PRINCESS MARIGOLD: New Addition to the Real Raw Rattie Family

Hello! Meet Marigold! She's the new raw rattie in town! She came to join Cat last Thursday...

Mari: Bounding with Energy!

Cat was at work and the man there said he was going to take her to the pet store. What?! She had been living with another female rattie, who passed away, and the family felt that they weren't paying much attention to her. So, it was a trip to the pet store---and possible euthanization as Marigold is over a year old (and who'd want to adopt such an "old" rattie anyway?).
Step in the heroine: ta-da: Cat came to save the day and rescue the fair lady rattie.
"Sure, I'll take her home with me," Cat told the family.
The man gave her a box and she punched some holes in it. On the bus ride home, Cat frequently made sure to check up on the silent missy, offering her finger, at times, as a means of comfort that she was right there if she needed it.
And what a missy indeed! What a flirt!!
Cat figured there might be some action, heck, even some trouble, when boy met girl, or male rattie met female rattie.
Marigold was in heat! Zuko was trying to catch her all night, but this one, she's got energy, boy!
Mari (her nickname, pronounced Maw-ree), would hunker down, wiggling her little tush and ears. She'd wait and then, when Zuko approached and was quite close, she'd bound away! Zuko never seemed to tire of trying to catch her, but it seemed clear that she had the advantage. Running all over the kitchen, it was apparent that she was the jogging queen. Zuks, he remains the rock climber!
Zuko, in the end, actually seemed to be winding down...or was it that he was trying a new approach? Mari was flirting boldly with him; he'd be trying to find where she'd gone and hid herself, and she would pop over to see him, almost rubbing noses with him as if to say, "Here I am!"
Zuko became quieter, almost stopped chasing her, in fact. He appeared to be...waiting.
Cat got tired of watching the ratties run around in the kitchen and went to watch a movie with Daddy. They both heard squeaks and squeals...Later, Cat found the mucous plug in Mari, indicating that Mari was no longer as pure as when she first arrived.
WOW! So much action happened in one night! The REAL RAW RATTIE family got a new addition, Zuko had a hot and steamy date, AND a long-term girlfriend that he knocked up in the first night. THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS, MARI IS PREGNANT!
Well, that last part might be tweaked a bit as Cat researched that ratties can have lots and lots and LOTS of babies...and it wouldn't be fair to be putting multiple pregnancies on Mari, especially with her age.
Indeed, female ratties go into heat every 5 days. They can have multiple litters and the number of babies, or ratlets, can be between 6-15, possibly even up to 24!!
Cat isn't sure what plan of action to take after the ratlets are born: she may neuter Zuko or else she will have to keep Zuko and Mari in separate cages. The latter seems a might unfair; a bit of an understatement as Zuko was having a royal fit. Cat had separated Mari and Zuko for the night, not wanting to hear all the mating noises (ratties can mate up 100 times in 24 hours!!). Zuko, being Zuko of course, was having none of it! He eventually settled down, but only after: throwing over his water dish, overturning his litter box, dismantling the staircase and biting the cage wires. Ah, Zuko!
The next day, Cat washed the cages and put them together. Zuko was also put out because he LOVES his BIG HOME INTACT. He loves having TWO rooms for himself and climbing up to where his room is located, right under the penthouse floor. Now, of course, he's been sharing his quarters with Princess Mari. She's all female, all right!!! She's already made attempts at re-decorating the place, removing what she purports is too many papers in the bedroom and (just today) displacing the contents of the litter box (stinky already?!).
Mari and Zuko have ceased to mate, but Zuko still chases her around, playing and teasing her. She has tons of energy, loves to jog and even bounded up onto the kitchen/living room barrier! Zuko and Mari play in the long plumber's tubes, hide behind the kitchen cart- Mari is even small enough to squeeze behind the wall and the home cage! Like Zuko, she loves to climb the cage and check the view from on top....They certainly seem like a match made in heaven!... Let's see what happens when the kiddies arrive and what kind of parents they are going to be!! That should be in 2 1/2 weeks! Stay posted on events until then!
Ps. Cat is doing a JUICE FAST!
PPS. Better and MORE pics of Princess Mari & Prince Zuko (and the RAW RATTIE TRAIN) coming soon!

No Ordinary Moments

Ah, Zuko...What can Cat possibly write about you this time? Actually, LOTS! There is always something happening here with the REAL RAW RATTIE FAMILY!
Take last night. Alter ego Zuko was laid aside as Chev, for the first time EVER, lay sprawled on Cat's forearm while Cat petted him with her other hand. He just stayed there for what seemed like a long time, letting Cat stroke him.
"You don't have Mille to groom you anymore, do you?" Cat empathized with Chev at the loss of his brother.
Cat continued to coddle Chev, then started to get tired as 10 minutes had passed and she was standing in this rather awkward position. There just happened to be a chair a few feet away and as she slowly and carefully sat herself down, that was Zuko's trigger to come to life! That ended Cat's pet therapy session and Chev's caregiver grooming service.
Today, Cat felt, as she has many times in the past, that Zuko was just like a beautiful little pup. He paddled into the bathroom and jumped into the garbage to munch on goodies & treats as if Halloween happened every day. He made his perusal of the apartment, checking the odors of the shoes on the stairs and in the closet, skirted around the living room where he found it rather dull as Daddy was off at work, and then darted back into the kitchen where he found a cozy spot in the old sleeping bag Cat had thrown down and curled into a ball to take a much needed nap. Later in the day, he followed Cat around, digging in the plants on the balcony as Cat did the laundry (Oooh, not that parsely was not up his alley!), hiding behind the kitchen cart where it was warmer than outside (fall has arrived, Zuko!), and supervising Cat as she cleaned the home cage to make sure it was clean AND had some cozy new papers for his room AND had the food that he had hidden in the dining room. Of course, he stayed on Cat's shoulder for a bit as she did some chores around the house, then, tired of his adventures, he slipped back into the sleeping bag and cozied up in its warmth.
"Oh, Zuko, don't tell me you're becoming a grandpa now!" Cat complained teasingly.
No response.
When Cat checked, he was curled up in a ball. He opened one eye slightly as if to say, "What? What do you want?" then closed it back as Cat crept away.
Night, night, Chev/Zuko!

GREEN JUICE FOR ZUKO: Ratties LOVE GREEN JUICE

Yep, it's true! Cat came home tonight after working late and began to make herself a green juice. Zuko, quiet all day in the home cage while Daddy enjoyed his day off reading and researching, perked up quick when Cat came home.
"Let me out of here!" he seemed to say."I'm STARVING!"
Cat gave him a few mac nuts to appease him, followed by a piece of apple from the local organic farm. Yet soon enough, he was bounding after her, tugging on her pant leg to be let up and supervise what she was up to.
She put him on her shoulder and he climbed onto her arm. She was squeezing juice out of a cotton bag that was hanging from the cupboard knob and into a bowl. She started to laugh; Zuko began to lick the juice that was dripping out of the bag!! She didn't think rats liked green juice!!
Yes, in fact, they DO!
Zuko jumped off her arm and onto the counter. He saw the cap to the water bottle that Cat had forgotten to replace and threw it onto the floor. UH OH, Zuko was already getting into TROUBLE and it hadn't even been 10 minutes!! How time flies in rattie time!
Zuko came straight up to the bowl and started lapping up the green juice.
Cat laughed. "I guess it must be good, Zuks, because I haven't even tried it yet," she told him. He continued to drink the juice and then, Zuko being Zuko, went to go see what other fun objects he could explore while on the counter.
Here's the simple recipe to a great juice, rattie approved!
Simple Apple 'n' Orange Juice

• 1/2 head of lettuce
• 4 apples (Jersey Mac, Lobo & Paula Red), cored
• 1 orange, peeled & seeded
• 1-2 cups of spring water

Put all ingredients in a a high speed blender, like the Vitamix, and pour into a nut mylk bag. Hang the bag from the kitchen cupboard knob, and let gravity do the work for a while as the juice drips down. Then, squeeze out the remaining juice. Makes around 1 liter. 
There is an option, here! You can add 1-2 tbsp of chia seed to the juice. Chia seed is hydrating and it swells in liquid. It's great for people who have digestion problems as it soothes the intestines and provides fiber. It also contains all the essential amino acids, not to mention being high in calcium, anti-oxidants and Omega-3.
After his juice feast, Zuko found himself having a shower with Cat! He wasn't too pleased to be having a bath;even though Cat made sure the water spray was gentle on him by shielding him with her body, he still didn't care for the "waterfall" spray, not now and not any day!
When Cat came out, he came to see her. Usually he protested when she would towel him off; this time, he was asking for it! She took a towel and dried him off. Then, he wanted OUT of the bathroom. He waited rather patiently, and as soon as they returned to the kitchen, he let it be known that in no uncertain times had he forgotten that he ALWAYS got a treat after a bath!!
Ah, Zuko, you're such a character, but a clever and intelligent one to boot!!
He appreciated the soaked sunflower seeds, shoving more than he could handle into his mouth.
"Pig!" Cat name-called.

Caught, Mister! You're in TROUBLE, Zuko!

He finished his meal with a twig of clover, a dandelion leaf, a piece of lettuce and a few soaked pumpkin seeds. Lately, his diet has been HIGH raw, at about 90-95%. He loves his nuts, seeds and avocado! Coconut oil is sometimes a real treat, as well, but he keeps himself in shape with all the exercise he rigorously puts himself through EVERY DAY: hopping into & fishing in the recycling bin, rock climbing up the barrier that divides the kitchen & the living room, running around in the living room & even sometimes doing a few stairs (hey, those shoes are a wonderful odoriferous adventure!)...Of course, can't forget to mention the MANY occasions he rock climbs into the laundry hamper...that's one of the best adventures of all!! Well, OK, climbing into the refrigerator to check what goodies are in there may come in as a narrow close second.

A Sleeping Delicate Flower (Chevrefeuille/Honeysuckle)

 Yep, after a nice full belly and some aerobic activity, you'd think Zuko would take a nap...Sometimes he does, but that usually happens after the lunch meal. Nope, he's gotta do his laps and rituals, and that recycling bin has some new treats in there, he can smell them! Hm, is that a scampering noise Cat hears on the counter? No...maybe a kind of slapping noise, like the one that Zuko makes when he climbs the kitchen cart and uses the wire attached to the portable, electric range to pull himself the last leg up onto the counter...No, all seems quiet...TOO quiet...Time for Cat to check up and see what Zuko is up to!
Stay alert for more recipes and adventures with Chev/Zuko and the REAL RAW RATTIE FAMILY!

A LITTLE EARLY FOR HALLOWEEN, ZUKO!

Zuko had a mini adventure when Cat put Zuko on her shoulder and went to post a letter. He was happy to be getting outside again, but unfortunately it was quite cool and Zuko protested! He hid between Cat's arm and body, trying to warm himself.
"What are you going to do in the winter time?" Cat laughed.
Perhaps Zuko will get some winter digs?? Nah, he'd just shred them within a few short minutes after putting them on!
Speaking of shredding, Zuko had a fun new way of getting into TROUBLE this evening. He hid in the bathroom and when Cat entered, what did she find? The toilet paper had been wrapped around the toilet and the trail ended somewhere under the washing machine! OH ZUKO!
Cat laughed. It was too amusing to get mad at Zuko. But it his antic was a little bit early for Halloween!
Cat took up the toilet paper that Zuko had unraveled and balled it up. She threw it behind the washing machine and heard little munching noises.
ZUKO!!! Eating toilet paper after the feast he ate, with the cooked potatoes and the raw macadamia nuts, not to mention a small piece of gluten-free cake from Daddy's birthday party?! Sheesh!!
ZUKO, you are truly one of a kind!

Zuko's BIG Day

It all started last week, when Cat took Zuko out for a jaunt. She wanted to take a little walk to get in some exercise. A light bulb flashed above her head.
"I know," she said. "I'll take Zuko!"
So Cat put Zuko on her shoulder and brought a bag with her in case Zuko was too scared to face the REAL WORLD.
Zuko sat on Cat's shoulder as she walked down the end of their street and turned right onto another street. His eyes were bulging as he took in all of the sights and sounds of urban life: cars passing by, streetlights aglow, crickets singing, and the smell of summer flowers in the air.
Zuko scrambled from Cat's right shoulder to her left shoulder, trying to get in different angles or perhaps for a more comfortable position. He didn't like it when she walked too fast; it was too bumpy!
But then when they came to the park, he wanted to be let down. Cat was afraid. He was such a little guy compared to squirrels and cats and dogs. She didn't want anything happening to him.
She put him in the sandbox and hovered close by. He didn't care for and instead when running onto the grass, sniffing around trees like a miniature dog. In fact, that's exactly what Cat thought: that he was just like a mini MINI dog!
She scooped him up and put him on the slide. He was too chicken and climbed down the stairs. So she took him again and went on the slide with him. Whoa! What a ride!!
He went on another slide all by himself and then Cat and Zuko went on one final slide ride together.
Cat picked Zuko up and put him on her shoulder. She continued to walk down the street, this time turning onto a busier street.
Zuko, however, having loved the freedom of running on the grass, kept wanting to be let down.
After several attempts, Cat held him in her hands close to her stomach. He waited patiently enough, but when they got to another big park, he ran happily around on the cool grass.
Daddy was coming home from work, so Cat told Zuko that it was time to go back. She walked quickly at times and Zuko protested. She offered him the bag she had brought, but he wanted nothing to do with it. So she held him in both hands on her chest, close to her heart, and he seemed to feel comforted by the gesture. Zuko had one more big run in the first park he had played in, and then Cat and Zuko returned home.
When Zuko got home, he was played out! It was Zuko's BIG DAY and he wanted to rest!!
Of course, Zuko being Zuko, he rested for not even half an hour before bounding out of his cage and making a bee-line for TROUBLE in the bathroom. Oh, ZUKO!! You're incorrigible!! But you're so LOVABLE!

ODE TO MILLEFEUILLE

Sweet Millefeuille

On Sunday morning, August 22, Daddy came out of the shower and found Millefeuille lying on his side. Cat was sleeping and Daddy came to wake her up, to inform her that Mille had indeed passed away. Cat was a bit sad, but she knew Mille had not been well for 3 months. He had been on antibiotics and was weak, with some days being better than others. Cat was happy that Mille was a in better place called Rattie Heaven.


Mille had lived a great gourmet life. He had eaten plenty of raw and vegan food. He had had great adventures in the REAL RAW RATTIE FAMILY'S first apartment, climbing the kitchen cart for food scraps and fishing around in the bathroom, especially the garbage! When the REAL RAW RATTIE FAMILY moved to their next home, Mille and his brother Chev would have a great time as they had a HUGE space to free range outside their home cage. Cat would leave their door open, and Mille and Chev would climb on top of the TV cart, leave their territorial markings everywhere and hide and play in the recycling bin. In fact, back in the good old young days, Cat would make club houses made of cardboard boxes, and Mille and Chev would hide and play amongst the levels.
In those days, Mille was a real bugger! He was a sneaky fellow, stealing Chev's food and hiding it for later! There were many days when Mille and Chev even played a game out of it and would steal food from each other and hide it in their hiding spot!! Cat even got long plumber tubes so the Mille and Chev could hide in them and they would connect to great places, like from the home cage to the recycling bin.

Just Cuddlin' Together, Mille & Chev

In those days, Mille would also get into T-R-O-U-B-L-E. He would bite on the baseboards close to the doors that led to to the closet and the living room. In fact, at the least opportunity Mille and Chev would bolt for the big wide space where Cat and Daddy hung out in the living room, and there Mille would try to chew up the TV wires. Both boys had several field days when Cat forgot to close the closet door and had a great hoot digging holes in the items they found on the floor. Chev would climb up the clothes hanging in there and make it to the top shelf, where he would leave his signature rattie chew marks in Cat's personal belongings.
Mille was never that great at climbing, but when Cat decided that the home cage would fare better in the kitchen area, neither REAL RAW RATTIE complained. Indeed, it was a delight to have so many wonderful odors around! Cat moved the recycling bin under the kitchen island, and Mille came full swing into his days as the builder architect. He would take pieces of paper and plastic bags and stuff his room and Chev's room, too, to the brim. Chev would get mad at all this mess and unfortunately Mille didn't take it too well. That was when he started spending his time hiding in plastic bags and tissue boxes in the recycling bin. He was tired of Chev always playing rough with him. He was a peaceful kind of guy, and chilling and cuddling with Cat were some of his favorite activities.

Move Over, Zuko, I'm Coming to Join You!

His other favorite activity was eating! Chev was always so busy running and bouncing around that Mille would eat his portion and Chev's. Unfortunately, that meant that- raw, vegan or not- Mille ended up gaining weight. Exercise was not his strong suit and he refused to listen to Cat's chidings and advice on going on going on a diet, eating slowly or getting in some running. No, he would walk around--and come out of his home cage to see what was for dinner! Eventually, Cat started piling on the fruits and especially veggies, and Mille was not too happy about that. Nor was he happy when Cat imposed a restricted diet and even a few times, a one day fast. In fact, although he seemed to bound with energy and be highly affectionate, even happy!, after these occasions, he would always return to his old behaviors of stealing food and eating too much.

Then, one day, Cat noticed that Mille seemed to be spending a LOT of time either in his home cage or the recycling bin. In time, Mille seemed to prefer just being alone in his room. The mycoplasma  had realy declared war on Mille and began to stop eating. He subsequently lost a lot of weight, and his health continued to decline. For the last 3 months of his life, he ate almost a 100% raw diet. He had changed to eating his food slowly; he would savor his food, especially his favorite---fruit! He also still liked to cuddle with Cat, sometimes just hiding his head in the crook of arm and side, earning him the nickname the Ostrich Cuddler, and sometimes just being on her shoulder and hiding in her hair.

WE LOVE YOU, MILLEFEUILLE!!!

Since his departure, Chev has been a bit more quiet, still his usual self, but quieter...no one to talk to or groom or cuddle with at night...Cat has been calling him grandpa lately as he too is getting older. He seems to be showing signs of mycoplasma as Cat found red porphyrin stains on the inside of his box...Oh, Zuko, not you too!!
Cat and Chev miss You, Millefeuille, but know that you are happy and will meet with you one day...We love you, Millefeuille!

MILD ZUKO ADVENTURES-HOW DISAPPOINTING!

TODAY WITH THE REAL RAW RATTIES


Cat came home after work to find Mille not doing so well. He had a clicking noise in his breathing. He immediately came onto Cat`s shoulder and just stayed there for a while, hiding behind her hair. Then he went back in his box, refusing to eat. It seems Daddy is going to have to intervene with some naturopathic 'medicine...'


Chev was his usual Zuko self, as always! He came bounding out of his home cage, circling Cat`s feet until she gave him a piece of apple. He finished that bit quickly, hiding in the shadows under one of the kitchen cabinets. Then he was back for more! Cat prepared a simple supper of sprouted buckwheaties, soaked sunflower and pumpkin seeds, a few grains of bee pollen, a few chichers (roasted chickpeas) and some kale for greens. Wouldn't you know, Zuko started taking everything out of his bowl and hiding it behind the kitchen cart, leaving a trail of food from his home cage to the cart! That is, until Cat intervened; oops, her hand closed the door and Zuko ate the rest of his bowl inside in the dining area of his home cage. Ah, Zuko!!


Last night's good laugh (after the blog was posted): Zuko climbed the kitchen cart and crept quietly onto the counter. Cat had heard a noise and went to investigate.

"Zuko?" Cat queried.

No answer. Then Cat spotted a tail peeking out from behind the Ziploc bag that Cat had washed and left to dry on the counter.

"Are you playing hide and seek again, Zuk-boy?" Cat asked.

While she made herself a tisane, she left Zuko to explore the counter area, supervised.
He crept onto the dish rack where the dishes were drying and saw a small, round plastic ring that belonged to the steamer (that had steamed his hot potatoes that he had hurriedly shoved in his mouth and flung up his arms in seeming protest!). This time, being Zuko of course, he couldn`t go over or around the circle piece, no, he had to go IN the circle piece. The next thing you knew, Zuko had this circle ring half-way down his body and started to try and escape his predicament! Oh, how Cat laughed!! SILLY ZUKO!! Cat slid the ring off his body and offered the ring back to him.

"How about another round?" she teased.

Zuko took his paws and pushed it away, writhing his body, and seemingly shaking his head as if to say, "No way!"

Cat laughed again. Silly Zuko!!

No silliness tonight! Perhaps he learned his lesson...?

Nah, he'll be back to some trick or other tomorrow!

For tonight, his adventures have been mild:

• stealing a tissue from the bathroom garbage (Yuck, Zuko!), and then biting a few pieces from the clean one Cat gave him
• climbing the laundry hampers (climb one- DOH! closed with a lid, climb down the other one- DOH! empty! Foiled again!!)
• grooming himself behind the washing machine while Cat quickly showered (good job, you took a pointer, Zuko!)
• gnawing at the almond milk container to get a few drops of that sweet nectar
• and, as usual, attempting to climb the barrier dividing the kitchen and the living room, upon hearing Daddy doing his tai chi 

That`s it for now, folks! THE REAL RAW RATTIES are off to bed and so too will Cat and Andy be soon. Night Night!