Comical Kittens
I recently sat for two different clients who each have two kittens. At the first visit, the smaller of the two kittens, who were about 8 or 9 weeks old at the time, kept doing the funniest thing. The kittens had a toy with a big bunch of feathers on the end of a stick. The feather bunch resembled a bird and was large enough that it was almost as big as the small kitten. When I’d shake the feathers to play with her, she’d get a hold on the feather bunch with her mouth and carry the whole toy off into a corner of the room or behind some furniture. It was the funniest sight, watching this tiny kitten carrying off this feather bunch that was almost as big as her, dragging the stick behind. Not long afterward, I sat for another client with two kittens who had a similar toy. It was even funnier when I watched one of the kittens hold the feather bunch in his mouth, dragging the stick behind him down the hall while the other kitten followed, chasing the end of the stick. I wish I could have gotten pictures or video, but kittens usually move too fast to do so. They are more entertaining and comical than anything on tv!
Encounter with a Snake
It's important when walking dogs to always be aware of what the dogs come into contact with. One day I was walking two dogs down the road they lived on, and they were happily exploring and sniffing in the brush beside the road. The next thing I knew they spotted and headed toward a black snake in the brush. They wagged their tails and acted like they wanted to play with this newly discovered creature. Luckily, I saw the snake and pulled them away from it before they engaged with it. I don’t know a lot about snakes, but I don't think it wouldn’t have wanted to play with the dogs. Although this particular type of snake is usually harmless, I wouldn't want dogs I was walking to get bitten. And there are other snakes in the area that aren't harmless, like copperheads. Last fall I kept hearing about copperhead sightings in people's yards, so I was extra careful with the dogs I walked and kept them from going into leaves on the ground where copperheads could be hiding. Luckily, we didn't encounter any of those.