Wendy and Teeny

   The rat who lived the longest in our house was named Wendy. Altogether, she was with us over three years, a long time for a rat. She was an all-white female, very friendly and smart.

   After she'd been here a while, Jean-Guy didn't bother keeping her in a cage, as she could be trusted to wander about. She made herself a little home in the back of Jean-Guy's closet. Lory provided her a nice warm old coat which Wendy made into a nest.

   Our beloved rotten cat, Teeny-Weeny, soon learned that Wendy was a member of the family, and let Wendy have the run of the house without interference. The two got along just fine, but the best was yet to come.

   Toward the end of her life, Wendy was introduced to various kinds of canned cat food, at first just leftovers from the cats' dishes. She loved the stuff, and figured out for herself what time that stuff was put out in the kitchen for the cats.

   So Wendy would come out of her closet at exactly the right time, saunter on into the kitchen, and share in the canned cat food. She and Teeny would actually eat together from the same dish, neither one bothering the other, as there was plenty of food to go around. (Our older male cat, Prince, also treated Wendy as just one of the family, but he ate from his own plate.)

   Wendy died peacefully in her sleep one day, and now occupies an honored place in our side yard. She'll always be fondly remembered.

Teeny and the Pterodactyl

   Another chapter in the life of our favorite cat. There's a little gap between the window and air conditioner in Jean-Guy's bedroom. Jean-Guy doesn't mind the small amount of fresh air that comes in, so the gap never gets fixed.

    It's been an especially cold month this December, and that led to another event we did not expect. A small bird came in through that gap, presumably seeking the relative warmth inside the house. It flitted all around the house, so quickly that we could never be sure whether it was a sparrow, a wren, or a swallow, but in any case it was just a small bird.

   The reaction from Teeny-Weeny, our Rotten Cat, was swift and decisive. She chased this poor little bird relentlessly from room to room, determined to catch this nice little meal. Unfortunately for Teeny, the bird managed to find its way out through the same gap where it entered.

   After looking all over the house for hours trying to find the bird again, Teeny decided that she should be rewarded for her bravery in dispatching this vicious wild animal from the house. One would think that she'd chased a giant Pterodactyl away from an imminent attack on her humans. She wanted petting and praise. So we now have a new cat ritual to deal with. Teeny comes up on my shoulder and expects petting and being told "What a Brave little Kitty she is, chasing away that awful Pterodactyl!" She purrs and purrs while I repeat that mantra over and over, petting her all through this ritual.

   She's now taken to staying on my bed all night, and any time I'm in the bed, being the Brave Little Kitty, protecting me in case any more awful Pteredactyls should get into the house.