Ok, I get tired of being asked this question by new beginner hunters ...

"Where can I find a rare pet?"

If you are a night elf or draenei hunter/huntress the Durator tigers and raptors are good low level candidates as are the Wind Serpents from the wailing caverns (see the previous posting).

Horde hunters have plenty of interesting choices in the Barrens (some of which are also available to Alliance hunters).

But by far the easiest to tame rare pet for Alliance hunter is Timber from Ice Flow Lake in Dun Morogh. This is a level 10 elite spawn with nice stats and comes packaged with Bite (level 2). It uses a unique white skin which believe is unique to it and is rare enough for it to standout amongst other Alliance pets as even though he is easy to tame, few people seem to know about him so he is seldom seen.

Timber is found on a small knoll to the east of Ice Flow Lake in Dun Morogh. Remember this lake as it might save your life during the taming process. He has an escort of 2 wolves and there maybe assorted other winter wolves in the immediate vicinity. Although he can be tamed at any level, it is most fun to get him at level 10 (or 11) solo and this is how to do it:

 1/. Get yourself a trash pet - a bear is a good candidate but anything will do - make it happy (feed it) and train it with at least Growl (level 1)

2/. Locate Timber and his escort

3/. Clear the immediate area of all extra mobs with your trash pet

4/. When you are ready to tame Timber, set your pet to attack one of the escorts - but hold off on attacking until your pet has got aggro from all 3 wolves. Then attack what the pet is attacking and it fast then immediately set the pet on the next escort and kill that one also.

5/. Only Timber should be left by now, so abandon your pet and start taming Timber (a well placed concussive shot would be helpful here).

6/. If at any point you get into trouble ... jump into the lake and get to about the middle and you will be left alone - the wolves don't swim ... and then startover.

7/. As soon as you hit level 11 or 12 go to Westfall, stable Timber and tame a Coyote Packleader. Learn Furious Howl (level 1) from it and teach this to Timber. When you hit about level 30 you should also teach him Dash. Always keep his bite level up and upgrade him as soon as he is able to learn the next level.

At the end of this venture you should be the proud new owner of a very nice puppy that will serve you well throughout your adventures.

Note: If you are planning on being BM spec'd a wolf is probably not your best choice as a primary pet - stick with cats, raptors, ravagers or wind serpents

Cullen Park

Ashenvale Ghostpaw Alpha

The conventional wisdom in the WOW hunter's community is that cats, ravagers and other high DPS pets are de riguer for hunter's pets.

Runoff of pollutants from Lake Geode, located near the Schwartzes' property, may have produced the toad's remarkable features.

You can continue to read the rest of the story over at The Hawk Eye.

Why Durator ...

Because you can get two types of very nice and useful pets that would not be otherwise available to Alliance Hunters until later in the game. Namely these are:

1/. Raptors - nice red ones ( levels 6 to 10 ) located around SW Durator. Alliance hunters will not be able to get raptors until their mid-high teens from the Barrens or till their early 20s from the Wetlands.

2/. Tigers - ( levels 7 to 8 ) located in the Echo Isles to the immediate east of Sen'Jin Village. This type of tiger is not available to Alliance hunters until their early 30s when they can first safely venture into Stranglethorn Vale.

3/. Windsepents - these are available not from Durator but from the Wailing Caverns to the WSW of Crossroads in the Barrens. They start at level 11 and are the lowest level wind serpents available anywhere. These make awesome looking pets for a beginning hunter of any race.

The Road Trip ...

Preparations:

1/.  Your hunter should not go until they are level 10 and have finished BOTH parts of the pet taming/training/feeding quests.

2/. Upgrade your arrows and bring a full quiver.

3/. You should have finished the Crowns of the Earth Quest chain and received the Ashwood Bow as a reward. Ideally, you should also have the Pruning Knife and this will be adequate for this trip. A good hunter should hardly ever need to melee even without a pet.

4/. Pick up a Strigid Owl as your first pet - these are typically around Dolanaar and you will need to pick up the Claw (level 1) skill from as the Durator tiger and raptors do not have these to begin with so you will need to teach these to them. Train the owl with at least Growl (level 1).

5/. Bring at least 1 stack (20 pcs) of meat - Tough Jerky will do fine. You should have been able to collect a bunch of this whilst leveling up, if not you can buy this from the meat vendor in Darnassus.

Getting to Durator from Teldrassil:

1/. Run to Darnassus and then Rut'theran Village

2/. Take the Hippogriff or ferry to Auberdine in Darkshore

3/. Run east out of Auberdine to Astrannar in Ashenvale (remember to pick up the flight path here). Stay to road and keep an eye on your mini-map - it should be set for beast tracking. The only real danger are ??level bears and moonstalkers near the Darkshore/Ashenvale border that stray too near the road. If you keep alert you should be able to get thru to Ashenvale unscathed.

4/. From Astranaar run to the Silverwing Outpost - just follow the road out of Astranaar heading east. Stay to the roads and keep an eye out for bears/spiders that stray near the roads. Immediately to the east of the Silverwing Outpost is a T-junction with a road sign.  Take the branch heading into the Barrens (south).

5/. Watch out for swamp creatures to your right as you head south towards the barrens - if one does attack, let your pet intercept and keep running. Chances are that you will outdistance the fight before your pet dies so it will despawn and you can recall it again.

6/. Do not use the main entry into the Barrens. This is guarded by ??level Orc NPC guards. To the east of the main entrance is an unguarded route, so just run through there and you will soon be safely in the Barrens.

7/. Take the road south until you come to the junction with a sign post that points to Durator. Do becareful here as there is a guard tower here and it is usually manned by NPC guards.

8/. Heading east you will soon arrive at a horde settlement outside of the bridge leading into Durator. Go around the settlement and swim across the river and you will be in Durator.

9/. In this immediate area are the raptors. There are the corrupted ones and the red ones, either type are good pet candidates, so choose the one you want, abandon your owl and tame one. Since these do not know Claw, they should not be too hard to tame and you should survive the encounter with at least 50% of your HPs.

10/. If it is a tiger you want, you will need to head further east. Follow the road (ideally to one side) and avoid the horde settlements and mounted patrols. You might want to hang on to your temporary owl pet for the moment as it will come in helpful to aid in dealing with the scorpids and other assorted low level mobs that will invariably attack. Head towards Sen'Jin Village and the coast. Steer clear of the village and swim towards the Echo Islands to the east of the village. There are tigers on almost every island here, so choose the one you want, abandon your owl and tame away.

11/. Train your new raptor or tiger immediately with Growl. Train it Claws (level 1) as soon as training points are available. If you have taken the tiger - TURN OFF autocasting of cower or your pet will not hold aggro well. At some point you may want to untrain the cower, but this can wait till it is level 30 when you can teach it either Dash or Prowl. Some people like to train their cats to bite, but my preference is for my cats to have Growl, Dash, Prowl and Claw.

The Journey Home ...

Ok now you have your new raptor or tiger pet - congrats - you are now amongst a small handful of low level alliance hunters to have a horde pet. Alas, you still have to get back home to tell tale and show off your accomplishments.

You could ...

1/. Use your hearthstone (assuming that you have had it set for at least the inn in Dolanaar) ~or~

2/. More usefully, take your new pet for a walk to Ratchet the neutral city in the Barrens which has both a flight path and a bank. If you have never been to Ratchet before, assuming you are in Durator, head back towards the bridge, avoiding as before and swim across the river towards the east. Just watch out for the crocolisks and especially the lions in this area as these are in there mid-teens level wise and can be a tough fight for a level 10 hunter/pet. Continue walking towards the coast and eventually you will arrive at Ratchet. You can take the flight home from here or for a jaunt take the ferry over to Booty Bay just to map the flight path there (don't try to leave town).

There are quests available to you in the Barrens from the NPCs in Ratchet and many of these are ideal for hunters. It is a good area to level up yourself and your pet; if you are on a PVE server this is quite safe to do.

Huddled under my umbrella the other day, I was dodging raindrops
and puddles as I walked the three blocks from the parking garage to
my office. As I was passing an apartment building, I saw an elderly
woman standing near the entrance holding an umbrella over her
little white poodle dog. Unfortunately, the umbrella wasn't large
enough to cover both her and the dog, so she was getting soaked.
Unable to withhold comment, I said, "Do you think he'll melt if he
gets wet?" She responded, "Well, he's sweet enough to melt, but the
truth is that if I don't hold the umbrella for him he gets angry
and pouts and won't eat his lunch." And, by dinner time he's an
absolute bear! Welcome to the world of the pampered pet.

Although man's best friend has always been his dog, the degree to
which man has rewarded that friendship has quite possibly gotten
out of hand. Evidence to support that statement can be found in the
food we give our pets, the "attire" we put on their backs, the
jewelry with which we adorn them, the amenities we provide in their
surroundings and the provisions we make for their temporary care
when we absolutely have to leave them behind. If necessary, we send
"Rover" to counseling sessions with dog psychologists, provide
outrageously expensive dental care, clip/wash/curl their hair and
make sure their nails are done so as not to embarrass them in front
of their friends.

How many of us have spent a restless night because "Missy", our pug
faced Pekinese, can't seem to get comfortable in our bed or "Bull",
our six ounce Chihuahua, growls and snaps at us when we roll over
on him. Yes, for those of you that are disbelievers, many people do
share their beds with their doggies. In fact, I've heard of many
cases where couples sleep apart rather than crowd the dog. Have you
ever tried to argue with a sleepy Doberman Pincher? Forget about
it!

A thriving and lucrative industry has grown up around the pampered
pet. Pet owners spend multi-millions each year on their little
four-legged friends. Occasionally the news media will offer a blurb
about the pet owner who spent hundreds, even thousands of dollars
on a diamond studded dog collar for "Fluffy." However, this
phenomenon is actually rather commonplace. Pick up the "Yellow
Pages" in any city and you'll find scads of pet salons that offer
expensive pet jewelry and accessories. And just because you've gone
to the expense of buying that ruby red sweater, with matching
rubies, for "Fifi", don't think your obligation have been
fulfilled. If "Fifi" can't have a gold rimmed feeding bowl, like
her friends have, she'll no doubt have to double up on her
counseling sessions. The expense of this could easily exceed the
cost of the bowl.

Now let's get down to diet - what can we feed "Prince", the proud
Rottweiler? To be honest, Prince isn't all that fond of dry dog
food. He'll eat some of it, but only if mixed with some of that
delicious lamb gravy he likes. And, just like most of us, he
prefers light fare in the mornings; perhaps a few scrambled eggs
and just a slice or two of bacon. Careful not to overfeed though;
he likes his lunch of broiled liver at precisely 12 noon. No need
to make a big fuss about dinner though, he'll usually eat some (or
most) of whatever it is that you're having.

This scenario might involve a slight stretch, but it is certainly
not too far fetched. We worry more about what our pets will eat, or
if they're "off their feed", than we worry about what our kids eat.
I wonder how it is we know that our kids will eat when they get
hungry, but we can't accept that this truism might apply to our
dogs too. We feel compelled to continue to offer our dogs a full
menu from which to select and if all else fails, it's time to
schedule a trip to the Vet.

Speaking of Veterinarians - most of them now offer direct deposit
so your entire paycheck can be directed right into their accounts.
Veterinary expenses have gone through the roof and there's no end
to the elaborate medical procedures now being provided routinely. A
friend who bellyached for months about the cost of dental
appliances (braces) for his kid willingly shelled out $2500 to fix
his dog's overbite because "Tiger" appeared to be in discomfort
when chewing on his rawhide bone.

Now that we've clearly established that we spoil our dogs, let's
offer a word or two in our own defense. Dogs love us without
reservation. Scold them, treat then meanly, tease them, leave them
for long periods of time or forget to feed them and they'll still
love you and want nothing more than to be near you. Throughout
history, dogs have given their lives for their masters. "Police"
dogs will face an armed attacker to protect their handler and
"Seeing Eye" dogs will risk death or injury to steer their Charge
away from a speeding car. A dog's love for its master is pure and
unquestioning. In my opinion, they deserve all the pampering they
can get.

Pets make us feel good. They comfort us, allow us to be ourselves
and give those of us that need it, a reason for living.

When we first saw Fido, he was a tiny kitten stuck in the middle of the street, terrified as cars passed him on either side. Huddled like a little ball of gray fur between the two lanes, he meowed plaintively in that high pitched meow that kittens only use when calling for help. Suffice to say we rescued Fido and brought him home.

As time passed Fido grew into a strong cat with tons of personality and when he was about 2 years old, he appeared on my bed one afternoon in obvious distress. It took about ten seconds to recognize one of his hind legs was broken. We took him to the vet and they saved the leg.

A few years later, Fido reappeared on my bed, once more looking hurt and again he had been hit by a car and the same leg was broke, We rushed him to the vet, but this time the damage was too severe and it was recommended we have the leg removed. So Fido the Cat became a tripod.

As tripods go, he was pretty amazing. Even on three legs he was to fast to catch when he did not want to be caught and even climbing fences was no problem.

Fido lived to be about 12 years old and with only three legs he was one of the best Cats I have ever known.

On one side of the park there was a group of about 20 dogs all doing obedience and agility training. They were standing patiently waiting to do their thing and none of them were barking or sniffing of doing anything remotely inappropriate like humping random dogs—or legs. On the other side of the park was the rag-tag bunch of misbehaving off-leash mutts who just wanted to hang out, roll around in the mud puddle and run like the goofy dogs they are. It was like a scene out of "West Side Story"—the Sharks and the Jets were ready to rumble over turf.

Before Bill and I got there, there was a face-off with the dog trainer who was yelling at our group about allowing the dogs off-leash. Of course, they yelled right back about the trainer not having a license to set up in the park, and about the park being public property anyway. And, oh yeah, we're homeowners and our association dues pay for this.

At some point both groups retreated to their corners to figure out what to do. The trainers set up all their equipment and got their Robo Dogs ready to work.

Meanwhile, the owner of two Australian Cattle Dogs unhooked their leashes. He figured that his dogs would come when called if they wandered to close to the Robo Dogs. Slowly, other people started taking off leashes or at the very least, dropping them so they had something to grab in case all hell broke loose.

Things were fine for a while until Theo, the 7-month-old Australian Cattle Dog grabbed Gracie's leash and decided to take her for a walk. It was really cute. I thought about asking Theo for advice for walking Gracie since he seemed to have more control over her than I do...

Theo and Gracie were strolling around like this for a few minutes when a little terror terrier from our group suddenly rocketed toward the obedience class. And all 25 dogs followed. Gracie's buddy Theo ran right in the middle of the pack, with Gracie's leash still in his mouth—and Gracie in tow. Of course, when Theo's dad called him, he dropped the leash and ran back. Gracie? Not so much. She barreled right through the group and started barking and dancing around like, "C'mon, let's play. Forget this crap. Run with me! Run!"

A snot-nosed brat of a kid grabbed Gracie, presumably by the collar but actually by her scruff, and dragged her back to me. He totally lectured me about getting my dog under control. You can imagine how well THAT went over. Bill, trying not to laugh, gave me that look like, Don't Beat the Boy. Of course, the dog trainer had to yell at me and lecture me about training my dog. The sad thing is, I have trained my dog. And even if I hadn't, the last thing I'd do is enroll in her class.

We corralled Gracie and kept her near us for the rest of the night. She was okay with that—she sat down and held court while the other dogs came and sniffed and paid their proper respects.

And the best part of the night? One of the Robo Dogs couldn't contain himself any longer. He wanted to be with the Fun-Having Dogs not the hard-working Robo Dogs. He broke free from the agility course and bolted right for our group. His owner, the previously mentioned Snot-Nosed Brat Who Manhandled My Dog came running after him. Embarrassed. As he should have been. Someone, I think Theo's father, grabbed that dog by the scruff and escorted him back to The Other Side. Someone else couldn't resist and asked the kid how the training was going.

After that, the leashes came off. Dog Training Be Damned.

I don't think we'll see them again any time soon.

There are certain things that you can try when trying to get puppy or dog pictures, it is known that when trying to get an image from these cute canines you always need to be sure on angles. It is one of the important things to consider in taking pictures of dogs and puppies. Angles will dictate their positions, the view, the pose and everything in particular. Since dogs are still animals, you won’t have total control on them on what you want to see from them. Unlike people you can just tell them to move side view or just say cheese or whatnot, for dogs finding the right angle takes patience.

They will move constantly and you have to address to that or better yet address to their needs. So taking puppy pictures you are doing impromptu on them like what view would be best or necessary. So taking up on angles is one of the most important thing on taking do and puppy pictures, you should always be creative on their angles because it may make the shot great or it can ruin it, it depends on how you tackle it.

Jron Magcale
http://anamigo.com

yesterday was her last well-puppy appointment.  she, naturally, did awesome.  not scared of anything, loved the people, did all her tricks for her doctor and gail the tech.  while we were waiting she learned how to hop up on the vet table to "up" and then hop "off" on command.  so we chilled for a couple minutes and played "up off up off" for treats.  during the exam, they raised the metal table and she just sat there like, "hey...thanks for the lift".

so here are the facts:

16 weeks old tomorrow!

22 pounds! (big girl!)

she will probably weigh in around 45 lbs as an adult.

perfect health except....for an underbite.  just kidding, ave to have a few teeth extracted for health reasons.  NOOOO!  poor baby.  and poor mama's wallet.  we'll know better when we go in a month later for another check up.  for now...lots of chews and bones for pickles. (sorry cody bear)

all in all, a great appointment. i absolutely LOVE our vet.

moving on.  clicker training is going great!  here are the cues she knows:

sit, down, wait, stay (four feet away then return), paw(left paw), touch nose to my hand, left circle, up(onto platform), off(get off what you're on), get in your house(gets in crate) and drop it.  and for the most part she comes when she's called unless she has a stick or it's too hot outside and she doesn't want to go out.  but she's always done that.

for the most part, cody bear doesn't play with her until 9:30/ten-ish. who knows why.  but this morning they were playing great together while i did that china blog!  but cody bear got too excited and i had to let him out to run h.o.p.(hell-on-paws) which is quite terrifying to see when you're a wee puppy.  he really does go insane.

i thank myself every day for one tiny thing: since day one, the minute the alarm clock goes off...i turn it off, but i don't move.  whether it is 30 seconds or snoozing for a few more minutes.  i don't move.  now, i have this great puppy who just hangs out in her crate without whining, barking,  or peeing.  she never fusses till she knows we're really up.  such a good girl!!

Photos of a few of animals victims of the Hammond shelter August 4th

!!!

These are photos of only a few of the 176 animals that died. Demand a full investigation into the killings so that they did not die in vain.

Call to action: Call the State Governor and ask that a full investigation be conducted.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal
State Capitol
P.O. Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9004
Fax: 225-342-7099
Phone: 225-342-7015 or 866-366-1121 (Toll Free)
email: lagov@linknet.net
web: http://www.gov.state.la.us

Most people in this culture treat our pets just as beloved members of the family.  This site from the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) informs petowners which vaccinations are necessary, and how the medicine protects the animals.

Next stop, Gymboree
Nothing really stood out there
I left and walked on

The pet shop? Our zoo
The kids love to look around
Innocent visit

"Would you like to hold one?" she quipped. Bryan gave me that look. He'd spied the Cairn terrier. "Yeah, how about that little one?" She brought him out and I waved off any fear there was in being roped into a purchase. I held the little scraggy thing and melted, we put him back and wandered off for some Subway dinner and talked. We'd come for t-shirts! Did we really need a dog? We were leaving on a road trip in FOUR days, that would just add to the stress!

I walked back in alone to look at him and think about it. We already have a bird and he's much more versatile than a dog! I don't have to worry about a bird if we leave for hours or go on vacation... I like my carpets and couches poop-free and unbitten,

"So what do you think?" she asked, smiling at me like the Grinch. Eventually I said, "alright, let's do it." That was a week ago. I must be insane, it's like having two 18-month olds! His name is Toby and he's 4 months old. He's so stinkin' cute.

AND...if you live in central Humboldt County, tonight is the opening reception for Wild Visions 2, a group show of nationally recognized nature and wildlife artists, including yours truly, at the Umqua Gallery, Arcata from 6-9pm. Lots of new work by all of us and some oldies, but goodies too. We snagged a great feature in the local paper this morning!

The other artists are Linda Parkinson, watercolor, who has done many commissions of birds and had her work published in American Falconry magazine; Shawn Gould, acrylic, who has done freelance art for National Geographic; Paula Golightly, oil and acrylic, whose day job is working as a biologist for the Fish and Wildlife Service; John Wesa, well-known local serigrapher; and Derek Bond, egg tempera, who has recently had work accepted into the first Artists for Conservation juried show.

This is the first time all of us have shown together and we hope it won't be the last.

BACKYARD BIRD WATCH

The two Allen's hummers are showing up right around 1:30 every afternoon. How do they know? Can you imagine how tiny their wristwatches must be? Right now, if I only had room for one hummingbird friendly plant it would be Crocosmia "Lucifer". If you have a little room for a truly red, red, red flower, you might buy a few bulbs.

WHAT ARE THESE? Answer on Monday

Cocorico

Ivory Triumph

Lichterlich

Lili Marlene

Mazeppa

Leaping Salmon

Oiellet Panachee

Hamburger Phoenix

GREAT QUOTE

"Am writing an essay on the life-history of insects and have abandoned the idea of writing on 'How Cats Spend their Time'."

W. N. P. Barbellion (Bruce Frederick Cummings) 1889-1919

Well, here's some evidence:

Eowyn and Michiko

Peregrin

Persephone

Leopard at Berlin Zoo

Lion in the Masai Mara, Kenya

I think you get the idea.

(All photos copyright Susan Fox)

So last week, I was talking to one of my best friends about her new apartment. She was excited about moving, and I was happy for her. She told me that she was planning to get a new dog once she was moved in. She loves animals, so I thought that was great and didn't think much else of it. A few days later, she sent me a text and told me that she was the proud new mom to Cooper, a six week old Shi Tzu. On edit, Cooper was born on May 14. That's the good news. Unfortunately, she bought Cooper from a local pet store. That's the bad news.

This is the same store that sells local residents "Gourmet Mutts", as I like to call them. I am talking about "Puggles", Bulldog/Pug mixes, and "Scnoodles." Some of these dogs are $900!! Why anyone would pay these people $900 for a mixed breed dog (or any dog) is beyond me, when five miles away there is an animal shelter that is literally busting at the seams with mixed breed dogs.

First, let me say this. I don't blame my friend for buying Cooper at the pet store. I wish that she had chosen the animal shelter instead, but I can certainly understand how hard it would be to walk away from those sweet, cuddly puppies in the cages. She is a good person who loves animals. Many people get sucked into believing that they can save the animals if they adopt them and give them a good home. I have met Cooper, and he is indeed irresistible. Still, there is a bigger picture here.

This particular puppy store just doesn't get it. There is an entire page on its website dedicated to bashing the local animal shelter because, evidently, they wouldn't accept a donation from the pet store, and they refuse to work with them in any way. Well, of course they don't want the puppy store's money, or its name associated with the shelter. Here is why. As long as puppy stores like this are in business, whether they are buying from breeders or puppy mills, millions of animals will die needlessly. Furthermore, if the animal shelter were to associate itself with this puppy store, then it would essentially be saying that it is all right to buy instead of adopt, when it is not. I don't believe that "responsible" breeding is any more ethical than puppy mill breeding when almost ten million animals are euthanized every year. From Wikipedia:

According to the American Humane Association, an estimated 9.6 million animals are euthanized in the United States every year. Out of 1,000 shelters responding to a survey, 2.7 million of 4.3 million animals or 64% were euthanized. 56% of dogs and 71% of cats that enter shelters were euthanized. 15% of dogs and 2% of cats were reunited with their owners; 25% of dogs and 24% of cats were adopted. The majority of these are euthanized at animal shelters, typically after a standard period of time (ranging from several days to several weeks for unclaimed stray animals).

That information is staggaring. It is never all right to breed or buy animals. They aren't handbags or shoes. They aren't something that you play with when they are babies and then throw away when they become too much responsibility. Animals depend on us to be kind and ethical. Until people begin to take responsibility for themselves and their pets, the problem will never be solved. Please, encourage people to adopt from a shelter or a rescue, to spay and neuter, and to take responsibility for their pets!

let me get back to you on monday.

i'm going to the beach tomorrow.

Her 'edible' list has expanded to:

• Anything reachable on the coffee table
• Pumpkin pie (that was cooling on the counter - you could tell where her tongue couldn't reach anymore)
• My underwear (and only my underwear - she ignores Husband's all together)
• Tin foil (most recent addition to the list)
• Cardboard
• Paper (including but not limited to: my checkbook, paper towels, toilet paper, napkins, tissues)
• Starbucks cups (she prefers if there is coffee leftover, particularly white chocolate mocha)
• Beach towels
• Stuffed animal 'fluff' - we now call the de-stuffed animals carcasses
• The fuzz on tennis balls
• My brand new pottery barn rug
• My shoes - but only my expensive ones.  She's really good at avoiding my cheap pairs - also, avoids Husband's shoes entirely
• Eyeliner
• Lipstick (this and the eyeliner were so much fun trying to get off the carpet)

The items she has tried but not entirely consumed:

• Advil bottle (thank goodness she didn't get to the actual pills)
• Batteries (also new, she waltzed into my office yesterday with one in her mouth)
• Water bottles
• Beer caps (she tosses it around the room like a toy)
• Sea glass
• Shells
• picture hangers
• my desk

The most interesting (and somewhat disgusting) result is what comes out every morning and evening - i've now seen poop in the oddest form/color:

• Bright orange poo (from the pumpkin pie)
• bright yellow poo (from the tennis ball fuzz)
• poop on a rope (mostly when she eats my underwear) - nothing like 'helping' her get it out
• fuzzy poo
• shiny poo (from the tin foil)

So - if you are thinking about getting a dog... consider yourself warned.

How did he make me look so serious, so handsome and such?! Who is that dog?

I cleaned her off and couldn't find the source of the bleeding around the mouth and nose; the cut above her eye seemed minor and wasn't bleeding much.

I wanted to let her rest to see how she was before hauling her anywhere. When I checked on her later, she'd been sleeping or lying on my bed all day (not eating or drinking) she had drooled all over her front legs and chest, her mouth was open and tongue sticking out and she seemed to breathe heavy. The bed where she had been lying was soaked and her drool had an odor to it.

I immediately took her to the emergency vet. They said her vitals seemed ok, jaw didn't seem broken. They hydrated her and gave her pain meds and codeine to help her sleep. They suggested x-rays in a day or so, to make sure her head was ok.

When I got home, she was more lively, walking around normally, going to her food bowl and water to drink and eat. She proceeded to try and eat for about an hour, making more of a mess than anything else. I tried to hand feed her also. It seemed she wasn't able to swallow. She also tried cleaning herself, but her tongue just didn't seem to retract properly.

We took her to our regular vet this on Tuesday morning. He too said her jaw seemed fine, but he was baffled by her tongue not moving and her keeping her mouth open, when her jaw seemed just fine. He called in several other vets; none seemed to know what to make of this. They suggested maybe nerve damage due to trauma; temporary paralysis. But it was all a guess. They did some blood work and that came back with elevated muscle enzymes and liver numbers were a bit up. But they said, if she was in a trauma that was normal. They injected her with steroids and put her on antibiotics.

She is otherwise her old self. Purring, she likes to be stroked under her chin and in general. She has crawled under a dresser and is sleeping there.

Wednesday. She is very vocal (she usually is), is walkign around teh apartment as usual, jumping on counters...all back to normal..but her mouth is still open and tongue out. She has a big appetite (might be because of the steroids), but eating is a struggle. I now sit with her and when she has enough food in her mouth close it for her so she can swallow.

Nerve damage may take weeks to heal. Has naybody ever experienced something like this?

If she got hit by a car, her injuries are odd. Why nothign external and just her limp tongue and open mouth? Coudl she have fallen off the roof? Again, why no other injuries? A stroke? She's a healthy cat. I am baffled and am lookign for any answers anybody might have.

I hope she wont have to livethe rest of her life like this. She can function, yes, but it's so sad...