First, our recent Pets…

THANKS for stopping in to see my photos. I'm Betsy Hughes, and would love to tell you about some of these things that mean so much to me.

Okay, I admit, I have a tender heart toward animals and other helpless creatures. If it is a kitten, or a puppy, even a 'possum or a 'coon, I don't want it to suffer if there is anything that can be done to prevent it. To see a deer beside the busy road, I just call out to it to watch for traffic so it doesn't get killed or something.

There are stray cats (which I had not considered as pets before,) and stray dogs that tug on my heart, and bring out my compassion. Most of our pets were strays, and took a lot of work to domesticate. You got to know, though, it seems they appreciate what they have more than the ones born to it.

Our dog and cat.
Here's a great picture of our more recent pets. The dog lived with us for over 16 years. Shotsie was a stray, you know, and was about 3 months old when we got him.

The cat came along, and begged me not to let her starve. By this time, though, she had two surviving kittens (out of at least 3) which we tried to domesticate.

One was successful with a new home. The other was not so well adjusted, and wasn't with someone patient enough to get her through the tough times.

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These kittens didn't care that I was allergic!
Kittens tire easily, and need a nap. These found just the spot. You cannot see them all, but there are six kittens asleep in my lap! Some are completely covered by the others.

These kittens crawled into my lap one by one. I sat down, and one got up there to be rubbed. Then the next one, and then they fell asleep. Soon, all were in my lap, and sound asleep. This was not the first time, because I could not call out to get the picture taken. I had to let my husband know what might happen, so he could know to get the camera ready.

Minnie had Six more Kittens.
Minnie the Moocher (as we named her) had six kitttens in early 1998, and she insisted on raising them in our garage. We had trouble getting the others out of the woods every day, and thought we would let her.

It was funny, but these kittens were so anxious to get out and play, that we had a tough time keeping them where we could find them. As they got older, it became impossible, and then the time came to give them away.

A visitor at the Door.
One day, we heard a strange, but faint, knock at our door. When we investigated, this is what we saw. A young Sand Hill Crane was captivated by his reflection in our glass door. He would peck lightly, and wait for a reaction. I sat on the other side of the door, and tapped back, while observing him through the narrow opening I had quietly adjusted.

Eventually, we had to scare him away, because we didn't want him to think he was going to start a new flock right there (with only his reflection for companionship.) When we replaced the glass with the screen, he didn't see his reflection anymore, and found somewhere else to play.

Minnie takes a break.
Minnie the Moocher began to be right at home very quickly. Our Vet was amazed that a ferel cat would act so "domesticated" around us, and still be so "wild" around him.

We had her spayed after she had the six kittens seen in above photos. While she was coming out of the anesthesia, our Vet, Jeff, tried handling her, and she bit him, but good!

They later became friends, but she was wary of him for quite a while..

Shotsie tries to Cope.
When I first saw Shotsie as a puppy with his big paws, I said to my husband that we don't need TWO big dogs, and this dog will be big. Well, he was only about 55 pounds as an adult, and was so sweet to me. We got along just fine, and he would pine away whenever we were gone for a few days.

I'm sure you know about how so many dogs are afraid of loud noises, and thunder is a big cause of fear for them! Well, some dogs get frantic when this fear comes on, but Shotsie would just be petrified and go into a trance. That is the only way he would allow these hearing protectors on his head.

We got this picture because Shotsie was out−of−it for the whole time the thunder was going on! Cute as it was, we worried about him when he got like this.

Old cat takes a nap.
Once Minnie got old, she began spending most of her time preparing for the busy times. Funny thing is, times don't get so busy for her anymore! The biggest deal these days is when she hisses at the new kitten for, well, for just being there.

We let her have the run of our garage, and she finds some interesting places to sleep. I told my husband to go out to see where she found to hide this time!

This box is 4' above the floor on a table.

Scrappy gets some sleep.
When my co-workers and I noticed a cat raising her kittens near our building, we tried to care for them with food and water. When the kittens got old enough, we tried to find homes for them. Some were a beautiful color, some had nice markings, and then there's Scrappy…

We caught this kitten from the cat's 3rd or 4th litter, and the girl who kept it overnight said she named it "Angry Kitty," because of its bad attitude. When we got it home, we had to work at getting it accustomed to the surroundings. In the first 12−18 hours, we found out some interesting things about "Angry Kitty."

We call her "Scrappy," and most of all, she is opinionated, and doesn't mind telling you about it! Our Vet had her overnight for a "Procedure," and they said she was THE most vocal cat they ever had in there!

I got this picture when I came out to find my husband and the kitten both asleep in the chair. Previously, I would be amused to look out there, and see him asleep with her laying in his arms licking his hand.

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