Today in Animals

When my friend was at my site learning how to make stoves I decided, with her help, that my rat problem had gotten out of hand and that something needed to be done immediately. So, we decided I would borrow my neighbor’s cat until November. She’s really cute and she’s NOT coming home with me! I named her months ago, Luna (moon, because she’s totally white), which I had completely forgotten, and I’m obviously smart enough to not call her Luna in a house where there live a Lina and an Eliza. So I’m calling her what I think is the only name that really fits a cat you’re unwilling to keep: Kitty. (But it’s also a really cute name.)

She and Lina do not get along and I know they never will. My friend and I tried a few things to get them to get along and they all failed. When she left I felt a bit like I wasn’t going to be able to handle the two animals on my own, but what I’ve been doing is leaving the cat in the house all day while I have Lina at stove construction, and then tying Lina up when I get home, tucking Kitty in one room, and then letting Lina have full range of the house. With stove construction, Lina and I spend very little time at home, so it works out pretty well anyways. Once Kitty is used to the house I’ll let her in and out of the back room so that she’ll still be able to come in to eat and hunt (which she will hopefully begin to do soon) but not get in Lina’s space. Lina can be a bit territorial.

But, if you can believe it, there is more news in the world of animals. At stove construction the other day I saw something quite frightening: my one neighbor’s dog came to the house where we were working and attacked one of the small dogs at the house. He really had the little guy in his jaws and he ended up only letting go when the mason smacked him in the side with a shovel. It was really scary to watch. When the dog got free he was obviously quite scared. At first I didn’t realize how badly he was hurt. He was bleeding a lot and went to hide behind the refrigerator. The mean dog’s owner ended up having to laso a rope around the little dog’s neck, right where it had been bitten to get it out of the corner. When he finally did the dog was such a mess. I did not take a step back because this felt like an emergency where I might actually be able to be of help maybe because I felt like I actually knew what needed to do, or maybe because I knew I’d take it more seriously than the Dominicans, or maybe a little of both. I got the hose and washed the dog’s neck thoroughly. The bleeding stopped and I got a look at the two areas where he’d been wounded, which were luckily not too deep and not too big. I told the owner to speak to him softly to calm him down and to make sure to wash the area with soap or alcohol (and not lemon and salt like the mean dog’s owner had said) and she mentioned she was going to get an antibiotic to give him as well. He made it through the night, which I took as a really good sign.
I was so grateful that Lina was not with me! I hadn’t been able to go to get her the night before because I’d gone straight from the bola race to a talent show in another town with my kids. Lina had been at every other day of stove construction and has been at the days since as well. She would have been tied up, so I can’t assume that the dog would have attacked her, but I’m just glad she got to avoid the whole thing.

Today at stove construction we got to see a good mixing of the animal kingdom. At one time in the house (where 13 people live, the most occupied house in the town) we had puppies from 2 litters (6), adult dogs (5), piggies (2), pigeons (2-3), hens (4), and chicks (10) all in the same 6 square foot area. I’m used to there being lots of hens and dogs, but the pigs were a new one, even for me, and I think Lina got a little scared. She’s not been enjoying the sounds that the metal used in the construction make, and with so many tiny animals around on top of that, I think she got a little stressed. She took it out on one of the animals but we got her to stop…still, it scared me and I’m nervous she’s nothing but a big bitch now. Oh and don’t ever think that she’ll share her food with you, because she won’t, and she’s all too happy to make you incredibly aware of that fact.