Emergency Bath Time

Someone found something stinky to roll around in so now Mama has to give us a bath. We do not understand why Mama doesn't appreciate our smells. This is our guilty face.

My Kooky Corys

My albinos decided to sit still long enough for me to snap a picture.

My little freshwater aquarium is home to six corydoras. Over the weekend, I did a 20% water change. Nothing too exciting about that, just routine maintenance. I have a rain barrel in my back yard to collect roof runoff, which the fish like, especially the occasional mosquito larva that makes for a nummy treat for a lucky cory.

But this time, I added some blackwater extract I found on Amazon. Corys are blackwater fish, and I want to simulate their natural environment as much as possible. Man, what a difference! These are usually pretty mellow fish. They have periods of activity, such as when the plant light clicks on in the morning and at feeding time, but mostly they just lounge around on the decorations or on the bottom substrate.

After I added the extract, the little guys went crazy, darting around all over the place. That was yesterday and they're still at it. I have never seen them be so active for so long. I'm definitely adding this stuff at every water change from now on. Best. Investment. Ever.

Unimpressed

Unimpressed corgi is unimpressed with your tributes. Do better, piggies.

30 Day Photo Challenge - Day 12

Animal

This is My dog. He's 50% Pembroke Welsh Corgi, 50% Australian cattle dog and 100% derp. He thinks it's his job to flop in as many places as possible. One of his favorite spots is My lap (because scritches and belly rubs are awesome, amirite?). He is the best dog ever.

R.I.P. Jack

I'm taking a day off from My regular schedule to help my BFF, S. Her cat, Jack, crossed the Rainbow Bridge late last night. It was a sudden loss, and she has another cat, so we had to take Jack-Jack to the vet for a necropsy to make sure it wasn't something contagious.

Jack was originally a feral cat who decided to adopt S.'s former roommate, M. When M. moved to Arizona to help care for his elderly grandmother, he left Jack with S. Jack was always a skittish kitty, thanks to his hard-knock life on the streets. But with S. he finally started to relax and be a sweet and affectionate pet.

S. and I met and became friends a little over a year ago. She'd had Jack for a couple of years and his penchant for hiding under furniture or in the kitchen cupboard was just a personality quirk she'd come to accept. Until she went out of town for a week and asked Me to look after her pets while she was away.

Within that week, Jack decided I was his human, thank you very much. When I came over to visit, he would often greet Me almost as soon as I was in the door. If I spent the night at S.'s house, he liked to sleep with Me at the foot of the guest bed. He never - and I mean never - sat on anyone's lap. Except Mine.

So, yeah, Jack and I bonded and I'm very sad to see him leave this world. But the vet said he died of natural causes, most likely a heart attack. Jack was a senior kitty. The vet estimated he was around 12 years old. So his death isn't entirely unexpected, it just came as a surprise since he'd been fine and playful earlier in the day.

Goodbye, Jack-Jack. You were a good boy and you will be missed. Catch you on the flip side, Mr. Fuzzybutt. I'll have plenty of scritches for you when we meet again. <3