Sunday 7 October 2007

The poor Skunk


Here is a funny story about a cat and a skunk. I hadn't been living here in Anderson very long, and didn't know a lot about skunks except that they sprayed a very bad smelling liquid that I sure didn't want to get on me or my dogs or my cats.
One afternoon, I looked out of my kitchen window, and there was a cat cage out in my back yard because I was in the process of trying to catch a bunch of cats that had decided to come live with me. They were really enjoying the great food that they were getting, but I had told them that if they wanted to continue to enjoy the food, they really needed to go to the vets and get fixed and shots. So I would leave the cage out there, and feed them in it, one at a time.
Anyway, at this particular time, I looked out the window, there was a white animal right next to the cage, and a cat on top of the cage looking at the white animal. My cats all had a lot of white on them, soI didn't pay a lot of attention. But I kept looking and finally realized that it was a skunk.
After toatlly hitting my panic button, I decided I had to get the skunk to leave. The cat on top of the cage didn't seem the least bit disturbed. He thought it was just another animal. Oh Well.
Then I went outside and got armed with many missiles to throw at the skunk because I sure didn't want to get close to it. I did not throw anything that would have hurt the skunk. I was throwing bags that would rattle and the dogs toys and balls at it. Of course they all missed but eventually, the skunk got the picture, and very slowly wandered off without spraying anyone. I was amazed. All this took at least two hours and then I watched it for another hour to make sure it had gone far enough.
That night, I thought I had better see if he was outside, because I wanted to let the dogs go out. Sure enough, there he was, right up against my house. So I started again with the missiles, mostly boxes out of my house or anything that might scare him. But this time he didn't move. Just lay there. So I didn't take any chances, and took the dogs way out in the front pasture away from the skunk.
The next morning, I carefully looked for the skunk and didn't see him at all. So took the dogs to the barn and kept very close watch on them, and kept them right with me.
A little later on in the morning, I saw the same cat that had been sitting on top of the cage, looking into one of the boxes that I had thrown at the poor skunk. So I got really brave and walked over and peered into the box and sure enough, there was the skunk. The sad thing is that the skunk had died. I guess the poor thing just needed a quiet place to die. I felt horrible about it all, but really didn't know he was sick. I don't have any idea what was the matter with him or her. But at least he or she got a very nice burial. Poor thing. And it was a white skunk too. Very unusual.

Sunday 16 September 2007

Another story of one of my Pets

At one time in my life, I had an excellent horse business going with all kinds of students and boarders. So one day, I decided that I needed to get another dog into my life, and the owner of the property, said that a dog had had puppies under his hay barn and that I could have the puppies. So over we went to look and they were all wild but we were able to catch them . The property owner somehow caught the momma dog too and threw her into the back of my pick up truck.
Well we got the puppies pretty tame, and some of the boarders took some of them, and I kept the momma dog. It took a very long time, but I was able to finally pat her and then she got to the place, that when I did pat her she would race around in circles, she was so happy. We became huge buddies and she would go everywhere I went on the horses, but she would not ride in the car, and would barely come in the house.
Then, I had to move to a place very far away. And I felt that Momma Dog, first wouldn't be happy moving, and second, would have a hard time with the long trip in the car. So I gave her to some really good friends of mine, that Momma Dog liked a lot. They took her home and I moved to the new place.
Well, after I left, Momma Dog disappeared from my friends house and other friends said that they had seen her along some of the highways but couldn't catch her. Well in about two weeks, she showed up at the old barn where we all lived together. That silly dog had found her way all the way back home.
So of course, I immediately went and got her. Boy, that was a super reunion. She was a happy dog to see me. And she got into the car and made the trip all the way without moving a muscle and it was a good 12 hour drive. And then she could go on all my rides with me.
So that is part of the story of Momma Dog. There is more, but another time.

Saturday 15 September 2007

A story about one of my pets

I have 17 animals living here with me and this kitty cat is the youngest one I have at the moment. She came into my life when I was having chemotherapy. I was sitting on my bed one night, thinking how much fun it would be to have a tiny kitten. And how much it would cheer me up.
Well, darned if the next day, when I went out to my horse barn, a tiny little kitten went racing past me just meowing like crazy. I followed it and it stopped at a building just the other side of my chain link fence. This kitten was so tiny and skinny, it could go through the chain link fence.
So I went over to where she was, and starting meowing back at her so she would think I was another cat and maybe stay put. And she did mewmew back at me and the two of us had a wonderful conversation. We talked for about 10 minutes and then I went to the house and got her some food. She was a wild thing, very scared of me, but very hungry, so I had to leave the food and go a ways away from her so she would eat. And she did come eat.
She stayed and her name is MewMew. It took a couple of months for me to get anywhere close to her but finally she let me pat her and scratch her, and she decided that was pretty much fun.
She also was a percocious little thing. She moved right in under the house with all my other cats. I guess they put up with her, cause she was so young. Eventually, they got so they really liked her a lot. They all play now and have a grand time.
She also comes in the house all the time and has turned out to be a wonderful cat. It was a miracle for both of us. She got a great new home, and I got a new friend.