All Animals, The Downward Spiral
Anyone that knows me well knows my love of animals of all sorts. I feel a connection that is hard to explain. If I make it to retirement I could definitely see me volunteering doing something to benefit them. This post in fact has no topics not related to animals.
So let’s start with the animal that is the closest to my heart, sweet Elsa. Her and I have always had an extremely strong bond but since my relationship split that bond has become more of a weld. Without her I am not quite sure how I would have maintained a degree of sanity over the last half year plus. This picture was taken last night while I was folding laundry at 10PM. In the middle of it she decided to use a folded shirt as a pillow with a look that said to me “can we just go to bed now…”
The next picture is one of the two cats that our department has sort of adopted over the last year. My buddy and ex-boss Don noticed back then there was a cute little black cat that was napping out in the AC compressor yard outside of our offices pretty consistently. He bought some food and put it out there. We were both pleased to see he started eating it although he was terrified of humans. He/she would hide until we left the area.
Over time two more black cats have joined the rotation periodically, the most recent addition being the one in the picture who has white feet and belly. Over time we upgraded them from paper bowls to actual cat dishes. We also started putting water out as well.
Since Don retired a month ago the cats have become primarily my responsibility which I don’t mind. The white footed cat is increasingly less scared of me. In fact when I put food out now he will hang only a couple feet away until I am done. He still looks ready to run at a moment’s notice but I hope one day I actually get to pet him. I also noticed he spent a lot of the day after eating just laying on the concrete slab under the compressor. I immediately felt badly and found a small outdoor, water resistant pet bed on Amazon. I put it out there last week, worried they would be scared of it and not use it. However by the end of the first day white paws was sitting/sleeping on it which made me happy.
The last animal story of the day is not a happy one. Fiona, one of the two remaining chickens is following an all too familiar downward spiral. The descent starts when the chicken has nothing but diarrhea for a prolonged period of time. The end result of this is her rear end getting caked in dried mess. I have already blasted her butt with a hose and/or soaked her in a tub four or five times. Next comes a lack of eating and lethargy. When I take her off the perch in the morning I can clearly tell she has lost weight. It is pretty clear to me what is coming down the road. Fiona NEVER had a health issue her entire life. To see her going downhill makes me sad, despite her consistently grumpy disposition towards me and everyone else her entire life.
Kathy, the other hen is a freak of nature. She has had runny poop for years and at one point had gone pretty deep down that same spiral to only bounce back on her own. Since then day in and day out she has been fat, happy, and hungry, despite being the oldest hen around, a model for chicken seniors around the world.