Possible Tumor On One Of My Rats

Poor Tasty :(

I have a pair of rats, one, male, is named Snack and the other, female, is named Tasty.  My boyfriend and I rescued them through a place called Northstar at Andy's Pet Shop.  These particualr rats were babies from an episoide of Hoarders, so they are semi-famous.


They both have lived a semi peaceful life and have a 3 foot cage to run around in.  We let them out occasionally, but we also have 3 cats and want to avoid making them living toys.


Recently I noticed Tasty has one red eye.  There can be a number of causes, probably an infection, but there isn't much I can do for her.  Unfortunatly it would be a $300 pet bill and the treatment may not even help, it may be a tumor requiring major sugury.


It looks like it's Porphyrin, because I looked closely at the irritated eye and there are red flakes around it.  This could be a deadly infection and I noticed her left leg is sevearly swollen.  It's likely a tumor and there is literally nothing I can do.


Honestly, I feel awful, I hate letting an animal suffer.  Thankfully she doesn't seem to be in any pain and her man is with her.  I really just don't want to find her dead in the cage one day.


I love the rats, they are also a symbol of both my boyfriends and I's Chinese zodiac animals.  I like the story about how the rat defeated the ox to be first in the zodiac, it's a story about how small ideas can have the greatest impact.


I know there isn't really any ideas too profound in this post, but I'm just worried about another one of my furry babies.


What kind of pets do you own?

Kitten Rescue

My friend found Olive on the side of the road and he couldn't keep her because his landlord doesn't allow pets.


I cannot help but save an animal since the time my two cats went missing in 2009.  I guess I will become the crazy cat lady when I'm old.


Immediately after I took her in I gave her a flea bath and combed out her fur.  She was infested with fleas and very skinny.  Thankfully she was eating solid kitten food, but she still wasn't pooping on her own.


Honestly I think every parent should go through a kitten fostering just to have a taste of what you go through with a real baby.  For about a week I would wake up every 3-4 hours to feed her and help pee/poop her.  When she finally did poop on my shirt on the second day I sighed with relief.


After about one week I took her to her first vet appointment.  Dr. McCall saw her for no charge and estimated she was about 4 weeks old at the time of the visit.  He was a wonderful vet who used his vast knowledge to encourage me to be as natural as possible.  I already had two cats and I try to buy organic and such for them, but it's nice to have a vet who agrees.

Batman and Olive

My boyfriend and I were unsure if we were going to keep Olive; three cats in a 650 sq. foot space can be pretty crowded.  This was until Batman, our medium haired black cat, literally adopted Olive like a single dad.  After this my boyfriend and I knew they were meant to be.

Right now Olive is about two months old and happily growing up in our house, chasing her tail like the cutie pie she is.  My other cat Anya stays relatively stoic when it comes to Olive, but I think Olive is growing on her.  

Sometimes I think magick just tends to find you in the most mundane places.  Seeing a living being grow up under your feet makes me feel like I'm watching creation happen before my eyes.  On a simpler note, Olive is just too cute not to love.


I have adopted many cats in my life, some by sheer want, others fell into my lap.  If you can adopt please do and if you ever have an opportunity to save a life, please try.


Have you ever rescued an animal?  If so, what was your experience?