Integrating the Derivative

I uploaded a few pictures of our pets to the pics page. Check them out! I also found a suitable picture for my profile.

Pets

We have three cats (unknown breeds) and one dog (pug) as you can see from the pictures. The cat on the left is Tiger and the cat on the right is Sydney.

Tiger and Sydney are the oldest pets. They’re also siblings. I don’t remember exactly how old they are but they are at least 10 years old. Tiger likes to rise up on his back legs to be pet (but doesn’t like being picked up) and can get kind of cranky if you ignore him. Tiger rules the garage and the yard. Sydney is more of a people-cat and likes to be picked up and handled. When she was only a year or two old she suffered a large gash in her leg. We’re not really sure how it happened. Fortunately it healed up nicely and doesn’t seem to have caused any long-term problems. Both cats tend to drool when pet.

Jazz – Jazz is the newest addition. He’s about five years old. We got him from a litter of kittens that someone was selling in Eau Claire. He’s not much of a people-cat and generally likes to stay off by himself. He’s my grandma’s favorite cat and gets a lot of special treatment from her in the form of leftover food or special cat food. Jazz can usually be found in the barn or out back in the former pool area. He and Tiger chase other cats off of their territory when they see them. Jazz has several battle scars from fights with other cats and possibly other animals.

For good or ill all of our cats live outdoors. Personally I prefer having pets inside. Small dogs are the only pets, besides fish, that have been allowed inside our house.

Mingo – Mingo is also about five years old. We’ve had him for a little longer than Jazz. I found him on the internet and my grandparents picked him up on the way back from a trip somewhere in Kentucky. He’s a playful dog and loves his glove. Besides his glove he also has a nyla-bone that he likes to chew on. His glove trumps all other toys though. He likes to chase, chew, and throw it around the house. He also likes to run through the house like a maniac every now and then. Jazz likes to play with him by jumping on his back when he’s outside. Mingo lost vision in one of his eyes a few years ago when it got swiped by one of the cats (we think, maybe Tiger). He seems to get along okay though and only occasionally bumps into things. Mingo is actually the second dog with his name that we’ve kept. The first Mingo was also a pug.

Dogs and cats aren’t the only animals we keep. Since my grandpa has retired he’s back into buying and selling horses. I don’t care for horses much but he enjoys having them. We also have two large ponds in the yard that are stocked with bluegills, bass, and catfish (maybe). There was a massive die-off of fish a few years ago that I think might have eliminated the catfish population and also killed off the largest of the bass and bluegills. I think it was caused by low oxygen content in the water after a heavy thunderstorm.

I also have a tropical fish tank. Currently I have: two tiger barbs, one plecostomus (algae eater), one pearl danio, one red-finned tetra, and three cory catfish. These fish (except the pleco, it’s new) have all lasted through different owners and many car trips. They’re tough! Technically the barbs and tetra belong to my girlfriend. Maybe I should charge rent.

I can’t think of anymore pets so now this over-long post can come to an end!