A New Blog

New beginnings...  I have decided to start a blog about our animals for many reasons.  First, they're right up there on my list of most favored things to talk about, so I always have something to say.  That leads into the second reason...  I'm sure that I have been driving my real life friends and co-workers and my Facebook friends crazy with my non-stop talk about my animals, so maybe this will let me vent my enthusiasm without driving everyone crazy.  Hopefully there will be plenty that will enjoy reading it.  And finally, I've been somewhat lazy when it comes to making myself write.  This should motivate me to write something.

So, with no further ado...  here is a description of the "players" that you will hear me talk about the most often.

Me:  (Mel).  I am a thirty-something law librarian with no kids.  In addition to my husband and animals, I am a huge fan of reading - mostly fantasy, as I never outgrew the need for escapist literature - knitting, sometimes cooking, and gardening. 

Husband:  My husband is possibly the only man that I know that I could have married that would not object to having three cats and a dog (and possibly a second dog?)  In fact, he was the one who first pushed to get the cats, sooner than I had expected.  We do many things together, and I could not ask for a better partner. I am  also grateful for my husband, because he may well be the only thing that prevents me from completely conforming to the stereotype of "cat lady."

Charlotte:  Charlotte is a four year old black and white tuxedo cat.  She is a little bit grouchy sometimes, but is very devoted to me (though she tries to hide it.)  She is our first heartbreak with our animals.  Though she is still with us for now, she was diagnosed last year with congestive heart failure.  We give her Lasix (just like a person) and a decongestant every day, but we've been warned that the Lasix will start to lose its effectiveness over time.  For now, she's doing very well, and has already outlived the vets' expectations.  Like all of our cats, Charlotte is a rescue from the local shelter, the Western Pennsylvania Animal Rescue League.

Annie:  Annie is a two year old black cat.  Her shape, coloration (a brown undercoat) and loud voice cause us to believe that there is some Siamese blood in her lineage.  When she came to us, she was very shy, hated to be picked up, and would rather hide under furniture than to have you pay attention to her.  Over the year and a half that we've had her, she'd gradually gotten bolder, and now will trail after us, demanding attention.  Even if it means walking under the dog.  Even if we are actually asleep.  Or eating.  Or in the bathroom.

Q-bit:  Q-bit, usually known as Bit, was a tiny, fluffy kitten when we got her.  She endeared herself to my husband by climbing onto his shoulder immediately at the shelter, in an attempt to get to safety.  As soon as I saw her do that, I knew that we would be taking her home...  that tiny, fluffy kitten has grown by leaps and bounds.  We've done a little bit of research, and her features make us believe that she has some Maine Coon in her bloodline - we're not sure of how much.  She isn't huge like they usually get, but we've been assured that they don't hit their growth spurt until between 3-5 years of age.  She is 1 years old at this point.  Bit can sometimes be a bit of a troublemaker, but is an adorable one, so we regularly forgive her for shredded toilet paper, attacked feet, or whatever mayhem she can cook up.  She has settled down a little with age, and is positively shy and retiring around the dog or human houseguests.

Argos:  Argos is our most recent addition, and is an ex-racing Greyhound.  We got him through Steel City Greyhounds, a local group dedicated to greyhound adoption.  We've only had him for a few weeks, but he has completely stolen our hearts.  We could not ask for a better-behaved, more affectionate, obedient dog.  Our cats still do not care for him, but he completely ignores them.  He has adapted to living in a house quite well, and his favorite sleeping spot has become one corner of our couch.  It doesn't really matter to him if it's already holding a person, so we may need to encourage our guests to sit in the chairs from now on, and we will take the couch ourselves...  we're used to a 75 pound lap dog, but I'm guessing that most people are not.