Household Pets

We own 3 pets, all of which belong to the cat family. Specifically, the domestic cat family. I've had cats as pets for my entire life. Once upon a time, we had a dog. I'm not a fan of dogs; they're loud and obnoxious. But I'm not here to start the classic battle of cat vs dog, republican vs democrat, Coke vs Pepsi, religion vs science or Bart vs the space mutants. I'm not sure why I'm here.

There are certain inherent dangers that come with owning a pet. Maybe not dangers so much as annoyances. Things are going to be broken from time to time. This can be minimized but never eliminated. Food will be gotten into. There will be vomiting. When a cat is about to vomit, his only desire is to run from any and everything so that he may vomit under the bed or behind the couch. There are good things too though. Cats can be a very relaxing presence in the home as well as a frequent source of entertainment.

If nothing else, our cats are content to stalk each other and kick each other's asses several times per day. There is a never ending battle for the Alpha position, behavior human males should be familiar with as well. Benefits of being the Alpha male include being able to sit in a higher position in the room. There is a hierarchy in any household with animals, just like with people. It is a liquid, ever-changing thing.
Loki is the quirky, lanky one who is usually getting his ass kicked. His main obsession is with monitoring the food dishes and bitching loudly and frequently when the food levels drop below 25%.


Bartleby is the sensitive one. Loki can have his tail pulled, Pumpkin can be held upside down and smacked around, but Bartleby will cry and run away if you even just kick him. That said, he will happily kick any non-human's ass if they give him too much grief.



Pumpkin is the best cat in the house, and likely the best animal anywhere. His dealings with the other pets are sly and underhanded. He will happily battle me anytime, letting me throw him, shake him and knock him over repeatedly, purring all along.

All we need now is to install one of those huge hamster play factory things with all the tubes and the little water bottles and wood shavings for the cats to play in. I'll post pics soon.