Sunday, January 16, 2005 , evening

Gifts for good dogs and cats

Having, oh, a lot of dogs and cats means we buy a lot of stuff for dogs and cats.  There have definitely been favourite purchases for pets and owners alike, so I thought I’d mention a few in case you’re looking for a perfect gift for Fido or Fluffy’s upcoming birthday.

Three out of three cats agree that the Little Pink Sock catnip toy is the best damn cat toy featuring catnip that’s ever been invented.  These toys provide your cats with hours of fun as they toss them in the air, drop them from high places, rub them against their faces, or simply nap on their soft pink surface.  Socks come two to a package and are stuffed to the brim with aromatic catnip (which to me smelled like camomile tea).  Your cat will think you’re wonderful, and you’ll love the cute packaging.  I don’t know how long the catnip will last, but I think I’ll order an extra set to have on hand so we’ll never run out.  Even Chelsea loves the little pink sock, and otherwise I don’t think Chelsea loves anything at all.

Three out of three cats surveyed also agree that when they’re in the mood to hunt, they want to hunt Toy Shoppe Teasables cat wand toys.  Actually, I lied—only two out of three cats surveyed love chasing the wand toys, but that’s just because Derek feels hunting and playing would cut into his cuddle time.  Still, Chelsea and Jackson think the wand toys are great fun, and they might be a good workout for me, too.  In a few months I’ll have one freakishly huge bicep from holding a wand out while I watch TV.

Dog toys are tougher to recommend because our dogs are all so different.  The thing all our dogs love, big or small, is the Toughchew Dog Bed.  We originally bought one of the “nearly indestructible” Toughchew beds for our Anatolian shepherd, as he was always ripping up dog beds we were buying.  We figured it was better to spend $180 on one really durable bed than to repeatedly pay $40 for beds we’d have to replace.  Also, the Toughchew bed came with Orvis’ great “lifetime guarantee”, so we figured we had nothing to lose.  Unfortunately, we seem to have one of the rare dogs who can annihilate a Toughchew bed, as Dante the Anatolian was able to put a tear in it after being left alone with it for 10 minutes.  HOWEVER, Orvis did immediately honour their replacement warranty after a quick email to them about the incident, and a few days later a brand new bed arrived.  We still have to keep it away from Dante unless we’re there to watch him, as he loves to take dog beds and drag them outside (no matter how large they are).  However, when he’s sleepy the bed is his favourite thing in the world, and it’s also supremely comfortable for our aging German Shepherd.  We now have a second bed for our wee dogs and they also think the bed is heavenly.  Our terrier-mix loves to grab it and shake it, and she’s been unable to even break a thread.  If you want a good, reliable, comfortable bed for your dogs, and want to know that it will last a lifetime, buy a bed from Orvis.  You won’t be disappointed, they guarantee it, and if your dog eats it they’ll send you a new one.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/16 at 09:46 PM
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The Chai Master

On January 12th I mentioned that the adoption coordinator from Best Friends had called to tell me about a cat up for adoption named “Derek”.  We did arrange to go see Derek on Saturday just as a courtesy, and because I really wanted to meet some of the staff from Best Friends (a place I’d love to work for them one day).  As luck would have it, I met Derek and it was love at first site.  He is a beautiful, short-haired blend of tan and grey, with little white accents on his feet, head, and the bridge of his nose.  His eyes are the most gorgeous pale blue.  What sold me on him was how he purred with ecstacy when I massaged his feet—my cat Sweet Pea only let me touch her feet when she was literally moments from dying.  I was never able to touch Sweet Pea’s stomach at all, but Derek rolls on his back for belly scratches.  When I picked him up to hold him for the first time, he grabbed on to me with his paws and that was it—I knew he had to come home with us.

The adoption representatives from Best Friends were very friendly, and the whole adoption process was fairly quick but thorough.  I have to say that their adoption policies are great, so if you have the chance to adopt from them, I’d highly recommend it.  Their policy is to allow us to return Derek if we can’t care for him for any reason at any point in his life, and they’ll also provide assistance with medical expenses above and beyond basic care.  Derek came home in an almost-new kennel carrier with blankets, toys, a big packet of information about his background and general cat care, and a month of free pet health insurance.  He also had recently had all his shots, been neutered, microchipped, and had a dental cleaning.  It was a great start to what I hope will be many long and happy years with Derek, who may be 7 or may be 13, depending on who you talk to.  He was rather chatty in the car on the way home as he apparently doesn’t enjoy travelling, but once in the house he settled in like he owns the place.  He strolled downstairs, had some face-to-face time with the big and little dogs, browsed the bird room, and has toured most of the upstairs furniture.  So far he enjoys climbing on the cat tree, looking out the window, and sleeping under the chair.  He’s been completely comfortable with us from the moment of his arrival, and I once again have a cat who will sit on my lap while I watch TV.  He’s an absolute sweetheart.  His background report said that he was found as a stray in Kanab, Utah.  I have no idea where he spent the first years of his life, but he must have been happy to have developed such a nice disposition.  Oh, he was given the name “Derek” at Best Friends, but the person who originally took him in as a stray called him “Chai”.  We thought “Chai” was a nice name, but it seemed too feminine, so we decided to stick with “Derek”.  As an acknowledgement of his roots, and a tribute to his zen-like qualities, we now refer to him as Derek the Chai Master.  Photos will follow eventually, once our camera is out of the repair shop.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/16 at 09:24 PM
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Saturday, January 15, 2005 , evening

Introducing… Mr. Derek Chai!

Oh, it’s such a long story and it’s late, so I’ll tell you tomorrow.  Go Vikings!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/15 at 09:12 PM
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Thursday, January 13, 2005 , evening

Bears with clothes

I love teddy bears, and today received a birthday parcel from my parents which contained this little bear and her doggy pal:

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My Mom included a note in the package commenting that she knows I “don’t like bears wearing clothing”, and I guess that’s sort of true but it also sounds a bit kinky.  I like to think that I prefer teddy bears in their natural, wild state—unclad, as if they’ve just wandered in from a day in the forest (where they perhaps enjoyed a picnic).  I don’t mind if they want to wear clothes, though—even in Vegas it gets pretty chilly.

And while we’re on the subject on birthday gifts, my fabulous birthday sweatshirt from Nancy:

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Before Christmas we traded in a number of “bonus points” we’d accumulated from an online advertiser for a very large gift certificate from Amazon.com.  We split the gc in half and each placed an order for things we coveted.  I bought a Dremel Mini for grooming bird and dog nails, as well as a couple of CDs (Sarah McLachlan’s Afterglow Live and Gwen Stefani’s Love, Angel, Music, Baby).  Mainly though, I bought BOOKS, and today a big, glorious box of new books was dropped on our doorstep by those nice guys at UPS.  If you want to know what Brown can do for you, well, they can deliver books (and English muffins from Wolferman’s).  I can now look forward to lots of great reading, ranging from Jeff Corwin’s Living on the Edge to Tom Robbins’ Jitterbug Perfume.  I’m reading the latter solely because Ami Cusack of “Survivor: Vanuatu” listed it as her favourite book.  I’m sure that sounds very pathetic, but I figure it’s a more mature way of showing my adoration than camping on her front lawn or having her name shaved into the back of my head.  I’m all about being practical.

In sad news, our Olympus C-5060 digital camera had to be sent to the Olympus hospital in California today for emergency surgery.  Sparing no expense, we enveloped it in swaddling bubble wrap and asked the aforementioned Brown to get it to its destination safely.  It’s been a fabulous camera since we bought it last April, but it’s having some sort of electrical problem that’s causing it to (among other things) take photos on its own.  It could turn out an exorcism is the more appropriate solution, but I hope it’s just a mechanical glitch.  As soon as we dropped the camera off at the shipping store the cats started to do the most adorable things, and of course we couldn’t take photos of any of it.  They’re deliberately inconsiderate.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/13 at 09:14 PM
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Wednesday, January 12, 2005 , evening

My Wishlist

I think it’s lovely that you want to buy me a gift.  I’m sure it’s because I’m so delightful, but if you want to pretend it’s because it happens to be my birthday or Christmas, I’ll accept that excuse too.  No gift shall be rejected, unless it has fur and four paws, in which case I already have one in that size and colour.

I’ll update this periodically and remove things if I happen to purchase them myself.

I have an Amazon.com wishlist—actually, I have many of them.  Here’s a link to all my Wishlists in all their various categories (I like to be organized).  The link defaults to a category called “Animal Books”, but if you look to the left side of the page, you’ll see all the other categories, like “Canadiana” and “Gadgets and Household Items”.  I really do love books, and I’d be happy with just books for Christmas.

I’m a veterinary technician student at Penn Foster.  If you’d like to contribute to my tuition (and that would make me VERY happy), my student number is 20508970, and you can call 1-888-427-1000 and tell them you want to make a payment against my balance.  In advance, I love you.

I love these clocks:  Kit-Kat Clock

The Mutts Store:  I’d enjoy any of the apparel from the Mutts store.  Size large is best, as I never know if they’ll shrink, and I’d rather have a shirt too large than too small.  I’d also love any of the signed books.  If you need a gift for the cats, the Little Pink Socks themselves are a huge hit, and Chelsea is developing quite an addiction.  There’s also a print I’d like to have so I can frame it: I Enjoy Working From Home (the date of the print was Wednesday, December 01, 2004, and it was a weekday strip).

I love this Got mutt? shirt from the HSUS store.

Best Friends Animal Sanctuary Store:  I’d like the “Old Dog Town” and “The World According to Julius” books, as well as the “Be Kind” t-shirt.  The stonewashed blue and green shirts are nice too… surprise me.

I’d like any of the items from this page of products:  Acupressure Institute animal products, except the “Four Paws, Five Directions” book, as I already own it.

I also like things from the Anatomical Chart Company.  I know it’s weird, cut me some slack.

Call me quirky, but I’m totally in love with these espresso cups:  Atelier van Lieshout Collection.  It’s espresso, it’s internal organs, it’s all sorts of fabulous things thrown together!

Teddy bears are always welcomed.  I finally completed my Zodiac Bear collection, and am missing just the rare, “International Dragon” from my Starbucks collection.  I like anything unusual or limited edition, which may or may not mean expensive.  I’d love a bear by R. John Wright if you find one at a yard sale or something (if you find one at a yard sale, first pay for it, then run back to your car and faint at your good fortune).  I still dream of “Night-time Pooh” (retired), and love this little guy, Duncan.

I like shirts and sweaters associated with the Toronto Maple Leafs, The Las Vegas Wranglers, or any Canadian minor hockey league teams (yes, even the Belleville Bulls).  River City Sports is a great place to look for sale items.  My favourite Leafs are Darcy Tucker, Gary Roberts, and Tie Domi.  Even though Gary Roberts isn’t a Maple Leaf anymore, I shall never lose my Gary Roberts love.  Oh, I also like other Toronto-based sports shirts (t-shirts are probably best, long or short-sleeved), for example, the Argos or even the Toronto Rock lacrosse team.

I really want to try my hand at making cheese (no “cutting the cheese” jokes, please).  I’d love to have the Basic Hard Cheese kit from CheeseSupply.com.

I’d like to try making homemade sauerkraut or pickled in a Harsch Crock.  I definitely think the 5.0 L size is large enough for what I’d be making, especially because I’m only cooking for two people, and only one of us will eat kimchee.

Unreasonably-priced stuff below for my own amusement, in case Oprah swings by and wants to treat me to something nice:

I desperately want a replacement coffee roaster, as the one we have is unpredictable and prone to breaking down.  This is my dream roaster, the HotTop Digital Coffee Roaster.

Do you feel I lack a proper education?  Join the club.  I’d like to take some classes at Humane Society University, perhaps their “Pets for Life” certificate program, or even some individual classes like, The Mechanism of Disease in Companion Animals.  I have no idea if they offer gift certificates for such things, but just thought I’d put it out there.  I’m also very interested in taking a course in animal massage.

Who wouldn’t want an Ionic Breeze Professional Air Purifier?!  Maybe someone who lives in a bubble, but otherwise, the rest of us would really love to have one.  Or two.  Or probably about a dozen of them to take care of all our dust and pet hair.

I think the fake jellyfish aquarium is totally cool.

Because I wasn’t able to attend, I’d enjoy the DVD box set of the Harvard ”Future of Animal Law” Conference.

I also wasn’t able to attend Petfood Forum 2007, even though I was invited, and would love to read the 2007 Proceedings.

If you’re still not sure, I totally suggest checking out my Amazon.com wishlist as I first mentioned.  For one thing, the things on that list are actually affordable.  Also, the items on the list are varied, so there are choices of books, DVDs, CDs, household items, and kitchen gadgets.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/12 at 08:35 PM
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Tuesday, January 11, 2005 , evening

Cats is cats

We’re under the impression we still have two cats, although they might just be sofa gremlins and figments of our imaginations.  After 5 days with us, Jackson and Chelsea are still quite jumpy and nervous, and ready to bolt at the slightest provocation.  Chelsea let me pet her head and neck for a while today, but she made it clear that she was merely tolerating it and not really enjoying it.  She makes the strangest sounds—I never know if she’s purring or growling.

I received a phone call from Best Friends Animal Sanctuary today and we discussed Scooter.  Unfortunately, Scooter won’t be able to come live with us for a couple of reasons.  For one thing he’s a “dirty” cat—he tends to leave fecal trails because of his lack of hind legs and subsequent litterbox problems, so he requires a lot of extra cleaning.  Also, our carpeting would pose a problem because it might give his little butt rug burns.  Scooter will do better in a home with a linoleum floor.  We also talked about a cat who just came up for adoption named “Derek” because he’s used to both parrots and dogs.  Derek will be in town on Saturday and up for adoption, although it would be impossible to adopt him now that we have Chelsea and Jackson.  I did say we’d come down and meet him, but the adoption attendants won’t be holding him for us and will adopt him out to any interested individual.  It’s unfortunate it worked out this way, as I’m glad we were able to give C & J a home, but do miss having a cat around who actually likes us :p

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/11 at 09:35 PM
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Life of Pi

When Life of Pi by author Yann Martel was first released, I read a lot of “buzz” about it and thought it sounded interesting.  The more reviews I read, however, the more I was bothered by the possibility of gory violence against animals as part of the plot, and I avoided the book because of those fears.  Curiousity eventually got the best of me though, and as numerous friends had read it, I decided to ask for a copy for Christmas.  Thanks to my “Secret Santa” in Maryland I was finally able to find out what all the fuss was about.

My concerns about disturbing, violent animal imagery weren’t unfounded.  Incidents such as a zebra being eaten alive by a hyena over a 24 hour period were described in graphic detail, and I didn’t enjoy it.  I didn’t think the detail added anything to the plot, and it just made me uncomfortable.  Perhaps it was intended to show the “true nature” of animals, and eventually, of humans, but I just didn’t need so much specific information.  Many people wouldn’t think anything of it, but as an animal lover and someone who’s far too empathetic, it bothered me.  I did enjoy the story itself, as it was both entertaining and fascinating.  The “man-eating island” full of meetkats was a unique surprise and unexpected.  I was quite bewildered by the main character’s assurances that the story would “make you believe in God”, because I didn’t think the book was any more spiritual than a Disney production of “Swiss Family Robinson”.  Pi’s religious faith seemed superficial and bordering on mania—he worshipped God as if worshipping a rock star or famous athlete.  Perhaps I’m supposed to believe that his faith helped him survive, or that his survival was proof that God was by his side.  All I ended up thinking was that if there really is a God, PI wouldn’t have ended up orphaned and shipwrecked in the first place.

So, an entertaining story, quite violent, and confusing in its message if you’re a heathen like me.

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/11 at 09:15 PM
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Thursday, January 06, 2005 , early evening

Cats!

We theoretically have two cats, but because they’re in hiding, it’s as if they don’t really exist.  When we brought them home, one immediately fled behind the bar and crawled up on a shelf, and the other vanished under the couch.  One is probably still under the couch, and the other is lurking under the edge of the sofa cover, hissing at the German shepherd.  I wish they’d just let me show them where the litterbox is located.  Ah… the joy of pets!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/06 at 06:39 PM
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Wednesday, January 05, 2005 , evening

There’s such a thing as “too much cabbage”

I had wonderful Polish food for lunch today, but have discovered that there is such a thing as “too much cabbage”.  The meal opened with cabbage soup, then we had cabbage rolls, and then we had hunter’s stew with cabbage, and wow, the ol’ digestive tract isn’t sure what to make of it all.  It all tasted fabulous, but we were saddened because what had been a fully-themed Polish restaurant had become a “European” restaurant which also features a bar and gambling.  Instead of being bright and airy, it was dark and smelled of old cigarette smoke, like a casino.  I guess the place wasn’t making it on Polish food only, which is a shame.  We were the only customers in the place for lunch so we had the complete attention of the server, who provided a surprise piece of birthday cheesecake for dessert smile I’d told her it was my birthday in an attempt to get her to improvise a “sampler platter” of food for us (something which used to be on the menu), but it didn’t work.  I did get free cheesecake, though.  Complete with a candle.

After lunch we went to two malls in town to exchange a sweatshirt Nancy had ordered online for me for a smaller size.  I’ve now completed my mall visit quota for the year—I just don’t enjoy them anymore.  I’d much rather shop from the comfort of my computer, but there are the occasional clothing size glitches.

Remember those two cats I mentioned not wanting to adopt in yesterday’s entry?  They’re coming home with us tomorrow.  I felt really trapped by the idea of the cats being put to sleep if we didn’t adopt them, so in the future if we want to add any pets to our home we’re going to keep quiet about it.  The current owner was kind enough to pay for full bloodwork for them and all their shots, so we know they’ll both have a clean bill of health, but it’s going to be a big adjustment for all of us.  If the cats can’t get used to the dogs and parrots, I don’t know what we’ll end up doing.  I’m crossing my fingers that this will have a peaceful and simple resolution.


So, those are my big birthday memories as I turn 39: gas and cats.

P.S.  I almost forgot to mention my biggest surprise gift of the day—Camden Toy sent a lovely autographed photo of himself as the flesh-eating demon, “Gnarl”, complete with an appropriately creepy birthday inscription.  Camden Toy is a very sweet and thoughtful guy smile

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/05 at 08:09 PM
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Tuesday, January 04, 2005 , early evening

It’s birthweek!

I’ve got an hour and 13 minutes left of being 38 years old.  I don’t know how I suddenly got this old—I’m quite sure I’m still just 25 and a mistake has been made in the birth certificate department.  About 9 years ago I was going through some period of mental delusion and I went to a psychic in Albuquerque, NM.  Among other things, she told me that I would end up working as a paramedic/EMT, and that by the time I was 38, “money wouldn’t be an issue”.  I assumed that I would either get rich this past year or die, but I did neither.  I also don’t work as an EMT, but I do watch “Emergency Vets” and I recently read the book, “Ambulance Girl”.  I was really counting on that “money won’t be an issue” thing, but unfortunately it didn’t work out that way.  She had no predictions for 39 year old me, so I guess I’ll have to wing it from here.  I hope to have a birthday lunch of Polish food, weather permitting.  Oh, and I always use the term “birthweek”, as it means presents and cards can arrive on any day in a week-long window without the sender feeling guilty about them being late smile

Today we had a call from the vet’s office, asking us if we’d be interested in adopting two cats who would otherwise be euthanized.  An elderly woman had died leaving two cats, and the family was unable to keep them due to allergies.  The local shelter was full and couldn’t take them, which sort of left us as the only option.  I ended up speaking to the cats’ current guardian on the phone for a while, and she was a nice woman who really did want to find an option other than euthanization.  I gave her the number for Best Friends and suggested she call them, but told her to call us back if they weren’t able to help.  Sigh.  The cats are 7 and 12 years old, a male and female, one nice and one not-so-nice.  I absolutely don’t want the cats to be put to sleep simply as a matter of convenience, but on the other hand, I want the opportunity to choose my pets and not to have them thrust upon me.  At least half our birds have been other people’s cast-offs, and while I’m glad we can help and offer a good home, I also love the opportunity to take my time finding a new pet of my own choosing.  I don’t think it’s terribly selfish of me to be willing to adopt a homeless cat, but to prefer to adopt a homeless cat with green eyes, or one with tortoise-shell colouring, or one with no back legs, etc.  In any case, the woman with the cats said she’d call me back, one way or another.  If she calls back and the cats still need a home, then I guess they’ll be coming to live with us.  The one nice thing about them is that they seem to be Democrats—their names are Chelsea and Jackson.

For anyone else who might be a January 5-er, here’s a special image for you from Hold the Mustard:

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Posted by Leigh-Ann on 01/04 at 07:12 PM
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