The beaver is a proud and noble animal
Notes from a bemused canuck
By hamster reckoning, Sophie was antediluvian. Hamsters have an average lifespan of less than 2 years. Sophie was a few months shy of her 3rd birthday. We got her around easter and she saw 3 Christmases. She lived off of benevolent neglect, aided by her emotional support cat. In the end, she was slowing down but we tried to let her life her best life.
Cat is already eyeing up the light cable…
He’s not stunned, nor is he pining for the fjords. He’s passed on. He has ceased to be. He’s expired and gone to meet its maker. He is a late budgie. He’s bereft of life. He rests in peace. He’s run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible….
We were just having dinner when we heard a mad flap of wings – not uncommon – then a set of squeaks that sounded like one of Byron’s toys but tapering off – that was uncommon. We looked and Pops was lying on the bottom of his cage, feet up.
We’re sad and not sad. We’ve been expecting this for a while now. He’s been pleasant background noise since we got him. We’ve never been able to interact with him since we got him and his mate 10 years ago – and he wasn’t a spring budgie even back then. He’s survived on benevolent neglect and his inner anger with everything and everyone for years. The only thing he seemed to like was having a cat sleep on his cage and trying to outsing the outside birds and be louder than the ambient noise level.
I am going to miss him – the flat will definitively be quieter. I won’t have to mute my videoconf calls anymore because the bird is too shrill and it hurts people’s ears. But at the same time it might get too quiet at times.
At the start of the year, cockroach had lipidosis and it took a month of active, intense care to get her through it. Now Byron had a bout of pancreatitis. He’s getting better with meds and a metabolic diet, but while the spirit is willing, the flesh is still weak. His stamina still isn’t up to par, esp when walking in front of a bakery when he’s no longer allowed ham croissants.
You can’t walk a straight line without kicking her in the head or scissoring her in half. The dog can’t do anything right without being growled and hissed at. But she’s cute.
Nutters has gone to rodent heaven. She passed very quickly – she was fine yesterday, running in her wheel, and went downhill in a flash :(
She’s not my dog, but I love her like she is.
This was in the woods this weekend.
Seriously. Beanbag, hand-knitted blanket (which *all* the pets and humans love), her bone, and just the tip of her paw. And the ear malfunction.
I love that dog.
Edit: I completely forgot to mention the stylish and warm cape/cloak that Katy knitted for her.
Flash has left the building. When we took the cage back into the living room, post Lily, we found him lying unmoving in front of his coconut house. It must’ve happened during the night. Ben’s OK with it. It’s never pleasant, but he had a long life of benevolent neglect and honestly lived much longer than we expected him to, after having eaten his cage mate years ago..