Bugs and Stuff

A confession: Many years ago, my husband and I visited a friend's cottage up north. The mosquitoes were out in full force, and a rather noisy one broke into our bedroom, keeping me awake (although my husband slept on). I turned on the light, but was unable to find the source of that irritating "zzzz". Then I remembered: mosquitoes only bite once (a myth, I've since discovered). I was desperate -- a sacrifice would have to be made. I placed my husband's arm gently on top of the covers, and I ducked underneath. Note: this was before West Nile Virus. Soon, the buzzing stopped, and I slept. Years later, when I told my husband and friends this story, he was kind of surprised that I could be so ... so selfish and cruel. Our friends thought it was hilarious.

And on a unrelated topic: I've always wondered where moths hung out before electricity.

Something to Crow About

I recently watched The Nature of Things with David Suzuki, a Canadian documentary series on CBC. The episode was called A Murder of Crows which details the inner life of one of the "most intelligent, playful and mischievous species on the planet".

I have a new respect for these birds--they are able to recognize faces, use tools and problem solve. When they're making all that sleep-rousing noise, I think they might actually be trying to tell us something. Here are some crow facts that I lifted from the CBC website:

Crows are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Crows have an exceptional ability to remember and pick a single human face out of a crowd.
Crows are far more likely to be found living close to cities and suburbs than out in the country.
Each generation of crows is capable of building on an earlier generation's knowledge.
New Caledonian crows are one of only three species, besides human, in the world capable of making tools.
Crows live with a mated pair, their kids, and offspring from previous years in an extended family.
Crows have different warning calls - one for cats, and one for hawks, and another for humans - 250 in all.
Crows are omnivores and eat fruits, vegetables and meat.

Check out a short video clip here.

What a Ride!

A tiny, three week-old kitten was brought into the shelter several months ago. It's grey and white fur was dirty and matted, and the poor little thing had a Botfly larva embedded in its cheek (this was immediately and successfully removed). But that wasn't the most harrowing thing this kitten had experienced.

He had survived a 30 kilometer (27 mile) drive along a busy 100 km/hour highway, clinging to life under the hood of a car! The driver must have exited his vehicle, heard the meows, then investigated. Luckily, he brought the kitten in, and it's since been adopted.

I just loved the happy ending to this story. That is, I loved it until someone asked, "I wonder how many kittens there were under the hood at the beginning of the journey?"

Now I have this horrible video playing in my head, and I can't get it out.

Meet Your Match

As you may already know, for the past year, I've volunteered at my local Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (OSPCA) shelter. It's been a wonderful experience, and I was very fortunate to be chosen to attend a two-day Meet Your Match Feline-ality training seminar.

This ASPCA program matches adopters' preferences to the cat(s) who best fits the bill by assessing how cats will behave in a new environment. Shelters that have implemented the program experience almost 50% less returns and just as high an increase in adoptions. Go here to meet the nine different "Feline-alities" (or categories).

Although the initial implementation of the program may be huge, I'm looking forward to assessing the cats, in hopes that they will be adopted into loving homes more quickly.

Litter Box Woes

A few months ago, my cat, Meeko, decided the carpeted rec room made a far better litter box than her own. At first, I was in denial: "We must have a leak in our basement," I told my husband. Then, "It's the humidity. We need a dehumidifier." But the unused litter box and the overwhelming smell soon disproved my theories.

I used an enzymatic cleaner to get rid of the odor, and had the carpet professionally cleaned. Luckily, there's a door to the room, and after posting a 2 X 2 foot sign advising everyone to keep the door closed, we usually remember to do so. After checking the Internet for inspiration, here are some of the other steps I've taken:

Removed the lid from her litter box -- it seemed to be freaking her out.
Moved the box
Stopped using the scented litter I sometimes purchased by mistake
Used "Kitty Litter Attractant" to lure her back
Closed every other freaking door in the house (just in case)

And I took her to the vet. There's nothing physically wrong with the cat, but the vet thought she might anxious, so has put her on anti-anxiety medication (although, after all this, I'm the one who really needs the drugs). My heart dropped at the thought of having to administer pills to Meeko, so I was delighted to discover the meds came in the form of a transdermal gel that I apply to the inside of her ear. I'm not sure if it's working as she just had her first dose last night.

This problem has consumed me. What if I can't change this new, unacceptable behaviour? And why the heck did she suddenly stop using her kitty litter box? I've always kept it clean -- to the point where the used litter makes my green bin too heavy for the the garbage men to lift. My husband thought Meeko might be lonely because I spent 4 or 5 days a week at the animal shelter. Perhaps Meeko smelled the other cats, despite the fact that I shower and change as soon as I get home. Who knows? Cats can be so sensitive to any change.

Now, I must go and make sure the last person to use the rec room remembered to close the door. And I may as well check the litter box while I'm down there, keeping my fingers crossed that she's using it and not some other, unprotected spot.

Ants in my ...

... mailbox.

One day, earlier this summer, I picked up my mail from the super mailbox down the street. When I plucked the mail from the slot, here were a couple of black ants racing across the envelopes and flyers. Odd. I shook them off then peered inside. The slot was crawling with ants! And what were those little, rice-like parcels they were carrying? Eggs. Piles and piles of eggs. What was the attraction of the metal structure? Weren't ants supposed to live in the ground? After a serious case of the heebie-jeebies, I set out to fight the invaders.

First stop, the post office where I discovered someone else had already complained about the ants. That one slot had been sprayed, but the rest of us were left without any defenses. The thought of having to retrieve any more ant and egg-covered mail was, for me, the stuff of nightmares. What if those eggs hatched during the night? So I bought a can of Raid, and sprayed the suckers. I realized I was being terribly hypocritical. Wasn't I supposed to love all creatures? But you have to understand -- I was completely grossed out. I also posted a sign advising my neighbours of the problem just in case the ants decided to move to a new 'condo'.

That was far too much excitement for one day. I just couldn't bring myself to clean the lifeless bodies and eggs from the mail slot, so I sent my husband down later that evening. I think that's why we get married, isn't it? To share the load. I do the laundry, and he cleans up the dead bodies. A match made in heaven.

Japan - Part Three

Kyoto offers a glimpse into what I imagine all of Japan once looked like -- ancient streets, timber-framed buildings with sloping roofs, and beautiful Geisha dressed in vibrant silk kimonos. It's all that, but it does have its whimsical side as well. On my first visit, four years ago, I took this photo of three cats peeking into a store window (click on photos to enlarge):



This summer, I spotted them again. Looks like one of the cats has been adopted:




The food in Japan is always exquisitely presented -- almost too beautiful to eat:





In addition to traditional menus, most restaurants offer a visual array of plastic food samples to make choosing one's meal far easier:




And then there are the crepes which are stacked full of ... well, everything you can imagine:



We all passed on the hotdog crepe, but my daughter and husband loved the strawberry-banana, while I opted for the vanilla and green tea ice cream cone.

Over 127,000,000 million people live in Japan, but there is never any jostling in line, and the citizens are always polite and friendly (they even have Canadians beat in that regard!). And despite the differences in food, language, and customs, I never once felt homesick. Had it not been for the fact that I missed my cat, Meeko, I might have stayed and discovered all the many more wonderful things Japan has to offer.

Japan - Part Two

As I said in my earlier post, I only visited cities while vacationing in Japan, and didn't see many animals. Then, one morning outside of my hotel, I spotted a green snake! Normally, I would have been hesitant to stick around, but I was so happy to finally have a chance at snapping a photo of some wildlife, I couldn't get my camera out fast enough. This Japanese Rat Snake was almost gone by the time I did. You'll have to click on the photo to enlarge because the snake was, sadly, pretty small. He's in the centre of the picture:




Inside our hotel, there was a large stand for people to store their umbrellas for the day. Yes, they're just umbrellas, but don't they look like snakes in a crowded subway car?




Of course, there's lots of Koi. I took this photo at Kiyomizu-Dera, a Buddhist temple in Kyoto. And look! There's a turtle on the rock. Two for the price of one -- it was a good day.

Japan - Part One

I've just returned from vacationing in Japan. Although only visiting three cities (Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima), I'd hoped to catch a glimpse of some interesting animals to bring back and share with you. Not an easy task. In Tokyo, we stayed across from Ebisu Garden Place, a massive office, retail and restaurant complex. As you can see from the top photo, taken from our hotel room, there's not much green space, yet it was a popular spot for dog-walking. Click on photos to enlarge.



There wasn't a speck of poop anywhere. This could have been because every inch of the public space was scrubbed each morning. Or maybe their dogs just don't poop. I'm not even sure the pigeons poop. I swear that Japan has the cleanest and most considerate animals around. And some of the cutest. Check out this little guy I spotted in Yoyogi Park in Harajuku:



The dog was cute but terribly overdressed -- it was 35 degrees Celsius (95 fahrenheit)! Why do people do that to their pets?


And since we were in Harajuku, I had to snap a few pictures of some of the more interesting Sunday visitors:







Go here to read more about Harajuku's teenagers.

Bottom Floor Dwellers

I helped out at the animal shelter's yard sale on Friday and Saturday. Lovely weather for the sale yesterday, but there was one grey cloud:

A boxed designer men's watch had been donated -- quite nice. We put it with a few other items that appeared to be worth something more than a buck or two. Do you know what happened? Someone attending the sale stole the darn thing. They did leave the box (I suppose strapping the watch and box on one's arm might be conspicuous).

Being a thief is bad enough, but you'd have to take the elevator a long way down to reach the level of someone who steals from a charity.

Thanks, I feel better now that I've gotten that off my chest.

Fledglings

Spring -- a good time to talk about those little feather dusters that you might see hopping around your yard. For the first few days after leaving the nest, fledglings are just learning to fly and may take their chances on the ground. If you're concerned the young bird might be in harm's way, place it in a shrub then leave it alone -- the parents are probably freaking out nearby. Check out this link for more information.

Meeko's a Couch Potato

My cat, Meeko, never really bothered with our old t.v. Every once in awhile, some movement on the screen might catch her eye, but she pretty much ignored it. That's all changed -- ever since we bought a plasma, Meeko's become addicted. I mean, we're wrestling her for the remote. She can become so wrapped up in a program, I'm almost afraid to change the channel. I feel guilty. Shouldn't I be encouraging her to go out and play ball hockey or something?