Animals we share our lives with

[Dawg52]

Brwaack! Polly want a cracker? Cute pic.

[JOHNNIE36]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marathoner I was painting my nails last night, and my parrot decided to investigate the bottle; before I could stop her, she'd marked herself on her beak: It's dry now, so I'm just leaving it as opposed to putting solvents on her; it will rub off or that part of her beak will flake off. So glad she just bumped the bottle instead of eating anything.

Nice looking girl you have there Marathoner. Is she a good talker? DW has an African Grey and he's a talking fool. Really smart birds.

[Marathoner]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JOHNNIE36 Is she a good talker? DW has an African Grey and he's a talking fool. Really smart birds.

She's not a huge talker. Her words are always appropriate ("want some!" when she hears the fridge open, for example) but her vocabulary is quite small for a grey.

I volunteer at a parrot rescue, and one time we had 8 greys there -- either boarding or up for adoption. One would make a phone ring sound, then another would say "Hello?" and then about 3 of them would laugh. Then another would make a phone ring sound, different one would say "Hello?" and more laughter. They kept this up for almost an hour. They are so funny!

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marathoner

Now you've got an African grey-and-pink.

[FIREd]

MIL has an African Grey who imitates her ex-husband's voice sometimes... Very good imitation, very awkward...

[Nemo2]

Neighbor in BC had a white cockatoo and a dalmatian dog......when outside in the summer the cockie would often either whistle or make a noise like an electric can opener.......either way the dog would come running.

[RitaR551]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Purron Speaking of "herding cats" cowboys herding cats - YouTube

My all-time favorite commercial =^..^=

[kcowan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake These kittens are truly wild, I've been feeding them, but have not tried to catch them. There are plenty of hiding places in the cellar.

I expect that you will eventually earn their trust. I am looking forward to the pics of them on your lap!

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JakeBrake Speaking of cats, we returned home from a road trip the other day and discovered that a feral cat had had a litter in our cellar. Ma took off as soon as she saw we were back, have not seen her again, but she left two kittens behind. These kittens are truly wild, I've been feeding them, but have not tried to catch them. There are plenty of hiding places in the cellar.

Taming them sounds like a fun project.

How to Tame Feral Cats

[Dreamer]

Dawg, Glad to hear that he is okay and that the estimate was high. He is such a pretty dog.

I looked at the picture of the kitties in the cellar and said Ahhhh. I am the person who has 5 cats and still don't know how I got them. They are precious.

Love the bird with the pink finger nail polish. She wanted to look pretty too!

[donheff]

Great outcome but it is making me paranoid. One of our Goldens is addicted to trolling the water in front of our weekend place in a never ending search for minnows. I shudder thinking about the number of hooks lost out there.

[Buckeye]

I had to put my shelter kitty, Abby, to sleep today. She stopped eating completely on Saturday and drinking on Sunday morning. The vet took one look in her mouth this morning and saw sores so she knew Abby had kidney failure. I think Abby was about 9 old but it's hard to say since she was brought to the shelter as a stray. We have had her 4.5 years and she lived in FL and OH.

The vet offered to do tests if I wanted but it was obvious Abby wasn't going to get well. They quoted two blood tests, urine test, and the exam for $133 which I thought was very reasonable. There was no pressure. I asked the vet if the tests would tell her anything material she didn't already know and she said "no" so the decision was made. The final cost was $65.

It came on very suddenly. Friday she was fine but she didn't eat her dinner. Saturday she didn't eat at all but was still drinking. She took her last pee Sunday morning and had no interest in eating or drinking and was sleeping with her head held up off the floor. Heartbreaking. I knew it was serious. Her breath was awful.

I taught her how to shake and lay down for a treat which she learned in just a couple of days. Smart kitty. Here are two pictures of her from better days.

[bltkmt]

Such a beautiful (loved) cat, and I am sorry for your loss.

[RitaR551]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Buckeye I had to put my shelter kitty, Abby, to sleep today. She stopped eating completely on Saturday and drinking on Sunday morning. The vet took one look in her mouth this morning and saw sores so she knew Abby had kidney failure. I think Abby was about 9 old but it's hard to say since she was brought to the shelter as a stray. We have had her 4.5 years and she lived in FL and OH. The vet offered to do tests if I wanted but it was obvious Abby wasn't going to get well. They quoted two blood tests, urine test, and the exam for $133 which I thought was very reasonable. There was no pressure. I asked the vet if the tests would tell her anything material she didn't already know and she said "no" so the decision was made. The final cost was $65. It came on very suddenly. Friday she was fine but she didn't eat her dinner. Saturday she didn't eat at all but was still drinking. She took her last pee Sunday morning and had no interest in eating or drinking and was sleeping with her head held up off the floor. Heartbreaking. I knew it was serious. Her breath was awful. I taught her how to shake and lay down for a treat which she learned in just a couple of days. Smart kitty. Here are two pictures of her from better days.

I'm so sorry. It's a hard decision to make, but it sounds like you really had no other, humane choice. What a fortunate kitty to have someone who loved her well.

[Bestwifeever]

. So sorry, Buckeye.

[W2R]

I am so sorry to read about this, Buckeye. Losing a beloved pet is so hard to go through, especially when it happens this suddenly. Take care.

[cj]

Awwww, so sorry to hear about the kitty. They are such a big part of our lives.

I saw this sign for sale in a catalog the other day. It says "dog", but it applies to me (substitute "cat"):

"It came to me that every time I lose a dog, they take a piece of my heart with them, and every new dog who comes into my life gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are."

[Buckeye]

Thanks everyone. It's so strange not having her in the apartment. She spent most of her time sleeping but she was another being in our midst who is no longer here. She was such a sweet kitty. We're going to miss her very much.

She came to us a very untrusting and withdrawn cat who didn't meow for at least the first two years we had her. Until the last year, she never made a peep to wake us up even if we slept in and her bowl was empty. Also, she would rarely follow you to the kitchen and never went in the kitchen. She would just go sit by her empty bowl and look and you and then her bowl and then at you .....

The one thing she would not patiently wait for was a head scratch from my husband. When she strolled into her "parking" space beside his chair (she hated to be held or sit in your lap), she'd give him about 5 seconds to reach down and scratch her head. If he didn't move fast enough she would reach up and tap him on the arm. She had him well-trained!

[bltkmt]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marathoner I volunteer at a parrot rescue, and one time we had 8 greys there -- either boarding or up for adoption. One would make a phone ring sound, then another would say "Hello?" and then about 3 of them would laugh. Then another would make a phone ring sound, different one would say "Hello?" and more laughter. They kept this up for almost an hour. They are so funny!

This makes me laugh every time I read it...like vaudeville parrots.

[bbbamI]

I'm sorry Buckeye....losing a pet friend hurts.