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spookyeviloneI guess I should back up. 7 weeks ago, I lost $Stupid_Cat. $Oldest_Cat did not take the loss well, and would roam the house, yowling plaintively. If I opened a door, he'd run through it and race around whatever room was on the other side of the door, yowling and looking for his brother. Yes, I let him see and sniff the body - he hissed at it, gave me a dirty look, and ran away. It became clear that he did not understand that $Stupid_Cat wasn't coming back. I kept telling him - we've seen that movie, it didn't end well. That did nothing to console him. He yowled. It was the most pathetic, sad yowling I've ever heard out of an animal in my life. He'd yowl so hard he'd puke. Usually on my bed. It was breaking my heart and driving me bugfuck at the same time.
Can't get another cat. On top of That Guy being allergic, my choice was either a) adopt an older cat and put up with health issues/vet bills that go along with older cats only to lose it in far too short a time, or b) get a kitten with a 20 year commitment. I can't. I'm still grieving the last one.
A dog is not an option because I work full time and that isn't fair to the dog. Nothing nocturnal, nothing that stinks, so ferrets, chinchillas, and hedgehogs were right out. Naked mole rats require a lot of specialized gear so they don't get too hot or too cold or too dry, and I'm just not up to knitting tiny little mole rat sweaters. I'd been thinking about a rabbit for awhile. Pretty much since $Stupid_Cat seemed bound and determined to waste away on me. It was only half-hearted thinking. Rabbits are a lot of work and, having had them in the past, I know that I loathe cleaning bunny cages.
$Oldest_Cat being a sad little psychotic made it more imperative. He needed company. Cats and rabbits are capable of getting along, he has no killer instinct whatsoever - I mean, really. The damn cat brings me live mice in the middle of the night, dropping them on my face and meowing at me all "Mom, the small furry thing is out of it's cage. Put it back in the cage, mom. It's eating my food again." So I wasn't worried that the cat would hurt the rabbit. I was more worried that a rabbit would hurt the cat. But I couldn't take the yowling and the grief anymore, so three weeks ago, I went to the Animal Humane Society to check out their rabbits, and came home with the one that stole my wallet out of my purse.
He's a Rex, about 9lbs and roughly 3 years old. That's roughly early middle age for a large breed rabbit, so he only has 6-7 years left - about what I expect $Oldest_Cat to have. He had two puncture wounds on his back from either a big dog or fly strike when I took him home, plus two other patches where it was clear he'd had skin ripped off. With my love for 'Watership Down' - he became Hazel.
$Oldest_Cat was originally made of hisses when I brought the bun home, but he has since warmed up. Hazel is pretty much, "Hello, New Friend!" about the cat. $Oldest_Cat enjoys watching Bunny TV, and has exchanged sniffs and face rubs with Hazel willingly. The yowling has died down to a manageable level, and the stress-puking has completely stopped. Once the house is cleaned and organized, and my cables are all put inside conduit, the hope is that Hazel can become a free-range house rabbit and he and $Oldest_Cat will become best buddies and I'll have a cat/bunny Utopia until they both die at a ripe old age, on the same day, so I'm not left with another grieving pet. Hey - it's good to have goals.
The house rabbit thing is working out well, so far. The litter pan is easier to deal with than the old school trays under the wire bottom cages used to be. His rabbitat is a heavy duty dog playpen set up in a 6'x3'x40" rectangle with a coroplast bottom. He can stand up, he can (and does) run around like a spaz and hop and flip and do bunny parkour. His poop magically goes away because people want it for compost. He keeps me occupied, and he's completely sweet. I've never had a rabbit that would hop up to me and nudge his big fat head under my hand to be patted before.
Anyway. Pictures. Not very good because he does not hold still.
The rabbitat looks all clean and empty.. it's since got another litter pan perpendicular to the first, and toys, and cardboard boxes for Hazel to rip up. I love how it makes my giant bun look tiny, though.
So there you have it. The reason I have an excess of poop lately.
Can't get another cat. On top of That Guy being allergic, my choice was either a) adopt an older cat and put up with health issues/vet bills that go along with older cats only to lose it in far too short a time, or b) get a kitten with a 20 year commitment. I can't. I'm still grieving the last one.
A dog is not an option because I work full time and that isn't fair to the dog. Nothing nocturnal, nothing that stinks, so ferrets, chinchillas, and hedgehogs were right out. Naked mole rats require a lot of specialized gear so they don't get too hot or too cold or too dry, and I'm just not up to knitting tiny little mole rat sweaters. I'd been thinking about a rabbit for awhile. Pretty much since $Stupid_Cat seemed bound and determined to waste away on me. It was only half-hearted thinking. Rabbits are a lot of work and, having had them in the past, I know that I loathe cleaning bunny cages.
$Oldest_Cat being a sad little psychotic made it more imperative. He needed company. Cats and rabbits are capable of getting along, he has no killer instinct whatsoever - I mean, really. The damn cat brings me live mice in the middle of the night, dropping them on my face and meowing at me all "Mom, the small furry thing is out of it's cage. Put it back in the cage, mom. It's eating my food again." So I wasn't worried that the cat would hurt the rabbit. I was more worried that a rabbit would hurt the cat. But I couldn't take the yowling and the grief anymore, so three weeks ago, I went to the Animal Humane Society to check out their rabbits, and came home with the one that stole my wallet out of my purse.
He's a Rex, about 9lbs and roughly 3 years old. That's roughly early middle age for a large breed rabbit, so he only has 6-7 years left - about what I expect $Oldest_Cat to have. He had two puncture wounds on his back from either a big dog or fly strike when I took him home, plus two other patches where it was clear he'd had skin ripped off. With my love for 'Watership Down' - he became Hazel.
$Oldest_Cat was originally made of hisses when I brought the bun home, but he has since warmed up. Hazel is pretty much, "Hello, New Friend!" about the cat. $Oldest_Cat enjoys watching Bunny TV, and has exchanged sniffs and face rubs with Hazel willingly. The yowling has died down to a manageable level, and the stress-puking has completely stopped. Once the house is cleaned and organized, and my cables are all put inside conduit, the hope is that Hazel can become a free-range house rabbit and he and $Oldest_Cat will become best buddies and I'll have a cat/bunny Utopia until they both die at a ripe old age, on the same day, so I'm not left with another grieving pet. Hey - it's good to have goals.
The house rabbit thing is working out well, so far. The litter pan is easier to deal with than the old school trays under the wire bottom cages used to be. His rabbitat is a heavy duty dog playpen set up in a 6'x3'x40" rectangle with a coroplast bottom. He can stand up, he can (and does) run around like a spaz and hop and flip and do bunny parkour. His poop magically goes away because people want it for compost. He keeps me occupied, and he's completely sweet. I've never had a rabbit that would hop up to me and nudge his big fat head under my hand to be patted before.
Anyway. Pictures. Not very good because he does not hold still.
The rabbitat looks all clean and empty.. it's since got another litter pan perpendicular to the first, and toys, and cardboard boxes for Hazel to rip up. I love how it makes my giant bun look tiny, though.
So there you have it. The reason I have an excess of poop lately.