Aden

Aden is Chloe's son, her only boy. He came to live here when he was a whopping week old and fit in my hand. He's grown to be a huge monster of a cat (has to be 13lbs at least!) without a drop of fat on him.

His official nickname is Boy Cat, why, I'm not sure. That's what his dad declared him one day and it's stuck! Aden is the most affectionate of the older three cats, he'd much prefer to be curled up on my lap whenever the opportunity presents itself. He follows behind me much like a dog, sleeps on the bed with us at night and prefers when he has both mom & dad to spread out on at night!

He has no fear. I'm sure one day this will turn into a Bad Thing, but for now - it's helpful. He's the most welcoming out of everyone and when Mairi joined the family, instead of spending a few days hissing and being upset, he was doing everything in his power to go cuddle with her.



He's the biggest sweetheart.

Chloe

Chloe joined our family quite unexpectedly. I agreed to take her, and her four one-week old kittens in when they had nowhere else to go. Chloe was a whopping 9 months old at the time, and as skinny and flea ridden as they come. She's either a pure Manx, or a Manx mix. She has a little stump of a tail, and her little girl Josie had no tail at all.


(Pictured this time last year, before she gained some necessary weight. And when Aden was still small.. wow.)

She settled in immediately and made herself at home. She wasn't afraid of the dogs, or of the ferrets. She raised her kittens, with Ramsey's help, and all four grew up into big, healthy, friendly kitties. She had three girls, who became Minnie, Superstition and Josie. Her lone boy, Aden, remained with us to terrorize his mom appropriately.

Chloe is a somewhat typical cat. She seeks attention on her terms, and isn't too thrilled with you if you try to get her to agree to your terms. She'll be a lap cat one day and hide under the bed the next. She loves the other three cats and loves Ryder when he's being calm. Any movement that consists of more than necessary amounts and she's tucking herself away somewhere safe and calm.

I don't know what her life consisted of prior to coming here, but I can only assume she wasn't paid much attention, if any at all. She regularly puts the smack down on the boys, Chloe is Queen you know, and should be allowed to eat first! And Chloe's rules? They change as she sees fit. She's the funniest.

Ramsey

I spent much of my childhood being allergic to cats. My aunt's lived with my grandmother for many years and I'd always leave after a weekend "sleep over" a mess. I've always loved cats, but knew having one probably wasn't in the cards. After having the ferrets for so many years, and being saddened day after day by their short life span and horrible health issues, I wanted to look into a pet that'd be around awhile longer.

A good friend of mine had a litter of kittens, and I ended up asking her to save a little orange boy for me. It was not something I'd put a whole lot of thought into, just kind of dove in head first. The good news? I'm no longer allergic to cats.

Ramsey came home at 8 weeks, and has been a great addition to the family. He's pretty much The Boss in his own mind, everyone else here is under his control. Or so he thinks. We humor him.

His life hasn't been easy, on either of us. 4 months before his 2nd birthday, he got sick. He developed the worlds worst (tm) bladder infection, and without going into details - ended up blocking as a result. Eleven days in the vet's office, more money than I care to admit to spending, and more stress than I'd ever dealt with, home he came. He was constantly sick off and on for the next 6+ months, leading me to have to consider what was in his best interest. His vet, thankfully, shares the approach I do in dealing with him. I have medication for when he needs it, as the stress of hauling him into the vet's office so often makes things worse.

Ramsey was diagnosed with FLUTD - Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease. AKA Hell On Earth. He gets stressed? He pees blood. In random places. Preferably places that aren't easy to clean, or for maximum effect, all over the bathroom so it looks like a murder scene. He's mostly controlled now, he'll have a flare up on occasion but instead of being 2+ weeks of hell, it's a day. During his original illness, we discovered that he's allergic to many basic medications. Prednisone, Clavamox, Baytril, etc. I'm concerned for his future, if God forbid, any further health issues crop up.

Health aside, Ramsey is a great cat. Demanding, not terribly affectionate unless he wants something and is the designated Keeper of the Cats. When Chloe & Co. moved in, he automatically stepped up into the role of "Step Dad" - he helped her with those babies around the clock, as best he could with being as sick as he was. I ended up keeping Chloe & Aden strictly because they made him so happy. I worried when Mairi joined the family, but he's done the same for her - he spent 20 minutes this morning giving her a bath!

Ramsey's a great boy. Crazy as he is, and as crazy as he's made ME.

Ryder

Born 11/23/2006, home with me 1/9/2007



My Christmas gift from my boyfriend. Ryder was a sweet puppy, and once he hit about 9 months, turned into a terror. He's big - somewhere in the 80lb range now, and very strong. He also happens to be quite smart which is a dangerous combination.

He went to formal training for a week last year and that was the turning point. He went from stressing me out to becoming the perfect dog. Sure, he still has his issues... and his "I'm almost two and don't have to LISTEN!" moments, but I now spend my time enjoying my dog instead of looking for reasons not to work with him.

I watch Animal Planet a lot. He's well enough trained that he'll respond to the trainer on tv just because he thinks he should. It's cute.

I love all three of my dogs more than I can tell you. However, Ryder is my canine soul mate. No doubt about it. We're joined at the hip, pretty much co-dependent on each other (which yes, is not recommended..) and would prefer if I could win the lottery and stay home to be together all day everyday.



As I tell my boyfriend often, Best Christmas Present Ever.

Michi

Michi joined the family in April of 2004, I adopted her from a friend who was having problems getting her to adjust to their home. At that time, we had a very old chihuahua mix named Sam who'd been suffering with typical Old Age health issues. He and Cheyenne were very bonded to one another, and we worried terribly about what would happen when his time came. Within a week of the first discussion of adopting another dog, I found out Michi needed a new home.

She adapted well to her new home, Cheyenne loved her from the start and she was very good with Sam. Michi had been raised with ferrets, and seemed to find her comfort in playing with them more so than the other dogs. The ferrets all loved her, and she took a lot of abuse in the name of being roughhoused with. Sam passed away December 2004, and I think Michi is the only thing that kept Cheyenne here with us.

Michi is completely neurotic, but we all love her just the way she is.

Cheyenne

Cheyenne was adopted July 31st, 2000, it was my birthday. I was planning on moving back to Western NY from Phoenix in just over a months time, and decided adopting a puppy to take along was a good idea. Yes, slightly... unconventional. It worked perfectly, however.

Cheyenne is a Pit Bull/Australian Shepherd mix. She's a bit scardy cat, far more likely to leave a Cheyenne sized imprint in the wall than get into an argument with anyone. She's also a mutant. In her prime, she was upwards of 80lbs of solid muscle. Not a bit of fat on that body of hers.

Two years ago, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma. Bone cancer. She was given 4-6 months, tops. So much for that theory, thank God. She has her good days and her bad, I'm thankful every day that I listened to my gut and not the advice of my (beloved, mind you) vet.

She's been an interesting dog. She was a terror as a puppy, and needed scheduled naps much like a child, or there was no living with her. She became the primary bodyguard for my cousin when he was younger, including physically removing him from potentially dangerous situations, like the stairs. She's always welcoming to new family members of the four legged persuasion, even if she is a big fat tattletale when it comes to the cats!

Introductory Ramblings

I'm not sure why the urge to start two new blogs, after 8 years "hiding" behind a friends locked Livejournal sounds good. I've also decided not to question it, and just go for it.

Anyone who knows me at all will tell you my life happens to revolve around my pets. I've had animals my entire adult life, adopted my first dog (who was all mine) on my 18th birthday, in fact. One day after seeing an injured ferret at Petco, I decided I had to have one. Prior to that day? They scared me. Fast forward a bit and I'm known to be "The One With The Ferrets" - you know, the one who will take everyone elses problem off their hands. We won't discuss how many I had at a time. Think double digits. A lot.

After being burnt out by the diseases and not-so-long lifespan of my beloved ferrets, I decided to get a cat. A friend had a litter available and home I came with an 8 week old orange boy. Now I have four, including an 8 week old white girl.

I talk about my pets endlessly. I don't have children, they are the closest I'll ever have. Yes, I am one of Those People.

I am mom to 3 dogs, 4 cats, 5 ferrets and 6 assorted reptiles. I'm posting once each day this month in the name of NaBloPoMo. Hopefully it will be just the encouragement I need to get into the habit of posting regularly. I take an insane amount of photos of my babies, you will likely be subjected to the vast majority of them.