In Memoriam...Rushing Russia

Last night a beloved member of our family passed away.  Russia (a Russian hamster...thus the name!) was a part of our family for almost two years.  Russia "belonged" to Benjamin; she was his first real pet, aside from our family cats.  She was a spur of the moment purchase one evening as Benjamin and I were perusing Pet Smart, as she reminded me of my beloved childhood hamster, Hammy.  She was an albino, just like he was, and, like Hammy, she loved to climb the walls of her cage and try to cross the top upside down.  She earned her nickname, "Rushing Russia", because she loved to run on her wheel--and run through the house on her myriad escapee adventures!  She lived to the average age of hamsters, and in people years, was over 70 years old.  (That last piece of information, garnered from the internet, really seemed to put her death into perspective for Benjamin.)  We all loved little Russia, and she will be greatly missed.

Rest in peace, Rushing Russia!

You can read more about Russia on Benjamin's blog, where he wrote several posts about his special pet:

http://www.brilliantblogbyben.blogspot.com/2012/10/russia-update-in-captions.html

http://www.brilliantblogbyben.blogspot.com/2012/07/russias-demo.html

http://www.brilliantblogbyben.blogspot.com/2012/05/rushing-russia-update.html

http://www.brilliantblogbyben.blogspot.com/2011/12/russias-new-cage.html

http://www.brilliantblogbyben.blogspot.com/2011/10/russia.html

Guest Post by Nathaniel, Age 4

Photo by Benjamin, age 7

Russia is a good hamster.

Russia hibernates her food.

Russia does not bite very much.

I love Russia.

A Moment in the Life of Russia (Photolog)

Ebony looks very innocent...

and then the fun begins!!

Time for a quick exit!

But Russia can't get away that easily!!


(No animals were harmed in the photographing of this incident.)

Ebony's Story

Ebony's arrival was a bit more planned than Tigger, Jr's arrival. Shortly after Tigger, Jr. found us, we knew he needed a playmate. Dave and I had two cats prior to the birth of our younger two sons, and we knew they enjoyed companionship, especially when left alone for long periods at home. Since I work in the mornings, we thought Tigger, Jr. should have a friend. We also knew we wanted another kitten so that they could grow up together and grow up with our boys. So, we went back to the rescue association that had helped us with Tigger, Jr., Friends of All Animals. Located in Lebanon County, Friends of All Animals uses foster families to care for animals while trying to find forever families for them. They take some of their kitties to Pet Smart in Lebanon each Saturday morning to see if they can find families for them. So off we all went to Pet Smart about a month ago, to see if we could find a kitten for Tigger, Jr.

When we arrived at Pet Smart, I was naive enough to think that we could walk in, fill out the papers, pay the fee, and walk away with a kitten. However, that's not how it works, and rightly so. First of all, there was only one kitten in the lot of cats that were there. Apparently it's not the time of year for kittens (who knew?). But there was one, so we held her and decided that she was the one (however you decide that!). We filled out the paperwork, but I didn't have the phone numbers for the references that I needed. When I got home I called the woman who runs the rescue association to give her the phone numbers. She remembered us from Tigger, Jr., but told us that she wasn't sure why the black and white kitten was at Pet Smart on this day, because someone was already interested in adopting her. She wasn't sure what was going on for sure with that situation, though, so she said to take care of a few things meanwhile (Tigger, Jr., needed to be tested for feline leukemia) and she would get back to us in a few days.

Well, the few days turned into a few weeks as we called back and forth and waited for things to happen. Happily, though, we were finally told that we could adopt our little kitten for Tigger, Jr. We were so excited! I called dibs on naming her since she and I were the only females in the house and I had been outvoted with Tigger, Jr.'s name. I knew that it needed to be feminine, yet reflect her personality and coloring. I chose Ebony and it seems to fit. She has been with us for a little over a week now, and is adjusting very well. She is definitely a little lady, but doesn't let bigger Tigger, Jr. get the best of her. She has really brought out the kitten in him, as we think he was never around other cats before...he had to learn to play, but he caught on quickly! Now they play and play fight and romp around the house like a little herd of elephants, but they can also be found snuggled together on our bed on many occasions. Life is good! (Click here for a photo of Ebony's adoption day...you may have to scroll down a tad...)

Tigger, Jr.'s Story

To see Tigger, Jr. now, you would never guess he was underweight and scrawny when we first met him, but he literally only weighed 1 1/2 pounds when he found us. Yes, you read that right...he found us. Tigger, Jr. was hanging around the church/school building where I teach Kindergarten, but was not allowing anyone to catch him. It had rained earlier that week, and when we first saw him, he looked like a drowned rat. One of the teacher aides was really interested in catching him and getting him some help, so when he showed up outside my basement classroom window, I figured I would try to help her out. I opened the window above a tall bookshelf in my room and waited. He was really meowing loudly, so of course the kids in my class were beside themselves and every time he would put a paw on the bookshelf, they would hoot and holler which sent him running for cover! So I told them that they needed to be quiet and go about their business as usual (whatever THAT is in Kindergarten!) and he would come in. Finally it was lunch time, so when we all left the room, I shut the door in case he came in while we were gone. Sure enough, when I came back to the room, Tigger, Jr. had ventured down the bookshelf and couldn't get back up...which was what I was betting on! Long story short, we finally caught him (he was so small he was under even the lowest shelf!) and put him in a box. The teacher aide who was interested in catching him had a friend who fostered cats for a local rescue association, so we called her, and she came and got Tigger, Jr. so he could be assessed and such. While she was gone, I called Dave and asked if he wanted a cat. The rest, as they say, is history! We were given all the supplies we needed for the cat by the lady who took him to be assessed, so we were good to go the first couple of days.

While we aren't certain about Tigger, Jr.'s date of birth, the veterinarian guesses he was born the beginning of October, so we will remember his birthday along with Nathaniel's each year. He has proven to be a great cat and adapted well to life indoors. We are glad he found us when he did, as he would have surely frozen to death with the cold spell that hit our area a couple of days later. As to his name, Dave and I had a Tigger who looked exactly like Tigger, Jr. before our youngest two were born. I thought we should honor Tigger's memory and not name our new kitty the same name, so I suggested adding the Jr. and calling him "Junior". However, I was overruled by all of the other family members, so now he goes by Tigger, Jr. or Tigger. I guess Tigger, Sr. wouldn't mind!

Newest Fisher Family Members

Updated: The photos finally posted! Enjoy!

Well...I was going to post a photo of our newest family members, but at this point in time, that function does not seem to be working properly on Blogger. So, suffice it to say that our two newest family members are Tigger, Jr., and Ebony, both of the feline variety, and both with interesting stories to tell. But, alas, the stories will have to wait until such a time as I can post the photos! Check back soon!