Do you have a pet that makes your day more cheerful and relaxing? Here is a post where you can share pics of the pets that make a difference in your life.
My cats sleep on me at night, and when I'm stuck in bed all day they hang out with me and keep me company. They really make a difference for my mental health. The tabby is Angel, the tortoiseshell is Juniper.
When I can't get outside to do much of anything, I can still walk 15 steps to visit my two lovely rabbits, Strawberry and Blueberry. I've had them 4 years now, and it is SO fun to watch them run around and nibble treats from my hands. In the pic they are sharing a peach :)
What lovely pets you have Marietta! I love how soft Blueberry and Strawberry look. Where do you keep them in the winter? I use to have a bunny name Pat as in "Pat the Bunny"! He was a miniature lop. His ears went down but tufts of his hair went up. Really funny looking. He was a house bunny and used a kitty pan. I have a black lab mix named Lindsey and 3 cats, Ella, John and Tom. They are all rescues and quite elderly. I am not well enough to do rescues any more so my husband and I have discussed what type of dog to get next. They are great company and protection. Lindsey doesn't let anyone approach the house until she has checked them out!
What lovely pets you have Marietta! I love how soft Blueberry and Strawberry look. Where do you keep them in the winter?
I live in the NW with a mild climate, so my bunnies live outdoors year-round. They basically have Bunny Disneyland accommodations in terms of size of their hutch /attached run / extra daytime run / toys.
They are spoiled rotten with treats too. Their favorites are twigs from our apple trees and dandelions (we have plenty of those in the lawn!) They also get carrot and apple every day.
Their favorite toys are cardboard tunnels made from cardboard concrete forms from the hardware store, natural willow laundry baskets, and dry leaves to toss around.
It must be warm there. In Vermont we have to keep the chickens in a heated roost. I don't really want a house bunny again but it seems too cold here to leave one outside. We have 2 coops. One large with 8 chickens and 1 small with 2 chickens. Each coop has a rooster and they do not get along so we separated them. We heat the coops with heat lamps. They also have windows with screens in them. I tease my husband that next he will pipe in music for his "girls"!
I *love* backyard chickens! What kinds do you have? My son's school has 5 chickens: 1 Buff Orpington, 2 Ameracaunas, 1 Barred Rock, and 1 Light Brahma. We got them last year and I led the project project. The kids collect the eggs (nice combination of light brown, dark brown, and blue / green) and families get to take 1/2 dozen home. The kids take turns caring for them, and parents volunteer over vacations and breaks. The chickens free range from lunch to after school (11:30am to 3:15pm) in the schoolyard, and the kids love to hold them during recess. Our chickens turned one today!!
Oh, and yes, it is mild here. We only freeze about one week every winter. We get snow for maybe a couple of days, every other winter. Every time I've tried to heat the hutch the bunnies stay as far away from the heat source as they can get, so I finally stopped trying. 4 years on, they are big, healthy, and very frisky so I think I'm doing ok. The biggest issue is the constant drizzle, so I make sure my bunnies have plenty of places to be dry. They still enjoy sitting outside in the rain, under a big stool.
michael in vermont said:
It must be warm there. In Vermont we have to keep the chickens in a heated roost. I don't really want a house bunny again but it seems too cold here to leave one outside. We have 2 coops. One large with 8 chickens and 1 small with 2 chickens. Each coop has a rooster and they do not get along so we separated them. We heat the coops with heat lamps. They also have windows with screens in them. I tease my husband that next he will pipe in music for his "girls"!
Even with three cats, I sometimes want more pets. I grew up in a house with a lot of pets, including ducks in the backyard. We’ve had random other pets, including lizards, a hamster, beta fish, etc.
My Sunshine has her favorite person, me, and she likes to keep me company, especially when I nap. My little tabby sleeps with us all night long, and Murray keeps us on our toes. He’s eight years old, but quite the trouble maker.
Aw Murray looks like trouble! I can almost see the wheels turning!
Pets are the best.
I can't remember what kind of chickens we have. I know some are blue wynnedots (sp?). I can't remember the rest and my husband has gone to bed. Before he went up he said one of the roosters is going to have to go. Uh oh that means suddenly I will have a chicken in the freezer that wasn't there before. We eat both the chickens and the eggs. We also have turkeys every other year. The 2 in the smaller coop nearest to the house are pets, Bobby and Martha. The others are far from the house and I do not interact with them or they would become pets too! Martha no longer lays but I keep her for company. In the nice weather she follows me all around. We are way out in the woods so there is no road or people to bother her. And she is a cougar! Bobby is a young rooster that the rooster in the big coop was picking on so my husband brought Bobby up to keep Martha company. He is not too bright. The heat lamp has confused him this winter so he crows all night long. I am amazed Martha hasn't thrashed him yet! As it gets warmer this spring and we turn the heat lamp off I hope he settles down.
We have ten acres and only some loose fences to keep the chickens out of the garden. So they are free range. They get in their coop at night and I shut the door to keep them safe. We have some big predators here. Martha and Bobby follow me or sit next to the dog or one of the cats so they are very safe during the day.
Ah, I love hearing about pets I just have my 2 cats now Clive and Frankie (one haughty and one naughty!). Miss the days of having dogs, battams,fancy rats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Had a lovely menagerie about 10 years ago and would have loved to have a small holding but just cant manage all the hard work involved. Miss my last dog Molly a springer spaniel who I lost several years ago.
I love the feeling of snuggling down with furry friends
I grew up having lots of pet as well. We always had a dog. As I currently live alone, having a dog presents some challenges. I recently read an article about service animals for people with autoimmune illness.
To summarize, from a practical stand point, someone with PsA may have trouble raising and training a puppy. But at the same time may not need a fully trained service dog. So the article suggests adopting the service dog program drop outs. A friend of mine knows of a local training facility that looks to place such animals. My current housing does not allow pets. But it is something I am definitely considering once I move.
I have five cats - Ginny (17), Dennis (13), Jasper and Percy (8) and Wicket (7). Percy is my avatar picture (and my night-time snuggle-bunny) and here is Jasper:
Some of you know that I really am the 'mad cat lady' as I also have a small boarding cattery in my garden where I look after up to twenty four cats while their owners go on holiday .... I had to close the cattery in the new year because the PsA has stopped me in my tracks but I hope this is only temporary and that once the Simponi really kicks in I'll feel well enough to start up again. I miss all the kitties but I'm not missing the torture that all the cleaning had become for me. Here is a picture of my cattery:
We have Guiding Eyes for the Blind in my area. But the list to get a dropout is ridiculously long. It's a multi-year waiting list.
dandlyons said:
I grew up having lots of pet as well. We always had a dog. As I currently live alone, having a dog presents some challenges. I recently read an article about service animals for people with autoimmune illness.
To summarize, from a practical stand point, someone with PsA may have trouble raising and training a puppy. But at the same time may not need a fully trained service dog. So the article suggests adopting the service dog program drop outs. A friend of mine knows of a local training facility that looks to place such animals. My current housing does not allow pets. But it is something I am definitely considering once I move.
So, here's a picture of Tillie, my usually grumpy kitty getting comfy on top of Mabel, my very neurotic puppy. Mabel was wearing her reindeer outfit for Christmas and for some reason Tillie found her irresistible. Mabel is 9 and Tillie is 11 and they have never ever laid like this before or since. Maybe it was the egg nog?
Since I got diagnosed, Tillie has become less and less grumpy and now sleeps with me every night. Even on the really bad nights when I'm in pain and restless she sticks with me. One memorable night I was rocking back and forth on the couch because things hurt so badly and I ended up on all fours trying to stretch out my shoulders and back and Tillie was perched high up on my back and wouldn't get off me for anything!
Yes, gingerama's (as I call them) are gorgeous and mine have always picked us. When we went to the rescue centre to choose from Percy's litter, Jasper was all alone fast asleep in his sphynx pose right in the middle of the room ....... and the manager said she was hoping we would take two kittens ...... at which point he woke up took one look at my husband and it was mutual 'love at first sight'! My husband is a redhead so I think it's a ginger thing.
Here is a pic of another one of mine, Wicket, my first ever tabby. In spite of his name he does have four legs. He came to stay in the cattery for a holiday and ended up staying for life ......... his nickname is Wicked ..... and sometimes behaves in a way which explains how he came by the name!
I loooooove chinchillas! How long have you had them? When my son wanted his "own" pet, one of the pets we researched was chinchillas, so I learned a lot about them. I'm so jealous you have so many!
I just have my 2 cats now Clive and Frankie (one haughty and one naughty!). Miss the days of having dogs, battams,fancy rats, rabbits and guinea pigs. Had a lovely menagerie about 10 years ago and would have loved to have a small holding but just cant manage all the hard work involved. Miss my last dog Molly a springer spaniel who I lost several years ago.
