Friday, August 30, 2013

Feline Friday: The "What's With the Weird-Looking Cat?" Version

If you were around earlier this week, you already know that I have taken in a new lodger--my step-daughter's Mali Uromastyx lizard (who in theory will eventually be going out to California to live with her, if we can figure out how to get it there).

Initially, I put Babylon's large terrarium on the counter downstairs between the living room and the dining room. There were a couple of problems with this arrangement. First of all, the counter is fairly high, which meant that every time I needed to get into the case (to add food, remove food, clean up waste, etc.) I had to stand on a chair. But also, there was this:




To say that my Feline Overlords were unhappy with this new, funny-looking cat would be a minor understatement. There was, at one point, hissing on both sides of the glass. Yes, they probably would have adjusted eventually and just learned to ignore him like they ignore me. (And Babylon has been living with cats, but apparently they aren't quite this interested in him.) And Angus, the little chicken, would have eventually stopped freaking out.

Still, it seemed both easier and kinder to everyone involved to move him upstairs to the "Crafts/Crap" room, which I was already in the process of clearing out and neatening. So for the record, I now officially have one "Cat Room" (technically the guest room/library, but really the room where Angus and Samhain stay when they're not downstairs with the rest of us) and one "Lizard Room." I think I may need a bigger house.

So--anyone out there have weird pets, weird rooms, or even weird(er) cats? Or know how to ship a lizard?

16 comments:

  1. Jennifer Holling-BlakeAugust 30, 2013 at 10:55 AM

    Lol! My baby has no fear! Thanks for posting them, I had much laughter this morning. As for my "weird" pet, well, everyone can see Babylon. :)

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    1. Yes, Jenn, your lizard is braver than Angus. Dude--everyone is braver than Angus :-)

      Babylon did seem to be freaking out a bit at one point, but maybe he was just amazed that the cats he lived with had magically changed color and shape... (Not to mention number.)

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  2. The only "weird" critters in my area are the native and non-native species roaming around. In my yard I have brown anole lizards, geckos, a couple of basilisk lizards, not to mention the stray green anole and various snakes (all non-venomous). And a flock of turkey vultures were hanging out on the roof of a neighboring house. None of the aforementioned critters are of the pet category, they just cohabit the area.

    As for shipping Babylon, I'd contact a pet store that sells lizards to ask how they handle shipping. Good luck.

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    1. Cathy, That's my next plan... (since I have to go into our local pet store for lizard supplies anyway).

      And that's quite a lot of critters! I have turkey vultures, but otherwise, none of those live around here. I'm guessing you're in a more desert-like climate.

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    2. I'm in south Florida, near Ft. Lauderdale and the lizards here thrive in the hot, humid climate. We once had a five foot long iguana roaming around the area scaring the people on bikes. So far, no alligators in my yard, so that's all good.

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  3. I especially like the one of lizard checking out the cat checking out the lizard. :)

    So now you have a lizard room. You don't need a bigger house unless you get more animals/people inhabiting your home. Or decide you need to make one room a clean, well-lit artist's studio or exercise room. Then, well you have a lot of room to add on! :)

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    1. Yeah, that's my favorite too. I was tempted to leave him downstairs just for the photo ops alone :-)

      As long as I don't need a "Skye" room, I should be fine!

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  4. Love the pics, especially the first one! Oh, if I had a lizard (or anything in a tank) my boy cat wouldn't leave it alone. He's a persistent (gulp, *mean*) hunter! Weird animals? There's a groundhog that lives in our yard (not so weird). Sometimes, though, I catch him staring into the kitchen window. But when he knows that I know what he's up to, he scurries away. ;)

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    1. The lizard is almost as big as Samhain, which I think is what makes that photo so cute. That and the expression on her face :-)

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  5. I'm with Melissa. The first picture wins, just for the expression on Babylon's face. It's like, DOOD, there's something behind me. It's right there, don't you see it?

    No weird pets, unless you count the friendly neighborhood raccoon (aka Michael Fuzz-Phelps who loves swimming in my pond.)

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  6. Lol, this made me laugh! I used to keep snakes in a vivarium in the living room, and often visitors would not notice until after they'd entered. Some were too scared to go back past the tanks (which were either side of the door) and had to be let out the garden door instead!
    I did forget once to warn a guest who wished to use the facilities that the 6 foot python was having a swim in the bath...
    Our cats always ignored such things, but the dogs thought it wonderful when we stayed with a friend who kept fancy rats - we used to call the tank 'dog tv' as they would stay with their noses glued to it from the moment they came in the room. The rats seemed to enjoy entertaining them :)

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    1. I'm *mostly* okay with snakes, as long as I know they're not poisonous. I'm not sure how I would have felt about a 6' python swimming in the bath. Oh, wait...yes I do.

      I used to have a fish tank (those goldfish now live in the garden pond), and the cats watched them like they were TV too.

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    2. Well the python was definitely not poisonous...
      I used to wear her around my neck sometimes, at parties. Amazing how that cleared my path ;)

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  7. Do houseplants count as weird pets? Mine have names and dramas and love-lives.

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