It's A Boy For Thanksgiving!

I brought home a small kitten from the shelter in Massena, New York. His name was Caspar and he'd been neutered and given his distemper shot, but was deemed too young for his rabies shot. I set his carrier on the floor, opened the door and backed off to watch how he handled himself:

He hid only briefly in the carrier, then marched out into the room, which was filled with curious cats and dogs:

He picked a covered litter box in one corner near the food and water to be his hideaway (the same place Sammy picked when he first arrived), and emerged every so often to play with Bugsy's tail while he tried to eat in peace:

He marched right up to the dogs and took a sniff. The dogs were used to such things and never reacted at all, though the cats took three days before they fully accepted him:

Caspar tiptoed up to this dog pile, which must have seemed mighty inviting. He only sniffed the dogs, though, and never climbed on board:

He developed a favorite perch, a high spot between the cat food dispenser and the water bowl. He was safe there and had a commanding view of everything:

And he could socialize with the other animals from what seemed like a safe place:

That "jug" behind Caspar is a Mexican water drum. Adding varying amounts of water changes its sound when thumped with a drumstick:

He learned quickly that the most fun could be had by messing up the yoga mats. Furthermore, the other cats would join him, considering that to be a wonderful game:

I put a wooden scratching post in the computer room for a former cat, and now it is a favorite of Daisy's. The other cats don't use it often as a scratching post, but they do like to hang out there. Caspar joined Bugsy and Daisy in their feline activities:

He's a friendly little fellow who loves to be petted, so I pick him up frequently and make sure I get him purring. Once I brought him into the bedroom to join the dogs. The little dogs thought I was about to take them downstairs so they all jumped off - except Fergus, who was happy to associate with Caspar:

The last photo is of Caspar asleep by the water drum, still a favorite spot for him:

Pets Who Make This House A Home

I now share my home with five dogs, five cats and two guinea pigs and they all spend much of their time sleeping. This is Daphne, snoozing on a fleecy dog bed:

 Meghan and Ruby, the two new guinea pigs, have become extremely sociable and vocal. When they want lettuce, they say so loudly!

 Daisy was scratching up the door jambs, so I built a scratching post out of a cedar fence post and old barn boards. Then I sprinkled it with catnip. It took a while for her to take a liking to it, but she now prefers her post to my door jambs:

 Clover and Bugsy love to cuddle together when they nap:

 And various dogs and cats collect in the kitchen corner, where there are lots of dog beds of various kinds:

 Or, if I'm at the computer, the dogs often forgo the soft beds and pile up next to my chair. Hey, they need to keep an eye on me!

 Daisy was watching the bird feeder just outside the window, while Rocky snoozed in his square of sunshine. I think Clover was trying to decide if she should curl up with Rocky or return to the soft dog beds:

 It's Clover and Bugsy again. They are best friends:

 Seamus was looking fat again, but the vet weighed him at 94 pounds, his lowest since he once weighed 147 pounds. After he got his winter wool cut off at the groomer's, I could see how thin he's become. He's also healthier and happier, with no seizures in a long time:

 Little Jack is a high strung imp, but very lovable:

 The last photo is three friends on the giant floor pillow - Rocky, Bramble and Clover: