Happy National Pet Day

Wow, the move sure did  throw me off track!  All of our fur babies are doing great. We are battling a personality clash between two of our cats. Currently Peanut wants to let our newest addition Leia know he is boss.  We decided to try separating them into 2 adjacent rooms. This way they could sense eachother, but not interact. So we will see how that goes. If any readers out there have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. 

Im sharing some photos in honor of National Pet Day.

Peanut loves our wood burning stove!

Luna Loves to play with the stream of water...every time.

Leai and the Cat tree.

This one speaks for itself. Colt always is after the Guinnea pig! 

Happy National Pet Day! Give those guys extra pets today! 

Settling in

We officially moved from the city on August 6. It was quite a day. As soon as we returned from settlement, we began moving everything out.  Needless to say, the animals were wondering what was going on. Colt, was excited just to have more people in the house. That meant more attention. I decided to put his leash on so that he wouldn't be following everyone everywhere.  I brought him were ever I went to keep him occupied.

Our cats were curious as to what was going on, but because we were upsetting their environment they were, understandably, unsettled. As we removed household items, they scampered into a different room. When they felt they were at a safe distance, they would turn around and watch what was going on.  Leia was unphased.

Leia found an alternate use for moving boxes

After several trips moving items from our old house to the new one, we were ready for the final trip. We already brough Colt to the new house, so we brought everyone else in separate cars. The cats were very nervous at this time. Often a car ride and cage means Vet Visit. There were lots of meows , but we eventually made it home. The move was finished at 2:00 am. 

Immediately, the cats began sniffing out the house.  Oreo loves the bay window in the kitchen.

I'd like to say everything went perfectly, but in the chaos of everything, our dog got into the room where we keep the guinnea pigs. I rescued them and  both seemed fine. Unfortunately Chloe passed a few days later.  I felt terrible about that which I think it took me a while to post again. I felt I should have done more to protect her. Winnie is doing fine. We have her on top of the frindge ( strange spot , I know. But we can watch her carefully, she's out of reach of Colt and she is around people). She likes to squeak every time I open the refrigerator. She learned that if she squeaks , I  will usually give her a carrot. 

We are all just about settled in. I'm sure there will be many more adventures in the new home. 

Moving Day is Almost Here

This week has been pretty chaotic. We have been preparing for settling on a new home and for moving at the end of this week.  The cats have taken notice and carefully try to claim whatever they can. When they aren't doing that, they are quietly sitting aside, observing. I often wonder what goes through their minds. 

Earlier this week we had Oreo claiming a plastic box.

When that was used, we had a large cardboard box ready to use.  Yes, you guessed it.  She immediately jumped into it and sat down. She loves to jump into things. It's almost as if she can't resist.

Then, Peanut took notice of the box, and as soon as Oreo left,  Peanut jumped in.

However, I think the best happened this morning. Izzy snuck inside the pantry ( she has a whole routine that she uses in order to open to door)  and found the catnip I hid in there. At first I thought she was looking for the food container, which is not out of the realm of possibilities. She has been known to do that before.  Before we knew it she was rolling around and CHEWING the container. 

See how she made a perfect space to roll around in?

And there she goes, chewing it. She was one happy cat!

Finally, we cut her off. I don't think she minded though:

Spooked

Our newest cat Leia is quite the character.  She's complicated. She loves people and enjoys rubs and pets. However, she has a terrible time getting along with other cats. I think before we had her she was constantly fighting with a cat she lived with. When she joined our Animal Kingdom, she took on the role of agressor. (Much to Peanut's dismay. He is the alpha male in the house and he will not let this happen too easily).   Leia's favorite cat to keep in line is the youngest one, Luna. Luna will avoid Leia at all costs. 

Well, last night I was playing with Colt.  He likes to run around and chase things. Since it was raining, I humored him and jogged around the living room so he could burn off some of that Jack Russel energy. Leia, who was on top of the table and in clear view of the commotion, became spooked. I've never seen her that freaked out before.  She stood up on all four legs, arched her back slowly until she couldn't arch it anymore. The hair on her back stood up and her tail puffed out to about three times its size. Even now, we still are not sure what it was that spooked her so much. But we stopped immediately and calmed her down. 

I think over all, she is very nervous from her past experiences and is trying to compensate for that. We hope that as time goes on, things improve for her. I know the next few weeks are going to be rough for her as we are moving. Any major change is bound to stress the cats out, which will surely slow her progress.  

Colt and Luna's Adventerous Weekend

In a few weeks we will be moving out of the house I've been in for over 19 years. If everything goes as planned, we hope to close on a house out of the city early next month.  In preparation, we are going through our itens and held a Moving Sale.

Part of Colt's nature as a Jack Russel is that he prefers being around everyone all the time. What ever we are doing, he wants to be a part of. 

For example, I had to go to the bank on Friday. Colt, of course, wanted to tag along. Since I didn't need to leave the car, I let him come. The nice lady at the bank even gave him a treat! (Oh yes, looks like this will be a favorite for him.) 

During the Moving Sale, he wanted to be a part of the action. So I grabbed a water bowl and his leash and we set up. He was very good and even went off leash as we were cleaning up.

He had fun greeting everyone and loved the company and attention. You can tell it was quite a day for him.

Speaking of the move, our cat Luna is known for her curiosity. As we were going through items to start packing up for the move, we found a portable radio. She's never seen it before and this was her reaction:

Not too sure about this

What is that thing?

Umm....

You got to love these guys. They keep it interesting! 

Tiny Spaces

 When it comes to squeezing into tight spots, my cats can get pretty creative. Izzy, the calico cat, thinks she MUST sit inside anything that will allow her to. Anything at all.  As my husband says, "If she fits, she'll sit!"

A perfect example is when I was in the kitchen a few days ago. I was finishing up dinner, cleaning up and I turn around and see this:

Photo Credit: Caitlin Gladen

I think she was trying to tell me something. She's subtle like that.  

Izzy also has a habit of sneaking into the pantry. She knows we hide her food and treats in there and she has stolen the treat bag on several occasions. This morning I went into the pantry to grab some cereal and I was greeted by Izzy instead. 

She didn't get to any treats this time, but she sure looked comfortable.  What are some of the  funny spots your pets have claimed?

Updates

We have lots of updates on what I'm starting to call the "Imlay Farmland".  Between working, writing and training Colt, I've been pretty busy. We are also in the process of selling our current home and moving to a more agricultural area. Wish us luck. We're getting last minute drama. 

In the middle of all that, the animals have left us with no shortage of experiences. I wish I wrote them all down in a notepad so I would remember them all. I'll see what I can remember. 

Colt - Colt is our new Jack Russel Terrier we adopted in November shortly after Scooby passed. His story is on the previous blog post. Colt is very lovable and has a big personality.  He follows me everywhere and hates to be alone. He hates thunder and fireworks as well. He enjoys long walks and chasing the ball around. His favorite thing to do? He ADORES car rides. 

The new development for him is a cage. His anxiety was causing him to find and eat harmful things such as a half a bag of Hershey Kisses. We got him a large cage for when I am not home, so he can move around and change positions. He is adjusting well. Sometimes he goes in there on his own when he wants to rest or sleep. 

Luna - Luna had a trip to the vet about a week and a half ago. She started with a UTI and they also administered her vaccines. Her med for the UTI was a long lasting antibiotic shot. (Pet enthusiasts, what are your experiences and thoughts about this? I'm reading mixed reviews) 

Luna's latest adventure was to try and chase a yellow jacket that got into the house. She is one strong willed cat and refuses to accept a "No" from us pesky humans. I got rid of the bee, but not before snapping this pic:

Luna's now back to recovering from her illness, but starting to use the litter box inconsistently. We are hoping her spay surgery on Friday helps with this situation. I suspect this has something to do with our newest cat Leia.  

Leia - Who is Leia you ask? She is technically Luna's older sister. Yes, Leia and Luna are sisters...and they certainly fight like it. Leia's owner had to give her up and "Imlay Farmland" took her in 😉 This has been a difficult adjustment. Luna can be moody and egg on Leia. Leia had a rough time at her old home and can get aggressive to prevent other attacks. Leia is also due for her spaying this Friday, and we hope this will calm her down. 

Izzy, Oreo and Peanut have been sitting back and watching the show. 

What have you and your pets been up to lately? 

Our New Addition

Loosing Scooby was pretty hard. I miss him every day. He was always my "Dr. Phil" buddy. He'd curl up next to me every day for our daily dose! It's hard not calling his name. One of the toughest things we experienced was when someone would be at the door. Scoob took his job of guarding the house very seriously. Anyone at the door would be greeted by intense barking. He sounded scarier than he was.  In fact he'd get just as mad at anyone leaving the house.  After he was gone, the first time there was a knock at the door we almost jumped into our routine. Someone always had to sit with him to make him relax. It was weird answering the door without the Scooby Routine.

Now, several weeks later we have a new addition. Things still will not be the same without Scooby, but he will forever be a part of us.  We started searching for dogs at different shelters. At the last one we went, we planned for a younger dog, but we soon fell in love with Colt.

Colt is a 7 year old Jack Russel Terrier. He is energetic, well trained,  and loves people.  Since he's come home with us we discovered that he is a great jumper (he even cleared a half stone wall), he loves car rides and he can dig ( He thinks that is what our harvested garden is for.)

This new addition is a joy to have. He loves his family. He likes to play Catch and Tug-of-War. His energy sort of forces you to be energetic too, which is always something I find myself lacking. I have a feeling there is going to be some interesting stories featuring this guy.

So while I still miss my Scooby boy, I'm glad our family met Colt. In his own way he is helping us to continue to heal from the loss. But even better for him, he found a forever home with us.

Missing Scooby

Well when it rains, it pours, I guess.  Our 10 year old Rat-Cha mix started having some medical problems a few weeks ago. I thought it was just an eye infection and it turned out he had a detached retina. It had also caused blindness. While he was being treated for his eye, I had hoped the blindness would improve. He was actually getting pretty good at listening to my verbal cues of "up!" and "down," when approaching the steps.




After a week he went for a follow up and the doctor decided to treat him for high blood pressure since a detached retina and blindness is caused by high blood pressure. However, he had not improved over the next week. He had gotten slower and groaned often. If he had to go more than a half a block, he would need to be carried. He also lost interest in his food (including snacks! Our Scooby never, ever misses a snack)

I had a feeling this next visit to the vet would be a difficult one. The one thing I wasn't expecting was a diagnosis of Lymphoma. Every single lymph node on his body had become enlarged. We were told he could see an oncologist or get steroid treatments there, however these were not cures.

After discussing all the options, we opted for Euthanasia. It was very hard to do and there really are no words for the torment we went through that evening.

The vet was extremely caring and supportive. They made the process easier for Scooby and were always displaying respect and courtesy.

They sedated him first and placed him in a soft, fluffy, comfortable doggy bed. We laid his favorite stuffed toy (the purple platypus) under his paw as he was often found snuggling with this toy when he thought we weren't watching.

He passed calmly and without incident on November 2. Though it has been just about a week later, it is still difficult to come to terms with. He has been an intregal part of the family since my current senior in highschool was in second grade. In fact I wasn't even ready to blog about this until this evening.  I know he is in a better place now and no longer suffering. However, I will still miss him terribly until that day we meet again over the "Rainbow Bridge".

Farewell Simba

Just days after I started this blog, our cat Simba crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. It came as a surprise to us because he had seemed fine up until a day or so before his crossing over.

This cat did not have an easy life. He was found on the streets close to where I teach. A coworker started caring for him but knew her dog would not accept the cat. So I offered to take him in. I knew he was a nervous cat and had a tail injury, but also that we could give him a home.

When I first met him at my coworker's friend's house,  he hid and we had to lure him out. As soon as I saw him, I saw his injured tail. There was a bald spot about 3/4 down his tail. It never grew back and became a character trait of our Simba.  We immediately took him to the vet, who wasn't too concerned about his tail. We got him his shots, chipped, neutered and took him home.

During the last year and a half he had his ups and downs with our crazy pet family.  Peanut, who thinks he's king of the house, capitalized on Simba's fears to "keep him in his place".  If Simba felt brave enough, he would try to stand his ground.

And as nervous as he was, Simba would still socialize at times and always ate with the rest of the cats.

He was a loving cat. As soon as you would pet him he would purr a very loud pur. Sometimes he was able to hiss at another cat and go right back to purring and being pet. Often times we could redirect him and his fears by giving him some petting time.

We take comfort in knowing that as rough as his life was, he got to enjoy a happy home for his remaining time here.  We are confident that since his crossing over the Rainbow Bridge on October 17th, that he is in a happier place and never has to hide again.  Till we meet again, dear Simba!

Luna: Our Newest Member

Luna is the newest member of the family. When she came to us a couple of weeks ago she was between just 3-4 weeks old. My husband's boss brought her into work  after the litter was attacked by a fox. Luna was the only survivor and  Kevin (my husband) immediately wanted to take her in.

She has been ambitious from the start. She wanted nothing to do with a bottle and quickly learned how to lap up her fluids. She has been watching the other cats, especially Oreo who seemed to have taken on the role of Surrogate Mother.

The above picture was Oreo with Luna the first night. The other cats took a few days to warm up to her. Izzy, who has been used to being the center of attention, had a particularly rough couple of days before accepting Luna. In fact, whenever she thought nobody was watching, I would catch Izzy grooming her. 

It has been a few weeks now and Luna is adjusting well. She is a growing bundle of energy that will light up anyone's day. 

Welcome to the family, Luna

Introduction

Welcome to Pet Muses! I'm Jen Imlay and this blog is about my family's many pets. I plan do do some book reviews on pets and animals as well , so be sure to check back for that. We have 5 cats and a dog (yes, you read that right. That wasn't a typo. We have 5 cats.)
 With all these characters, there's always something interesting going on around here. Today, though, we'll focus on introductions so that you get to know these guys.

First is Scooby. He is a 10 year old black Rat-Cha mix (Rat Terrier/Chihuahua). Hi favorite things to do include sleeping, eating, cuddling and playing with the cats. He interacts with them all the time. I think he's picking up habits from them. For instance, I am pretty sure I caught him washing his face the way cats do (licking his paws and wiping his face.) We have a very shy cat (Simba  - more about him later) who Scooby thinks is fun to chase. He's a good companion though and will always cuddle up with you on the couch.

Next we have Peanut, one of our orange and white cats. He loves running outside as soon as someone opens the front door. Just a few minutes of fresh air, the grass and concrete makes his day. He will also follow us when we go downstairs to let Scooby outside. Many times they go out back together for a short time. Peanut can be quirky. Sometimes he's in a "You-all-annoy-me-don't-bother-me" mood. Other times he will cling to you to get his "kitty hug".  And every once in a while he feels the need to let Simba know that Peanut is in charge. (As if that poor cat would dethrone him anyway)

Then in comes Izzy and Oreo. We went to the humane center to look into adopting another cat. When we got there, the center was having a "clear the shelter" event. If you bought a kitten they would give you one free along with the first 30 days of medical care/pet insurance, We instantly fell in love with Izzy, a calico kitten, and her crate mate Oreo who was a black and white kitten. We didn't intend on bringing 2 home, but that's what happened We were nervous about how Peanut might react to the new kittens, but he was instantly intrigued. Before we brought them home he was "grumpy" pretty often. But after we brought them home, he began to play more and was much happier.  I never would have predicted that based on Peanut's previous behavior.

About a month later, a friend posts on Facebook about an orange and white cat who needed a home. Shelters couldn't take him and nobody else could. His tail was injured - it was missing hair in the middle of it. Some hair grew back, but not all. We took him in, and named him Simba.
Simba is a very nervous cat. He hides from sudden movements and noises. At the same time, he loves to be pet and played with. Its as if he craves human interaction.

After we adopted Simba, we promised ourselves that our pet family was beyond complete.  That changed October  2, 2017.  My husband Kevin sent me a text when he got to work.  All it said was "New Addition" and had this photo

It turns out Luna, this very young kitten,  was found that morning after a fox attacked her mother and the rest of her litter. She was the only one left. I knew she was family the minute I saw her picture. Welcome the the family Luna!

Now that you have a basic introduction to these animals, I'll be sharing stories about them all. Stay tuned. If you like my posts, please be sure to subscribe, comment and share!