Natasha's zoo

"It's difficult to understand why people don't realize that pets are gifts to mankind."
Linda Blair

"Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."
George Eliot

"It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being."
Henry David Thoreau

"I have been studying the traits and dispositions of the "lower animals" (so called) and contrasting them with the traits and dispositions of man. I find the result humiliating to me."
Mark Twain

I think of my pets as God's gifts and tokens of his love for me. I don't know how I got to be so lucky, but everyday I try to make sure that I deserve their love. It's amazing to be the recipient of their affection knowing that they have no ulterior motives for loving me. They make me feel like Alice in Wonderland or Snow White. Our relationship feels so much like something out of a fairytale that whenever I play with my animals I expect for a background music to start any moment.

Every night when I go to sleep I can't wait till the morning, because waking up is the best part of my day. As soon as I open my eyes my dog Ginger crawls towards me on the bed making funny sounds, (one time she even said something resembling 'hi' which made me fall out of bed). Then Tihon, my cat, jumps on my pillow and starts my morning toilette (that basically consists of him licking my face). When he is done I get up to say good morning to my chinchillas. They are usually asleep at that time and only open their eyes to acknowledge my presence. Next, Ginger, Tihon and I proceed to the kitchen to get my morning coffee. They faithfully follow me around for the rest of the day. No matter what I'm doing I always know that if I look around I'll see my pets right there next to me. If I don't pay attention to them for a period of time Tihon starts poking me with his paw and Ginger nudges me with her snout. I pretend to be annoyed and turn my face away from them. They persist. Eventually Tihon jumps into my lap and Ginger tries to follow unaware of her large size. They have my full attention now.

When evening comes I let my chinchillas out of their cages to play. They climb on my shoulders and my head. They bite my nose and try chewing the book I'm reading. Sometimes they also climb on Tihon or jump over him just to annoy him. I sit in the middle of all this adorable insanity and thank God for all the wonderful and loving creatures in my life.