Welcome, Byzee!

Hi everyone,
Unlike everybody else in our Kitty family, our second honorary piggy kitty came from a pet store. Usually, buying animals from pet stores is against our principles, but this little one was a thoughtful gift, and soon the Kitties realized that Byzee's origin story was just like theirs. After all, everyone's just looking for a place to be loved.

Like one of his heroes Gil from Finding Nemo, Byzee spent his early days planning his escape from the guinea pig pen in which he and so many others were placed. He knew he was destined for something better.

My sister's work friends picked Byzee out and gave him to my sister after she fell so in love with Carmella, the OG guinea pig who honorably served as a school class mascot before retiring to my sister's home. At first, we thought Byzee was another girl. When we realized our mistake and apologized, Byzee said, "Hey, whatever, man. We're all the same on the inside." Byzee was tiny then, but he had big ideas.

Byzee is named after two legendary beings, the Star Wars saga's Baby Yoda and Avatar's extraordinary fire bender Zuko. Byzee also keeps busy – always on alert, practicing old and new hobbies, and itching to run the growing obstacle course in his new home. Byzee eyes are different colors – one is blue and one is brown – and he and The Mother Kitty discuss this uniqueness endlessly, including their mutual admiration for fellow multicolored-eye glam rocker David Bowie.

Byzee is a wild rock star at heart. Since he moved into my sister's house, he has let his hair grow out like Jerry Garcia, and he's been dreaming of being in a band ever since we watched School of Rock together. He practices all sort of instruments but seems to like the keyboards and drums the best. Most of his favorite musicians play classic rock – The Doors, Cream, The Grateful Dead, ELO, and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. But Byzee's got soul too, often grooving to Funkadelic, Al Green, Stevie Wonder, and Chuck Berry. And, he surprises us all whenever he sings along to newer music, from the likes of Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, and Alicia Keys. But I guess we shouldn't be surprised – he's always up with the times and trends, exploring the latest things.

Byzee doesn't watch much TV, unless I make him sit still for a movie that provides life lessons, but he loves a good goofy comedy. His favorite actors include Steve Carrell, Will Ferrell, Michael Keaton, Holly Hunter, Bill Murray, and Jeff Bridges. His favorite films include Young Frankenstein, Johnny Dangerously, Elf, and any of the Cohen Brothers movies (though he's too young to watch the R-rated ones). Last night, we watched City Lights, so now Comet (our resident silent movie expert) is telling him all about Charlie Chaplin.

But Byzee is more of a hands-on kind of piggy. When not creating music or watching a comedy classic, he likes to build things. He would rather spend his time outside in the wilderness, but his fancy cage is the next best thing. He dreams of remodeling his cage into a guinea pig mansion of his dreams (see below). It's a work in progress, and his new home offers plenty to do and places to run as it is. Most important, there are places to hide and spy: Byzee is always on the look out for his new nemesis Stephen. Don't worry – he's okay with it now that he knows Stephen is everyone's nemesis and, also, Stephen's brain is about the same size as his.)

Like Carmella, Byzee likes to chill with a good book and fresh food, including his favorites, bananas, parsley, and pepper plant leaves. Right now, we are reading The Daily Show (The Book) by Chis Smith together, and he just asked me who Stephen Colbert is. Byzee's still got a lot to learn, but he's getting there – fast.

Welcome to the family, Byzee!

Welcome, Carmella!

Hi everyone,

Carmella is not a cat, but she likes laps just as much as the rest of them! Carmella, our honorary guinea piggy Kitty, used to live at a school and play with all the little kids there, until she retired to my sister's house and shifted to playing with cats.

Carmella can do this all day. 

Carmella never backs down from a challenge, and as soon as she moved in, she gravitated toward Stephen. She considers him an interesting project and tests him with lengthy staring contests.

Carmella always wins these battles because (1) Stephen has a short attention span, and (2) one of  Carmella's eyes is always open, due to an infection she caught during a cold. (To be clear, she doesn't purposely trick Stephen with her trick eye, but she says he has to learn someday that he won't win every fight. Besides, I think that eye gives her some sort of magic powers.)

Sometimes, she turns to the other side and blinks to make him feel better; regardless, she always rewards him with positive reinforcement, letting him share a spot on her favorite blanket.

Carmella is a born teacher, caretaker, and overall wise piggy. She's always reading and learning new skills. This week, she's taken up knitting because there's only so much to do in her cage condo. She just finished reading Michelle Obama's Becoming and wants to grow an organic garden like she did but full of her own favorite lettuces, carrots, and most importantly, strawberries. Everyone comes to Carmella for advice, and she's usually right. When she's not, she spins it into a valuable teachable moment.

When Carmella wants to relax, she spreads out on a lap or under her favorite fleece blanket on the couch, with a snack, ready for a movie or a podcast. She loves Pixar cartoons, anything with Cate Blanchett in it, PBS, and a daily dose of Jeopardy. She also listens to a lot of NPR and can tell us all sorts of stories from the day. (She is a great storyteller, like all old, wise women.)

Carmella's waiting the show to start.

Carmella prefers to listen to instrumental music because she says, while she appreciates great songwriters, the overused bass in pop songs and club music gives her headaches. Instead, she likes the unpredictability of jazz and intricacies of classical. Her favorites are Jason Marsalis (and all the other Marsalises), George Winston, Vivaldi, and Beethoven. Her idols are Toni Morrison, Jane Goodall, Richard Feynman, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and – obviously – Cate Blanchett.

Surprisingly, Carmella dreams of the beach life. Someday, she says, I'll be spending my days and nights in a hammock between two mango trees, next to my organic garden, by a private beach in the Caribbean. She pictures enjoying the sun, sound of the waves, and a good book during the day and studying the constellations at night. (Did I mention she's writing the definitive textbook on stargazing? She's become an expert, on account of the eye that never closes.)

She says we can all join her there whenever we want, but I'm pretty sure she's only knitting one guinea-pig-sized hammock right now. The rest of us are on our own.

Welcome, Carmella!

Guinea Pig

Comet is a good sleeping buddy.

Guinea Pig: September 17, 2018
(Illustration Friday topic: May 25, 2018)