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This is my sweet boy. 
He loves me too much and gets very involved in sewing!
DoodlebearsKirsten...What breed are the cats in your first picture, my sister has fallen in love with them? Myself I can hear the knitting pins calling or maybe if she should get one of these hairless babies I could use up some of my scraps of mohair and make it a fur coat. :D
Jane.
Oh Kirsten I just LOVE the photos of your lovely boy "helping" 
Wouldn't be surprised if that hairless breed of cat was bred for the same type of purpose as the Chinese Cresteds... they also look like an Asian type of cat... so elegant (but without fur).
I think the hairless ones are called sphinx (very Egyptian looking)
My boy cat is currently on my lap "helping" me type! He is facsinated with the sewing machine!
Kim-Bee BearsI am actually thinking of going back to school to be a vet or vet assistant (I work in a lawfirm now) I had vet science classes in high school and loved them (kinda like my art classes). I love animals - right now I have two pomeranians - a black female (2 yrs old) named Daisy and a cream male (3 mos) named Max
In the past I had a hamster named Winney and at one time I had four rabbits - 3 lop ears and one dutch...
Kim good luck to you if you decide to do that!!
I used to think I wanted to be a vet or assistant... even applied a few years ago. But then I thought that I'd have a real hard time when it was time to put our friends down 
I know they say it's different when they're not actually your own...
But last weekend I was trying to help my daughter's boyfriend with his old sheltie. He was not doing very well and he asked if I could come over and help. After an hour he died right there. (it was obvious - afterwards - that it was his time...)
His parents were out of town... I had just "met" this little sheltie.. and I cried my eyes out for 24 hours.... Big help I was for him... Guess I made the right choice for me by NOT working in the vet field...:rolleyes:
Past Time BearsOh, I agree totally, Laura! I get sad just thinking about the loss of life for any animal! My cats will bring in the occasional baby rabbit, bird, lizard, mole, or whatever . . . that they have played with "too hard", so I go out and bury it, telling it how sorry I am that real life is like it is. I even cringed and felt sorry for a dove that got caught by a hawk right before my eyes as I was looking out a window toward my "back woods". I had to turn away while the carnage went on. Know this is life in the wild, but, goodness, sometimes I don't want to know about it!!
Winneybears and FriendsWinney was a hamster ? LOL..I love it.
Kirstin, your cat attracts very mysterious auras anound its head...Look !...there is a man that appeares clothed in a strange blue light sitting between your cats ears.LOL... I love the way cats play with just about anything...Winney
Kim-Bee Bearshttp://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y15/kristeria/hairless.jpg[/url]
these cats look like they are insideout !!!! AHHHHHH
Kim-Bee BearsYes - Winney was a HAMSTER!!! she was a cute little bugger! she was pregnant when we got her, didnt know that but one day I heard squeaking and there they were, six little wiggling pink things!!!
I would like to be a vet assistant - I will be hard to have to be around when an animal passes away or get put to sleep but usually it is of old age or they are really sick so in a way, it is better off for them than being in pain.. that is the way I think of it, then it isnt as upsetting - up in doggie heaven!:)
Winneybears and FriendsThose cats look like they are in good health.. those ears !.Wonder if people are allergic to that breed of cat ? At least those kittys can save some time, they don't have to lick to clean their fur, and no hair balls !..... Winney
Actually, Winney, it's quite the opposite; I understand that many people get hairless cats specifically because they do not have the dander issues and thus don't cause the allergies that other cats (with hair) can cause.
PottersHouse BearsI have two mini rex rabbits. They are known as the original velveteen rabbit. They do not shed and they have a very short soft hair. Here's a picture of Gracie. Maybe you can see how short her hair is. She is only 4 months old and she is precious. I have 6 other rabbits besides the two rex. When I hold and pet the others, my nose itches from the hair. Not so with the rex. One of my other rabbits is a Jersey Wooly. She has super long hair and has to be groomed regularly. I love her, but the hair would definitely be a problem for someone with allergies.
Winney - that strang aura is my hubby/photographer. I think I am in the backgrounsd also (i'm probably on the computer chatting with you all)
I was a Vet Tech for a while. You don't really need any formal training, most places will train you. It was hard to put down animals. Sometimes we'd all cry, but it was really tough when the Doc would break down. Most times you feel good about stitching up the kitty that got stuck in the garage door... Or removing a tumor from a dogs belly, and sometimes it was giving a cat a good bath and shaving it down to remove all the matted hair. Alot of the techs adopted the unwanted animals or nursed the sicks ones back to health. I went to UC Davis as an animal major, and was going to go to Vet school, but got married and became a teacher instead!:)
Winneybears and FriendsBoo Hooo, You made me cry Kristin..I love animals so much.
I have had soooo many in the past. My kids would drag home abandoned or sick ones. Id try and get them well and then get them homes .
Among the animals I have had brought to me :
a bob cat kitten,
a fawn, 2 - 24" alligators ( all teeth , I fed them dog food meat balls on a long stick ) ,
a dove,
a pigeon,
several nests of baby birds, ( do not feed baby birds crushed worms , feed them dogfood)
a robin( he made friends with my cockatiel )
a starling...we had to teach him to fly.
a sad little skinny dog that had ring worms,
a skunk ( also all teeth )
5 shetland ponies ( fat and floundering )
Lots of cats and doggies...one cat my son found in the rain in the trash along with its dead sisters and brothers behind a Safeway store. It lived....sick people.
a mama goat that gave birth to 2 babys then died on me...I bottle fed the babies.
A family pet rabbit , male, loose in the yard with another male...they fought, one ended up with a ripped Ahemmm. I thought it was his guts hanging out. I anestisized him with Jim Beam, tied his feet up. Called the vet to ask how to do stitches, etc. He said he probably would not live . I cut the bad part off, packed him in ice , used antibiotic ointment all over, sewed him shut . We went out for dinner, he was hopping around in his box eating carrots when we returned...Later on he fathered a litter of 11. I guess I only cut one off.
A white mink..he lived under our shed for a few winters..we'd feed him bacon poured on toast to supplement his diet along with cat food.
A skunk that lived in a drain ditch in front of our place out in the country..we'd toss corn on the cob to him, he never sprayed us or our dogs...in fact one of our dogs played with him . strange pair.
a large hawk my son thought it was a chicken hawk ( no such thing ) he shot him then cried when it fell from the sky and lay in our creek looking up at him. Next I knew was " mom, he's in the basement in the canning room ,what can we do...his wing is broke". Funny it was not afraid of me and I was not afraid of him. I offered my hand as a tree limb and he got on...I forgot their talons are very strong. I could not believe what a death grip he had on me.ONe talon was curling around my hand and piercing thru one finger...ouch ! ouch ! ouch ! It took my son 2 hands to gently pry his talons loose of me and onto his one leather gloved hand where I rolled a towel around him and placed him in a covered box. Took him to the bird reserve where they care for wild birds and they could give my son a real good talking to...
We have had pigs, cows, chickens , quail, ducks , geese., horses .a male goat called Maynard that played basketball with us as well as "king of the hill "off the kitchen steps.
Gads...I have had so many animals , some wild, and have cried my eyes out when some of them died.
When you live on a farm of sorts there is always animals being born and getting sick and dying too...
Sorry this is so long....memories....Winney
Fool's Gold BearsLoved your memories, Winney! :D:cool:
Baird'sBearsOh, My Ears and Whiskers! I'm Late! :D
What a wonderful topic, wonderful stories, wonderful people. Wonderful animals goes without saying.
I LOVE a multi-species family. Couldn't live any other way. I get really unhappy if I spend too much time in a people-only world. And I would just about trade my children in for a HORSE!! Never give up.
Lately I've fostered litters of squirrels (ate all the knobs off my washer & dryer and chewed up the window frames) and kittens for the Humane Society, and brought home any critter I found abandoned in a nearby park, including a rabbit (Oscar the Grouch, now deceased) , a blue budgie ([SPAM], still going strong), 2 kittens (now living in a very exclusive condo with a lake view and two adoring new parents). I rescued a little tiny mouselet last winter from my compost bin. I'm sure the mother had shoved hiim out of the nest, because he was ice cold. Little Rufus lived several days on kitten milk supplement, slept in my hand much of the time, and at least died knowing he had a mommy who loved him.
The rest of my current animal family includes
Lucy, a 14ish collie/shepherd mix that looks like a border collie
Dana, a 6ish Jack Russell/Spitz mix, originally my daughter's
Rose, a 17ish calico female cat--runs the house, helps me make bears, sheds all over my keyboard
Knightly, a 6ish gentleman cat, looks almost exactly like Kirsten's, same moustache
Phoebe, 8ish, black and fluffy, a former foster, lovable only on her terms
Oscar, almost 3, a three-legged ginger tabby, former foster
Emma, 5ish and possibly the most beautiful cat in the world, black/white longhaired silky tuxedo style
Toby the bunny, fawn and white, former foster, very sweet, loves living under a sofa when not in hutch
Lily, also fawn and white bunny, a terror--she T-bones any cat rash enough to enter her room
Isis and Ishtar, 2 siamese gerbils
Charlie, Phantom and Shimmy, veil-tailed goldfish, all huge
We've had many other rabbits and cats and guinea pigs and gerbils and rats and hamsters over the years. Velvet the rat was a close companion. She loved the basement, so I moved her cage down--she spent her later years happily collecting and discarding little stuff, and generally rearranging the whole basement bit by bit.
A lot of my foster kittens were sick when they came to me, and some died in my hands. Very, very hard.
Shelli, I had a leopard gecko for years--Strangely Brown, named after a character mentioned by Hugh Laurie in a WWI episode of Blackadder. He had eyelids, so didn't need to lick his eyeballs. He only ate live crickets, yuck. I tried to raise crickets, but the little ones got away and ran all over the house. I loved that chilly little dude!
Eileen
Haus of Bears, Inc.Hi,
This is my Pet, his Name is Einstein, and he is as smart too.
I even "Potty trained" him, when he wants to come over to sit with me, he either does his "business" first, or I hold him over the Trash Can and he does his "business".
He is a funny one and also does a lot of Tricks, like puts his Toys in a Basket, finishes a Childs wooden puzzle, plays a little piano, kisses his own special Bear, plays Basket ball, ( one specially made for Birds ) and he talks my Ears full.
http://www.myblackforestbears.com
Rita
Past Time BearsMy theory has been proven MANY, MANY times over!!!! You bear people love animals of all kinds and I have appreciated all of these stories. May we continue to be friends to those creatures that NEED OUR companionship!
Winneybears and FriendsEileen , you sound like me....Rita, that parrot is precious. I think thats the kind of bird my neighbor had, an african gray ? Very intelligent birds, he could say about 500 words and appeared in several movies in Hollywood.
I forgot that goat I had gave birth to 3 goats, not 2. ONe very early morning my husband ran up stairs in a frantic and threw those 2 baby goats in bed with me. "Do something, they are dying " What?....I rubbed them briskly with a blanket to help revive them, but putting my hand in their mouth I could feel they were cold.Once the mouth gets cold means the core body temp is way down. One already had glazed over eyes and felt stiff.
I called my pet friend Linda, she rushed over. We submerged the kitchen sink with water just slightly warmer, put the baby in and you rub, rub the baby... keep making the water a little warmer while at the same time I made a sugar/ water solution ( glucose ). They could not suckle ... got a straw and sucked up the stuff , put a finger over the other end ,then put that end in the babys mouth... then let go of the finger , repeat ....
Amazing...soon the babies were revived and could suckle my famous " all purpose pet milk " from a 7 up bottle and goat nipple. We could not save the black one, she was dead before we found them in trouble. I kept them in the basement and they had their own " doggie box " with blankets. Half of the basement was dirt floor so we brought mommy in to nurse them but mommy got sick and died...she had something called " bolsa " ? Anyway...you won't believe this ...but I would cover the livingroom with newspaper and bring them up for " socialization " play time. They would run all over the place , jump off the coffee table, pull the blanket off the couch and they never went potty on the floor...in fact they were trained not to go past the livingroom door into the kitchen When hungry they would see me coming with their bottles and would stand at the doors edge and bawl for their dinner.
The babies found homes, the female became a breeder mommie and the other male a judas goat for a herd of sheep..... I have lots of stories like this , lots of wonderful memories......Winney
DoodlebearsWow! Winney you told that story so well I could see it all happening whilst I read it. You really are a great person to take care of God's creatures so well. More stories please...ever thought of putting them into a book?
Jane.
Fool's Gold BearsWinney, I appreciate your tender, loving heart. Very interesting stories. I have never heard of having a 'judas' goat for a flock of sheep. Is that done for a reason, or was it just a coincidence?
Rita -I have a Congo too!
His name is Samson, 'cuz he soo strong, oh yes he's a big tough bird! :D
He also talks and is potty trained. Definitely a must so I can hold him without getting a green spot on my leg or shoulder! Unfortunately he watches too much TV and will scream "HELP" really loud. We live in close quarters with our neighbors, so I'm afraid they'll call 911!:rolleyes:
Past Time BearsVery nice looking bird, Kirsten!! I have a friend who has several "talking" birds and she is a riot when she starts telling all the stuff those birds say. They are really smart!!
Winneybears and FriendsLaura, Oh, A Judas goat is an uncut male with horns...he guards the flock. If a coyote or dogs come around he will aggressively chase them off .The sheep follow the goat as their leader he leads them out of troubles way..I have no idea why they call the goat a Judas goat.
Oh Kirsten ....your birdie boy is very handsome, that wary eye tells me he is a smart boy indeed...what a joker calling for Help ! I feel another story...short one..
My aunt had a Myna bird she asked me to baby sit ( for a yr?) his name was Andy.He had been mishandled I think and was very frightened at the drop of a hat..in this case my baby son wanted to help feed Andy and dropped his pascifyer into the cage...yikes! Andy just about beat himself to death against the cage until I could get it out.....he also attacked my hand and tried to kill it..no luck there, LOL.OUch !LOL, Ouch ! He's twisting my hand to death!
So..I had to keep Andy in my back porch just off the kitchen along with the guinea pig , away enough from people but close enough to fequently visit him and train him little by little.
My darling grandmother lived 3 doors away and when she came over I always recognized her knock... so Id say in a high pitch voice. " Come in " ! Well...some time passed then one morning before I was dressed, I was actually in a black see thru negelige...running around trying to get the baby and all fed so then I could get dressed.
I heard a knock at the door and at about the same time Andy said " Come in "... the milk man opened the door with the bill in his hand. We both froze and looked blankly at each other for a second..then I embarrassingly said as I tried to cover up.... " Oh. that was my Myna bird that said come in " ...I got this funny look that said " Oh, yes..right lady "... as he closed the door. What a shock ! I was able to later explain it to him and he then thought it was funny.
I found out later on that it was Andy that kept Butterscotch so well fed. too .Guinea pigs make a funny little grunting noise when they are hungry or want attention...so Andy picked up on this and keep everyone running back and forth to the porch giving them both attention and food....unknowingly smart animals........Winney
