The Animals Are Easy ..

People often ask me how we manage with so many animals. I will let you in on a little secret, the animals are easy, the kids not so much. It is not the ferocious dog you have to worry about in our house, it is the children that are more likely to bite you.

At the latest count we have one horse, one dog, four cats, four remaining rabbits, two frogs, an aquarium of fish, and our latest lapse in judgement - three guinea pigs. To be fair the animals are quite a bit of work, at least that is my husband's opinion, but as the kids are getting older they are taking on more of the responsibility, but it's not always smooth sailing.

A typical morning starts when the kids are out of bed, and I commence my broken record routine.  "Grady have you done the rabbits ?" and "Sid, don't forget the pigs".  Sid is usually pretty good, but Grady takes some reminding - especially in winter when he has to go out in the snow to get to the rabbit hutch. Sid is also in charge of feeding the dog - at least when there isn't a mouse hiding in the dog  food. One of  Grady's chores used to be feeding the cats, however the smell of the cat food upset his delicate constitution and quite honestly I couldn't stand listening to the exaggerated gagging and coughing routine every morning as he dry heaved over the bin, each time he opened a sachet of cat food. Now I have taken over feeding the cats and it's my turn to dry heave over the bin instead.

Night time is the fun time, and not what you're thinking.  No sooner have we gone to bed than the cats who have been sleeping all day come in to their own.  We have one female cat - a docile creature who is constantly picked on by the three male cats.  She has taken to hiding under our bed, while the others patrol the perimeter, growling and hissing as she yowls loudly in response. It is enough to make you crazy.  If we're really lucky the victim will beat a hasty retreat across our bed in full claw mode. Rob has taken to keeping a pile of objects beside the bed that he can lob unsuccessfully in the general direction of whichever animal is making the most noise. It is always fun if I have to get up in the dark and stumble over missiles that have landed in the middle of the hall, further evidence of Rob's poor aim. 

If we are really lucky, on a good day - Thursdays come to mind - it is always jolly good fun to be awoken by a loud cursing and swearing as some poor hapless soul (usually my husband) steps in a pile of vomit, left surreptitiously in the middle of a doorway by a vengeful feline. Probably the same creature that had a projectile whiz by his ear a few hours earlier. This is usually accompanied by some variant of "That f***ing cat", together with banging cupboards and slamming doors. You have no idea how much noise can be generated with just paper towels and disinfectant. Good times.