Double Trouble at Every Turn

It seemed every time we turned around Felix and Lulu were curled up in a clam as a double double.


We were moving boxes and organizing closets and of course being curious about all the changes they were moving around with every one of them.


After snapping this picture, not an hour later I took this second one.

Hey, I thought you two were . . . up . . . eh . . . I guess not!

Maxine Approves

Maxine had the opportunity to play with her friend Marley in the open empty house. They had a great time in the back yard as well as sniffing around the new place. I think she approves.




Jimmy couldn't help himself . . . he just had to put Maxine on the mantle.

Marley Makes the Wake

Maxine's friend Marley came over tonight to celebrate Olivers life, although they never met. This is a great picture of her chasing Maxine in the backyard.

Actually, Marley was very photogenic tonight! Look at her scoping out the empty house. She sniffed around every corner, exploring the new space.

This is a great picture of her - she is so vivacious!

Olivia

Olivia is left alone to be the sole rabbit in the Guerrero household. She seems a little sad, a friend said possibly in denial. This is her coming out to join us in celebrating Olivers life in the form of a party. She hung out for awhile and then went back to her little cubby, the place Oliver spent most of his time this last week.

Today we have been spending a lot of time in the office with her, the cats are hanging out off and on. She seems to be doing ok,. She is exploring a lot more than she usually does.

Eulogy

Oliver was a beautiful black rabbit who passed away the thirtieth of May 2008 due to complications from his infection with Toxoplasm.

He is survived by his companion Olivia and the rest of his family Jimmy, Heather, Maxine, Felix, Simone and Lulu. He went peaceful into that goodnight, rage rage against the dying of the light.

Oliver accomplished a lot in his short life. He truly lived in the moment, enjoying the here and the now. Carpe diem, an inspiration to me. He was trustworthy - you could always count on him to come running when the food tray could be heard in the kitchen! He was a fighter, he never gave up even in the end. Despite his crippling spasms he continued to try to get up and jump around just like any other day. Olivia cared for him carefully, grooming him as he couldn't take care of himself.

I quote Jimmy now, the phrase we wanted on his grave but instead we donated his body to science: EVEN THOUGH HE WAS A GIMP HE WAS ALWAYS THE PIMP.

We love you Oliver and will miss you. Go peaceful into that big garden patch in the sky!

Irish Wake

Oliver passed away today at about 4:15. He was ready to go and was peaceful in his transition. We are now celebrating his life in the tradition of the Irish wake. My Uncle Dan who died this year too was a great fan of the Irish wake. This from wiki, "the wake commonly happens after the funeral service in the absence of the body and is often "wet" -- which is to say alcohol and food are served and, as a result, the wake often resembles a party for the deceased as well as being of comfort for their family."

Hot Wok Koof

Lulu was up in her crows nest and all of a sudden started wiggling around playfully. Jimmy started calling her the hot wok! She was popping up, leaning over, curling around her little bowl like a little loco gato.



After I took these pictures she started playing with the sticker on the outside of her bowl, she tore some of it off with her mouth and was trying to attack the rest of it.

Oliver Feels Sick

Today is the first day Oliver is actually acting and feeling sick. He did not eat his breakfast and he just wanted to go burrow somewhere dark. This was a good spot for him so I covered it with a blanket to keep it a little darker and filled it with blankets inside so he can curl up.

He wasn't drinking water so I had to give him water in a syringe. He did end up drinking about 5 - 6 cc of water and I will keep nursing him throughout the day. Hopefully its just a rough day and not one of his last.

Pizza Coup

After dinner the black radishes decided to gang up on us and steal our pizza. This was their attempted pizza coup, which was unfortunately unsuccessful!

The remaining pizza was boxed up and is ready for a midnight snack or breakfast.

Rats, spoiled again!

Simone's Secrets

Simone simone simone.

Her new favorite thing to do is to run out of her private dining car after she eats and steal some lettuce from the rabbits.

She will inevitably throw it up, which is not logical, right? Why would she eat it knowing it was something her body would reject?

I do not know the answer! But it is the key to unlocking the secrets of Simone.

I have a feeling if she went to the NAET clinic she would be allergic to almost everything - including little Lulu. She certainly has a reaction to her!

Oliver update: He is following the doctors orders and has to wear a little vial around for seven days. The first day he kept getting caught up in the collar and trying to take it off. He seems at peace with it now. He keeps up great spirits and hopefully will continue to strengthen!

Pharmacist

This would be a very difficult position to get into without knocking anything over!

How do you think she did it?

I guess she probably snuck in from the top of the little set of drawers and curled back there very carefully. It must have been difficult to not touch Jimmy's battalion of medications and cures.

Oliver Goes to Another Specialist

Oliver has continued to take his medication two times a day but he seems to be getting worse. His back leg gives out on him with greater frequency and he can't "catch" himself as well. The result is he loses balance and rolls around or flops around a bit while he regains his center.

I called the vet to be sure the medication couldn't be making him worse and she said no, it is a safe medicine.

I have a friend who goes to a NAET clinic and was able to get Oliver an appointment with her practitioner. NAET is an alternative medicine technique that specializes in allergies to put it very simply. I had to be the medium between Oliver and the practitioner. He first had to determine what he was responding to and then treatment. First it was strongly determined that he was having a negative reaction to the medicine he was taking. This did concur with our observation of him. Then he did treatment on the toxoplasm bug, his reaction to the medication, and his muscles and nerves (which he thought was more problematic than something in Olivers brain).

The treatment will allow Oliver to keep taking his medicine and hopefully gain back his strength. But there is no guarantee, of course. Life is not like that. So part of us has to prepare for the real possibility that he may be with us for a shorter time period than we thought.

Felix is so Helpful

I came in today and had a lot of emails to respond to and some work I have to get done before tomorrow. Felix kept pestering me and pestering me until finally he just plopped on the computer. It took a power play to get him off but now he is resting peacefully BESIDE the computer!

No Smoking

Just kidding! Oliver isn't smoking in this picture he is really chewing on a Nature's Nibbler. Rabbits have a constant need to chew. When they chew on wood it helps keep their teeth nice and healthy.

Rub A Dub

This was Maxine's big rub down after her cold sudsy bath. She had these big clean fluffy towels and two chipper young ladies helping her get dry. Of coarse she also did the good old SHAKE IT OFF!

Shampooch

Maxine attended an event at Whole Foods yesterday called Shampooch! It was an event with the Humane Society and they had free doggie treats as well as Hot Dogs and beer for the people.

Maxine also got a free shampoo! How many people does it take to clean a dog!?

Black Jack

This is a little cat, we think his name is Mono but we refer to him as Black Jack or just Jack. We see him scamping around the neighborhood without collar or identification.

Today we saw a new little cat, a little grey cat running super fast across the street chasing some cat, perhaps little Jack, straight up that big tree. It was so funny!

Gato Cobra Real

Ssssssssss. The great Gato Cobra Real is slithering out of her lair. Be careful though, her bowl is about to tip over!

Can you see the dangerous tilt?

Cat Out of the Bag

Today I am working from home sick. When Jimmy and I took a break for lunch I opened the pantry door which always invites Simone in to search for the unattended to plastic bag. While burrowing around in the pantry she surfaced completely entangled with this bag.




I hope the pictures do this justice - she has somehow managed to get her head and two top legs through the handle of the bag. It was quite snug around her so it was difficult to cut off. Eventually Jimmy just sort of ripped through the bag and finally got an angle I could cut through the cord.

What would have happened if we weren't here?

The Lioness

Little Lulu curled herself deep into the rabbit's hay. She has been "defending" the box against the rabbits! She may think she is the boss of the box. But Olivia doesn't let her be the boss! She is a pretty tough cookie.

Lulu looks like she is a lioness, hiding behind the hay.

Cat Sniffing

Felix has been really into sniffing lately. He will sniff and sniff and sniff and then do something with his mouth that looks like he is breathing out the smell.

He was sniffing Jimmy yesterday and kept sniffing and sniffing so I decided to look up why a cat would sniff.

Here is what I learned.


"All cats (or felines) have an organ at the top of their mouth. It is properly called the vomeronasal organ but is more commonly referred to as Jacobson’s Organ. Other animals with this special organ include snakes, bats, and a few other mammals.

The Jacobson Organ is what causes that peculiar cat behavior that you often see in your own house cat – that is, your cat appears to lift its upper lip and twitch its nostrils as though sniffing for something. The proper name for this peculiar behavior is Flehman Response and your cat displays this in order to identify any potential mates, a potential rival cat in the territory, or an unusual odor."
http://www.onlycatinfo.com/cat-anatomy.html

And I just thought Jimmy was stinky!!

Maxine the Carnivore

Maxine's idea of a perfect Saturday involves chewing on some raw meat in the ugly backyard. These days she is the only one enjoying it at all. We decided not to rush in and landscape it really quick. We will take our time and build a nice backyard, once the leak is stopped!

Doesn't Max look relaxed and happy chewing on a big raw bone in the shade of her one last remaining tree?

Rabbit Medicine

This is how I have to administer the medicine for Oliver, he has to be in a burrito. That is when he calms down and is receptive to the medicine. He pretty much sucks it down, he seems to like it ok. Right afterward we give him a treat so he associates the whole experience with something good. Olivia, of course, wants to steal his treat! Tonight it was sweet delicious apple! I had to keep her from it. Someone is becoming a fat little rabbit . . .

Double?

Two rabbits in one clam.







Eating dinner?

Club House

This morning all the animals were on the green at the same time. Can you believe it? Jimmy calls it the clubhouse. The rabbits domicile is the hit of the house.

Except of course Maxine, who does not want anything to do with this scene.

This is a truly great moment.

1st Dose of Medicine

Have you ever had to give medicine to your cat, dog or rabbit? It is really quite a challenge and dependent upon a lot of factors, mostly the temperament and personality of the animal!

Yesterday we got some good news, I think. Remember when I showed you pictures of Oliver going to the specialist? Well, we got some test results back and Oliver has a bacteria that may be causing his symptoms.

Speaking of symptoms I think this is a great picture of Oliver at work on some Timothy hay just after getting his meds. Not to jump forward, but you do notice he has an irregularity between the right side and the left side of his face. He has a slight lean as well. Those are the kinds of symptoms he has had.

The medicine is a liquid, we administer it through a syringe. I was not sure how to approach it so I first spent some time down at their level petting and playing with them. Then I filled the syringe and had some hay at the ready. I laid a towel out and quickly placed Oliver on the towel and wrapped it around him like a burrito. At that point I could hold him close to me without his strong legs pushing up against me in a launch across the room! Once I had him calm and in my arms I simply brought the medicine to him and he seemed eager to lap it up. I quickly gave him the Timothy hay and he and Olivia went to work eating that hay as quick as they can.

I hope he barely remembers the experience because we have to do it TWO times per day for the next 48 weeks.

Ooooofah!

Curling Up Rabbit Style

Today Jimmy had the fans only policy in place so the house was about 80 degrees when I got home today. Apparently all the animals sleep really well when it is hot! This is Olivia super snoozing. Her belly hair is FINALLY growing in from her surgery last January. She looks very peaceful here.

Curled Up

For all my rousting on Lulu about her wily ways, in the end of the day she is the most fun loving cat and she is very endearing. Look at this picture of her today curled up in a ball with her hands, oops paws, wrapped in on her like a little child. Very cute.

And as another follow-up to my last email, I rarely get even close to frustrated with Lulu. Well, today I was working on a collage and was cutting something out and she kept trying to play with the paper as I was cutting it! I eventually got frustrated and said, "KOOF! STOP!" In that moment, I realized exactly what Simone must feel day after day and moment after moment. My Uncle Z said it best, its sibling rivalry!

Olivia Needs Food

I rang the bell to indicate dinner time and all the cats scurried off to their dining cars and Maxine popped out of the bedroom. Everyone ready to eat!
.
I pulled all the food out of the refrigerator and turned around to see this. Olivia was in the shadows, eagerly anticipating dinner time! So funny.

The best part of the story is that I changed the pattern and fed the rabbits first so Olivia was still there when I walked past with the tin of food. She had to thump and bump and scurry to get in there so Oliver got to eat out of the trough first! This rarely happens because of two factors: He is handi-capable and his sister is a little piggy.

Playing, but Bugging: A Follow-up

The robos, as they are affectionately known, were hanging out on their fresh clean green when out of the blue darts this quick and spritely cat. Who could it be?


KOOF!


With that same playful bordering on annoying she started trilling and purring up a storm while digging her claws she has never learned to properly retract into the rabbits nice clean green. Because it does not have any deep gripping power, it forced the whole thing to wiggle slightly and scare the bejeebees out of the rabbits! As you can see from the picture, she obviously just wanted to play but it had some unintended consequences. What a great reminder that others don't always see life the way you do!

Hissssss

I was walking in our hallway when suddenly Sicky darts out of the office with koof close on her heels. She jumped on the scratcher and "HISSSSSSSed" the loudest, meanest hiss I have ever seen Simone produce then she quickly scratched the post for a good one minute.

I definitely know Lulu stresses Simone out. I think the scenario was that Simone was trying to enjoy the rabbits and Lulu kept bugging her. It is so hard to determine if Lulu is just being playful or if she is just very demanding of those around her to play with her when she wants and how she wants and is relentless in that pursuit. Probably a little bit of both!

Howl

I was working on my computer and I kept hearing this howling sound coming from the back of the house. It wasn't meowing or trilling or purring but a deep howl. I honestly thought one of the cats was injured or in a lot of pain.









I went out to our little back room and Koof had found a cork that came off one of our pretty bottles. She was batting it around and was intensely enthralled with the corks motion and the act of chasing it.



At one point she even came walking into the office holding it in her mouth and then set it down by the rabbits and then sat down. Very funny and a great reminder that you don't have to spend a lot of money to give your cat a fun treat!

Sleepy Sam

Meanwhile, Koof is Sleepy Sam in her little bowl. She is fighting sleep, trying to stay awake to watch the rabbits and watch Felix scour the desk for vitamin pills.

I just looked up and she has given in to sleep. She is gently fading into dream land.

Do you think she will dream about playing those bongos? Maybe she will dream she is a rabbit!