National Pet Day
I have always had animals and nature in my life, both at home and in general. Since childhood I have shared my life with beloved cats, gerbils, stick insects, fish, ferrets and a tortoise as well as working with horses, dogs and many farm animals and I have loved every minute. My pets have got me through many difficult times, their company and calming influence has been vital where people are often too busy, uninterested or have simply moved on from things I cannot.
At the moment we have two wonderful animals that we serve! I thought National Pet Day was a good time to introduce you all.
Furmi (Furman, Furminator, Boogaloo and many more) is an absolute star of a cat and love of my life, my shadow during the day and supervisor of operations. He is nearly 8 years old and we have had him since he was a kitten, such a comical character. Furm is a handsome tuxedo cat and very affectionate with us, but a bit wary of other people who come into the house, he has hiding places to bolt to but given time he will usually sneak back out and realise they aren’t actually that bad. He likes tummy rubs, food and chattering at birds through the window but if they fly too close he runs away, also scared of bees.
Tony (Tone, Tonyaronio) is our Hermanns Tortoise and is endlessly entertaining, akin to a tiny bulldozer, he moves much faster than most people realise and if he wants to get somewhere (usually an awkward place) he will do it - very determined animals! He lives in the house when it is colder outside where he has a nice, large, cosy box to sleep in at night, UVA/UVB lamp and heater, plus he also has a ‘run’ in the garden where he spends most of the warmer months munching on weeds and basking in natural sunlight. He likes baths, little gem lettuce, a bit of tomato, but mostly leaves he finds outside, Hermanns tortoises are weed-eaters so we also grow a tortoise-friendly plant mix to give him variety. Packs of ready mixed seeds can be bought from tortoise specialists like ‘Shelled Warriors’ which makes it very easy to provide for him. He usually sleeps from October to February.
Our boys make every day a joy and the wildlife in the garden and surrounding countryside mean there is always something to appreciate. Happy pet day!