I'll miss you Sox

Last week, I lost one of my cats, Sox. It was incredibly sudden and was a huge shock. Sox was only six years old and incredibly healthy and happy before this happened. Tuesday night, I got home from work, was sitting on my couch and going through my mail as she was running around being a spaz as per usual. When I got out of the shower twenty minutes later, Gatinha was meowing at her and nudging her trying to get her to wake up. I knew something terrible had happened. The fact that it happened so suddenly when she was in great health makes me think it was a brain aneurysm but there's no way to know 100% what happened. 

Losing a pet is never easy. People with pets may not quite understand how absolutely heartbreaking it is to lose one, but Sox was a major part of my family. She was always willing to entertain me and distract me when I needed it and never unwilling to cuddle. She's seen me at my best and at my worst and never loved me any less because of it. That's the wonderful thing about pets. 

It's going to be very strange for Gatinha and I to try and get used to not having Sox running around and keeping us company. We've spent a lot of time crying and curled up together. But we'll get through this. 

But remember, love your pets with everything you have because their lives are short and they are family. 

Lifescouts Friday: Animals!

Happy Friday all! This week's Lifescouts is all about animals. I hope you've all had a bearable week and have a great weekend!



Milk a Cow

I took French while I was in high school. Along with all sorts of French type things we did like eat French candy, bake yule logs, we also would take an annual field trip to Heifer International in Little Rock. I'm really not sure what this has to do with learning French or anything about French culture (really, why did we go every year?) but one of the interesting things we did there was actually milk a cow.

Horse Riding

I've ridden a horse many times. I've also owned a horse. And when I lived in DC, there was a stable just off of the military base where I lived. I would occasionally go on weekends to ride the horses and just enjoy the feeling of being in a stable, even though I was in the middle of the capital of the US. I'm also trying to set up a time to go horseback riding with one of my friends, Mel, for her birthday in a few weeks. She loves horses and I'm not sure if she's actually gone or not. But I know she'd like to go and it will be a lot of fun.

Own a Pet

As absolutely shocking as this is, I've owned many pets throughout my life. I got my first cat when I was in kindergarten and had him until I moved to DC. My parents always had at least two dogs and two cats at any given time. And now, as an adult, I have two cats and a dog. I've had Gatinha since she was a tiny kitten and we've been together for about seven years. I've had Sox since she was about two and has been with me for about three years. Samwise is the newest, he's now about 11 months old.

Rainforest
When I was growing up, I couldn't just pack up and go for a weekend at grandma and grandpa's. It was a trip that we had to plan for several months in order to get a visa in order to stay in the country for six weeks. why? Because my grandparents lived in Brazil, in Porto Velho, the capital of Rondônia. Porto Velho is in the heart of the Amazon Rainforest. It really was a beautiful place. I was really wishing I could make it to Brazil for the World Cup, but I don't think that's a possibility. But hopefully I can go back soon... I do love Brazil.

Hold a Snake

A lot of my friends love reptiles. While I've mostly had the more "traditional" pets, some of my friends prefer less fluffy creatures. And I really don't have a problem with reptiles, so I've held many a lizard, snake, spider, gecko, whatever. I like animals and I don't see why people get so freaked out by them. The first time I held a snake I was expecting something slimy but I was surprised that they're not (I was like six, okay). And the big boas are heavy. Also, as a Slytherine, I kinda have to like snakes.

Our Fur Babies

We have two cats with personalities bigger than they are, Gatinha and Sox.

I got Gatinha three years ago when she was just a little kitten and she's been spoiled ever since then. When I first got her, she could fit in the palm of my hands, now she pretty much needs her own cushion on the couch! When I first brought her over to stay with Austin, I was worried that he wouldn't like her, they wouldn't get along, or maybe he would just be too allergic to her. Luckily, Austin fell in love with her almost as much as he fell for me! She likes to eat, sleep and recently has taken to playing with Sox.

Sox is our newest addition to our family. Austin had known that I would like another kitty for Gatinha to play with since we had both been working 40+ hours a week and we didn't feel like she was getting enough attention. He had done all of the work and found her off of Craigslist and decided that she would make a nice addition to our family! On Super Bowl Sunday, Austin took me out to pick her up from a family that could no longer keep her. At first, Gatinha and Sox couldn't even be in the same room together, our Gatinha thought she was getting replaced. Sox enjoys running around, chasing Gatinha, and hiding things under our area rug in the living room.

We're pleased to say that after a couple months, Sox got over being afraid of Gatinha and tried to play. Gatinha was NOT going to have anything to do with this little kitty. Only recently has Gatinha started playing with Sox, and it is the cutest thing in the world! They both like to sit in our new swivel chair, but never at the same time. We'll be sure to keep everyone updated with how they're doing!


We are also cat sitting for a close friend, Dan. He is a two month old orange tabby. We've taken to calling him Ringo.