All is Quiet in the House, Nobody is Stirring not even a Mouse...

It is amazing how quiet things are now that both of the fosters are gone. Now I have my four well mannered and compliant pets lounging around the living room. No one is sneaking into the bedrooms to steal socks. No one is jumping up and down on the couch as if it is a trampoline. No one is parading around, tail in the air, begging for my attention.

The first evening I got home from work after Mouse left us, Barbie went outside and searched the yard for her. She certainly likes being around her own kind and we will definitely be fostering more Greyhounds in the future, just for her. 

Bender also misses having someone to play tug of war with. At least Mouse tried to play tug of war. Barbie just runs around and does zoomies - she knows that is a game she can win. 

I sent a text to Mouse's new mumma, checking on how she is going. She is settling in well and her new little brother is apparently being nice. Mouse gets to sleep in human beds and is being totally spoiled with the sounds of things. 

I also got a brief update on Bumblebee - he is doing fine in his new home, and his new dad built him a HUGE scratching post which he loves to laze around on top of. King Bumblebee. That sounds about right. 

Whilst saying goodbye is hard, it is all worth it knowing that we helped these two lovely animals get awesome homes.

I would have loved to have kept Mouse, but it would be selfish of me to try and keep all the awesome dogs I come across. I mean really, I have Bender and Barbie already, there is only so much doggie awesomeness that can fit into one house. 

Good News for Bumblebee!

After almost three months, Bumblebee has finally found his forever home. CJ Animal Rescue did the home visit last night and it was all good. They are going to pick him up tomorrow and deliver him to his new family.

The best bit about it is that he is going to people I know - my friend's parents! Hopefully that means I will get some photos and updates about how he is settling in at his new digs.

We might have good news for Mouse too soon, although she doesn't get speyed until next Friday, so she will be with us for another couple of weeks.

Mouse and Bender are actually bonding, it's very cute to see how she puts up with him. I took this video of them playing tug-o-war last night.



It is going to be very quiet around here when we go back to the default of only 4 animals! I won't be fostering any more until at least July after these guys go as I will be going on a holiday. There will probably be more Greyhounds, though we shall see what comes!

Wordless Wednesday - Foster Harmony

Introducing Mouse (Foster Greyhound)

A friend of mine is a Vet Nurse, and their clinic put the call out to find foster homes for 8 greyhounds. Mouse was suggested to me as a foster who could be OK with the cats. She is a tiny girl of 22 kilograms, who looks like a male whippet.

As you can see, she is absolutely beautiful. She has had no experience as a house dog and very limited experience with non-greyhounds. So far she has done really well with the cats, although she did receive a scratch on her nose from Mittens.

She has been interested in Bender's toys and she has also been hoarding a little bit. She stole Bumblebee's empty toilet roll and stashed it in her crate.

When things get too much she takes herself to her crate. She had a great expression on her face when she first noticed the TV! She has finally figured out that she can't walk through glass windows. She is a little bit timid but I think she will get more confident every day.

I am taking her for her vaccinations and microchip tomorrow, and will get her in to be speyed as soon as possible. 

Being a tiny, white female who is OK with cats she should be snapped up quickly. Though that is what we said about Bumblebee, but he is still here:

Who is the top cat?

The addition of a third cat to the household has certainly kindled some rivalry between them. Mittens has always been the bottom cat, and it seems nothing has changed for her.

Today Bumblebee was lying in Mittens' place on the cat tower. She wanted up, so she started hissing, spitting, growling and yowling at him. He simply ignored her and dispatched her with a few swishes of his tail. She gave up after a few minutes and disappeared.

The battle between Froufrou and Bumblebee for ascendency continues. Frou has taken to launching running attacks at Bee, swiping as she gets closer, but never quite connecting with him. Last night Bumblebee caught a cricket. He was ineffectually batting at it with his big fluffy paws. Frou soon realised he had caught something, so she ran over, grabbed it with her paw and then promptly ate it. Bumblebee didn't complain, perhaps he didn't have time to. Frou certainly believes she should be the top cat, but I don't think she has convinced Bumblebee of that.

Bee doesn't really have to do anything to prove himself. He is the big, regal, king of the cats.

He does show his youthful, three year old, exuberance often. He likes to play, and he loves to hide behind the curtains. He also finds himself inventive hidey holes. I left my sleeping bag draped over the chair in order to fluff up the down.

Maybe he wants to come camping with me? 

Bumblebee is still here...

There have been some delays in Bumblebee going to a forever home. We don't mind sharing our house with him, he is a lovely boy, but damn, his hair does fill up the vacuum cleaner!

He has been busy exploring every nook and cranny of the house, and he has a bit of a penchant for chewing and licking plastic bags. He also loves bubble wrap.

I think he was hoping to find more bubble wrap inside this box, but he got a surprise instead!



Froufrou and Mittens are still not very welcoming. The dogs don't mind Bee, but he is quite wary around them. He hates it when Bender barks. He spends a lot of time cuddling us on the couch though.

Wordless Wednesday - Bumblebee

Caption required...

Foster Creatures: Bumblebee

After my experience with Rodney, I really wanted to help some other homeless animals, but I knew that it would be hard to get a dog that would fit into the household and around my work schedule. I thought that perhaps it would be easier to foster a pussy cat. I wanted a healthy, adult male kitty to see if I could get my kitties to accept him.

Enter: a beautiful three year old Ragdoll boy named Bumblebee who needed a place to go urgently.

I have him set up in the bathroom. He is safe from the other kitties there, and he does seem to be a bit intimidated by Frou's posturing. I have let all the animals watch each other through the doorway. The dogs are fine and aren't overly interested in him, but he doesn't like them at all. He growls and hisses at them. 

Froufrou hisses at him and does her 'tomcat' meow. Mittens is a little more low key. It's only the second day so I think they will adjust. Ideally I will be able to have Bumblebee on my lap on the couch with everyone else. In the meantime he's safe in his room. 

I will have Bumblebee for at least a couple of weeks, because his original owner may be able to take him back. It would be great to see him go back to his original family, but I think he will do well wherever he goes. Being a Ragdoll he is hot property, but he also has a great temperament.

He is the first cat I have ever come across that I feel deserves the term 'boofa' which is a word normally reserved for bully & staffy cross dogs. He is so affectionate that it verges on roughness, the way that he ploughs his head into you and under your arms for pats. 

Fostering him gives the rescue organisation (CJ Animal Rescue) more time to assess applicants for his potential forever home to make sure he goes to the best possible one. 

I think that after Bumblebee moves on I will foster at least one other cat. It's quite rewarding, and I think Froufrou and Mittens will come around to the idea eventually. I mean Frou was absolutely cruel to little baby Mittens when we bought her in from the cold, so I think she will come around! 

If you are considering fostering, and you have some spare space in your house, why not consider taking on a pussy cat?