Rest in Peace Pandora

Last week my dear kitty, Pandora (A.K.A. Kitty Kitty Meow Meow) disappeared for a couple of days. I worried. Cats tend to do this when they are sick or injured. But we found her and she stayed in view. However she had stopped eating and was unable to keep water down. Sadly, I knew her time to leave us had come.

By Saturday she had difficulty moving around as her hind legs started to lose their ability to function. A typical cat, she loved to be where she could be tripped over. As the kitchen is the heart of our home, that was her favorite room in the house. One of her particular spots was on the mat in front of the door. Unable to get out of the way of the door, I gently placed her on a folded towel for some comfort and put her next to the door. I did what I could to make her comfortable. And by Monday night she had passed into whatever world our dear kitties move onto after this one.

Her death was not unexpected. We adopted her from a shelter a year and a half ago. She had been placed in our local PetsMart and we saw her often when we went to buy supplies for the critters we already had. Pandora remained there for quite some time awaiting a family. I began to fear no one would take her because she was elderly and so many people want kittens. Finally Craig and I filled out the paperwork. When we went to pick her up about a week later, we found out she had been adopted and returned several times already. The poor girl!

Given that she was already fourteen or so years old (The paperwork had different ages for her.) I figured she wouldn't be with us more than a couple of more years. I believe that shelter life ages cats faster than life in a loving home. But at least it gives the animals a chance at a loving home. (I am taking a moment to get on my soap box here...) So if you want a pet, please don't purchase one from a store. Go to a local shelter or check the paper for a family giving one away. Pandora was one of many animals I have adopted and I have been happy with each of these pets.

We brought her home where she hid under the sofa for two weeks, only emerging very briefly to use the litter box or get a drink. After this she became accustomed to us and then became very friendly with her new family. We fed her. We snuggled with her. She made her way into our hearts. Though we only had a year and a half with her, she will remain in our memories forever.

We will miss you, Pandora. Rest in Peace.

Don't vacuum the kitty

I am beginning to wonder if all cats hate vacuum cleaners. As a kid we had a cat who ran from the vacuum as if it was going to eat her. As an adult I have had two more cats that don't want anything to do with the sucking machine. Our current cat won't even stick around while I use our power sweeper. It is not nearly as noisy or large as the regular vacuum.

When I searched the Internet for stories on the subject, they were by and large about cats being afraid of the vacuum. Or I could watch videos of cats in fear of the noisy electronic beasts. I found one article that claims most cats will grow accustomed to the sound. The three kitties in my life never did. The one I have now is pretty old, so I doubt she'll change anytime soon.

Her name is Pandora. We usually just call her Kitty. Which brings me to another point about pets. I've often referred to my pets by their species, not their actual names. I call cats, "Kitty." I called our family dog, "Puppy." We also have turtles here and I will greet them with, "Hello turtles!" Their names are Leonardo and Michelangelo.

You'd think that with names like that, the critters would be females right? Well, my dear husband got them when he was a little boy. As such, he could not conceive of having female pets. So he named them after two of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Yes kids, the cartoon characters are pretty old. I think it's safe to say that they would no longer be teenagers if they lived outside of cartoon and movie world. Even our very real turtles are at least twenty years old.

At least they aren't afraid of the vacuum cleaner. But they are in fact afraid of some of the fish they live with.
By all rights, the turtles should be terrorizing the fish. After all they eat fish for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Don't worry pet specialists - they eat their veggies too! (Here I go talking about food again...) Of course, these fish are too big to fit in the turtles' mouths, but seriously. Why are they letting a little fishy boss them around?

Then there are the salamanders. They aren't afraid of anything except their owners. They don't do much either. I don't know if they are males or females or one of each, so they are called Sampson and Delilah. Each of them is about ten inches long. I have never been able to get an exact measurment as they squiggle too much when I try to handle them. I think they would like very much if we vacuumed up the kitty. For kitties love to catch and eat critters such as salamanders!