The Sparky Report #20

SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

Sparky Tabasco goes where angels fear to tread. You'd think she would exercise caution around Dobermans and Boxers who outweigh her many times over, but as you can see by these pictures, she's turned those big dogs into her personal hot water bottle. Many's the time I've seen her wedge herself between the two dogs to take advantage of their body heat. Heck, now that winter's here, I've been tempted to join Sparky and the dogs myself!

SAWING LOGS

I suspect Sparky's semi-feral background has something to do with her choice of sleeping spots. Like most cats, she likes dark hidey-holes, but unlike most cats, her favorite hidey-hole is the wastepaper basket under my desk.  

 

CATCHING SOME ZZZZZ'S

I've learned that if I suddenly realize Sparky has been missing for a couple of hours, I'll usually be able to find her sleeping in the wastepaper basket (or giving me the stink-eye for disturbing her sleep).

 

CHRISTMAS LIGHTS?

And finally, I leave you with an interesting picture. What is it? An out-of-focus picture of Christmas lights? UFOs hovering overhead? Fireflies? Headlights in the dark?

No. None of the above. This is what happens when you let the lens on your camera get dirty with bits of dust and a few raindrops. Take a flash picture in the dark, and you end up with something like this:

 

 

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Comments

[theo]

Oh, Sherrie, that is just adorable! Fearless Fosdick indeed. :) Garth will rub on the dogs occasionally, but so far, he hasn't slept with them. Unless they're under the covers in bed with me. Then he'll lay on top of them.

You are a very fortunate momma to have Sparky. What a delight she's turning out to be. And the dogs at least tolerate her if not outright love her as well.

[Laura]

Hi, Theo! It *is* adorable, isn't it? Fearless Fosdick, indeed! LOL! I wonder if we're the only ones who actually remember the Fearless Fosdick cartoons?

Sparky is such a fearless little imp. She has totally won over Shona, and it is highly entertaining to watch the two of them playing. Boxers (and sometimes Dobermans) often have a strong prey drive, so I've monitored Shona closely, but Sparky has a lot of street smarts and she seems to know that if she runs away from Shona, it could trigger that prey drive. So Sparky doesn't run away. And that confounds Shona, who figures if she can't chase Sparky, she'll just play with her. And pretty soon, all that playing has turned them into great buddies. Yesterday afternoon I laughed myself silly watching those two sprawled together on the big round dog bed, slapping and fake-nipping at each other and having a gay old time.

Your Garth is probably playing it safe by not sleeping with the dogs unless they're under the covers with you!

[Louisa Cornell]

Fearless! Miss Sparky is definitely fearless! It is amazing how dogs and cats work these things out. Miss Rebecca was never afraid of my Great Dane, not even when she was a tiny kitten. And all of the house dogs currently sharing the house with us are much smaller than a Dane. And most of them are terrified of Rebecca as she tends to ambush them from high places!

They all sleep together either on the couch or on the bed, but she refuses to let the dogs sleep on the cat bed in the hall bathroom!

[HJ]

Thank you so much for these delightful Sparky Reports this year! Since I can't have a kitten myself, it's lovely to share yours. I'm glad the dogs know their place...

[theo]

Sherrie, my two dobes have a really strong prey drive as well but Garth seems to take that as a challenge. He'll rub on them and walk between their legs and then stare at them like he's just baiting them. Then he runs down the hall and up the stairs and their just not quite quick enough to catch him. And they're not allowed upstairs. Then he sits at the top and watches them like he's daring them to try...

[MaeLou]

Just caught up on your Sparky Reports for December. Lovely. Adorable. Hilarious. I am so happy you are continuing to document and capture his expanding world view and exploration. You are documenting very specific growth behavior patterns with each passing month.

I quit growing wheat-grass in pots as my 1-year old cats either ignore it or pull it out by roots. These feral kits only like spiky weed/grass I gather from ditches. Or they gnaw endlessly on Hawaiian Ti leaves I add as greenery to vases of anthuriums. Go figure. They do shred nicely into fans great for hours of play.
Aloha,
MaeLou

[theo]

You know, I read this over and it's a strong prey drive, but once they have something, they don't know what to do with it so they walk away. Except for mice. Not one dog or cat in this house has a prey drive for rodents. They showed the mice to whatever they wanted! I ended up catching them and releasing them at the credit union a couple miles away. Go figure.

[Laura]

Louisa, your Miss Rebecca Marie probably knew that your Great Dane was a safe bet, just as Sparky knew the same about my Boxer, Shona.

I love that most of your house dogs are terrified of Miss Rebecca! Cats are the ultimate con artists, able to put one over on more gullible animals (and humans!)

[Artemisia]

I have a very nice picture of night-time fog droplets taken while I was learning how to use my new camera. Months later I was taking photos of some plumbing work being done in the pit of our elevator shaft and one caught the same effect of water in the air before the pit was drained.

[Laura]

Hi, HJ. I'm so glad Sparky can be your virtual kitten! I think I'd go nuts if I couldn't have a cat or a dog. I live alone, and they provide so much entertainment, not to mention companionship. I'm happy to share Sparky's adventures as she grows into adulthood!

[Laura]

Theo, your Garth sounds like a real pistol. Talk about playing with fire! LOL! And I had to snicker at the mental image of Garth sitting at the top of the stairs, daring the dogs to trespass on forbidden territory! Have you seen the hilarious video making the Internet rounds entitled "You Shall Not Pass"? It's a series of video clips showing dogs afraid to pass by cats that are guarding stairs, hallways, doorways, etc. Here's the link: http://tinyurl.com/nmly5yb

[Laura]

MaeLou, Sparky is such a bigger-than-life character that it would be difficult NOT to chronicle her life. She is so entertaining! I've learned much about animal communication from a lifetime of pet ownership.

Like you, I once had wheat grass for Sparky, but after an initial interest in it, she did as your kitties did: pulled it out of the pot and scattered dirt everywhere! And with two dogs in the house, cat toys are quickly demolished by sharp canine teeth. So Sparky plays with the larger dog toys to get even. Turnabout's fair play!

[Laura]

Theo, how interesting about the lack of prey drive for rodents! My dogs and cats have always been highly driven to catch mice and rats. I wonder if it's because I live on a farm, where rodents are numerous? When I'd go out to the barn to feed the horses, my dogs and cats always accompanied me, for the opportunity to hunt down rats in the barn. In fact, Nova (my Doberman who recently died) was a tireless rat hunter. She'd catch the scent of a rat hiding in the barn and she didn't give up until she caught it.

Years ago I had a Doberman and a Boxer who were avid rat catchers. We were up at the barn one day, and when I rousted a rat from its nest, both dogs made a dive for it and ended up conking their heads against each other, stunning the dogs so much that the rat was able to make its escape!

[Laura]

Artemisia, how fascinating! Lately, we've had a lot of fog here in western Washington State, and I wonder if I could do as you did and catch fog droplets with my camera? (I almost said "catch fog droplets on film." LOL!) I must give it a try! Sometimes those accidental photos turn out to be wonderful. I'll bet you were pleasantly surprised by your fog and elevator shaft pictures.