*sigh*

Yes, these are all the same arguments I have with myself. I have always been of the "indoor only" group, not just because of the dangers but because of the problems they cause with local wild-life, specifically, birds and rodents, particularly ones with dangerously low populations. This is an especially big problem in England (saw a Nova program on it).

But I have such a small house and there are FIVE of them. I love them all but they can drive a person crazy sometimes. They scratch at the door and cry and cry to go out. It's okay for a couple of them, who won't stray past the sound of my voice.

The really cool thing is, they are so well trained, that usually, when I'm ready to go inside, I call out, "Let's go!" and they all come running back in.

A fence would not work at all. There couldn't be one high enough or deep enough. These guys can open doors, gates and, if it's loose enough, windows. I once couldn't find one and discovered him later that night in a cabinet. He not only let himself in, but had somehow managed to shut the door behind him!

Their names, btw, are Vashti (aka Triangle Iris), her sister Willow, Valentine, her brother Ender (aka King Salmon, the only boy) and Valentine's and Ender's older sister/cousin/aunt Flora.

*lol* Minus the confusion, that's Vashti, Willow, Flora, Ender and Valentine.


And since I'm new here, I guess I should say I also have a 15 year old cockatiel named Russ. I have a dying rat named Puck, who's tumor is so big, I'm thinking about giving it it's own name. He just hauls it around and is otherwise fine, and according to the vets, will feel and act fine up until the very end, so I've decided that as long as Puck is happy, I won't put him to sleep.

I just lost my Chow dog Sadie to a stomach torsion. And I'm still mourning the loss of my coyote dog Kiche to Lymphosarcoma about 5 years ago. She was six.

On a happy note though, my bird is in love with the cats and loves to sing and talk to them. I think they're just confused by him. They like to sniff him and chew on his tail feathers. NOT something I encourage, but Russ doesn't mind in the least. I put him back up on his cage, he jumps off and marches around the living room like a dressage horse after whichever cat he sets his sights on.