, but by the time I was ready to take a photo Josie was already on the floor and trying to meet me. She's a very friendly dog. She's also adorable when she stands on her hind legs.

Standing up

Josie has really taken to mom, and already gets separation anxiety when mom steps outside momentarily or is otherwise out of her sight. I actually heard her bark before mom did (she's mostly a quiet dog) because Josie objected to mom stepping outside to get dog supplies from the car. I guess she's decided that mom should be her person. I also wonder if the separation anxiety could be in part because this is Josie's fourth (fifth?) home, and she isn't even two years old yet.

She's already settling in nicely though, seems happy and she likes everyone. Josie has also decided that there's one spot of the floor that's hers, as you can see in the photo below. And yes, she's also got a sweater. She'd had one before, so mom bought her a purple one with hearts. I'm pretty sure that mom will be knitting another sweater for Josie soon.

So cute, with eyes closed and a sweater

Now, as for the cats...

The cats aren't sure what to make of Josie. We're keeping them fairly separate for now, but already started introductions with Kokopelle. And we only did that because if we didn't, he'd slip past us to meet her when he have little control over the situation. We'd rather things go as well as possible.

Kokopelle isn't sure what to think of Josie. Keeping her on the leash, we let Kokopelle into the kitchen/dining room where she's staying for now. Once they got a good look at each other she tried to get to him with lots of enthusiasm. I thought it was really cute, but Kokopelle disagreed. We let him in a second time when she was tired and sitting on mom's lap, and they actually went nose to nose before Kokopelle decided to leave. Both times he had control over how close he got to her, which I think was the important thing for introductions.

I don't know if Kokopelle will ever be a fan of dogs, but I think he'll at least learn to live with one without much fuss.

Saphira still hasn't met Josie yet. But for some reason she did let me pick her up so I could show her where we moved the cat food to. (It had been in the dining room, which is now occupied by puppy.) Saphira really sticks only to dad, and for her to let me pet her is unusual. For her to let me pick her up is somewhat shocking. She's also been hiding under my bed, and I have to wonder if Saphira blames Josie's presence on my dad somehow and is making a statement by hanging out near me. She does things like that when she's ticked off at him.

Saphira under my bed

And, before anyone asks, no we aren't introducing her to the rats. Not sure why anyone would ask, but people ask about how I handle having rats and cats, so I guess some might wonder about this as well.

Cats creeping me out

There isn't much that's creepier than waking up, rolling out of bed, and then finding your cat staring at something under your bed. Oh, yeah, I know what's creepier. You pet the feline in question, he gets grumpy with you, moves...and then goes back to staring at the same spot. So you look, but can't find what he's so interested in.

This is exactly what happened with Kokopelle today. He had to change position several times due to my attentions before moving under my altar, at which point I gave up trying to distract him. I resigned myself to the fact that I couldn't see whatever he was staring at, and decided to ignore him. And of course, I also ignored whatever it was I couldn't see.

Normally I would blame such behavior on fairies, but a little bit later I discovered that he was staring at a sort of centipede that had been hiding in the stuff under my bed. My opportunity to catch and release the thing came when it decided to wander across my bedroom floor. I know, I guess I could have killed it, but I didn't feel like doing that.

That said, I would have been very happy to let Kokopelle eat it. But no, he wanted to just watch it.

When I figured out that it was a centipede thing I explained to that cat that he's very lucky to be a pet. If he were on a farm and expected to earn his keep as a mouser, he'd probably die of starvation.

Kokopelle

I don't feel in the mood for actual writing, but since I do want to post something I decided to share photos of Kokopelle keeping me company during my worst migraines.

I love that he keeps me company when I feel too bad to have anything to do with the world. And yes, I did get bored enough a couple times to take a few photos of him despite the pain.

I made the patchwork quilt that's in the last two photos. Quite a bit of it is from old clothes and scraps from old projects.

That darned cat

Mom agreed to take my kitty, Kokopelle, to the vet for his checkup today. Unfortunately for everyone involved, however, he was uncooperative.

For the record, this cat has always been very easy for me to get into a carrier. It may not be his absolute favorite place in the world, but he has actually been known to willingly walk into it when I take it down and then bring him to it.

Yep, you read that right. I'll take the carrier out before retrieving Kokopelle. And he actually behaves himself for me.

So you can imagine my surprise when mom told me the trouble she'd had. Her story went something along the lines of "Well, I took the carrier down before locating Kokopelle, and I may have said the v word to your brother...the cat hid under your brother's bed, and has been there since before the appointment at two o'clock." She took a bit longer to explain it, but that's what it boiled down to.

Before you say that it should be easy to get a cat out from under Tall One's bed, let me tell you about this bed. It's a water bed, and the center of it is very solidly on the ground. And since it's pushed up against a corner in my brother's room, this creates a sort of hallway (to nowhere) that the cats can hide in where we can't reach them. Yes, Tall One has blocked it off, but apparently this is the second time that Kokopelle has managed to get into it.

I was all for leaving Kokopelle to his own devices, and letting him come out when he felt like it. He'd been there hours already, and I doubted that he would come out just because I asked him to. But it was (maybe a tad firmly) suggested to me that Tall One might not appreciate my cat being under his bed, so I decided to make a half hearted try at retrieving him.

...Kokopelle came out in about a minute once I got down on my hands and knees and kinda, sorta, called to him.

I think everyone is a bit irritated at the fur ball. And the fur ball in question is currently lying in the middle of my bedroom floor, looking somewhat smug.

A very pleased Kokopelle

My work space

About a month ago I wrote down some ideas for blog posts, and I took a look at that list today. One of the ideas was to share photos of my work space.

I'm not sure where I got that idea from, but I decided to run with it.

Kokopelle

No, my kitty Kokopelle normally isn't on the desk. But he sort of photobombed, so I decided to let him get away with it.

The desk

Here it is properly. My desk is a mixture of neatness and chaos.

I have my actual work space, and then my "junk drawer" areas. And if it seems odd that I keep a box under my desk, know that I like to put my feet on it. Rather than being in the way, it adds to my comfort.

Adorable kitties

These last two photos are just minor details of some of what I keep close at hand. The above are tiny plushy kittens and their mother. I have more of the kittens spread throughout my bedroom.

Below is an unnamed fairy lady who I got during the intermission of a ballet years ago.

Fairy lady

What's your work space like?

Adorable rats

Sabine is still separated from the younger rats, but they do get to spend some (supervised) time together. For example, when I'm cleaning the younger girls' cage I'll sometimes put them with Sabine. After all, I'm near enough to hear any disagreements and interfere if necessary. And they need to go somewhere while I'm taking their cage apart.

Usually when the three rats are all crammed into one small cage together they get feisty. They climb the walls (literally) and jump all over each other. Then last night, here's what happened as soon as I finished chores and decided to take them all out for playtime.

Hiding

I didn't even know they would all fit in that tiny igloo. And really, they don't. Which is why I had to get a photo.

Aren't they so cute with their tails sticking out of the igloo, and one of them checking out the entrance to see if it's safe?

Still hiding

Notice that the igloo isn't even sitting on the floor of the cage anymore.

I'm not sure why they were hiding. It couldn't have been because I carried the cage back to my bedroom with all of them in it, could it...? But they're used to me carrying the smaller cages with them inside.

Drooling

Once playtime was over I put Sabine back in her cage before carrying Kora and Aniki to their own bigger cage. When I returned to my bedroom to retrieve Sabine's cage I was met with the above scene: Kokopelle drooling, and Sabine trying to say hi to him.

I'm glad that Sabine is fearless of the cats. So long as cage walls stay between them when they greet each other, all will remain well.

Furry friends

Today's post will come in two parts.

The visiting puppy

It's been said before that, the way Kokopelle torments Saphira, it might be nice for him to get a bit of his own medicine. Well, he hasn't gotten it in the form of another animal body slamming him...but he has met someone who he's very uncertain of.

Zoe is an adorable basset hound who loves everyone, and she definitely loves cats. My boyfriend occasionally brings her on dates, and she's met Kokopelle exactly twice. Both times she's tried to make friends with my kitty.

Kokopelle isn't entirely certain what to make of this.

The only times I've ever seen him hiss, arch his back, or have his fur on end, have been in Zoe's company. And below is photographic evidence of his opinion on dogs. All she wanted to do was play...

However, Kokopelle did eventually go nose to nose with Zoe of his own accord. So he must not have been too traumatized by her presence.

Zoe wanting to play with Kokopelle

Sabine and surgery

Not a fun detail, but if I'm sharing about my furry friends anyways, I'll go ahead write about it.

Two nights ago I noticed that Sabine has a small lump under her skin. Yesterday I called to make an appointment with the vet, and today the vet said that surgery is the best option.

I still have no idea if it's a tumor or a cyst. Either way, it's coming out on Monday.

Sabine doesn't like the vet. She's better about it than she used to be, but after the visit I gave her a little bit of chocolate chip cookie. Definitely not recommended as regular treats for rats, but I thought it might be nice to give her a little extra something nice.

Rats...

Sabine is lonely again. I'm trying to not feel guilty, since it's sort of her own fault this time.

She was getting along with Kora and Aniki for a while. I did notice some signs of over grooming behind Kora's ears, and figured that was Sabine's fault. She did the same to Beka in her last months, and I decided to not worry about it so long as Kora seemed fine. But then I discovered that someone had been biting Niki hard enough to draw blood, and I moved Sabine into a smaller cage.

I guess I couldn't swear to it being Sabine. But I know that she and Niki have disagreements over who's in charge of the cage, and Kora normally just stays out of the way. So I think it's a pretty good bet.

The three of them do still get supervised play time together, and that is still going well. But Sabine is spending most of her time alone again, and I think that makes both of us sad.

Hopefully I'll be able to put them all back together again soon. Hopefully.

In the meantime, here are some photos that I hadn't shared before.

Cute nose

 No idea who this is. But it's a cute nose poking out of a hammock.

Sabine? and ??

 I think that may be Sabine on top, and again I have no idea who the other one is.

Kora, Niki, and Sabine

I think I'm correct about who's who, from left to right. They liked to sleep together, and I managed to get a decent photo of them here.

Sabine

I had been sharing coffee with the younger girls, letting them lick it off my finger. I didn't dare try that with Sabine though, because I know what it would result in: her drinking my blood.

So mom came up with the idea of feeding Sabine coffee with a spoon. So she got a treat, and we kept our fingers in one piece. Everyone was happy.

Niki?

I think this is Niki. Anyways, I thought it was pretty cute.

One of the younger girls

 Maybe Niki? Hard to tell for sure.

Kokopelle saying hi to...who is that anyways?

I want to say that this is Sabine, but it's normally Niki who perches like that. I guess one downside to having three rats who look so alike is that it's sometimes hard to tell who's who in photos.

And yes, that's a Dresden Files book on top of the rat cage. Not sure why I put it there, but the cage was only on the floor temporarily and I figured that it was a good temporary spot for a book.

Sabine

Sabine spilled a wee bit of coffee on my computer desk, then had fun lapping it up. Naughty naughty girl...

I would like it to be noted that my desk is much cleaner now than it was when this occurred.

Darned cats...

Cat silhouette
From clker.com

Since losing Socks the dynamics between our remaining two cats, Kokopelle and Saphira, has
changed.

Saphira: a female Siamese with an attitude.

Kokopelle: an energetic male who doesn't know he's neutered. He also does not seem to understand what hissing means.

Things had always been a little interesting between these two. It has never been unusual for him to make unwelcome advances which are met with growling on her part, only for her to turn around and intentionally do her best to get his attention.

I think things calmed down a little after we lost Socks. Maybe they needed time to adjust to his absence. And maybe it would be appropriate to say that it was the calm before the storm.

The two seem to be getting into more disagreements than they ever did before Socks' death. A good example of this would be last night.

I was blissfully asleep, dreaming about who knows what, when suddenly I was torn from my slumbers by some serious hissing/growling/who-knows-what under my bed last night. And let me tell you, Siamese cats can be loud. So this wasn't exactly a polite awakening.

After telling Kokopelle off I discovered that Saphira had somehow been locked out of my parents bedroom. I also discovered that she was miserable enough to let me pick her up so that I could return her to them.

It's worth noting that Saphira normally disapproves of anyone other than my dad picking her up.

So...thus ends another night in this household. I'm hoping we'll get through the day without any drama. Though I guess I should add that their disagreements don't normally wake me up in the middle of the night.

Warning: exreme cuteness

Introductions with the rats going sort of slowly.

The three mostly get along well, but I usually to have to separate them if I give them too much time together. I suspect that Sabine is an overenthusiastic groomer, and she probably needs to to tone it down. Then again, Kora and Aniki may also be guilty of causing one or two of the (minor) disagreements they've had.

And now, without further ado, photos!

I'm not entirely certain which of the younger girls this is. My guess is Kora, since she's more likely than Niki to poke her head out to say hi.

This is their cage set up at the moment. The young girls' cage is on the left, and Sabine's is on the right.

As you can see, Kokopelle is able to drool over Sabine. Just look at the smug look on his face. Luckily Sabine knows he can't touch her, and is fine with this arrangement. :)

I'm pretty sure that this is Niki.

Kora wanted to help me clean her cage. Strange girl.

Kora approved of her newly mended hammock (which they doubtless will chew down again) and of her fresh bedding.

Kora and Aniki, munching on a bit of pop tart. While sitting in a pop tart box. I think it's Niki on top.

They're still getting used to this "treats" idea, by the way.

And now, a photo of the initial introductions. Unfortunately it's a bit dark since I only took photos when they were all hiding in a paper grocery bag together. Still, you can sort of see them.

The three of them, hanging out behind my monitor. Obviously the big one is Sabine, and I think the one in the middle is Niki.

Seeing them back there is pretty adorable, but I always have to clean up pee afterwards. I'm not sure if it's Sabine scaring the younger girls, if it's Sabine marking territory, if it's a side effect of Sabine peeing on the girls (which she does), or if it's for some other reason.

Kora and Niki in their cage. Based on the one in back looking a tad scruffier, and based on the shape of her face, I'm gonna guess that's Kora.

Here they are at the vet's office. I brought them in two separate carriers, but after we got there I let them mingle. Sabine's in the back, and that's Kora in the front. Kora's the adventurous one.

And yep, you read that right. I took them all to the vet today. The younger girls just for a check up, and Sabine for something that I was a bit concerned about.

Sabine is fine, she had just been having some vaginal discharge. Which female rats shouldn't have. She's now on meds, and will be spayed next week. The spaying will take care of her current problems, and will have the bonus of making mammary tumors (which are common in rats) unlikely as she ages. I plan to also spay the other two when they're fully grown.

Kora and Aniki checked out just fine, by the way. No worries there. :)