Tragedy Strikes

Last week, while I was closing our sofa bed, Pookey got her head caught in the hinge. I immediately smelled her "perfume", and reopened the sofa. She escaped and hid under a cabinet. I got her out and was filled with horror- her head seemed crushed and had a gash, she was limp, and she seemed barely hanging on. We rushed her to a midnight visit at our vet, lightly caressing her and constantly talking to her softly to keep her aware of our love. I had little hope, but hope I had. The vet (a specialist in exotics) examined her, took x-rays and gave her pain meds and antibiotics, but on such a small creature could not do much more.
I did not sleep that night, and took the next day off, holding her, giving the meds every few hours and spoon-feeding her baby food. After a few hours she began to move around a bit, but was exhausted after a minute or so.

Part of the family

Well, it's been about a year and a half now. Pookey's definitely fallen into our lives. When she's awake, she likes to be the center of attention. She's very curious with new people, and sometimes comes on day trips with us, always stealing everyone's heart. The cats tolerate her. We may take her camping with us this summer.

As for her care: Her main diet is Almo Natura dry cat food, and she prefers a few small meals, which the cats usually finish- though Pookey'll chase the cats away if she's hungry. She also sometimes gets boiled chicken and occasionaly fish. She goes nuts for certain vegetables, and we just can't stop her stealing tomato, avocado, celery and bell peppers (don't tell me... there's nothing I can do to stop her).  She hasn't had any health issues, though she did lose the fur on her tail at the end of the winter, and it grew back in the spring. We occasionally give her frontline flea treatment for cats.

Check in February 2014

Diet: Amo Natura dry kitten or cat food, chicken, occasionaly anchovies. She also likes avocado and bell peppers, though we don't give them regularly. She also likes to try other fruits and vegetables.

Training: Pookey comes to her name, or at least looks at you to see if it's worth coming, like the cats. She's a free range weezl, and mostly uses the kitty litter box, well, she's getting better at it. She'll also go about on a leash and harness.

The biting: Pookey is no longer a biter. The only exception is nipping bare feet, the stinkier the better, though it's playful, she can overdo it sometimes.

Behavior: Pookey is now just another part of the family, like me and the cats. She's kinda found her place, and it seems she's always been here. She's very friendly, curious and playful. Since Christmas she's been a free-range weezl, with no problems. She explores lots, and explodes into a joyous weezl dance when she manages to get into our off-limits-to-animals bedroom, eliminating any hope of stealth. She likes to meet new people, and has traveled around the neighborhood with me. She has formed an inseperable bond with my 7 year old daughter, and plays well with little children under supervision.
I could go on for hours about funny little things about her, but that's for future posts.
One thing people ask me is if she's like a dog or cat. Well, sort of. She's a domesticatdd companion animal, she looks for interaction with us, but she's got a different personality, in the way that dogs and cat's have different personality. She is as intelligent as cats and dog: she knows her name and what different tones of voice mean, she tries to trip me like the other animals until I feed them in the morning. She is certainly not like a hampster or guinea pig, as wonderful as they are. It's taken a bit to get the hang of her ways, but the responsability and companionship is pretty much like a dog or cat.

The Christmas Weezl

Well,if you're following this blog, you've noticed the lack of weekly check in's. The deal is, she's simply integrated into the family. The extra patience and willingness to work with Pookey paid off, and now we're enjoying her fun personality. She's especially fond of my daughter, and seems to enjoy her torture sessions. She gets on reasonably with the cats, and is buddies with Pimpi. We can mostly trust her around the house, kinda almost, and are learning tricks like putting stones in the house plant vases. Now if she'd only use the litter. Healthwise, she's doing great. She eats well: lots of boiled chicken, Almo Natura dry kitten food, sardines in olive oil, and now we have to hide the avocado that she just started hankerin'.
Next up are the vaccinations, begining next week, I'll keep ya posted!

Weekly check in December 1 2013

Sorry for skipping last week's check in. Actually, things are kinda getting settled down. Pookey`s pretty much become a member of the household. She's still a bit "behaviorally challenged", but it's a tolerable and we're working on it. She's out most of the time we're home, and mostly just digs around the apartment, occassionally coming out to attack us or Pimpi hoping to play hide and seek. Her scar is healing well and gets calendula gel daily. She's been eating dry kitten food, boiled chicken, scrambled eggs and sardines in olive oil. Pookey'll start getting vaccines later this month.

Weekly check in November 17 2013

It's been another big week for da Weezl... at 7 1/2 months old she begun going into heat, evidenced by her "patatina" swelling up, so it was off to Doctor Ivan for spaying. I took her to the clinic Thursday night, she was operated on Friday, and I picked her up in the evening. She was groggy and sleepy for the ride home, but perked up at home and was active and awake, and ate alot of dry food and chicken. She'll be taking antibiotics for 8 days, and she'll be on bed rest and until her check-up Tuesday. I'm giving her the antibiotics crushed on a small portion of chicken, cut into really small pieces so she's less likely to pull em out and hide em. I'm using calendula gel on her wound to help it heal. She's been pretty active, though she is sleeping much more than usualy, and she definitely likes being held, stroked and hand fed...
As well, she's infested with fleas, as were the cats, so this weekend we're steam cleaning the home. She'll get another dose of strong hold on the 25th.
Pookey's eating well, dry food and chicken. She's not so great with the litter box around the house.
Biting is reasonable, but needs more work. She's been nipping and licking me some, like when the cats groom me.
Putting stones in the plant vases stopped her digging.

Weekly check in November 10, 2013

Food: dry kitten and ferret food, scrambled eggs, boiled chicken wings.
Play time: 3-4 hours or more in the whole house.

This week Pookey really started being a part of the family. She spends most of the evening and weekends roaming free. We're all learning about each other. She spends most of the time sniffing around, getting into everything, and finding her favorite spots. It's an ongoing job weezlizing the apartment, but it's also ending up a generally safer, cleaner home for all of us.

Behavior wise, she's really improving. Her biting is at a tolerable level now, and is fairly predictable. I've been working on picking her up and holding her, and she's grown quite accepting of it. I've also been learning to scruff her properly, not as a punishment but as a way of holding her. She gets pretty docile, especially if I rub her belly, she seems to love that. I'm able to brush her, wash her and even clip her nails. Scruffing also seems to change the way she views us, the more we do it, the more she treats us like her caretakers, not her littermates. She also responds some to her name, but I think the combination of poor hearing and distractions make it likely that she'll be like the cats, hearing when it's convenient.