Friday, September 18, 2015

Vegan Mofo: Honor Those Who Inspire Your Veganism

Today, for the Vegan Mofo theme, we're supposed to honor a human or non-human animal who inspires our veganism. I considered dedicating this post to Jil Evans, an old friend from Food Not Bombs who inspired me to make the switch from vegetarianism to veganism back in 2004.

But I've lost track of Jil. She moved away years ago, and the only pics I have of her are from my old film camera. And I'd have to dig those out and scan them. But Jil was awesome, and she taught me how easy it was to be vegan.

Instead, I'd like to dedicate this post to my animal family. Paul and I share our home with 10 animal companions! I've shared pics of them on the blog before, but who can say no to more cute fuzzy animal pics? These little guys remind me every day that there's no difference between eating a pig or a cow than eating a dog or a cat or a squirrel.

My oldest dog is Datsun. He'll be 14 in February! He's such a good boy. Obedient, loving, friendly. And he loves to play, even though his hips are starting to give out. Datsun is basically the best dog ever. I've had him for longer than I've lived in Memphis! In fact, I was still college when my ex and I adopted Datsun.


And then there's Maynard — the white devil. Maynard is a rescue pittie, and he's a bundle of energy. He's stubborn and hyper. He jumps on people and knocks them over. He doesn't listen all that well. But when he finally calms down, he's a very sweet pup. He follows me all over the house, and I can't sit on the couch without Maynard wanting to sit in my lap. And he weighs, like, 70 pounds! Big ole lap dog!


We have six kitties, the oldest of which is Akasha. My ex and I took him in just a few months after Datsun, so he's almost 14 too. Akasha is such a sweetie. He LOVES to cuddle and to be picked up and carried around the house. He has a disease called mega-colon, so he takes two meds twice a day. But he's so worth all the money and time at the vet.


And then there's Pandora, our only girl kitty. She's so soft. But she's not really into being held or sitting in laps. She does love tummy rubs though! Because she's the only girl, she has the run of the house. All the other animals basically bow down to Pandora. She's the queen bee.


Polaris is our loud kitty! He meows ALL THE TIME. Just walks around the house meowing for no reason at all. If he sits next to you and you move a muscle, he'll meow at you. If he wants something, he'll meow. If he doesn't want something, he'll meow. Sometimes, he'll even have a conversation with you —you meow, he meows, and it goes on until you get bored and stop. He always wins at that game.


Gelfling is Paul's favorite. He rescued him from the streets when he was a tiny kitten, and those two are inseparable. They lay in the recliner together every night and watch movies together. Gelfling is super sweet, and he loves to head butt. But he's also a bully. Sometimes, he chases Maynard, the pit, around the house. And he steals treats from the other cats.


Ozzy was Paul's former roommate's cat when Paul lived in Nashville. The guy couldn't pay rent one month, so he moved out while Paul was at work. But he left his cat. What an ass. It's fine though because Ozzy is much better off with us. He's a sweetie. He likes to paw me in the nose. And we do yoga together in the mornings.


And finally, there's Seymour, the Cupboard Cat. He's a major fraidy cat. He's scared of everything — people, dogs, other cats. So he chooses to live above the kitchen cabinets. Never comes down. He's such a sweetie though! He loves being pet (I climb onto the counters for that), and he loves to eat.


Y'all know about Herman, right? Herman was a baby squirrel who fell from our backyard tree last summer. We raised him and released him, but he came by every few days to visit up until about 2 weeks ago. I think he's finally left the nest for good, which makes me sad. I'll miss this guy! Here's a pic from Herman's first day outside last October! Exploring the big wide world.


And now we have a new baby squirrel — Mabel — who fell from the same tree a couple weeks ago. We'll release her in the same way when the time is right, but she's still nursing for now. Her tiny eyes just opened last weekend!


11 comments:

Veganopoulous said...

what a family! I love how cats especially have their own personalities, my two are so different!

Adriana Robles said...

What you do is amazing! All of your animal companions seem like big sweethearts. :)
Since I live in a apartment, I only have one animal companion (a kitten) that I adopted from Mexico. She's a feisty six-month old princess. Hahaha

Vegetarian CourtesyCheese with Papas

Babette said...

I never get enough of those posts, your family is amazing!

You had me laugh out loud with the meowing Polaris! =)

Anonymous said...

What a house! You're like a furry Brady Bunch! Ozzy looks like a lady killer, so handsome. That picture of Maynard is so cute, such bright eyes. Thanks for sharing all the pics, I didn't realize you lived with so many animals, amazing Herman and Mabel was/are welcomed by the rest of the pack!

Amey said...

what a great post! You and I did such similar posts for this prompt today, it's sweet. I loved reading about all your pets. Yummers also loves to play the meow game. I didn't realize that Herman hasn't been by for a couple of weeks. Aw. I miss him too! Good think you have Mabel for your squirrel needs. Datsun is so sweet. I love old doggie faces. <3

Sarah @welshgirleats said...

Yay for rescue pets! Your house sounds like fun chaos. We're thinking about getting a rescue cat as I think cats cope with crazy toddlers/preschoolers better than dogs do. Since we've stopped at 2 kids I now want to fill my house with rescue cats and dogs (haven't been able to persuade the husband of this yet though, ha)... Sorry, for being a bit of an over sharer.

Hillary said...

What an amazing family you have! I hope you see Herman again! Mabel is so sweet. I love your cabinet kitty, hilarious!

J said...

What a big family you have! I loved all the photos & stories; everyone seems like such a sweetheart in their own little ways! :)

Brenda said...

You are such a good person to give so many wonderful animals a good home :)

Susan said...

I have seen your kids pop up on the blog, but it was great to see them all together. I don't think I realised you had so many kitties!
Hope Herman is doing OK out there, I can imagine that it is very bittersweet with rehabilitating wildlife when they are finally ready to head off on their own.

Barb@ThatWasVegan? said...

I vote for more pet-family posts! :)