Home Zookeeper

I’m sad to report that it appears our calico, Calisto, was killed this weekend. She might have been run over. I say ‘might’ because my dad saw a calico that had been killed close to our house. When I went to check on it, the cat wasn’t there. So someone must have taken care of her. So, I’m not 100% sure it was her. She has gotten to be quite the roamer, so, even though she has been missing for a few days, she may show up.

It breaks my heart that my two-year-old still calls for her. It’s hard to explain that she might not be coming back. I’m a little sad because she was a good cat and hate to think that she is gone.

The Audubon Zoomobile was in town last week. One of the more interesting animals was this:

It’s an armadillo, which are very common in this part of the country. They are known for their hole digging skills, so most people don’t welcome this creature into their yard. We had seen one the other night roam through the yard but just let him be. It was interesting to see just how slow he moved. Of course with all that ‘armor’ I guess you wouldn’t expect him to move very fast!

At the Zoomobile, They had to move his pen at the event since he had already dug quite an impressive hole in a short amount of time. It was amazing to watch him dig. He burrowed his head down and looked to use his shoulders in a propeller motion to dig a hole. I think more kids were interested in petting the cute bunny that was there as most seemed to watch the armadillo from a distance away. My little one did get close to the cage but still didn’t want to pet him. I didn’t push the issue even though it is probably to safe to assume the armadillo isn’t carrying any diseases. That’s the neurotic mom in me because the first thought I had when I saw the armadillo was “stand back! They can carry leprosy.”

It was a fun day at the Zoomobile. Too bad they were just in town for the afternoon. It makes me really wish our local zoo had a petting zoo as there are so many kids who would truly enjoy it. Maybe one day soon.

This is the face that greets me each morning when I leave the house. When she hears the door open, she bounces onto the porch and lands next to the empty food bowl. This is why I keep the cat food close to the door.

It’s amazing. In the morning, Fade is the only cat that comes to eat. Calisto usually eats at lunch. Then at supper they are both ready to eat.

It is interesting that they have their own different eating habits. I have to have breakfast but my husband doesn’t care for it. It looks like one cat takes after me while the other takes after my husband.

Usually we feed our cats just enough to keep them satisfied since there are several neighborhood cats who will gladly finish off their food for them. They have been eating less this past week since the weather has been warmer. Fade is always ready to eat, though, which explains why she is always ready to start the day with food.

This week’s pet of the week is my niece’s dog Skittles. He was a pound puppy and has been a wonderful pet. She has had him for 12 years, so he’s getting on up in age. He is still as gentle and loving as he always has been.

Skittles doesn’t care for young pups. In fact, when they have had puppies, Skittles gives them the cold shoulder no matter how much attention they try to demand from him. He isn’t like that with people. He loves attention and gently demands it when he is around. He will stand close to you and give you that “hey please pet me” look until you cave.

Skittles was a great puppy and a good dog. He has arthritis but still makes the rounds to my parents’ house when he is feeling up to it. He’s one of those dogs that really make you understand how pets become a family member. He has a lot of personality, too. Skittles is a picky eater and takes his food away from prying eyes to eat it. He has his quirks that make you understand why pet are considered part of the family.

I love taking photos of the cats. Usually I don’t get very good shots since cats do what they want, when they want. That means that the perfect shot will be gone in a blink of an eye. I was able to take a few of Calisto this past week that I thought turned out pretty good.

I was taking pictures of shadows as part of a weekly assigning for a digital photography forum. I didn’t take any I wanted to submit but wanted to share this one. Usually if Calisto is just sitting somewhere, she will come to me especially if I’m still for longer than two seconds. But surprise. She actually stayed seated for a minute or so, allowing me to snap a few pictures of her.

It’s nearly impossible to pose the cats, so I just have to work around however she is seated. Luckily with Calisto, she will follow me when I’m in the yard, so I can get her to come and be in the general area where I want her to be. For this shot, I just needed her out of the shadows and in the sunlight. I also didn’t want the house or anything else in the picture.

It is seldom I get such a good pose from either one of our cats. It’s fun to take their pictures especially when they are cooperative about the whole process.