Who Are We?

This blog is a collection of my thoughts, memories, and experiences with living with animals.  Most of them are about the animals that I currently have, though in the blog's early days,  I reminisce about animals that I have known in the past...  everything from dogs and cats to horses and goats!  However, I mostly talk about my current animals.

Why House of Carnivores?  It was a moment of whimsy that initially made me think of it, but then the idea took hold.  It sounds like the basis for a reality tv show:  let's take two omnivores (the humans) and throw them together with four carnivores, and see how it works out!  Our four carnivores eventually became five, and the little everyday dramas continue to play out.

So without further ado, here is the roll call.  If you really want to know more details than this, look in the earliest days of this blog...  I made one entire post about each animal.  But to save people the time of looking through my archives, I thought it was best to summarize everything here.

Me  (Mel):  I am a 30-something law librarian working for a law firm in downtown Pittsburgh.  By night, I am Foodgiver, Convenient Warm Pillow, Opener of Doors, and Mediator of Disputes.

Husband  (Jeff):  The husband is part of this with me, which I am very grateful for.  Not all spouses would tolerate the horde of pets, but this one even loves it!  (Is my partner in crime in fact.)  We split the work up as evenly as possible, because having just one person feeding all of them, medicating Charlotte, cleaning four litter boxes, walking Argos, and running interference between cats would be exhausting!

Charlotte:  Charlotte is a tuxedo cat, who has such expressive eyes.  She is my darling, and the two of us are more friends than owner/pet.  (Though isn't that the way with cats?)  A few months after we chose her from the shelter, she was diagnosed with congestive heart failure.  We are keeping her alive with daily medication, though her lifespan has been greatly reduced.  She's already outlived what the vet said was possible, but it is heart-wrenching to know that she could go any day.  RIP Charlotte, heart kitty.  Charlotte passed away in June 2013, when her congestive heart failure caught up with her.  We could no longer medicate her to keep her lungs from filling with fluid, so had to make the painful decision to let her go.  At the time of this writing, the pain is still very fresh, and not a day goes by that I don't mourn for her.  I would give anything to have her back.  She was my heart kitty, after all.  

Annie:  Annie is a black cat.  We think that she is partially Siamese, since she has a red undercoat, has eyes that appear somewhat crossed, and has the breed's sleek build.  She was found wandering around outside, and had been there for some time.  We adopted her from the shelter.  She have have actually become "top cat" after Charlotte's passing, though some days it's difficult to know for sure.  She was very shy at first, but is now very affectionate and purry with just about everyone who comes to the house.

Bit:  We adopted Bit as a kitten, unlike the rest of our animals that we got as adults.  She was a tiny ball of fluff who ran up Jeff's arm and crouched on his shoulder to hide from the barking dogs in the next room.  She is an adorable trouble-maker, and it is difficult to stay mad at her for too long.  Even if she's just shredded toilet paper, or ran off with my sock, or is bullying a foster cat.  We think that she's part Maine-Coon, since she has the face, and is polydactyl, and makes the same trilling sound that they are known for.  She's still growing, so we'll have to see how big she gets.

Romeo:  We adopted Romeo last, after we had the other cats, "the girls" for about 1 3/4 years.  He is having a tough time fitting in at the moment, though we are trying to help him out.  He is seven years old, and was too large to comfortably fit in a cage at the shelter.  He was miserable there after being surrendered after his previous owners had a baby.  RIP Romeo.  Romeo passed away 6/2011, of heart failure while being treated for urinary tract blockage.  We will miss you, Big Guy.

Argos:  And here is Argos.  He is an ex-racing greyhound, who we adopted through a Pittsburgh adoption group, Steel City Greyhounds.  He is a wonderful dog; is a very sensitive and sweet soul, and I am so glad that I got over my trepidation of having a big dog and took a chance with him.  Life simply would not be the same without him.

Maera:   Maera is our second adoptee from Steel City Greyhounds.  She is young and full of zest and life, and keeps us on our toes!

She is also beautiful and loving and affectionate and eager to please; all of the hallmarks of a wonderful animal companion.

Thomas:  Thomas was a foster-fail that I didn't admit to for quite some time.  At the time, he was a 10-year-old male cat that was too shy to be handled by anyone that he didn't know well (though we knew from our long-term fostering that he WAS very friendly once given a chance.)  But he couldn't stay at the shelter because he was afraid of the noise and would lay in the cage with his back to the room and be depressed.  A couple of people came to our house to meet him, but he always ran in fear and didn't "sell" himself well.  Meanwhile, we got more and more and more attached, until one evening we had a family meeting and decided to quit kidding ourselves that we actually wanted anyone else to have him.  So we made an "honest cat" out of him and he's been with us ever since.