It's A Zoo Out/In There...

Today, I went upstairs to get my lunch and I ran into, first--our dog Patch. It's fitting I ran into her first. She's our oldest pet. She's blind and deaf and barks all the time. I think I would bark, too, if I were blind and deaf. She keeps surprising us with her ability to keep going.

I entered the house and was met warmly by Bec, our second dog. He's no longer officially a "puppy." but he's still got a lot of puppy instincts. He hears the basement door open and waits by the front door for me to walk through. He's been a wonderful companion for my son, and for all of us, really. Even though he's only been with us a little over a year, I can't imagine our home without him.

I came into the bedroom and was immediately seized upon by SamDean Winchester, the newest edition of the family. This little guy's a hand and leg-full. He torments Patch and Bec, along with the rest of us. I'm sure he loves every second of is as well. He's still a kitten. He no longer attacks us (very much...) and we think he might be mellowing. Time will tell if it lasts. But he's stolen our hearts.

As I leave the house, lunch in hand, I pass Teewinot, the pet we've had the longest. He's our hunter, our rock, annoyer of neighborhood--and our--dogs, and an animal that doesn't seem to give a crap what you think--he's going to lay down in the middle of the cul-de-sac and make you drive around him. We couldn't have asked for a better cat when we picked him up from my cousin's farm all those years ago. He's slowing down a little, which is to be expected.

Four animals and only Patch and SamDean can be in the same room at the same time. We have gates and closed doors, schedules and times when all the animals are asleep. It's truly a zoo both outside and inside. It's hard to imagine life with just one or two of these little guys. It seems like it would be so simple, but I'm sure it wouldn't be. Each one has their own personalities, their own traits, habits, quirks, and mannerisms.

Yes, it's a zoo, but one that makes life interesting.

Cat-Owner Chores...

I grew up with dogs, one dog really. A Shih Tzu/sneaky neighbor dog mix. She lived for seventeen years. She was a good dog. My wife, however, did not grow up with dogs.

She grew up with cats.

Because we've been married for almost a quarter of a century, we have one dog and two cats. Over the years I've learned a thing or two about living with cats.

I should say I wasn't completely unprepared for the cats. My mom had a few around her house, but they weren't indoor cats. I'd never had an indoor cat. And after we got our first cat (the exact date of when the cat came into our lives is still up for discussion...), we really didn't have an indoor cat. 

Teewinot, named after a peak in the Tetons and the area where we got him, is such a perfect cat, except for ripping up several window screens. He has a fairly predictable schedule. He likes to hunt in the evenings. In the summer he comes in about the time I leave for work. In the winter, he comes in in the middle of the night. He'll go upstairs and sleep on one of the kids's beds and he'll stay there until the afternoon when he goes outside to hunt.

He didn't even need a litter box.

Then we got another cat and she's changed pretty much everything. Gracie was a rescue cat. She's been a great pet, don't get me wrong, but this animal definitely needs a litter box, or several. Cleaning out that box was something I never did as a kid, but I do now. The picture of the door is the cat's room. It doubles as our laundry room. Of all the people/pets living in our house, that cat has the biggest room (in comparison to her size...) than any other person/pet. Of course, to the cat, that's the way it should be.

Tonight I cleaned up the cat's room and Gracie just watched. If I clean it regularly, it's not that bad. The problem is, after I clean it, I don't want to do it anytime soon. Hence, the dilemma. I won't show you what's behind the door, but I can say it's clean now. And it will be that way until at least tomorrow. My cat chores are done.

A Morning Walk On The 4th...

This morning, before it got too hot, I picked up my camera and took a short stroll in my neighborhood. And while out, I snapped a few pictures. If you had been with me, here's some of what you would have seen.

There's a beauty to some weeds--not all, but some. There's a universal hatred for all things weed (except for those who like that kind of stuff...), but in the right light and under the right circumstances, they can be quite pretty.

There were flags flying, birds chirping and cats lazily watching both. I really hadn't planned on taking a lot of pictures when I stepped outside. It wasn't supposed to be a photowalk. But even on a short trek, there's so many beautiful things out there, you just have to see them.

Teewinot, The Cat

We have a cat and the cat is named Teewinot.

Teewinot was named after Teewinot Mountain, one of the peaks comprising the Teton Mountain range along the Idaho/Wyoming boarder. We gave him the name because he is a climber and because we were given him by my cousin's family, who, lives along the Idaho/Wyoming boarder where you can see all the peaks of the Tetons. And just to cement the cat to his name, on the day we got him, my cousin (the one playing with two of my sons) had just hiked Teewinot Mountain. It was a win-win-win (as far as the naming goes...). That little kitten behind the screen turned out to be the cat we brought home with us.

My kids love the cat and most of the time, the cat loves them. The cat can, at times, drive my wife and I crazy for--as a nocturnal animal--his prowling patterns can keep us awake at times. But, the cat definitely earns his keep around our house. He is a superb hunter, with many a dead mouse, bird, and the occasional rabbit ending up on our sidewalk leading to our front door as what we can only surmise as a gift to us for allowing him to live under our roof.

The cat has a sense of humor, too. Luckily for us (and our dog, Patch...) the cat grew up with dogs and our dog was small enough to accept the cat as just another thing to annoy and attack. The cat will hide and wait for the unsuspecting dog to trot by on one of her many trips outside. Then the cat pounces--hilarity ensues.

We've had a few cats and because we live on the mountain, sometimes those cats choose to "run away." I'm hoping Teewinot remains a part of our family for a good long time. I guess we'll see.