Animal Behavior

I have 5 cute, adorable turtles, Big Al, Cooter, Cracker, Romeo and Juliet in my backyard pond. I love sitting by the pond, feeding them, talking to them and yes, they do listen to me. It's very relaxing watching them watching me and wondering what they are thinking. I hand feed them krill their favorite food product. I also give them live tadpoles when available. I do this to help with their hunting skills just in case they ever have to be released to the wild. Since the cold spell has hit Florida my buddies have taken refuge at the bottom of the pond. They don't swim up to greet me or bask on the rocks. I sit by the pond and call them by name but I am ignored.

The cat Martha has gotten quite irritable lately. She wants to be fed 24 hours a day. She's so fat now that she waddles when she walks across the room. I am giving her a low cal food and she is not a happy camper. She whines and yells every time you walk by her and runs to her food dish. If she is not compensated she swats at you with her dagger claws. Most of the time she catches my arm as I walk by and leaves her mark. I go through a box of band aids every week. This morning to makes matters worse she up-chucked all over the kitchen counter. Thank you Martha that was so very appetizing.

Then, Ron the beastly dog has been caught sleeping on the couch. His hair clinging to the cushions was the giveaway. He has a brand new dog bed but will not go near the thing. Why? I ran out of dog food so just for today I substituted the low cal cat food for his breakfast. He is not a happy camper and has gas that is really polluting the air. He did jump up on the kitchen counter to help with the cat clean-up. Gross me out and gag me with a spoon.

The Koi, no names here are no trouble at all. The cold has not sent them into hibernation. I walk by the pond and they all swim up to greet me with gaping mouths. In reality it's the food they want and not my company :(.

Animals you gotta love them.

See Me - Feel Me

I see signs everywhere, like the election and life in general. Just this morning after I awoke from a near nightmare, which in itself is a sign, my day was programed. I was a little disturbed by the nightmare even though it happened in the AM.
So my day began with a negative. I looked outside in to the lanai and noticed the water flowing ever so slightly over the edge of the pool directly toward the bedroom door. Hubby had started to fill the pool the previous night and forgot to turn off the hose. So the water ran all night long. I just can't wait to get that water bill. And to make matters worse he left the fence gate open. The dog, good dog that he is, apparently didn't notice.
So I'm sitting in front of the computer and I realize that I cannot see the words on the screen. I remember putting in my contacts but I certainly did not mean to put in two left eye contacts.
My signs again.

Euthanasia

When one hears that phrase - 'When the shit hits the fan', you know something isn't too pretty. What happens, 'When the shit hits the floor'? It has happened at our house quite often lately.
The old girl is 18, senile, half blind, can't hear, has constant eye infections, her body has become some kind of wart factory and she paces aimlessly as if in pain. Her back legs are stiffened with arthritis and no longer bend where they should bend. She has difficulty standing and frequently falls over. When outside she seems to be searching for something and tends to wander off, always in the road. I can't take my eyes off her for a second. She will only do her business in the driveway. 18x7=126.
I have doggie pee pads placed in two places in the house. She's has approximately a 90 % chance of hitting the pads. Since she can't see I'm thinking they must have a secret smell to attract piddlin. I don't mind the doggie pads.
Recently the number two issue has raised its ugly head. I have been feeding her soft dog food so her need to defecate has increased. I do this because she has lost quite a few teeth.
Yesterday she was playing hide the poop and she did hide half of it under the doggie pee pad. The remaining portion was in the middle of the kitchen floor.
I slip out of bed in the darkness of the morning and trudge for the kitchen. NEED coffee, need coffee. I neglect to turn on any lights - my reasons are warped.
1. Trying to save on the electric bill. LOL.
2. The kitchen light shines in the bedroom and hubby is still in lala land.
3. The kitchen window faces the street and there I stand in my ratting old nightgown.
So as I walk silently, in the dark, across the kitchen floor to get the coffee - it happens. Something soft, squishy and odorous squeezes between my toes. I walk back to the bedroom leaving a trail of poop across the tile and into the bedroom. Another one of abilities she has lost.
As the shit hits the fan and is blown through my world I think the unthinkable. Is she suffering? Has her quality of life slipped below that level? She doesn't seem happy. Should I - her caregiver/mommy for all these years step up and turn off the fan? There appears to be a sadness in her face and I believe she at times is embarrassed for her lack of control.
Some friends have said, 'you'll know when it's time.' Do I know? Is it time? Euthanasia?