Appreciation

It’s been the weirdest week ever. It was a kind of bad week but it was more than that: it was just weird. I can’t expain it. It just felt strange, like it would never end, and it was weird because I felt nervous all week.

I dunno. Do you ever have weeks like that? Yesterday one of the cats (Sata) got sick, and was literally crawling across the floor, meowing in a pitiful, scary way. I was terrified he was going to die. He started throwing up and after he had emptied the contents of his stomach he found a corner and just curled up there. It was one of the scariest things I’ve ever witnessed, especially because Sata and I have become so especially close in the past week or so. He curls up with me when I go to sleep, and when I wake up he always comes in to greet me.

I was scared, but it really makes you appreciate what you have all the more. He’s a wonderful cat and I’m so happy he’s mine, especially because he just loves everyone unconditionally. Last night I thought I was going to lose him and I hated thinking that. This morning when I woke up, and he came running in to greet me, I couldn’t even explain the relief I felt. He’s just the right kind of cat.

What have you come to appreciate in the past week?

February 20, 2009 @ 8:12 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: cats, lessons, pets

Cats!

Augustus - cutest but most annoying cat in the world.

Awhile ago I had mentioned J and I were going to get another cat, because of our currently temperamental cat Augustus. I talked about how nervous I was because I wasn’t sure how Augustus was going to react. He’s always been moody and extremely clingy, and my hope was that with another cat, he’d have something besides us to cling to. I picked up our new cat, which we renamed Sata, from my coworker, and then we were on our way on the cat journey.

Sata is eight years old according to the vet, but I think he’s younger. He’s adorable and quiet. He drinks from the sink and sleeps in there too. He’s completely white all over - as you can see, he’s not tan, or brown, and he has no spots. He’s gorgeous.

The first night, Augustus (who is one and a half and does not know what other animals are at all) was terrified and Sata wouldn’t stop hissing at him. It took three days for them to be in the same room without problems for more than ten minutes, and it took a week for them to be comfortable with each other. But here’s the good news - Augustus is still cranky, but he’s less clingy and annoying. It worked!

I’m thrilled to have two cats. They actually play with each other now and when they’re not playing, Sata tolerates Augustus poking and prodding him and whining. Augustus wants to play ALL THE TIME, whereas Sata just enjoys relaxing. So Augustus will initiate playing, but Sata will just wander off instead of hissing or attacking when he’s not up for playing. I can’t even express to him how much I appreciate him putting up with Augustus’ moods.

So it’s been easier on all of us for Augustus to be able to have someone else to pester besides us. Sure, he still pesters us, but at least he’s not completely alone during the day when we’re all off at work or class, and at least when we are home he can play with Sata too. And it’s best in the mornings when Augustus gets antsy at about six in the morning and wants me to wake up, because he and Sata just chase each other around until I finally do. He still meows impatiently, but it’s not NEARLY as bad as it used to be. It’s just annoying now. Before, it was unbearable.

Success!

Hello!

February 5, 2009 @ 10:54 am . Comments (3)

General — Tags: cats, pets

I’d like to introduce you to…

My new friends!

The white thing in the middle is food.

These are the newest additions to my circle of friends! They’re mystery snails, which are medium-sized (they only get to be about two inches large) freshwater snails. Mystery snails are one of the few species of snails that actually have two genders, and yes, you need a boy snail and a girl snail to make baby snails. They were a Christmas present from J, tank, supplies, and snails, and I’ve been wanting them for months.

I know what you’re thinking. Snails?!

They’re fascinating. Both my roommate and J were skeptical because snails are slow-moving and not that exciting. But when I actually got them, the roommate and J were both fascinated by them. They’re adorable because they’re so small right now, and even though they’re slow you can still watch them wander around the tank. The funniest part is when you look at them, and look away for just an instant, and then look back, all the snails will be in a completely different part of the tank from before. I don’t get how they do it.

We named them Chris, Patton, and Stonewall. We don’t know which ones are girls and which ones are boys, so we generally just refer to them in whatever gender we think of first. Chris is an ivory mystery snail, Patton is a yellow one, and Stonewall is a black one. J loves Stonewall the best, but I like all three equally.

They’re all way better than having some anonymous, similar-looking fish, let me tell you. Fish are predictable. Snails climb up the edges of the tank, hang upside-down off stuff, and even climb up the ferns I have in the tank. They’re fascinating to watch because they move so fluidly. They’re just absolutely adorable.

Here are some more pictures:

January 9, 2009 @ 4:32 pm . Comments (5)

General — Tags: pets