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Your Turn
All this talk about pets and animals this week, makes me want to know what kind of pets do you have, how long have you had them, and where did you get them. Names are great too. All your pet stories today.
All this talk about pets and animals this week, makes me want to know what kind of pets do you have, how long have you had them, and where did you get them. Names are great too. All your pet stories today.
Posted by ent lawyer at 12:01 PM
Labels: Your Turn
It's not a secret that I'm not a pet person *L*. My philosophy is that if you lick your own asshole on a regular basis, you don't get to live in my house ;)
Apollo is my 3 year old pug. He is my soulmate.
Pugs are amazing dogs, and I recommend them to anyone who wants a new member of their family. They really have little human personalities.
We have a mini schnauzer, she is 5 years old and is named Buffy the mouse slayer. We bought her from a friend to kill the mice in our trailer and now she belongs to my children.
I have 5 pets, all of them rescue animals.
Squidge - a calico that had been set on fire as a kitten, she's 10 years old now.
Kitty Girl - abandoned as a kitten, she's 4 years old.
Nicky - Rat Terrier mix, breeder decided to dock his tail with wire cutters, almost died of infection, he's 6 years old now.
Sam - Basset mix, had both back legs dislocated by over zealous children, several surgeries later he's a happy 2 year old.
Buck - Heinz 57, found with broken jaw that hadn't healed correctly, almost starved because he couldn't eat. He's 7 years old now.
Don't buy a puppy, visit the animal shelter and adopt!!!!
I have a 7 year old pitbull. Jade. Most well behaved dog ever, but she has caught on to the recent trend of gluten-free! :)
I used to have two cats, Bird and Claus. Claus passed a couple of years ago and Bird, aged 19, just passed in March. I still miss her terribly. But my fiance has two cats, the mom and the kid, Ginger and Henry. They make me smile!!
I have two cats, Sammy and Luna. Sammy is the older cat(who is my icon) and Luna is the baby(i submitted her picture last summer i think). Although I love both I think Sammy is the closet one to me. When we were moving we had her stay with my parents until the place was complete. We ended up getting a call from them to get her because she would not eat until I was there.
Lauren, pugs are fantastic! Rescued Bianca from a caged life in 2007. She loves Her People (my husband and me) and we love her back.
We have Mucha (pronounced moo kuh), a very sweet Siamese. We got him the same day that we adopted Toulouse, my beloved cat that died unexpectedly last year.
It took a year to finally decide on another cat but last month we adopted Gaia (pronounced guy-uh), a beautiful Maine Coon cat whose history we don't know. She was found starving with missing teeth and a broken tail. The Purebred Cat Rescue that services Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and other surrounding states rescued her from a shelter and nurtured her back to decent health. We've been doing the rest and she is finally feeling safe, happy and playful! She is 36" long, most of it tail! Her feet are huge so she tiptoe-stomps through the house. Darling.
Yes, our pet names are affected. Toulouse and Mucha are named after vintage poster artists and Gaia is named after a character on Spartacus: Gods of the Arena.
Speaking of Spartacus - anyone have updates on Andy Whitfield's health?
i live for my Jack Russell terrier. She is 14 years old now, still going strong- my favorite face to look at in the world!!!!
I don't understand people who don't like or have pets. I just can't grasp not wanting that love.
i have a cat named Lux.
she was a stray that some friends found but their other cats didn't get along with her so we took her in. best thing we've ever done.
she's an endless source of entertainment. she steals our socks and hides them, lays on her back spread eagle most of the time, sounds like a pigeon when she meows and only likes being petted or brushed while she's eating. what a lovely little weirdo.
I have a 7 year old chow mix, she's very pretty and knows it....her mother was rescued by Mighty Mutts a great organization here in New York...her mom and all her sibs were adopted quickly, but I got lucky because she was waiting for me.
I only rescue...there are so many animals in need of homes...
I have a 4 yr old yellow lab. Her name is Annabelle. I got her at the lab rescue. She is a great dog.
I have a 2.5 year old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel named Lola and she is my heart.
I have a yellow lab, Sonata. We got her almost a year ago from a breeder when she was 2. She loves picking up the socks that the kids leave lying around the house and chewing (but thankfully not ingesting) them. Have you ever stepped on a wet sock in the middle of the night? Ick, Nast! She snores and she is scared of feet and sometimes scared of tile flooring, but she's awesome with kids and is a sucker for a belly rub. She's my third and final child -- my fur baby. :D
2 dogs who are our children, just furry.
Lucy the black labrador is 10.5 yrs.
Chico the blue heeler (aka Aussie cattle dog) is 12.5 yrs.
Lucy was my dog & Chico my husband's when we met walking them at the same park. After months of seeing one another & chatting, the two of us without fur went on a people date. The rest is history. We got married outdoors & the dogs were in our wedding--ushers walked them down the aisle resplendent in rose-wreathed collars. Red for Mr. Chico & pink for Miss Lucy.
They are our world & I wouldn't have it any other way.
Both dogs were purchased from breeders as puppies, but we have committed to getting future dogs from shelters or rescues-just seems like the right thing to do.
We have a 4 year old miniature schnauzer named Clara (my m-i-l's dog). We also have 3 cats. Puddy is 14, Luke is 10 and Logan (our first rescue) just turned 1 year old. He's my pride and joy, and the torturer of cats named Luke.
I think it must be a really slow news day or else Enty has something more exciting to do that he is leaving us to amuse ourselves talking about our pets. (It better be something fun...)
I've got nothing against pets -- we have 6.
Great post, Pelham123!
I currently have 3 rescue kitties - two were mine that I adopted from Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association here in Vancouver (great organization) and they came together as a package deal. Both male, named Lentil and Toa (Maori name that means "warrior"). My heart swells about three times every time I see them groom each other.
My boyfriend also brought a kitty into our relationship - a female tabby named Hazy.
One day I will live in a big house or maybe a farm somewhere...I will have as many shelter-adopted animals as I can afford, and will spay and neuter each and every one :)
@MISCH - your post about being lucky made me tear up a bit ;)
I once purchased dogs through breeders but the 2 dogs I have now were rescues, they were both purebred owner surrenders, my sheps owners had to go back through the breeder in order to surrender him since they wanted to make sure all of their dogs have good homes.
Wiemaraner - Daisy 9 y/o ( I cant remember the agency ) She's been with us 5 years
Patron - German Shepherd 5 y/o (GSD Rescue)
He's been with us 1 year.
Rescued animals make great pets!
Calvin, 6 year old poodle mix (rescue)
Oscar, 6 year old poodle mix (little rescue dog)
Varro, 7 year old GSD
Phire, 6 year old Hanoverian gelding.
No human kids here!
I don't have any pets... I lost my beloved cat named Mouse last month.
She was 16 and still cry when I think of her ;(
I have had dozens of pets, all with crazy names. Right now I have 2 rescue cats, a Himalayan named Poppet and a tuxedo cat (my favorites) named Capt. Jack.
JoElla, so sorry for your loss. It is heartbreaking when a furry friend dies. Just awful. I hope you've heard the Rainbow Bridge legend. If not, google it. It gives me peace when I think of my dog Cash running around up there waiting for me.
I have a 9 year old lab/rottie/cattle dog mix named Sadie. (Popular nicknames: Sadiebug, Boo Boo, Fathead.) She is my first dog and I adopted her when she was 4. She was FAT when I got her because her foster family stopped caring about her and let her eat what she wanted. She lost 20 pounds the first year she lived with me, and I lost 13. BONUS! ;) She is SUPER chill and the love of my life. A great spooner (though she snores LOUDLY) and always makes me happy when i walk in the door after work and see her smiling face.
I got my cat Diablo the summer after I graduated college, and I soon adopted Frances (another cat) afterwards, because I didn't want Diablo to be lonely when I went to work.
About a year later, my friend found a cat and assumed it had worms, but she turned out to be knocked up. My friend still named the cat Wormy, and the kittens were dubbed Tapeworm, Mealworm, and Ringworm. I adopted Ringworm, but I renamed him Nigel.
And THEN, my boyfriend took in a kitty when he and I first started dating, and she turned out to be pregnant. Peeper gave birth to three kittens and we raised them until they were old enough to give away, but it's basically impossible to give EVERY kitten away. Thus, we kept Buster.
THEN, a teensy little fluffy and white longhaired kitten appeared outside our apartment during a rainy night a couple of summers ago. He was covered with fleas and mange, and it looked like he'd been burned and that part of his fur had been cut off. :-( I took him to the vet, nursed him back to health, and the thought of giving him away was agonizing, so...
...now we've got SIX beautiful catchildren. And I adore them. We're pathetic whenever we go on vacation, because we spend the whole entire time worrying about the cats and wondering what they're doing.
Yep. I'm *that* lady. Or like the character from The Simpsons: toss a cat at me, and it'll stick.
I'm only slightly ashamed. But not really. I'd have goats, dogs, horses, lambs, EVERYTHING if I could. I love (non-human) animals more than anything. :-)
I had a Siamese named Milo who got killed, I have never loved anyone as much as I loved him.
I have two Pugs that I purchased from breeders, on retrospect, I know that is supposed to be bad, but there lives were not so great there so I am glad that I got them out when I did.
Pepito who is seven and Maisy who is three. They are my great loves as well.
One snow white cat with a black tail named Wanda who was in animal control when I saw her picture. A friend took it when picking up another animal there in 2005. Gigi adopted from Papillon shelter online when she was 7 yrs old in 2007. My friend's husband found a tiny kitten in there yard last August who is now named Pixie. Two ferrets and fostering four sick ones from the shelter that were part of 30 confiscated from a hoarder. She had 100 assorted animals.
there/their sorry
I'm a cat person. I grew up with three cats. When I moved out on my own many years ago I never bothered having any pets but my family had three cats at different times. The first two died early but the third one lasted 14 years. He probably would have lasted longer, had he not been hit by a car. Drivers suck.
I don't like dogs. Back in the summer of 89' I was out walking one day in shorts when a dog decided to just come up and wrap his mouth around my ankle just for something to do. Two of his teeth sunk there way into my flesh. Wasn't a biggie - but I've not liked dogs ever since. If I was to get a pet in the future it'd be another cat.
Two cats. A neurotic, talkative, unaffectionate, non-purring attack calico named Iris, for Iris Murdoch, my all-time favorite author. Got her as a kitten from a friend of a friend. Other cat is a laid-back, quiet, loving, constantly purring tuxedo named Broadway. She's named after the street where she was found by a rescuer.
I'm also a cat socializer at my local shelter, and, since it's kitten season, I encourage everyone reading this to get down to your shelter and adopt a cat or three....
@Heatherhug: We have a Cavalier as well, an 18 month old tri-color named Piper.
We also have a, ahem, "mixed" breed named Dixie... she is 13 years old =)
I have a mutt named Sam. He's almost 9 years old and my longest relationship thus far. ;) He is sweet & mostly well behaved. I definitely treat him like he's my child.
We have a rescue wirehaired pointing griffon named Siggurd, after captain Sig on Deadliest Catch. It was a dragon slayer in Norse mythology. He's a hunting dog, so it fit. We've had him for 4 years.
Next up is my daughter's tortoise, Sarah. She was a birthday present 2 years ago.
Last August, we adopted a little black kitty who we named Jasper. He's fun and he sleeps on my feet at night.
Last October, we adopted a black lab named Sadie. She belonged to a coworker of my husband who just didn't have time to train her. We took pity and took her. She is the sweetest little girl but she had never been in the house before so we had to teach her house manners.
Both the dogs play great together but the kitty rules the roost. It's pretty funny to see 80 and 50 pound dogs jump back from the cat when he takes a swing at them!
Looking for some advice from the cat peeps:
I'm thinking of getting another cat but not sure if there is a proper way to go about that. (i was a dog person until i got my cat last year:)
i think my cat would like the company while we're out/away but how do you know your cat isn't just gonna kill the other one or hate it so much that you cause more issues for her? i don't wanna traumatize her any more than she has been.
am i just over-thinking this?
any tips/advice you guys have would be much appreciated :)
@pwner - It will take a little bit of time but cats do warm up to each other. But at first, they will hiss and snarl. If it keeps up for some time it's probably not a good idea to bring another cat into the situation. Usually As long as there's enough food for both of them in the cat dish, they're happy. ;)
I don't have any pets of my own but I grew up with cats. We had 3 most of my life.
My family had a cat named Jet before I was born. My dad found him at a Jets game at Shea Stadium and brought him home. He died when I was like 3 or so so I don't remember him.
Samantha or Sammy, who we got from a client of my dad's (dad was a CPA, client was a vet). She was short-haired, gray and white and affectionate when she felt like it. She developed quite a belly over the years though she didn't really eat much. We got her when I was about 5 or 6.
Garfield was my girl (yes, girl). She hung around the elementary school bus stop with us and started following my mom home. My mom fed her and she stayed. :) The neighborhood kids named her (she was orange and black and would eat ANYTHING). We posted a notice and no one claimed her so we adopted her. She got very sick in her older years and my mom took care of her as if she was a human child.
Finally there was Cappy, Captain Midnight was his 'real name'. He was all black, long hair, yellow bright eyes. We got him from my brother's friend whose cat got pregnant. He was probably too young to have been weaned from him mama. He didn't really know how to clean himself at first and he was afraid of EVERYTHING! As a little kid, I thought it would be fun to throw him into the snow like a foot outside our front door. He didn't like it. lol. He LOVED mint and fresh dill...like catnip for him. One night we heard a thump in the kitchen and found that he had knocked over the trash can and was ROLLING in the fresh dill that my mom had used to make chicken soup. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. :)
Thanks, Enty for letting me relive and share these moments!
I got my cat Sparky when I left the Lunatic From Hell. It was just she and I in an old drafty, 100 year-old house with no furniture. She was with me as I built back my life, reclaimed my kids, and was with me when I moved through three different states. She was a gorgeous silver-blue with green eyes, seven toes, and I loved her as much as I love my kids. She used to sleep on my neck when she was a kitten, and the night before she had her first and only litter, she slept on my neck and I could feel the babies moving inside. :*)
When my mother entered the end stage of terminal breast cancer, I left Sparky in the charge of my "best" friend. Five days after my mother passed, this friend emailed me and said she couldn't care for Sparky anymore (I was 300 miles away) and dropped her off in the country somewhere. I'd had her for 11 years.
Of all the fucktards I have dealt with in my life, I have hated no one and I've worked hard to be in that place. I figured hatred only hurts me. But this woman -- I hate. It was probably one of the cruelest things that's ever happened to me.
It took me three years, but I just recently adopted a cat from the local shelter. I saw her online and it was meant to be -- her name is Athena, and I just finished my first novel titled "Athena's Promise".
She's not Sparky, but she's crazy and we have come to be quite fond of each other :)
Two dogs: Mae (Beagle/Dalmation) who I adopted from a county shelter for $20 & 8 years later I adopted Lulu (Maltese/Yorkie) I adopted from a vet who also ran a shelter. Both were basically ditched by their shitty owners. Lulu was definitely neglected...she was malnourished & pregnant and the owner didn't want to pay her vet bill.
And for the people who don't like pets or don't get how people can love animals, all I can say is: thank you for not owning one. At least you are honest!
And if you *insist* on being breed specific, please check out rescues devoted to that one breed. A little research & patience will pay off.
I live with 3 cats; 2 are rescues, the other one I got from an ad in a grocery store. The youngest is about 1 1/2 years old, her name is Britney. She was rescued from the streets by a rescue organization. My middle cat is 12 years old, and his name is Chandler. I rescued him from my friend who couldn't find a home for him and was on her way to have him put down. I took him and said that I would continually tell my mother I was looking for a home for him until she fell in love with his kitten face-she did. My eldest was from a home that didn't spay the queen, and had a "free to a good home" ad up in the grocery store. She's 13 years old and has been living with through Boston, NYC, and now in FL. She's an absolute sweetheart.
All 3 are my loves.
Really enjoying these stories.
@Netta - your old "best" friend is an absolute shit, and I don't blame you one bit for hating her. I volunteer for a shelter here and we are sick to death about all the animals that just get dumped off in fields or on highways. If you're going to be an asshole and abandon your animal, at least take it to a shelter where it has a fighting fucking chance.
@pwner - how old is your current cat? Sometimes, if the current cat is older, it can be hard to adjust. Issues of jealousy and possessiveness, mostly. On the other hand, if they're VERY old, sometimes they just don't care. And if it's a pretty easy going cat generally (how does he/she react with strangers? other animals), he/she might not mind at all.
When my boyfriend moved his cat in, my alpha male had a seriously problem with it, and every now and then (2.5 years later) they still have a hissing/swatting fight, but it's been getting better. They're between the ages of 2-5.
I would say go for it :)
Thanks Jason and RQ :)
She's about 2 1/@ right now. My gut instinct is to get a cat that's younger than her because she has this really overt motherly, nurturing quality to her personality.
I'm sure it does take awhile for all cats to adjust. It's just that I've known people who've brought a new cat into the house only to have it not work out and they end up sending the cat away, which I just couldn't do once I brought it in.
sorry that's supposed to say "2 1/2"
I have three cats - Misty and Elmo - sisters who I adopted from a rescue. Their mother was a pet cat which was apparently abandoned when she was pregnant. They are five years old. And Coco, our Maine Coon Cat... I think she is something like 12 pounds and that is not even being overweight - it is just the sheer size of the breed. She is three and the boss. Hobbies are enjoying bellyrubs, eatin and sleepin.
@jbdean79 -- thanks! :-) Does *your* Buster also weigh close to 20 lbs? I swear he wasn't that fat when we named him...
I also love your advice to JoElla:
"There are so many animals out there in need of good homes and while the pet you lost can never be replaced, neither can the people willing to give animals the affection they deserve."
I think that loving animals is almost a healthy addiction. You can't stop or prevent yourself from doing it once you've started, but it's just such a rush and it's so rewarding. And the people who mourn their pets the hardest are often EXACTLY the kind of people who you'd want to see keep adopting others.
@JoElla, I'm so sorry. You're allowed to be as sad as you want, and don't let anyone trivialize your loss.
@Netta -- that is THE saddest story I've read in a really long time. If you ever find the identity/whereabouts of that monster who called herself your friend, let me know. I'm not above putting sugar in a gas tank or poop on a doorstep.
There are SO many reasons why I honestly like animals better than people.
@pwner -- you mentioned you have a female cat. I have to ask: is she a Calico? I've known more than a few examples of that breed who REALLY like to be the only one. Ditto with Siamese.
In my experience, it's easier to introduce a male to a female than it is to introduce a female to a female. They either fight ferociously, or ignore the hell out of each other.
I'd recommend a kitten if your other cat is still fairly youngish. If the cat is elderly, I'd adopt one that's sluggish and less likely to jump on senior and annoy the piss out of him.
Regardless, I've used the same exact method each time I've brought a cat home: leave the new kitty in his carrier and let your other cat/s sniff him, circle him, hiss at him, smack the carrier, etc. It's weird, but once they have that introduction, I've found the new one can become assimilated pretty quickly.
Of course, EVERY CAT is different. Any lover of felines can attest to that. Good luck! :-)
Yay an animal "Your Turn"!
One of my rescue stories...I have Cookie, he is a St. Bernard chow mix who will never grow into his feet or size. One day we found a dog having a seizure in the road, we took him home and then to the the animal emergency hospital where we put him down. The vet said he was probably hit by a car at one time and was having liver failure. In all of the animals I have rescued he was the worst one I have seen. He actually had a protruding bone out of his skin that was healed around the opening, he was super thin and very mangy. I was sad that we put him down but glad he was not alone. About a month later a dog shows up to our property looking like that exact same dog. He was super thin, he had dreadlocks on his chest that were so tight it was pulling his skin. Long story short, he got trapped in our garage with our Lab/Pit mix named Muggles (who used to invite all of the neighbor dogs and strays to come over for food and yes I think I have a sign on my forehead that only animals can see for "feed me"). He was so scared of us petting him he was shaking and peeing, needless to say that was all he needed to know we were ok even though he was scared, we still have him, his name is Cookie and he is one of the best dogs we have ever had, he has no real manners yet he is always polite. Anyways, we think he is the brother of the first dog we found, and that he followed his brothers scent to our house. He also used to sleep in the shavings I had in my horses stall, so when he would run away (this was in the beginning) he was a huge fluff ball of hair and shavings. Now he is a house and ranch dog, he is quiet on his feet and he gets along with everybody!
I also have a poodle named Romeo, three cats named, Tara, Jo Jo, Newton and an obnoxious parakeet named Birdie, all are boys and I fix everything. I have had numerous animals and I have lots of stories, and Cookies story is one my favorites. My picture is of my last horse named Wintergreen who passed away several years ago.
Love all the animal stories!!
Crazy Cat Lady:
Finnegan (Finny)
Padraig (Paddy)
Preceded by:
we have two rescue cats--
Sputnik -a huge feral born rescue cat, he is tall enough to look into the bathtub and rest his chin on the edge with ease and weighs about 30 pounds. He likes to sleep in the tub. He is also a big baby and is scared of everything.
Frosting - a grey and white rescue cat with white paws, she is the self-appointed mother of all of our animals.
Daisy - Our shelter dog, Daisy died two years ago. She was half American Eskimo and half Queensland Heeler and 100% crazy-seriously the dog was schizophrenic. We all swear she heard and saw things that weren't there. The vet said she was surprised that we kept Daisy all her life, but we could not give up on her. I still miss her and her quirks.
Rocko- a Pembroke Welsh Corgi, a sweet, loveable, lazy eight year old.
Scout- a tall lanky Boston Terrier with meat protein allergy, skin and pollen allergies. He's a vegan. My husband's favorite. Scout is the dog alpha-he sees my husband as the pack alpha. Scout is amazing and takes care of the other animals. One day we were playing with our Bostons and our female Boston's stomach was growling. Scout left the room and came back a few moments later with a mouthful of food that he dropped in front of Lola. He also opens doors and is too smart for his own good.
Lola-our short and stocky, red/white Boston Terrier. She is full of "spit and vinegar" as my grandma-in-law would say. She loves everyone, thinks she is a big dog and loves to play. She is almost Scout's opposite, except she is also too smart for her own good.
A few weeks ago she had to be hospitalized for a few days because of an intestinal infection. She was so ill, but stayed is such a good humor. It broke my heart to see her so ill, she vomited every few minutes and was bleeding internally -Lord help me, I am crying as I remember it.
It was a horrible week, right before that my oldest daughter spent the night in the hospital with an intestinal infection similar to Lola's. Strange, right? We were wondering if it could be a spider bite-we have lots of spiders here.
We reacted to her illness like she was one of our daughters. Luckily we received our tax refund before she got sick, so we were able to afford her treatment. It breaks my heart to think of other animal owners who may not be able to afford such treatment.
We have always donated what we could to our local shelters and non-profit animal hospitals, but this just made us realize how truly fortunate we are and how important it is for us to try to donate what we can.
We would have gotten a shelter dog, but my grandfather had a wonderful Boston Terrier when I was about 3 or 4 years old.
I loved playing with Buttons and those memories lead us to adopt a Boston from a really wonderful breeder in Modesto, CA. Both of our Bostons are from this breeder and with the exception of Scout's allergies, our dogs have no health problems that many Bostons have.
@RQ,Ida and jbdean: it was bad enough I was going through the death of my mother, but to lose Sparky too just about killed me. When I returned home eight weeks later (my daughter gave birth to my first grandbaby -- he was my mother's first g-grandbaby -- just three weeks after she passed, can you say fucked up?) I looked for her but she had moved. I called, I emailed, I drove past her former house...she deleted her Facebook, and just dropped from the planet.
I can only hope she is burning in hell even as we speak. I will never, ever forgive that. What made it even worse is when she went out of town for training on a job, I took care of her little shit-zu through potty training and a bout of disgusting worms, and I don't even like dogs. But I treated that puppy like he was a baby, he was so cute.
I have to believe what goes around comes around. I still cry over Sparky, almost as much as my mom.
Athena makes me laugh, and I love her for that.
Thanks, ladies <3
I grew up with lots of dogs.
I love Pomeranians and Jindos.
I have horses right now, and a baby quail that I rescued. So we have have a pinto pony named Pepper, quarter horse mare named Cookie, and her baby named Crumb. The quail's name is Quincy. I have always been an animal person, and in the past have had cats, dogs, rescue birds, more horses/ponies, lots of rats, hamsters, mice, skunk, cockatiels, parakeets, bunnies, and other ones I have forgotten about. The bad thing is that my husband is very anti-animal, and he claims allergies every time I bring something new home with me. He suffers!!
My child and I adopted a female australian cattle/boxer mix who was 8 months old, 34lb and had had a rough life when we got her 3 yrs ago. I'm happy to report Callie Mae weighed 55 lbs this year at her vet visit and she is a happy healthy part of our family :)
@Ida- I loved your story :)
@Netta- I literally gasped out loud when I read that. :( Sorry love.
~Although I did rescue both cats Leo's story is a bit out of the ordinary.
When I was walking through the parking lot toward the shelter to adopt a pet 10yrs ago an Asian woman came up to me and in broken english asked if I wanted a cat. I confusedly looked around cause the woman had no cat in sight. Thats when I noticed a laptop computer box with sounds emitting from it. I immediatly grabbed the box (because it had no holes) and nodded yes, I would take the cat.
It turned out to be a mancoon little terrror of hell who had bright red streaked hair and the most gorgeous eyes you ever saw- mint colored green. He was malnorished, worms, the works. He was only a few months old but looked wayyyy bigger. I named him Leo, cause he looks like a lion and he is mean as shit, like he owns the whole world, and were just living in his place or something :)))
Starla has a cigarette size bald spot on the nap of her neck. I adopted her as a friend for Leo when I went back to school. Big mistake. He still hasnt forgiven me and its been 5 yrs. Sometimes I catch him sideyeing me and when I DO get him to cuddle if she comes near he hisses at me and stalks off. Dude holds a grudge, is what Im saying :P But whatevs, sometimes they run around together and play and I think its worth his 5 yr pissy mood just for that.
For some reason unknown Starla WILL NOT let people touch her with hands. She rubs against feet and will sleep on my feet when we both go to bed but no hand touching, her pupils dilate and she runs away. I suspect its got something to do with that cigarette shapped bald spot. Thats why I adopt- to find homes for animals but also to love on the ones who were hurt by the assholes, ya know?
Thanks for doing this Your Turn, enty, I feel like were all one big love fest right now <3
*maine coon
Aww, Jasmine, that is so sweet.
That's really weird about Starla and feet, because Athena is the same way. She'd been in the shelter about five months, and they couldn't tell me anything about her. She won't let me hold her or cuddle her, but she will rub all over my feet and let my toes scritch her. I thought she was just a freak with a foot fetish, because she'll roll all over my shoes, too. Sometimes she sleeps with one arm stuck in my slipper. Heh.
She's better than she was -- she used to sleep at the foot of my bed and no closer, but lately she's been approaching the head of it for a good old-fashioned skritching with fingers, although she won't sleep there.
Poor thing. I wish I knew her story. Then again, I think I'm just as glad I don't. :( She's ornery, loves to play with Q-tips and hair ties no matter how many toys I buy her, and I love the little freakazoid. Heh.
I agree with whomever said the more I learn about people, the more I love cats.
2 beagles. I got them from the local pet rescue. What some SOB's do to beagles that won't hunt is ---ghastly.
My grandfather raised beagles. I have been around them my whole life and have RARELY met a mean beagle.
My beagles are female (2yrs approx) and male (8yrs approx). The female use to take care of all her sick bunk mates at the rescue. When Sunshine met my sister; who has epilepsy; Sunny sat on my sisters feet. It was like Sunny was "saying" that my sister was hers. So I adopted Sunny to help watch my sister.
Please don't SHOP for your next dog. Please ADOPT.
I have 3 dogs and a cat. My oldest dog, Smokie, is a border collie/shepherd mix that my late husband and I adopted from a family. She is 11 years old and blind, but is able to find her way around. My other two dogs - Shadow and Spirit - are Karelian Bear dogs and I got them from a breeder when we were having bear problems on our property. They are super intelligent and have their primitive instincts intact so they are great trackers and hunters.
Finally, Minos (means "cat" in Cree) is an exotic shorthair cat that I also adopted. Previously, I had 3 other cats that were from shelters/rescues.
@ Netta- thats interesting about your cat liking feet too.
My theory is perhaps they both learned that hand = pain
so they have it in their memory banks to avoid. And since feet have no such negative connotations its nothing to fear.
Starla will quite literally walk all over me :0 The minute I lay prone she comes from under the bed (where she hides a lot from Leo lol) and walks up my legs, up my butt, and all the way to my neck and sort of paws around. It's not uber comfortable but if I try to put my hands anywhere near her to push her back down she FREAKS, so i sorta roll my shoulders in attempt to get her off, I dont wanna scare her, ya know?
Your cat liking your slippers THAT much might mean there is a foot festish thang going on as well, which is adorable. I love little weird quirks in animals :)
And I count me as part of your posse if you ever track that bitch down. I'm not a violent person but abadoning an animal (especially a domesticated animal not used to the outdoors) deserves some tire iron action to tha face.
We have a 3 1/2 year old husky/shepherd/lab named Drake (after Tim Drake, the most recent Robin, NOT the rapper). He's a 100lb lap dog, who adores our 14 month old son. We used to have two rabbits - Corrigan (after Jim Corrigan, the original Spectre - yes, we're big comic geeks) and Raistlin (from the Dragonlance series of books - geeeeeeeeeeeks :D). Sadly, Corrigan passed away at the age of 3, and about 6 months later we gave Raistlin to a family who had recently lost their bunny.
Deseased parents yorkie mix Boomer. Rescue male cat Killer indoor outdoor boy he uses the toliet! 2australian shepards tater and bandit very smart very demanding,Love them all
@Jasmine -- I read somewhere that cats hate being approached with an open hand because they think it leads to being picked up and they hate that, heh. So, the article recommended you approach your cat with a closed fist and THEN pet them. I tried it with Athena and it really worked. Slowly she's getting more comfortable, I just have to remember to be patient and it's never going to be like Sparky, but she's still lovable and I just love the way she's coming out of her shell bit by bit.
She is crazy. She plays with Q-tips and hair ties -- I mean, she goes nuts over them. It's so funny to watch her, and it's been a long time since I laughed liked that.
I'm with you on the tire iron. Honestly, this is the first time I've really talked about it (so incredibly sad, the last couple of years have sucked the hairy nut sack of Lucifer) and I'm really touched by all the support. I'm bawling because I'm a schmuck, but thanks so much. I miss my mom so much, but I miss Sparky just as much. She was a really special cat.
@Netta- awwwwww. I'm sad your crying, but let it out if you must :)
In the Jewish culture we/they light candles to remember the deceased and I've found that (although Im atheist) there is something really really cathartic about lighting a candle, saying something about whomever your thinking about, feeling the warmth of the candle almost like the soul of whomever your missing, and slowly letting the candle go out. The cycle is visual and symblic enough to really capture loss of what you are feeling in a beautiful way. You should try it. But I would light two, cause they both deserve one for each of them. And I think they would have liked you doing that, dont you? :)
That's beautiful. Thanks for the suggestion -- I'm not particularly religious myself, but this sounds perfect.
Yes. They would. They were quite a pair. :*)
*hugs* Thanks.
Sorry, didn't mean to hijack. I'll go back to lurking ;)
Your welcome :)))))
Hugs back
(from one crazy cat lover to another)
I have one cat right now, Jezebel, who I adopted about a month after my previous cat Mojo died. Mojo was a gray/brown tabby who I got from a friend's litter when he was barely old enough to be taken from his mom; he was an indoor/outdoor cat by his own EXTREME insistence, but was always very careful around cars. When he was 7, he was diagnosed w/hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and although I tried to give him his meds, he was too clever for me. Unfortunately, his bad heart slowed him down terribly, and he ended up being hit by a car in our parking lot; it still kills me just thinking about it, but I know he would have been miserable getting weaker & weaker before finally keeling over, so perhaps he preferred going instantly like that.
Anyway, back to Jezebel--I adopted her from the local cat shelter where she'd been brought w/2 of her littermates; the staff named them Isadora (long-haired calico), Esmeralda (long-haired tortie) and Jezebel (very thick-haired tortie). I swear she picked me and not the other way around; I almost went w/another half-grown kitten, but the shelter was closing for the night. I came back in the AM, & while the other little cat ran away & hid, Jezebel just snuggled up in my arms, purred, and looked at me as if to say "you want ME, don't you?" She's 15 now, w/a world-class case of "tortietude", and really is my baby. I also adopted a former roommate's cat, Delenn, after he moved out; she was a teeny little gray & white tabby who would start to groom Jezebel, only to then try to smack her around; she also did this adorable routine of lifting up one paw at a time, alternating them, while sitting down. She ended up diabetic, and try as I might, we couldn't get it under control; she went downhill rather suddenly a few years ago, the vet thought she might have cancer, and I ended up having to have her put to sleep. So Jess is an only cat now, and I think she likes it that way--she's extremely possessive of me!
Thanks Ida and jbdean_79!
Lux isn't a Calico or a Siamese which, I have also heard from people, don't like to have other cats around.
My first instinct is to go with a kitten since it will satisfy her motherly instincts and also let her be the alpha in the house, lol.
I think you're right Ida about the male vs. female stuff. Perhaps a little male kitten would be the best bet.
I thank everyone for their advice :)
I've done lots of research, but there's just so much info out there I feel it's better to rely on the advice of people who have had the experience. People here are obviously animal lovers so I trust your opinions wholeheartedly.
Cheers and happy Friday to all.
Your story broke my heart and gave me a very angry WTF moment. I am glad to hear that you have adopted another companion and about your book. Is it on Amazon? I've just started reading after five years of being unable to read anything more than short blurbs-long story why.
So if you don't mind, I would like to learn more about it.
Hi Ellebee,
I'm sorry for the WTF moment. I didn't think I would ever have another cat, ever. But it just seemed like serendipity when I saw Athena online and the name of my book. And of course, when I saw her that was it for me. Heh.
"Athena's Promise" is out to the beta readers right now, then revisions. I'm shooting for a September publishing date if all goes well.
I have a flash fiction collection available on Amazon called "Not Nice and Other Understatements" and a few short stories also listed there. Just search for Annetta Ribken and you'll find them. :) Not Nice is available for the Kindle and in print, and it's also on Smashwords.
Thanks so much for asking. :)
I looked it up on my Kindle. Did you know that everyone's that has reviewed your book so far has given it 5 stars? Nice!
I just purchased it and will read it this week. I'm a Kindle book NUT. I go through a book every few days (and somehow still manage to have a life, LOL)
Always looking for new reads, so thanks for that! :)
I have a crazy story about our cat Frosting. She caught a mouse in the garage, brought it into our bedroom and the mouse ran behind the dresser. Second time this happened, so we were ready with a catch and release trap. We filled the trap and caught the mouse.
Mel, our oldest daughter, walked across the street to the park to release the mouse in the bushes. She let the mouse go and instead of running into the bushes it ran the opposite way into a grassy area. With Mel standing there watching, a hawk swooped down, grabbed the mouse and took off.
Mel came back after being gone for a half hour completely stunned saying "no way that just happened".
We still laugh about how the absurdity of the situation.
Last year Mel's yellow parakeet killed her blue parakeet-okay, so maybe not, but we wouldn't put it past the yellow bird that was called Penelope.
After Darwin* died, we did some checking. We found out that Penelope was male and really could have killed Darwin. Before Darwin died, the yellow one would push Darwin off his perch or chirp loudly in Darwin's face. We thought he was just a bully.
So instead of Penelope, I call the yellow one Stalin or Killer, Mel calls him Steve.
Weird things always seem to happen to our family, we're a weird bunch so that's okay with us.
*(the blue one who was also super annoying and squawked constantly and truthfully I couldn't totally blame Stalin. Darwin was that annoying)
oh and, as for the story about your cat, i have to say you are a much better person than I.
I would've hunted this lady down, threw her in my car and dropped her off in the middle of nowhere (preferably somewhere in the Ozarks) so she could see how well she fared.
However, one bad deed should not beget another so kudos to you for having the ability to move on and adopt another furry friend.
"So instead of Penelope, I call the yellow one Stalin or Killer, Mel calls him Steve."
Thanks, I will look for it. The WTF moment was directed more toward your cat "sitter". Unbelievable.
Really, really cruel behavior that shocked me and I'm the wife of a former Bay Area cop and current federal law enforcement officer
(I've heard some really horrific stories- including people literally trying to kill my husband)
Not much shocks me, but that struck me as horrible, misanthropic behavior under any circumstances, more so because of your situation. I lost my mom too.
@pwner Thanks! I hope you enjoy it. Not Nice was really a labor of love, and I had a blast putting it together. I'll be really interested in your thoughts about it :)
You know, I have had many fantasies about what would happen if I ever see her again. Then, I remember many lessons I learned about holding a grudge and I try to let it go. But I'm not saint. I've been through a lot (like who hasn't, right?) and I really do try to take the higher road. But if she ever walked in front of my car her ass would be dead and I'd be in prison. I wouldn't piss on her if she were on fire, unless I knew it would sting. Like I said, I really REALLY try not to hate on anyone but Sparky was my CAT. I hate that woman and I can't seem to let that go. *sigh*
@Ellebee OMG that is HILARIOUS. Poor Darwin. Maybe his name was an omen, heh!
Four doggies, all rescues.
Twinkie, Snap, Snickers, and Scruffy. All varying sizes, shapes, breeds and colors.
I am so sorry for your loss. I know I thought I was prepared, you know? My mom was ill with breast cancer for four years. We talked about death a lot; we had a very special relationship. I thought I was prepared.
I had no clue. None. I'm a pretty strong person but that knocked everything right out of me and I didn't see it coming. To lose Sparky on top of that AND learn my judgment about a "best" friend was so off...plus my daughter giving birth three weeks too late...it was too much. Stick a fork in me.
In an email, besides. I've lived through some cruel shit, so I have, but that is at the top of the list for me. And that's saying something.
Actually, I just welcomed a new family member a couple of months ago. His name is Ollie, and he's the most adorable almost all white kitty ever. He's my little guy and has turned out to be best friends with my youngest son, Walt. It's truly been a blessing having him here and I'm so glad things aligned the way they did. He was meant to be with us :)
I swear that is totally true.
Stalin/Steve struts around the cage now like he is the king of the cage. Oh and I totally forgot, Stalin/Steve was calmly eating millet next to poor dead Darwin when we found him.
He is the bird version of an asshat/douchebag. Seriously.
totally love my Kindle. I will get your book.
My husband and I are working on compiling all of his street stories from over 20 years in law enforcement in San Francisco and Oakland.
He heard the best story about Dianne Feinstein from a retired SF cop when she was acting mayor. She and her driver performed CPR on someone who they saw collapsing on a corner as they drove by. There are some gory details, bottom line... she is awesome.
Just wanted to mention that if you have a pet emergency, Care Credit is a great resource. Not all vets accept it, but it is a credit card specifically for medical procedures, including veterinary costs. Interest free for 1 year, so you can spread the cost out. My kitty had $2500 of issues in November and we wouldn't have been able to afford it without Care Credit.
We have a chocolate lab, Nova, and a black cat, Fletcher. Both 2yrs old. We're also a foster family for the Humane Society and we have a semi-feral 1 yr old black lab mix named Trust living with us right now. He's been with us since November and just today rolled over to have his belly scratched for the first time!
Is it bad I'm still gigglesnortin' over the bird thing? Asshat/douchebag hahahaha!
That sounds like a fascinating project. I've been in the writing biz for a hot minute or two (like, a decade, heh) so if you need any help buzz me anytime.
I think THEY choose YOU, not the other way around. Congrats on your new family member :)
OMG Netta. I was appalled at what happened to Sparky. I am so sorry. Reading it made me cry.
I have two rescue cats, Tabitha who is 14 and Katie who is about 5. They are complete opposites and Tabitha barely tolerates Katie and her nonsense (Katie is a punk!) but I love them both dearly.
I'm off to go hug my cats.
Thanks for credit card info, we will look into it.
Lola's vet bill came to $3300 for three days of care, treatment, testing and IV fluids. Luckily this doesn't happen all the time, but when it does it really packs a wallop.
Had a sweet kitty named Lucy who lived to be almost 22.
I have a mixed breed - part anatolian shepherd- named Jack. He was a semi rescue - the people that had hiM were pregnant and left hiM on a chain outside for 10 hours a day... don't get Me started.I had lost MY POMMY kEESHA months before. The second night we had Jack, he woke us up when the fireMen couldn't. The second floor (i aM on the ground) apts were on fire. Since then he's been our "special paper eating- take a bullet for Me, afraid of the rain hero.
and to any who have lost your pets... My heart breaks for you. it is like losing a faMily MeMber! (sorry for the cap M's...soMETHing is wrong with the keyboard and I can only type the M's in caps.)
We have four of our own kitties, plus four orphan kitties who live on our porch. One of the porch kitties is temporarily an indoor cat, after she came to our door with one of her two newborn kittens. One of those kittens died, but the other (we've named him Chunk) is nestled on my shoulder as I type this. He's just now ready to be weaned.
Netta, wouldn't it be something if Sparky had a crazy country "camping" kind of adventure and then found a home in the country with a family that loved her as much as you did? That's what I'm going to believe happened.
I've adopted several cats over the years, I currently have 2. My first cat was Ebony and he made himself known by wandering onto the property where I worked at the time as an older kitten, he came to visit often and when it was certain he didn't belong to anyone I claimed him for myself and we were together for 24 years. When Ebony was 9 I thought he might like a little companion so I adopted Oreo, a kitten who Ebony hated, at best he tolerated the newcomer. The kitten wanted to play all the time and Ebony was more mature at that point and just wanted to relax. Eventually I adopted another younger cat as a companion for Oreo, Black Magic. Then about a week later I adopted a senior female named Tabitha who broke more stuff around the house than every other cat combined. She loathed the younger cats and would swat their faces but she adored Ebony and he felt the same about her. Oreo got sick and died and Black Magic had no-one to play with and was infringing on the senior cats for his entertainment so I adopted another cat close in age as he was and named him Black Jack. All was well for several years and then Tabitha died. Ebony was senile at that point and I don't think he noticed she was gone. For the next few years he held a place of esteem in the household and I never knew if I would find him alive when I left for work in the mornings, he got extra love and all the good food treats. Eventually after years of good health, he had a stroke from which he never recovered. It's still strange to me that he isn't around after all those years.
I've often said I could live in a house full of cats :)
i have 3 cats, 1 dog, 1 guinea pig, 1 pygmie goat, and 2 donkeys...yes, i have acreage
The majority of my pets are adopted from shelters.
Hedgehogs, cats (8), dogs (4), turkeys, ducks, a goat (Sir Humphrey BoGoat), chickens, 2 Guinea pigs & rabbits. Yes I live in the country.
I delivered 2 healthy shih tzu puppies today :) now its time to spay the momma.
My cat Harley Ray recently passed at the young age of 26. I'm convinced my mom's lab puppy was the cause. She was a bit rough and he was stubborn and insisted on waiting at the back door. He would play dead so that she would leave. I recently adopted a 20lb cat. My dogs (all small breeds) were terrified of him. He's actually very active & can jump!
My husband and I have 15 rescue cats; one is mostly blind, & goes to work with me as a therapy cat for preschool children who have experienced domestic violence, homelessness, and trauma. A lot of people think we are insane to have so many cats, but they enrich our lives every day.... and working with children & families, I know that 15 cats are still cheaper (and a LOT less messy) than having human children. :)
God Bless you, Pelham. Panda - where have you been? Enty's been doing this type of post since the beginning! And Rocket - I know you love me, too...
I have a small menagerie. Tiger is a beautiful 12-year old calico cat that was brought to me by 2 girls one day. My neighbor, who works around the corner at the vet, send the girls. My then 4 year old daughter quickly put the kitten in the stroller and walked her around the house for the next year.
Imagine this - the one day my now 6 year old decides to help me sweep out the garage we find three small kittens. Yeah, jackpot! She, of course, kept the most skittish one. Her original name was Tiger the second, but the kitten responded to Kitty, and so she is named.
We had a big old gray cat we rescued named Smoky, who thought he was a dog, for 8 years before he developed a brain tumor and to be put to sleep. A couple years later we replaced him with a gray kitten named Spanky. He's my son's cat. Remember that huge cat that was in the news? Spanky can give that cat a run for it's money.
And now for my 2 children. I did not understand dogs until I watched The Dog Whisperer. And now I think I'm an expert. - First my absolutely beautiful 1 year old named Chester. He is a miniature long-haired dachshund, and he is blond. I am not kidding you when I tell you that people will stop me in the street to pet him. Even had someone shout from their car. He is very chill, loves to sit in the window like the cats and surgically gut stuffed animals.
Finally, we have Diego, a rescue puppy we got from North Carolina. What do you get when you mix a standard dachshund with a Jack Russel? Turbo-dachshund! He leaps like a cat, runs like a maniac, and is solid muscle (which is a relief, because he almost died of a parasite). He pulls me down the street when we go out for a walk. He has a nasty bark, and can look mean, but all he wants to do is lick you and sniff your face.
OK, I'm done.
LOL, we have 5 dogs and 4 cats in our house! I have:
Isabell: Tabby Cat, from a feral cat litter, 14 years old.
Cosmo: Black Lab/Springer Spaniel Mix, 13 years old.
Abbey: Jack/Rat Terrier Mix, 7 years old.
Molley: Beagle/Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Mix, 2 years old.
We don't have children, and my animals mean everything to me. <3
Add me to the list of people wanting to join the Sparky Posse & find Netta's friend & "cat care taker". That story filled me with rage and broke my heart for you. I kept thinking of all the alternatives she had...find someone else, or hell if things were that bad, put her at a boarding place.
My animals:
Sullivan, 9.5 lab mix; got him right after college from a co worker, whose purebred lab had gotten pregnant, he was furious that he couldn't sell them & was going to take them to the kill shelter. Sully is a bit like Marley...but he has provided me with great entertainment.
Mason, 8; adopted from a rescue group; he'd been abandoned by a dumpster.
Saluda, we think is 5; beagle/dachsund (guesstimate)
my sister's neighbors son was farming & she stumbled out the woods, covered in ants/ant bites. His mom rehabilitated her & gave her to my sister. I fell in love with her over Christmas & since my sister does not have a fenced in yard, has lots of land & let's her dogs run free I was
terrified she'd get hit so I stole her. ;) She is my soulmate.
I volunteered for 4 years with a local rescue & fostered both dogs & cats. I had to stop b/c life was getting way chaotic with work + school but I'm done now & hopefully I can resume volunteering again. My goal is to make enough money now so I can one day own a huge house & a Tom of land & continue fostering, rescuing, etc. Also I want alpacas.
*own a TON of land
i have one rescued calico kitty named The Critter. She is 11. When I adopted her, she was feral, couldn't be touched, would attack and hiss and screech and bite. For 9 months whenever i came home i would put on welding gloves, pick her up, and walk up and down the hall while singing to her. After 9 months and no small amount of despair that she'd never really be a "pet", i came home one day to find her waiting for me. i knelt down and she jumped into my arms and purred.
i tell my husband that i love him second best of all things in this world, cause he knows i love Critter best.
@Beca, you rule. Calicos can be super ornery, but it sounds like you found your soulmate. Your husband is a nice fella for accepting his second place status. :-)
I love these comments so much.
CDAN needed this badly, in my opinion. Thanks, Enty. <3
I'm working all day but I had to sneak over here. :)
@Mango, thank you. Your cats are very lucky :)
@The Black Cat -- that is an excellent way to look at it, and I so hope it's true. I'm going to believe that from now on.
@MCH That's what really bugged me up, too. Alternatives. A real friend would have explored those, or offered an option to me. I will fully admit I wasn't thinking clearly at the time (too much going on) and I beat myself up I didn't just jump in the car and drive the 300 miles to go get her. Hindsight.
@Beca I think that is one of the sweetest stories I have ever heard. Bless your heart! My kids used to joke that Sparky was the favorite child, but the funny part? No joke. :)
My kids just pooled their birthday $ to buy a puppy last Thursday. Her name is Lucille and she's an 8 wk old "shorkie". The cutest little black puppy ever! We also have a 3 year old poodle mix named Mr MacGregor and 2 yr old black fluffy cat named Seymour, both adopted from the local kill shelter. We originally went to get a kitten during their "we have too many kittens" promotion and came home with Mr. Mac, too. My husband never had any pets as a kid and really wanted our kids to have them. We always had pets, dog, cats, birds, fish, mice when I was growing up.
Two cats - Jack, a 6 year old rescue from the MSPCA in Boston and Katia, a 3 year old rescue from the NC SPCA in Raleigh. I love them to pieces, even though neither of them turned out to be a lap cat. Katia is a gorgeous tortie with black and caramel colored fur and Jack is a grey tabby with huge, gorgeous eyes. Quite simply they are my heart. I don't have kids, so they get all my love.
Think i love animals more than people so a "Thank you" to everyone who's posted here. Millie, a tri-colored Sheltie, currently rules this house. We've had a number of cats and dogs, both adopted and purchased, and think we'll stick with Petfinder.com or a local shelter from this point on.
@jbdean_79. What a lovely story about your kittles. Gives me hope for mine, Lucy and Ethel. They are my babies. I got them from a friend and they're Bombay's; Black American Short Hair and Burmese. Lucy adores my husband and Ethel and I are inseparable. But when OP (my husband)takes a nap both will snuggle with him. It's just so adorable. They are now 16 and I wish that they live as long as yours.
I have a black Maine Coon kitty called Molee. She's about 13 now, we got her on Valentine's Day years ago and she was this tiny little scaredy cat. (The name Molee is because when she was born, she was black and wee and blind, like a mole.)
Now she's a total diva cat, runs the entire household and if she doesn't like something, by god she will let you know about it!!
But she's my baby and I totally adore her.
The Decision Maker and I have five cats in our house. Two of them were adopted from animal shelters, Delilah and Alice (I used to have D's pic as my blogger icon, but somehow it was scrubbed...gotta look into that).
The other three we found in our alley last August, apparently a litter of a truly wild mom cat. We were able to trap/fix all of them, and we had to let the mom go, but the other three - Zsa Zsa, Gimli, and Samantha - we are keeping in the house as part of a domestication program and are currently looking for owners. It's been a learning experience for both of us, but I couldn't imagine my life without hanging with my cats.
P.S. - I read many of the stories above, and was encouraged to see so many people who are involved and/or inclined toward working with their local shelters to adopt pets of their own. Good work to all o' you!
Awesome Your Turn :) A heart thank you from me and all the animals to the animal lovers who have commented. It did my heart some good!
A little late on this one---we have one rescued parakeet named Elvis, one rescued cat named Bootstrap and one rescued dog we got a month ago named The Dude.
The Dude was kiced out of training class on Thursday because he has emotional issues that we need to help him with by doing private classes. Love them all but they are a lot of work.
I have a six year old Siberian Husky named Jax. I lived off a street named Jackson Ave when I got him so hence the shortened name Jax. He's been a joy from the get, so sweet and friendly with everyone not to mention beautiful with his all white coat and blue eyes. I like to call him my number one stunner!


text:
Expert's Rating
- Tons of features
- Convenient new MediaHub organizer/player/editor
- Unintuitive workflow in older modules
- Unattractive interface in some spots
Our Verdict
Nero's exceedingly powerful burning suite continues to offer innovations, like its MediaHub for organizing, editing, and playing content; but it continues to be hampered by interface challenges.
With Nero Multimedia Suite 10 ($100, price as of March 29, 2010), Nero has finally begun to take steps addressing what its perennially powerful burning suite has lacked–easy creativity. The new MediaHub component–a combination media organizer, media player, photo editor and slideshow creator–offers a friendly interface . The Nero Vision video editor and authoring software gets some major changes, too, including better prefabricated art and templates; sadly, its interface still has one foot in the Nero's past.
While Multimedia Suite 10 still comprises a number of individual components, unbundled versions of major components are now available. MediaHub and Vision are sold separately as Nero Vision xTra for $60; Nero Burning ROM for $50 (as it was before the suite wars with Roxio began); and the capable imaging/file backup/synching BackItUp & Burn for $40. You're still better off with the suite if you think you'll want at least two of these core functions.
MediaHub's interface is far friendlier than that offered by most of Multimedia Suite 10's components. (Only BackItUp & Burn can match it.) Its extensive file support is also impressive. Not only does it handle common media and file types such as audio CD, DVD, JPEG, MPEG, bitmaps, MP3, and wave, it also recognizes more esoteric types such as compressed TIFF, FLAC, APE, and non-standard wave file resolutions such as 24-bit/88kHz. It also understands DirectShow filters (codecs) such as QuickTime, MP4, HD WMV, .FLV (Flash), and .MKV.
MediaHub also offers an inline photo editor similar to Google's Picasa; the photo editor allows quick tweaking, correction, and even adding special effects to photos. Nero stumbles, however, by not offering an inline editors for music and video (an unfortunate omission, since Nero Multimedia Suite 10 includes the Nero WaveEditor and Nero Vision video editor). If Nero can take MediaHub that extra step, though-bringing all of Nero's diverse media editing functionality under MediaHub's pleasing interface–the company will be on to something that should appeal to users at all levels, since no organizer/player on the market that edits all three major types of media.
The other component which has received a major upgrade is Nero Vision 10. The timeline editor is vastly improved with a new look, more tracks, and easier tools. There are also major changes under the hood such as Smart Encoding (not re-encoding material that already matches the output format) and support for NVidia's CUDA hardware AVC/.264 acceleration. Also, you may now produce Blu-ray content without purchasing an additional plugin, as well as apply themes to an entire movie . Themes are comprised of cohesively styled FX, transitions, titles. Unfortunately, the authoring and project dialog still suffer the old amateurish interface.
Nero Burning ROM, Nero's long-standing component for burning virtually any type of disc has finally acquired the ability to span discs for data jobs. The new DiscSpan job even lets you mix disc types (CD, DVD, BD-R); the last disc will contain an app so you don't need to install Nero in order to restore the archive. The other convenient improvement is the Burn Now button, which saves you a step by bypassing the options dialog that Burning ROM traditionally opened before burning a project.
Other individual components of the suite not already discussed also remain largely the same: The StartSmart launch center which also handles basic burning tasks, Nero SmartTrax for recording audio, Recode for transcoding video to different formats, and Cover Designer for making CD sleeves and labels. Utilities for gathering media and drive info, and recovering data from all sorts of media are still there as well. BackItUp & Burn performs both imaging and file-based backup and has a new, friendlier first-run wizard.
Alas, in spite of the improvements, Nero Multimedia Suite 10 retains the discombobulated feel of a product that's changed directions multiple times and never stuck with any of them. Let's hope Nero takes MediaHub and runs with it.
Confused look or no, the highly capable and versatile Nero Multimedia Suite 10 is still a very viable contender to Roxio Creator 2010 and Cyberlink's Media Suite. It's leaner and faster than either, though Roxio still offers better prefab content and Cyberlink's unified look gives it a nicer overall feel.

subset: commoncrawl


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Let us plan your private overnight Normandy D Day tour from Paris to explore D Day sites of World War II and Mont Saint Michel.
Your private Normandy D Day tour will take you to the many highlights of the Battle of Normandy and the tour will begin with a Paris hotel or apartment pickup by your driver guide. This Normandy D Day tour can be arranged for you throughout the year.
The itinerary for your Normandy tour is flexible, but this is our suggested itinerary (if you wish a Canadian D Day tour focus, we can arrange to visit Juno Beach and other Canadian places of interest).
Depending on what you and the guide decide, you might do the D-Day touring on the first day and visit Mt. St. Michel on the second day or you might do that in reverse.
Some guests can extend their Normandy stay for longer, so let us know what you're considering. We'll happily book the hotel accommodations for you for this tour.
We've also done customized itineraries that visit Normandy for a day or two before heading on for a Mt. St. Michel visit, and then ending the touring time with a day or longer to see the Renaissance castle of the Loire Valley. We will arrange whatever you wish to do!
Normandy Private Overnight Tour Details
[tab title="Normandy Tour Day One"]
Your private guide will pick you up at your Paris accommodations at 7:30 AM. It's a 2-3 hour drive North to Normandy and a very pleasant drive it is. The Seine River meanders through the countryside and the landscape is dotted with spires from little villages and sturdy Normandy cows (a breed brought by the Vikings in the 9th and 10th centuries.
The itinerary is flexible. However, it might have the first stop at Pointe du Hoc, where members of the United States 2nd Ranger Battalion scaled the cliffs to attack a German gun battery. Operation Overlord (the Allied Invasion is Operation Overlord) had strategic areas to secure along the Normandy coast.
Your private D Day tour will continue to Colleville-sur-Mer to stop at the American Cemetery that overlooks Omaha Beach. You will want to take time to explore the Visitors Center and the Cemetery. You might want to walk down the path from the American Cemetery to Omaha Beach, since you definitely get a feel for what the soldiers must have faced looking back up the hillside. Your guide can also drive you along the beach road. Many guests want to experience a walk on Omaha Beach to truly soak up the feeling of that invasion and what it must have been like on June 6, 1944 at dawn.
We want you to visit the German artillery battery at Longue-sur-Mer and also Arromanches to see the remains of Churchill's Mulberry Harbor at Gold Beach.
Your overnight will be in Bayeux and while in Bayeux, you should not miss seeing the Bayeux Tapestry.
[tab title="Normandy Tour Day Two"]
After breakfast, your guide will pick you up at 9:00 to leave for Mont Saint Michel where you will tour the abbey and walk Mont Saint Michel's ramparts.
The abbey of Mont Saint Michel is unlike any other monastery. The Mount is in the shape of a pyramid, so it was necessary for the medieval builders to wrap the buildings around the granite rock. Amazing as well is that the construction not only was constrained by the topography and geography of the location, but by the requirements of monastic life. The resulting wonder conformed to both!
You'll return to Paris in the early evening.
This private Normandy overnight tour could include more than two days, so let us know what you're considering. We'll happily book the hotel accommodations for you for this tour.
Please use the form on the left to learn more about this Normandy Private Overnight Tour.


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Home > Consumer Protection > Consumer News & Information > FDIC Consumer News
FDIC Consumer News
Fall 2011
IRAs, 401(k)s and More: Making Sense of the Alphabet Soup of Retirement Accounts
Consumers and small business owners are fortunate to have a variety of retirement savings opportunities available to them — from IRAs and SEPs to 401(k)s and 403(b)s — that can be used to save for retirement and save on some taxes. These options are especially important now that traditional pensions and other employer-funded retirement plans have become increasingly rare. One big challenge, though, is determining which retirement savings vehicles may be right for you.
"Every day, the FDIC receives questions from individual consumers about the deposit insurance coverage of their retirement accounts but they also have important concerns about tax issues and other matters," noted Martin Becker, an FDIC Senior Deposit Insurance Specialist. "It's clear that many people would appreciate and need help understanding fundamental concepts regarding retirement plans, which could be their most important savings for their future."
While the FDIC can't advise you on where to put your money, we can help you understand the basic characteristics of different types of retirement options available from banks and other institutions so that you, perhaps in consultation with a financial or tax advisor, can make the right choices.
Here are a few issues to consider for the most common types of retirement plans that are self-directed, meaning that the consumer chooses how and where the money is deposited or invested. (Note: We use "retirement plan" to refer to one of several types of savings programs offered by a financial institution or an employer, and "retirement account" for an individual's funds within a retirement plan.)
Tax Considerations
In general there are two kinds of self-directed retirement plans: those that are tax-deferred and those that are after-tax.
Ways to Invest
Both tax-deferred and after-tax retirement plans also provide you with the opportunity to widely diversify the assets in your account. "Many financial planners suggest adding stocks and mutual funds to your retirement mix, which can provide opportunities for growth, and adding bonds to provide income. But remember, these investments can increase and decrease in value and they are not protected by FDIC insurance against loss, even if they are purchased from an insured banking institution," Troup said.
"One common strategy that financial advisors also recommend," he added, "is to invest a large percentage of your retirement funds in growth-oriented stocks and stock mutual funds early in your working years, and then start moving the funds to more conservative, income-generating investments, such as bonds, bond mutual funds, and insured bank certificates of deposit (CDs), as you get closer to retirement."
Deposit Insurance Coverage
As Becker noted, "Retirement funds that you want to be safe and secure can be placed in CDs or other interest-bearing deposit accounts at FDIC-insured institutions." The deposit insurance coverage is up to $250,000 for the combined balance of all self-directed retirement accounts owned by the same person in the same insured bank.
Here are some key points to remember: First, adding beneficiaries does not increase the maximum deposit insurance coverage of $250,000 for self-directed retirement accounts.
Also, when an IRA depositor passes away, if the account continues to be held in the name of the deceased depositor (in accordance with IRS rules), that money will continue to be separately insured from any IRA deposits at the same bank that were established by any beneficiaries. For example, if Jane Smith has an IRA naming her daughter Sally as the beneficiary, and Jane dies, that money will be insured separately from any retirement accounts that Sally has established at the same bank provided that the mother's account continues to be held as an IRA in Jane's name.
To learn more about the tax aspects of a particular retirement plan, see the Internal Revenue Service Web page "Types of Retirement Plans" at http://go.usa.gov/Xe1 or consult a tax advisor. For help or information about the FDIC insurance coverage of retirement accounts, visit www.fdic.gov/deposit/deposits or call 1-877-ASK-FDIC (1-877-275-3342) and ask to speak to a deposit insurance specialist. And for tips on saving money for retirement, read Retirement Planning and Saving: Basic Strategies for Achieving Your Goals.
Last Updated 6/10/2014


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This jewelled butt plug is made from stainless steel with a beautiful red crystal for adorning your chocolate starfish to make it look even more appetizing.
Stainless steel provides a great feel and weight to this butt plug. The flat top ensures that the butt plug will stay in for longer and you can even walk around showing it off to entice your lover.
Material: Stainless steel
Crystal Color: Transparent
Size: (L) Ø 40 mm, total length 97 mm
Weight: 160 g
There is no review in English yet.


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Welcome to the Dallas County Historical Commission's audio tour app of historical markers in Dealey Plaza and Founder's Plaza. Click on a location from the list below.
Click below to play audio.
The building that became known as the Texas School Book Depository was built in 1901 for the Southern Rock Island Plow Company. The land was originally owned by Dallas founder John Neely Bryan. This building was leased to the Texas School Book Depository Company at the time of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
A source of shame for Dallas after the assassination, there was a call to demolish the building after the depository moved out in 1970. Instead, Dallas County purchased the building and renovated the first five floors for county offices. The 6th and 7th floors remained empty.
In 1978 the iconic Hertz Car Rental sign was removed from the roof and stored. A decade later, in 1989, the 6th Floor Museum opened. Today more than 325,000 people seeking more information on the assassination visit the museum every year.
View from Dealey Plaza of the Dallas County Administration Building, formerly, the Texas School Book Depository Building.
View from the 6th floor window of the Texas School Book Depository Building in late 1983. Photo credit: Charles Stokes Sr.
View from the 7th floor of the 6th Floor Museum 2012.
View of Dealey Plaza and the Grassy Knoll from the Dallas County Criminal Courts Building.
Click below to play audio.
You have arrived at 100 South Houston Street, and standing before you is Dallas County's sixth courthouse. It is commonly referred to as The Old Red Courthouse. Old Red was built on the same property that John Neely Bryan donated to the city in 1850. It was built in 1892, following a major city expansion in 1890 in which Dallas tripled in size, and resulted in 769 new buildings, the largest of which was Old Red. This came during an era of Texas history in which grandiose courthouses sprung up in many Texas cities. Courthouses were always the center of the town; symbols of law, order, and justice. Old Red is still a crown jewel among them.
Old Red was not Dallas County's first courthouse, although it is the county's longest-standing courthouse. Old Red predecessors including the first courthouse, a 10ft by 10 ft log cabin, burned in 1848. Old Red was built at a cost of $350,000, which was astronomical at the time. It was built from red sandstone and blue granite in an excellent example of Richardsonian Romanesque Architecture. It originally had a clock tower, although it was demolished in 1919 due to structural concerns. Over the years, Old Red functioned as a courthouse, until the 1990's. Over time, Old Red has gone through several restorations. During one of those restorations, a previously unknown ornate vault was discovered. In 2007, during its final major restoration, a new clock tower was built. An original E. Howard clock mechanism was brought from Massachusetts, restored, and lifted into place. If you look at the building, you will notice many unique features, including four wyvern gargoyles and many stained glass windows.
Today, Old Red houses the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture and is rented out for weddings and other occasions. We invite you to take a look inside and explore the history of Dallas. Old Red not only beat the odds of destruction by fire that its predecessors fell to. Old Red has often been the target of wrecking balls. Old Red stands before you today due to the valiant efforts and struggles of many individuals who see in Old Red a symbol of the city's founding ideas of mercantilism, individualism, and perseverance.
Old Red Courthouse. Photo Credit: Todd Toney
Clock mechanism in tower
One of the four "Wyvirn" gargoyles
Cupola above the clock tower
Click below to play audio.
The Dallas County Criminal Courts building opened in 1915 with a jail, hospital, operating room, court rooms, barber shop, and jailer's quarters. Because the jail section began on the 5th floor, it was thought to be escape proof. It wasn't. Over the years, many prisoners escaped.
Gene Autry's recording of "The Dallas County Jail Blues," released in 1931, described the jail as the High Five.
In addition to Jack Ruby, this jail has housed other famous criminals, including the 1930s gangster Binny Binnion, Clyde Barrow of Bonnie and Clyde fame, and Raymond Hamilton, who was a member of the Barrow Gang. After Bonnie and Clyde were killed, in fact, both of their mothers were imprisoned for one month in this building, convicted of aiding and abetting their offspring.
In 1923, Texas changed its laws to require that executions only be performed in Huntsville, and only using the electric chair. Until that time, those condemned to die in Dallas County were hanged in this jail. Three "death cells" still exist on the top floor, as does a "baptism room" containing an old claw-foot tub surrounded by prisoner-created religious artwork. Legend holds that the condemned were offered a chance at redemption through baptism. Those who took it were doused in the tub before being hanged.
In 1925 the jail was besieged by a mob of over 5,000 people, seeking to lynch Frank and Lorenzo Noel, two black men accused of killing a white man and assaulting white women. The rioters fired upon the jail; return fire from Sheriff's deputies killed one of the mob and wounded six others. The following week, the Noel brothers were tried and convicted. They were transported to Huntsville on May 31st and executed in the electric chair on July 3rd.
The Dallas County Criminal Courts building is now said to be haunted by a "tall, dark shadow" wearing a white jumper, who, when sighted, appears to be working in the kitchen and storeroom area. And every now and then, some say, a lady ghost appears.
Click below to play audio.
Dallas County's rich history began in 1850 with its original 2,743 settlers to its present population today. Before World War Two, Dallas was a primarily rural county of farmers, laborers, railroad men, bankers, and professional people. After World War Two, the county gradually became more urban.
Drawing tourists and history buffs, the Dallas County Historical Plaza, located at the junctions of Main, Market, and Elm Streets, stands as a reminder of our history.
Considered to be the founder of Dallas, John Neely Bryan chose this spot to build a cabin on the banks of the Trinity River. A replica of that cabin stands today in the plaza.
The Old Dallas County Courthouse was built in 1890 in the Romanesque Revival style on the site of the county's original log courthouse. Located on Houston Street between Main and Commerce, it's now the Old Red Museum of Dallas County History and Culture. It's also home to the Dallas Visitor's Center.
Also on the plaza stands the John F. Kennedy Memorial. Architect Phillip Johnson designed the open-roofed square room made of limestone. Within the four solemn walls is a black marble slab engraved with the words "John Fitzgerald Kennedy." Johnson called the memorial a "Cenotaph" or empty tomb. He said the intent was for the open roof to symbolize JFK's freedom of spirit.
Founder's Plaza
View of Founder's Plaza from the George Allen Courthouse
Click below to play audio.
You've arrived at 646 Main Street and are looking at the JFK Memorial (erected in 1970). The Presidential motorcade was just 200 yards west of this location when Kennedy was killed.
The memorial, which was paid for by the citizens of Dallas, was designed by world renowned architect, Philip Johnson. Johnson (who died in 2005), was a personal friend of the Kennedy family. The design, approved by Jacqueline Kennedy, is of an open tomb symbolizing the freedom of Kennedy's spirit. The memorial, calm and quiet, stands in stark contrast to the stormy and dark period of Dallas' history that led to its construction.
Philip Johnson once said: "All architecture is shelter, all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space."
We invite you to enter the interior. You will note that outside sounds seem to disappear, while you are enveloped in an atmosphere of serenity and contemplation.
View of the John F. Kennedy Memorial from the George Allen Courthouse
The Dallas County Historical Commission serves as the County's primary advisory body on historic preservation matters, provides the first level of review for State Historical Marker requests, and encourages an appreciation of the history of Dallas County among its residents.
This audio tour was written and produced by members of the Dallas County Historical Commission.
Charles Stokes programmed the web app, as well as took all photography unless otherwise noted. Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Don Baynham, Historical Commission Chair, edited and organized the tour. Email: email@example.com
Voice artists are Jamie Coley and Dave Kuhn.
Todd Toney photographed the Old Red Courthouse.


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In case you forgot, Kim Kardashian is still married to Kris Humphries, and he's still dragging his feet on granting her a divorce. But now Kim's lawyers are trying a new angle to speed up the proceedings—they claim that all this protracted angst is stressing out Kim's fetus and endangering its health. Humphries needs to hurry the fuck up.
Kim Kardashian's doctor thinks Kim's unborn baby may be at risk, because of the stress Kris Humphries is causing by dragging out their divorce ... TMZ has learned.
Sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ ... several days ago Kim called her doctor in the middle of the night to come to the house because she was having severe pains. The doctor examined her, but then warned he believed the problems were largely stress-related.
Sources say ... the only significant stress in her life right now is the divorce. And hours before her meeting Tuesday with her lawyer, disso-queen Laura Wasser, Kim's pains returned in full force.
The doctor warned Kim she needs to handle the stress or else there could be "long-term effects." The doctor did not elaborate, but we're told Kim is freaked out her baby may be at risk.
If I've learned anything from romantic comedies, it's that obviously the only reason for a divorce to drag on this long is because THEY ARE DESTINED TO GET BACK TOGETHER. So come on, America! Let's Freaky Friday those two crazy kids before it's too late! I'm practicing my Mid-Atlantic accent; you go smear honey on Kanye's foot. Okay? BREAK. [TMZ]
Chris Brown had a hearing regarding his 2009 assault charge for beating the shit out of Rihanna. Naturally, Rihanna accompanied him to court and blew kisses.
Brown was accompanied Wednesday afternoon by Rihanna, who blew him a kiss as he went into the courtroom. They also left together after the brief proceeding. (The two have reunited and started dating again, and Rihanna recently opened up about their relationship in an interview with Rolling Stone.)
Prosecutors are seeking to revoke Brown's probation because they say they could not find credible evidence he completed his community labor sentence.
Brown's attorney filed an opposition shortly before the hearing and Superior Court Judge James Brandlin set a new hearing date for April 5.
Okey dokey. Do your thing, kiddos. [CBS]
David Hasselhoff says he might not be included in the upcoming Baywatch movie:
"It's a very funny script, [but] I don't know if I'm in it or what I'm doing," Hasselhoff said at the Directors Guild of America Awards, adding, "It's going to be a spoof. It's hard to make Baywatch into something really real because even when we were doing it, we were making it real but we were having a good laugh at the same time."
It's not the same for the movie adaptation of his other hit series, Knight Rider. "That's different," Hasselhoff insisted. "Knight Rider is like real…It was 20 years ahead of its time. Now all the cars talk, all the cars drive themselves. They'll drive you home."
Yes, David. They...do. [E!]
- Destiny's Child fishy-face! [JustJared]
- Mel B RUINED EVERYTHING with these terrible, terrible whore boots, says the Daily Mail, which should care about better stuff. [DailyMail]
- Phylicia Rashad went on The Steve Harvey Show and talked hella shit about reality TV moms like Kris Jenner and Mama June: "I don't know mothers who act like that. Do I really want to sit here and watch that? Is this what I want to do with the moments of this life?" Psh. I mean, say what you want about Kris Jenner, but Mama June is just LIVING HER WHOLE TRUTH. [ONTD]
- Apparently Tiffani-Amber Thiessen hates Mr. Belding, which is weird, because he seems like an elegant gentleman. [Radar]
- Are you an Armenian person with bone marrow? Khloe Kardashian is looking for you. [Radar]
- Lolololol Jay Cutler proposed to Kristin Cavallari via text message and then mailed her a ring. [Deadspin]
- Madonna is raising money for Hurricane Sandy victims. She's also sending them her skis, because some people lost all their belongings. Don't you think that includes athletic equipment? [HuffPo]
- HEY, ADULT WOMEN. I GOT YOU THIS. [Austria]


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Admittedly, we're not quite there yet, but it felt like the opening of the season yesterday evening at Edgemere in Dallas, where The Dallas Opera Guild held its annual opening gala.
The event was particularly interesting as it encouraged movement from room-to-room, upstairs and down, permitting patrons to view the beautiful silent auction items, enjoy fabulous Spanish tapas and sangria, learn more about the wide variety of volunteer opportunities, savor a lovely sit-down dinner in a setting reminiscent of a Mediterranean villa and garden, explore the upcoming season with opera senior staff, and finish their evening with door prizes, Mary Kay gift bags and a bravura performance by "The Three Redneck Tenors."
There was much teasing of Director of Artistic Administration Jonathan Pell who had evidently exercised his option NOT to bring one of the singers back to perform at The Dallas Opera (Yes, these guys are the real deal; one made his Metropolitan Opera debut several seasons ago.) and sang a variety of opera standards intermixed with the theme of the "Andy Griffith Show" and Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (a definite highlight)!
The theme was the wedding of Figaro and Susanna (i.e. "The Marriage of Figaro") which was carried off with panache, right down to the inappropriately dressed entertainers belting out big musical theater numbers ("To Dream the Impossible Dream"). In lieu of a gift, the happy fictitious couple accepted cans of food destined for the North Texas Food Bank.
All that was missing was the first dance of the bride and groom which, given the amount of wine and sangria we had consumed, may have shown spectacular foresight on the part of the planners.
Speaking of which: a "Standing O" to Guild President Gloria Rege and her small army of dedicated volunteers who pulled off this sparkling evening.
You made fund-raising fun.
Suzanne Calvin, Assoc. Dir. of Mktg., The Dallas Opera


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SAMJ: South African Medical Journal
On-line version ISSN 2078-5135
Print version ISSN 0256-9574
SAMJ, S. Afr. med. j. vol.99 n.3 Pretoria Mar. 2009
Community assault - the cost of rough justice
M ProctorI; N CarterII; P BarkerIII
IMB ChB, MRCS. Department of Surgery, Ngwelezane Provincial Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal
IIMB BS, MRCS, MSc. Department of Surgery, Ngwelezane Provincial Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal
IIIMB BS, MS, FRCS, FICS, Dip Theol. Department of Surgery, Ngwelezane Provincial Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal
To the Editor: Violent crime pervades South Africa, with murder, rape and serious assault directly affecting around 1 in 50 people per annum.1 Approximately 21% of the South African population resides in KwaZulu-Natal province, which has some of the country's highest rates of poverty and violent crime.2 Law enforcement in such areas is challenging and, as a result, some 40% of households are dissatisfied by the level of policing in their communities.3
Unpunished criminals and an inadequate justice system have led communities to resort to their own form of retribution.4 Severe beatings, termed community assault (CA), are administered by members of the local community when alleged criminals are caught. This practice is intended to inflict serious injury rather than to kill, and to serve as punishment upon the alleged perpetrator and as a warning to potential offenders. This alternative to the conventional justice system has been applied in 4 - 6% of all crimes committed in South Africa.3
We highlight the inhuman practices that occur as a result of the failing South African criminal justice system, and we further quantify the range of serious injuries that are sustained secondarily to CA and reinforce the importance of early medical intervention.
Materials and methods
Data were prospectively collected on all CA patients presenting at Ngwelezane Hospital (NGW), a tertiary referral centre for northern KwaZulu-Natal, between October 2006 and January 2007. All patients were managed in accordance with advanced trauma life support (ATLS) principles. Details regarding the mechanism and time of assault were collected. Routine blood investigations, chest radiographs and urinalysis were carried out as standard. Further investigations were performed as clinically indicated. Patient progress and any necessary interventions were noted. The primary end-point of the study was the injuries received. Secondary end-points included time from injury to arrival at NGW and final patient outcome.
Data on 19 consecutive patients were collected (Fig. 1); 94.7% were males aged 14 - 48 years (mean 27.1 years); 9 (47.4%) were referrals from rural hospitals, and 10 (52.6%) presented directly to our unit. The average time from injury to presentation at NGW was 4.8 hours (range 0.5 -13) for those presenting directly, and 49.1 hours (10 -168) for those referred from smaller rural hospitals.
Significant morbidity was experienced by 16 (84.2%) patients, with 3 (15.9%) subsequent deaths; 7 (36.8%) developed renal dysfunction secondary to rhabdomyolysis, 3 (42.9%) of these progressed to acute renal failure requiring haemodialysis, with 1 resulting mortality. All patients in this subgroup were referrals from other hospitals and arrived at NGW 13 or more hours after assault. All patients with renal impairment presenting to NGW within 13 hours of assault resolved with conservative treatment. Four (22.2%) patients required exploratory laparotomy; 3 had a perforated jejunum (15.8%). Of these, 2 presenting at 10 and 71 hours survived, 1 presenting at 120 hours died of multi-organ failure. The fourth patient required a splenectomy for an unstable grade III splenic injury.
This series demonstrates the significant morbidity and mortality associated with CA, a mechanism of injury that should not be underestimated. We observed that patients often had been severely beaten with implements such as a sjambok - a robust whip traditionally made from hippopotamus or rhinoceros hide.
The accused often hide in the bush for many hours after the assault, and also lack the community support necessary to allow them to seek medical attention. Failure to identify serious injuries in small rural hospitals, and the time required for subsequent inter-hospital transfer to an appropriate facility, may further delay appropriate life-saving intervention.
Any delay in the initiation of aggressive fluid resuscitation in patients with rhabdomyolysis leads to an increased incidence of acute renal failure (ARF) and a rise in mortality.5 ARF was common in our patients and reflected the severity of the beating. A longer time from injury to presentation at NGW resulted in a corresponding increase of ARF and subsequent requirement for haemodialysis.
Jejunal perforations were common in our series, compared with other reports.6 Although numbers were small, we found a delay in laparotomy correlated with a longer hospital stay and increased mortality, in keeping with the literature.7
In a country with inadequate policing and an overloaded judicial system, communities find it more expedient to take criminal matters into their own hands. Until such rural populations feel suitably supported, they will continue to implement this flawed and dubious form of retribution. Medical practitioners must recognise CA as being life-threatening and treat patients aggressively. Given the complex patterns of the injuries observed, patients should be managed in a setting with the appropriate facilities. For this reason, we suggest that rural hospitals should have a low threshold for transferring patients to regional centres.
1. Norman R, Matzopoulos R, Groenewald P, et al. The high burden of injuries in South Africa. Bull World Health Organ 2007; 85: 649-732. [ Links ]
2. United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. Forum on Crime and Society, Vol 3, nos 1 & 2. New York: United Nations, 2004. [ Links ]
3. Hirschowitz R, Buwembo P, Serwadda-Luwaga J, et al. Victims of Crime Survey. Pretoria: Statistics South Africa, 1998. [ Links ]
4. Nina D. Community justice in a volatile South Africa: Containing community conflict, Clermont, Natal. Social Justice 1993; 20: 129-142. [ Links ]
5. Erek E, Sever M, Serdengecti K, et al. An overview of morbidity and mortality in patients with acute renal failure due to crush syndrome: the Marmara earthquake experience. Nephrol Dial Transplant 2002; 17: 33-40. [ Links ]
6. Watts D, Fakhry S. Incidence of hollow viscus injury in blunt trauma: An analysis from 275,557 trauma admissions from the EAST multi-institutional trial. J Trauma 2003; 54: 289-294. [ Links ]
7. Fakhry S, Brownstein M, Watts D, et al. Relatively short diagnostic delays (<8 hours) produce morbidity and mortality in blunt small bowel injury: An analysis of time to operative intervention in 198 patients from a multicenter experience. J Trauma 2000; 43: 408-415. [ Links ]
Accepted 13 January 2009.
Corresponding author: M Proctor (email@example.com)