Puppy Mills

We've all heard it a million times. Never get an animal from a pet store because the animal you are adopting is most likely a product of a puppy mill. Puppy mills are notorious for their cruelty and neglect towards their animals. Animals are often housed in tiny cages with sharp wiring on the bottom which leads to injured paw pads. Many have even been known not to provide their animals with proper food or water and many animals are often left to starve to death. It is a horrific living condition for these sweet creatures. It is a business, that's all it is. These animals are used to mass produce animals so the breeder can make a profit. A YouTube video even showed a breeder forcing two rabbits to mate when the female was clearly trying to run away.

On the contrary, it is important to note in the city of Toronto many pet stores have affiliations with local shelters and non-profit organizations like Toronto Cat Rescue. That's not to say that NONE of their animals come from such breeding facilities. However, it's still a step in the right direction.

Many pet stores will host as a temporary location for adoptathons. Furthermore, some pet shops have affiliations with local shelters. They transport the animals from the shelter to the pet store to give the animal more exposure. There ARE reputable breeders out there who treat their animals with love and care.

However, it is simply a matter of doing your homework. Although you may feel you are doing a good thing by taking a pet home, keep in mind it could have a dirty little secret.

Miscellaneous Updates

I've been feeling really busy and overwhelmed lately. Last month, I was busy with family visiting from out of town. We ended up going out a lot for lunches, dinners and such. This month has been relatively quiet, aside from weekend social activities. The first weekend, my family got together for a Thanksgiving potluck. Although we don't celebrate it, we did have turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and the whole nine yards. The weekend following, my husband and I decided to go to Go For Tea for Bubble Tea late at night. Mind you, I love me my flavoured teas and coffees. This time, I tried honeydew pearl milk tea which was divine. On a side note, I've discovered the bubble tea place at my local mall to be quite tasty as well. But the ambiance is not as good as Go For Tea (a gorgeous modern tea house which specializes in Chinese food and many bubble tea flavours.)

Last weekend, we got together with family (again) for Eid. This week has been quiet so far, aside from mild affects of Hurricane Sandy making it's way to parts of Toronto. Thank God we were not affected at all, we still have our power. But I know some neighbourhoods did lose it for nearly twenty four hours.

I've been trying to make some changes in my life. I'm thinking of doing the unthinkable and going back to school soon. There is no saying when, but it's something I truly want. My research indicates it is not that cheap (as most of already know)! I have a passion for cooking and baking and wish to get into culinary school. I want to learn how to cook the kind of professional food they cook on the Food Network.

Also, I'm currently part of two book clubs but have decided to drop one of them. It is just becoming overwhelming always having to read a book for book club, it feels almost like a chore. I love reading and don't want this to take that away from me. I decided to leave the library one (my other one is one I started with friends.) It was a tough decision to make. I love being a part of both of them, but I think it's for the best.

Cat Update: We recently got Pepper microchipped. Tiger was already chipped from the day we adopted him. We just felt like it was the responsible thing to do.

Birthday Lunch

I had my "Golden Birthday" last Thursday, as I turned 27 on the 27th (of September.) In my opinion, it was a special birthday. This is something that will only happen once in a lifetime. I normally do not do anything special on my birthday. But this year, I decided to celebrate. Originally, I wanted to meet my friends at a restaurant downtown. I called them on Monday evening, asking how early I need to place a reservation for the weekend and the lady on the phone said, at least two days. I called back on Wednesday to make my reservation but was told that the weekend was fully booked due to Nuit Blanche. Furthermore, she said for a weekend reservation I should have called a week before!!! I complained to her and told her I did call on Monday and was told I could still place a reservation. If I had known at that time, I would have just placed my reservation right then and there. Anyways, I had to change my location a few days before the lunch to a nearby restaurant. I was disappointed at first, but it turned out fine in the end. I still enjoyed myself.

I expected eight of my friends to come, but three cancelled at the last minute. I tried not to let it get to me and I just enjoyed the day with the people who did come. We had a lovely lunch and some of us went for a walk by a nearby water fountain after lunch. I got a few really nice presents from some of the guests (which I really didn't expect.)

The last birthday I had celebrated before this was my thirteenth. I remember my three best friends had invited me over to one of their houses for dinner the night of my big day. I didn't expect it to be a party, I thought we'd just hang out. As I arrived to my friends house, I realized there was food and presents! So it was somewhat of a surprise party! I got a make up set and some little decoration pieces. The girls did a little makeover on me after we ate. It was loads of fun. I don't know why I haven't done my birthday since. My parents normally get me a cake, but this was the first time after many years I did something. I'm glad I did and I had a wonderful time with my loved ones.

On another note: We took Tiger to another vet for a second opinion. He's gone through more tests and medications and his eye infection is still there. Plus the vet wasn't able to give us any answers. I've come to the conclusion it's a chronic thing. I've done all I can to help him with it, I don't know what else I can do.

Friendship Has No Boundaries

Today we observed the thirteenth fast of Ramadan. So far, it's going good. The first day was hard, then my body got used to it. We've been breaking our fast with dates, fruit salad, yogurt shakes, and of course regular dinners such as baryani, pasta, meatloaf, etc.

I have a friend I made in my building a few years back. She is a devout Christian who goes to church every night. I ran into her this afternoon and she gave me a nice surprise. She gave me a headscarf as a Ramadan gift and it really put a smile on my face. I'm so lucky to have such great friends. I've never let religious beliefs come in the way of my relationships. My best friend is also Christian and I clearly remember her giving me Christmas presents as kids, meanwhile I would give her eid presents. One holiday, Christmas and Eid had fallen around the same time and we exchanged holiday gifts. I remember her giving me a necklace and I gave her chocolates. Friendship really has no boundaries, in my humble opinion. 

Ramadan

Our holy month of Ramadan is starting tomorrow. We will be fasting everyday for an entire month. We will be eating in the morning before sunrise and will not be able to eat, drink or have sexual intercourse until after sunset. Growing up, I never understood the true meaning of Ramadan. As an adult, I now look at it on a much deeper level. One of the first things people ask me when I tell them I'm fasting is "Wow. Don't you get hungry? It can't be healthy to eat nothing all day." Yes, I do get hungry. That's natural. But we fast for a much more spiritual reason. Fasting gives us some insight to how some other people around the world live. Many people cannot afford to eat everyday and only eat a few times a week, maybe even less. Fasting teaches us compassion and reminds us that there are people out there who are not as lucky as us. It allows us to understand what they are going through. Furthermore, it makes us grateful for the things that we have. All Muslims are required to fast in the month of Ramadan. However, there are a few exceptions. Children under the age of puberty, pregnant women, breastfeedig women, menstrating women, a traveler, and someone who is ill are excempt from fasting. People traditionally break their fasts with treats such as samosas, dates, fruit salad, milkshakes and such. At the end of the month, we celebrate Eid. In the morning, we go for special Eid prayers at our local mosque which follows with the Eid day festivities. Eid is celebrated with family and friends. People wear nice clothes and often do gift exchange. Sometimes people give children money which is called "Eidi." A part of me is really exciting about fasting and I'm looking forward to tomorrow. Happy Ramadan.

Diary of 2 Cats: Kitten Edition (Part 5)

Due to Internet issues, I didn't get the chance to blog too much in the last month. But here I am again. Tiger and Pepper are now living together in mild peace and harmony. We brought them together a little over three weeks ago. Tiger's URI is gone but his eye infection is still there. The vet said it could either just be healing very slowly or it's chronic. He also said, he's been on antibiotics for 2 weeks now so it's probably not contagious to Pepper anymore so we decided to bring them together and just let them deal with each other. As suspected, upon their first official face-to-face meeting, Tiger pounced Pepper from behind and Pepper turned around and body slammed him to the floor. I was worried at first, then I noticed Pepper was holding him down and forcefully licking/grooming him. I read online this is a way for them to put their scent on each other. Not much has changed since. They've learned to co-exist and have the occasional cat fights. And by occasional, I mean several times through out the day. They each take turns body slamming each other at first and it eventually evolves into grooming. Although they don't "cuddle" with one another, they eat next to each other, and they'll sleep next to each other sometimes. Just the other day, They were each sleeping on opposite corners of the bed. Then Tiger got up in the middle of his nap and went to sleep right next to his friend. It was quite sweet. I slowly brought them into one litter box and now they even eat out of the same bowls. We have a water fountain which only Pepper would drink out of at first. Tiger was scared of the moving water and would usually just paw at it and run away, so I would leave out a separate bowl for him. But just last week, he started using the fountain. I even captured a cute video of both of them drinking at the same time. Part of me thinks that Tiger is a little bit of a bully. Pepper wants to play with Tiget but whenever Tiger has a toy in his mouth, he growls and sometimes hisses because he doesn't want to share! I want Pepper was stay active and healthy so I tried to close the door and play with Pepper alone with a string, ball, etc. but he kept running towards the door because he wanted to play with Tiger! There was one time when Pepper was chewing on a rubber ducky (lying down on his back) and as soon as he left it on the ground for a second, Tiger snatched it away and ran off! What a guy! Aside from their brawls, they are getting along and they seem to like each other. I think they are more like brothers. They like each other but have the occasional arguments and misunderstandings.

Diary of 2 Cats: Kitten Edition (Part 4)

Tiger had to go back to the vet, as his upper respiratory infection and eye infection haven't completely gone away. In retrospect, they have improved. But we're waiting for a fully recovery before both cats can start living together. Pepper did sneak into the bedroom a couple of times without us noticing. We are really careful about making sure none of the two cats escape, but he was smart and sneaky!

Both times, Pepper just walked around the room smelling things, trying to steal Tiger's food and just doing his own thing. The first time they came together, Tiger attacked Pepper and Pepper wasn't having any of it. He attacked back. There was lots of biting, scratching, wrangling eachother's necks but no hissing or growling. The second time, Tiger attacked Pepper from behind. At first, Pepper did not react. He was being very gentle and patient. He took the abuse for a few moments, until he got annoyed and fought back. I know it'll take a few tries before they start living together in peace in harmony.

Right now, we are more worried about Tiger feeling better. He's been sick for far too long, and we really want him to be healthy. The vet did say it's tricky for kittens since they do have weaker immune systems. I am just doing my best in medicating him and hoping for the best. The medicating part has gotten harder. He's grown and has gotten stronger over the last few weeks. It's harder to catch him and force the syringe down his throat now. I tried locking him in the bathroom earlier this morning, but as soon as I opened the door with his antibiotics, he quickly bolted under the bed. He's gotten smarter, now he knows it's coming. I blackmail him with his toys and treats.

Just trying to stay positive and be patient.