Dr. Dolittle Has Nothing On Me!

I think I missed my calling. I should have been a veterinarian. I love animals. I love, love, love them! Some people are drawn to babies. I'm drawn to animals. Right now there is an ASPCA commercial on TV showing stray and abandoned animals with the Willie Nelson song "Always On My Mind" playing in the background. That commercial kills me. I can't watch it. If your heart does not break at the sight of it, then you are cold and dead inside.

Several months ago, I nursed an injured duck back to health. I car must have hit him while he was trying to cross the highway and he was bleeding and in shock. J wanted me to just leave him alone, but I couldn't leave him there to die without trying to help. After calling several wildlife agencies, I found someone who could give me tips on how to take care of the duck. I was so scared the duck was going to die. I made J check on him over and over. I didn't want to be the one to find him dead. I gave him food and water and a towel to hide in. The poor thing couldn't move. When J left for work the next day, he opened the door to find the duck sitting on our welcome mat. I have no idea how the duck knew which door was ours. It must have taken him forever to get there. Needless to say, I was so happy he survived the night! His wing was messed up and he couldn't walk very well, but he was alive. He stayed on our front porch for a couple of days and when he was well enough he left. He comes by to visit every now and then. Sometimes alone, sometimes with friends.

About 2 years ago, J and I were adopted by a little orange tabby cat named Papaya. She is the sweetest little outside cat. It's so much fun to watch her chase lizards and dragonflies. Her curiosity can get her into a bit of trouble, but she always manages to wiggle out of it unharmed. Well, almost always! Three days ago, Papaya showed up with a big bump near her eye. I think she may have gotten stung by a wasp or maybe she got into a fight with another cat. Who knows! One of her little eyes were swollen and I think she was in some pain. I noticed she had a small wound above her eye, so I decided to clean it out with peroxide and treat it with anti-bacterial ointment. Easy peasy, right? Wrong! Cats don't like it when you pour peroxide on them. It's even harder to apply the ointment. We went around in circles until I was able to treat her. I did this for the last couple of days. She was not happy, but all of my persistence paid off. Today Papaya looks a whole lot better. Her eye is not as swollen and the bump has gone way down. I think my little rascal will be just fine.

Oh! I need to write about Petey! Petey is awesome! Petey is a rock pigeon that just showed up at work one day. He hangs out with us and at the hotel next door. Everybody loves Petey. He goes in and out of the hotel lobby and sits outside my window. I talk to Petey as much as I can. I tried to give him some crackers, but he wasn't interested. Today I set him up with a bowl of birdseed and a bowl of water. He loved it. When I got back from lunch he was sitting on my windowsill. My co-workers said he was looking for me while I was gone and flew up to my window when he couldn't find me. He stayed there until I acknowledged him. I also bought a bird feeder for all of the little birds that hang out around work. I hung it in the tree outside of my window. I felt so sorry for those little birds. More than one of them tried to eat a cigarette butt that was littering the parking lot. It was a sad sight.