Our Menagerie

We share our home with four very special creatures - -an eight-year-old dalmation, and three siamese cats. Their energy and moods sure make life interesting around here!

Let me introduce you to the feline crew first.

Tiki Tiki is the eldest of our menagerie, and she definitely rules the roost! At nearly eleven years old, she doesn't take any abuse from the young ones. We've seen a lot of changes in Tiki in the last few months. She's not nearly as tolerant of us as she had been, and seems on some days to be suffering from the feline version of Alzheimer's Syndrome. (Is there a feline equivalent?) She's not nearly as active, and sometimes acts like she's never seen any of us before - pacing and hissing at the least little movement in her world.

Sky Sky, a two-year-old male, is probably the laziest cat we've ever had. We often joke that his major talent is sleeping. When he was a kitten he would literally fall asleep while walking across the floor and fall over! Sky is also the most easy-going creature on the face of the earth. (Maybe he's just too lazy to protest!) We can pose him in nearly any position, and he'll just stay that way. He's a character.

Jasmine Jasmine was born in the same litter as Sky, but the similarities stop there. She's tiny and fine-boned, and full of spit and vinegar. It took her nearly a year to be comfortable while being held by any of us. Jasmine is the only one of our crew of masked felines that has not been neutered. Believe me, you don't want to be anywhere near our home when she is in estrus! Her screaming nearly drives us mad.

Our Dalmation

We don't have a good picture of our dalmation to post. Ashley is, how do I put this, probably the most mentally challenged dog we've ever known. Other Dal owners have told us that this is quite normal for a dalmation.

If you've ever considered purchasing a dalmation, I strongly suggest that you think long and hard about the decision. Be sure you can afford to replace nearly every item in your home. In the first year alone, we had to replace curtains, a dozen library books, several pairs of sneakers, 5 phone cords, and our Bassett Sleeper Sofa after she chewed them up. (You have no idea what it's like to walk into your home after a brief outing to find an expensive sofa in pieces not much larger that your fist!) Needless to say, her behavior did not endear her to us.

Our Ashley is not the only Dal with behavior problems. Some friends of ours acquired a male dalmation shortly before we found Ashley. When Pierce was about six months old, his owners bought a new overstuffed chair for their home. It was delivered one day, and only a few days later, the destroyed chair was waiting at the curb to be picked up with the trash.

Our fearsome foursome has made for some interesting times here in our home. There have been many times that we've considered going "petless", but we'll probably always have a number of animals sharing our living space.