Tuesday Afternoon with Aubrey the Silky Cat

Today was my day to volunteer at our local Animal Shelter. I've been doing this for a couple of months now and really enjoy it. I mainly focus my attention on the cats and puppies, because that's what's needed most right now. (They already have plenty of dog walkers, and that works out fine for me because with my back being a bit delicate I don't want to risk getting jerked & ending up like I was earlier in the Fall!)

Today I was scheduled for afternoon instead of my usual morning hours and I was amazed at the difference a few hours made! When I arrived all of the cats were sound asleep, a huge contrast to mornins when vying for attention - wanting to play, bouncing around in their cages, meowing, etc.! As I was reading their cards & catching up on new arrivals a ball of fluff started to stir and Audrey, a long-haired calico who has been living there nearly 3 weeks, woke up. I got her out of her cage and she snuggled up against me purring like crazy. I sat in the rocking chair and petted her for quite a while - we were both in Heaven! Since the other cats were all still sleeping there was no need to "share the love" - they were perfectly content and so was I.

As we rocked I realized that my eyes were getting misty. Hmm.. what was that about? It only took a couple of minutes to figure it out - petting her felt just like petting Callie, our elderly cat (nearly 19 yrs. old) who passed away in '09 and who I still miss. Stroking the incredibly soft, silky fur and slender frame brought back so many good memories! This little "pound kitty" girl is 7 years old and was turned in because her owner was no longer able to care for her. To me these are the saddest cases - it's easy to find homes for puppies and kittens, but when a pet has a few years under its belt people tend not to be as interested in them even though an older pet is often more docile and well behaved than the younger ones.

When I got home I told DH all about her and guess what he, who just a few months ago, said "no more cats", said? "Bring her home!" WHAT?? You could've knocked me over with a feather! I don't know whether it was her photo or hearing about how much like Callie she was, or if it was just the way he was feeling at that moment. I don't know that we'll actually get a cat - we had decided not to - but anyway it was interesting hearing those words come from his mouth! We (or at least I) would have to discuss it further before making such a big decision. In the meantime it's fun to think about!

Double the Dogs!

As you know, we normally have two dogs here at our house. Right now we have FOUR! That's right, Polly & Garcia have houseguests. Dexter and Sammy, 2 little black Shih-tzus are visiting. I'm sure I'll have some pics posted of the 4 of them before the visit is over.

We brought them home with us yesterday morning & Polly & Garcia were SO excited! We walked in the front door with Dexter & Sammie and headed straight through the house & out the back door with Polly & Garcia joining us along the way. The 4 of them ran around like maniacs in the back yard while Mike & I rolled around laughing. It was the cutest/funniest thing you've ever seen! We then came in & everyone under 2 ft tall got a treat. We thought they'd all then take a rest, but NOPE, they were still way too excited for that! The 4 of them ran around in the house, pulled out all the toys, hopped up & looked out the windows, and had a grand time.

Sammie, the baby, was SO excited about having a fenced yard in which to run that he scratched at the door (his way of saying he needs to go out) about every half hour. He got to go outside lots & lots, & the other 2 boys went with him just about every time. Pollyanna decided to hang with the humans instead, and just went out at her "normal" times.

We could not believe how active the 4 of them were all afternoon and evening! When it came time for bed they did really well though, settling right down to sleep without the whispering & giggling I remember from having tiny human sleep-overs. :-)

Today the four have alternated between playing & napping - I think they wore themselves out yesterday. Wonder what they'll do tomorrow?

Lunch, Shopping, and Looking for Tiny Furboo Love

Had fun today! (I'm trying to make it a point to get out and do more instead of letting work and stress be my whole life.)

Went out to lunch with a good friend and talked my head off. That felt GREAT! We went to a new Indian restaurant -- very yummy & lots of vegetarian choices which was a nice change! She just retired last month & was telling me all about that.

Afterwards I went over to the mall and did a little lingerie shopping for my one and only niece. Sears is having a great sale and had her size (which is hard to find because she is shapely but very slender). Had the BEST time picking out styles & colors & imagining how thrilled she will be with her little goodies. One even had eyelet on the straps - very pretty & unusual I thought. I'll be mailing them to her since she lives a million miles from me.

Then I hit a couple of pet shops just for fun to see if they had chiuahuas (they didn't). My MIL's chiuahua (hope I'm spelling that right - too tired to check) died a month or two ago and she still cries about it every time we talk on the phone... SO DH & I are thinking of getting her one & taking it to her next time we go down there. Of course it won't take Heidi's place, but it will bring back the pitter patter of little feet and companionship for her & my FIL.

We're not going to buy one at a pet shop (for about a million reasons) but I thought it would be fun to play with/pet one while it's so little. When the first pet shop didn't have any I left the mall & headed for a different pet shop close to my house. (See, I was making it a point to stay out & about for an extended period.) Well, that pet shop was closed! Re-opening sometime next month.

We're hoping to find a chi that's a rescue. There are quite a few on http://www.petfinder.com/ (I've been looking.) We don't want one that looks just like Heidi did, because that might make her feel sadder. Heidi was black with brown points.

DH hopes we can find one down near where his mom lives, because he's afraid that if we get it up here & take it to her, I will fall in love with it en route and she'll never see it... ROFL... hate to say it but he is probably right. (That's how we ended up with Mac.) I'm really not a fan of chihuauas, but it pays to be careful, especially when you already have 4 pets in a condo that allows 1 per unit. (oopsie)

So, if you know of someone who had a chi that they're no longer able to care for, let me know! Being located somewhere along the I-75 corridor (Michigan - Ohio - Kentucky) would be a plus. I know lots of times when people have to move into assisted living they have to get rid of their pets, and this would be a really good home for one who likes older people and being spoiled rotten. :-)