A Recap of Our Week

So it's been a week since I blogged.  A lot has been going on for the humans but not really so much for the critters.

I am happy to report that with the exception of a few hairballs the gang is all doing just great.  I think the biggest event of the week was learning that I should be deworming Mr. Piglet - which I haven't been doing.  UGH.  So - off to the Tractor Supply store I went to get his meds and we got the first round of medications in him.  So far, his skin is doing so much better - no flakiness at all.  Other than that I have not seen any worms in his poo.  Not sure how long it might take if there are any in there. In 10 days or so we do the whole process over again and then we go on an every four month schedule.

Emma has been feeling quite frisky with lots of zoomies in the mornings.  That's what we call it when she runs around like a freak.  I am quite happy with how she is doing - full of energy, happy, eating great.  She is back on dry dog food now that her teeth are back to healthy.

The kitties are all well.  They are loving the two servings of canned cat food each day.  They seem pretty happy and with the exception of the lovely hairballs they are leaving me as their coats thicken up for the winter they all seem healthy - no complaints.

My little ferrets are fantastic.  This week was pretty uneventful for them - play, eat, poop, sleep, repeat is pretty much the story of their days.  They gets lots of attention and lovies.  They too are enjoying two servings of gravy (ferret food in warm water) each day.  I like starting their days and getting them ready for bed knowing their little bellies are full of something warm.

All in all - the week from a critter perspective was just great!  This week they will get a little treat of Thanksgiving goodies.  Winston will get some veggies from our side dishes,  Emma will get turkey and sides along with the kitties.  The ferrets will get an offer of some gravy and other things - my guess is the only one who will try will be Kai - maybe Theo - likely that will be it.  They are very picky little eaters.....

On Friday of next week - Christmas goes up in our house - the challenge of keeping the ferrets and kitties out of things is gone since they have their own space.  Keeping Winston out of things might be a different story - we shall see - he has to pass by living room tree to go outside.  Should be interesting.  Rest assured - I will be having a handful of cookies at the ready to keep him from going to areas we don't want him investigating.  Fun times!!!

So - there you have it - the recap of our week....Happy for a short work week coming up!!  :)

Visitors

Today we had lots of visitors - two different sets.  Visitors are received differently by the different critters....

Kitties:

Aggie and Phoebe aren't big on visitors.  They will hide out - under the bed, in the closet, etc.  They did come out for the a bit and Aggie actually let a stranger touch her.  That is almost unheard of!  Zoey is indifferent to visitors so long as they don't bug her.  Then there is Oliver who must be the center of attention at all times no matter what.

Ferrets:

The ferrets love visitors - all of them!  They are very social and they love it when new people come over.  They are happy to be held, scratched, etc and they climb all over guests.  Prepare to be loved on if you come for a visit!

Emma:

Emma likes visitors but she is quite noisy when they first arrive - barking like a crazy dog.  Once they get in the door she settles down.  She likes when people are around and often tries to get extra pets and attention from guests.

Winston:

Well - he is still a big pink turd.... he did not do great with visitors today.  For the most part we didn't give him the opportunity to interface with them but we did have one person who wanted to meet him. Winston was nice while our visitor was giving him cookies but once those ran out - he tried to bite - turd....he got in big trouble and went to his bed....sigh

It's been a busy day for them and for the humans....ready to relax and take it easy for the rest of the evening.

Naughty and Nice

Well - today was a long day away from the critters.  While the humans were out playing the new pet sitter was dealing with the pig and the dog.

She came twice for us today.  We left about 6:45 am and her first trip over was around 11:30.  Emma was a freak - barking and not cooperating.  She knows the pet sitter but had never been around her without me around so she was uneasy.  She refused to go outside.  Winston, on the other hand, was a perfect gentleman - he shared an apple with the pet sitter and went outside with no issues.  She let him play and bask in the sun for 45 minutes or so and then back into his area.  No problems.  It was all good.

Second visit - total role reversal.  Emma was fine - not freaked out, happy to go outside, all good. Winston was a giant pink turd - trying to bite her on the ankle, not cooperating about going outside or staying outside, not going back to his room after being let in and rubbing on all the furniture, etc. Sigh.  Luckily she is not ready to throw in the pig/dog sitting towel just yet.

We got home around 8 pm so I didn't have her look in on the kitties or the ferrets - they are fine for a long day without me since they can use the litter box and they have feeders full of food and water. They have been checked on, given treats and loves and tucked in for the night.  Kitties have had their meds - all is good in little critter land....

So - cup half full - we did have one good visit.  Still have some work to do - we will do more practice sessions for sure so maybe next time he will be better behaved.

Rainy Days and Mondays - or Both

Today was a both - rainy and Monday.  That shouldn't be allowed - talk about unproductive....

Critters are all doing well - everyone seems to be feeling pretty good - no health complaints to report. The rain makes for lazy kitties and slumbering ferrets.  No one had much energy today.  Ferrets got a treat of warm gravy (ferret food with warm water) this afternoon.  Kitties got some canned cat food.

Winston suffers in this weather.  He hates the rain but he hates being inside as well - he is torn deciding which is worse.  He doesn't like to go outside in the rain without a potty buddy.  So - I get to troop out there with him and stand around waiting for him to do his business - he's not a spoiled pig - nope!!  :)

Emma hates the rain as well - for a different reason.  She is always concerned that the rain will result in thunder - her least favorite noise next to fireworks.  So - she spent the bulk of the day under the bed only to be coaxed outside with a cookie whenever Winston and I headed out.

All in all - kids are well, safe and warm and doing great.  Hopefully tomorrow will be sunny so things can dry out and Winston can have some good outside time....

Missing Finnegan

So, the one year anniversary of losing my baby boy ferret Finnegan came and went - November 3rd.  It feels like so much longer than a year since I have seen that sweet face.  I miss him every day and the sudden way he passed still haunts me a bit.

I know this is going to sound crazy but having Bash around has really helped ease the pain of losing Finn.  I have remarked several times since Bash became a part of our lives that he has Finney's soul in him somehow. Bash was born 2 days before Finn passed and I have had a recurring dream that Finn somehow found Bash's body as a new vehicle for his sweet little spirit.  I know - very deep and ethereal but comforting somehow.

Finn was a handsome, playful, sweet ferret.  He was litter mates with Violet, BFFs with Theo, and great friends with Maddie and Clooney.  It's interesting how your bond with each of your pets is so different and how the loss of each of them effects you in such different ways.  Losing Finn really broke my heart and it took me a long time to recover.  There was many a tear shed for many months following his death. Thankfully, now I am able to think of him with happy memories and it brings a smile to my face to think of him with Clooney and Harlow, Nigel and Isabel all playing together at the rainbow bridge....

I still think of him every day - his picture is there in the critter room and his memories continue to live in my heart.  Missing you my sweet Finney....

Happy Birthday Madison!! 4 Years Old Today!

Can't can't believe my eldest ferret baby is 4 years old today - holy moly - where does the time go??

Madison is my joyful, sweet, independent little tiny girl.  We originally got her to be friends with Clooney - that didn't actually work out until much later in the game.  When she turned 18 months we decided we should get her some playmates and that is when Finn and Violet joined the family.  Sadly our sweet Finn passed from a congenital issue just over a year ago but Madison and Violet are the very best of friends.  Maddie also loves the younger ferrets and in particular can be found playing and wrestling with Bash which is kind of entertaining - the largest and the smallest joined at the hip.  Madison is not the alpha ferret - that would be Violet - but she is the most maternal of the bunch.  She is incredibly affectionate - smothering me with kisses every time I pick her up - I love that girl to pieces.

Here are a variety of pictures of my girl - Happy Birthday Miss Maddie!!!!

With Violet

With Oliver

With Violet

Recapping October

It's already the fourth of November - where does the time go?  We never did our monthly look back to October so here goes:

First - I was terrible about blogging again last month - not off to a great start this month either.  There is still so much going on with the new house and the old house that I am having a terrible time finding the bandwidth to blog.  I have decided to cut myself some slack and try to do at least once a week for the rest of the year and then get back to our regular routine in January.  Sadly - with the holidays around the corner I think things are only going to get busier,

So - critters:

It was our first full month without Harlow - oh my how I miss that sweet little girl.  The sadness of losing her is still with me and I find myself shedding some big tears with no notice.

Winston had a good month - his health is great.  His hooves are doing much better and his skin is a bit dry and flaky but we are working on that through some supplements to his diet and some topical treatments.  Other than those very minor things he is a happy, healthy, ornery piglet.  We saw a good bit of inclement weather over the course of October so there was way more indoor time for him than he would have liked.  He loves the ability to play outside!!

Emma had a vet filled month in October.  We tried to do her dental work, had to do a liver test to make sure her outta whack number wasn't impairing her liver function.  The good news there was that not only is her liver functioning normally, her funky number has corrected itself for the first time in three years.  We thought we were in the clear to do her dental work but the morning of her surgery her pre op exam uncovered a heart murmur.  So - more testing - echocardiogram revealed a bit of a leaky valve but nothing serious so finally we were able to do the dental cleaning and extraction.  She is a happy and healthy pup - her grim reaper breath is better and she seems to be doing just great.

Kitties:

The kitties are well!  Aggie just keeps on trucking - she is very content and quite interactive.  Her health seems to be just fantastic and she seems to really enjoy her new space - even though she has to share it with the dreaded ferrets.  :)

Ollie is his same old happy and ornery self.  He is quite clingy and wants constant, undivided attention with can be a tiny bit annoying at times.  His other charming habit has become wailing at the critter area door - not because he wants out - because he wants you to come in and hold him,  He would literally stay with you 24 by 7 if he had his way.

Phoebe is doing quite well - she is playing with toys and with the ferrets - she does love a good game of tag.  She is quite active and seems to be feeling just great.  Very happy with how she has settled in to the new space.

And last but not least - Miss Zoey.  Our snaggle puss seems pretty happy these days.  She is finally exploring and utilizing the full space - not just hanging out in the critter room.  She seems to be feeling good and is in a pretty good mood for her.

All in all October was a good kitty month.

Ferrets:

Ah the ferrets - they are so sweet and entertaining.  All of them seem to be doing just great.  We have an occasional blip on the radar here and there.  Bash had an upset tummy, Tabby had some questionable poo, etc.  But all in all they are a hilarious and healthy business of ferrets.

The boys are inseparable - Bash, Theo and Kai are truly BFFs together ALL the time.  They all three seem to be doing quite well.  Violet and Madison spend a good bit of time together and they like to hang out on the bed I set up in the critter room.  They get under the covers and "chat" and snuggle while they sleep.  Tabby tends to hang out with the boys quite a bit and Fiona seems to go back a forth between the boys and Vi and Maddie.  They all seem to love each other immensely and its not unusual on a chilly morning to find all 7 of them piled up in the hamper together.

They too had a great month!!

So - to recap - it's all good over here in critter land!  Here's to a repeat of good health and happy critters in November!