Our New Family Member

Since we Neilsons have always had pets, one of the hardest parts of our decision to come to Penang was to decide what to do with our beloved cats (well, one of them) and Brenna's hamster Alex (a/k/a Buddy Boy).After investigating what it would take to bring the cats to Penang, we decided we just couldn't put them through that - the flight is long enough, but they would also have to stay in quarantine for up to 30 days upon arrival.  It just didn't seem wise as long as we could find someone to take care of them for a 2-year stint.  It was fairly easy to find a temporary home for CeCe - she's very laid back and never caused any harm.  Rox's dad and stepmom (Diane) agreed to take her in (provided we were coming back in 2 years to reclaim her!).  After an initial settling in period and getting used to living with two dogs, CeCe is quite happy living in "LA" and has staked her claim to the two screened porches.

Lucy was a bit more difficult due to her reputation for urinating on rugs, any papers lying around, on Chris' flip flops and in any object with a slight depression (bowl, plastic storage bin, box, laptop sleeve, and more than we care to remember).  Hence the reason she was slightly less loved than CeCe:-(  We tried various techniques to stop Lucy's bad behavior, but it seemed to resurface every time we went away on a trip.  We thought maybe she was just lonely and acting out, so we tried finding a family that was home more than us.  We tried many channels, and finally Rox's mom found an elderly woman who was looking for companionship - perfect!  Unfortunately a few months after our arrival in Penang, this kind woman was no longer able to live on her own and moved in with family who already had several pets.  Rox's sister Bonnie stepped in and took Lucy back into her own home rather than let her go to the SPCA.  Lucy has had some trouble adjusting to her new multiple pet household, but things seem to be fairly stable at the moment and we are praying for the best.

Finally, Brenna's Buddy Boy was taken in by a friend of Chris' for her 13 year old daughter and seems to be doing well.  The only problem is....we all REALLY miss our pets, but we can't have a pet in our condo and we would then have to face the question of what to do with them when we leave Penang.  So we resisted all the temptation (there is a great SPCA here in Penang, as well as a couple of private shelters, with many beautiful animals in need of homes) until just after our trip home.  We had promised Brenna we would consider getting another small pet (not fish - we stink at raising fish - see early blogs) after our trip home for the holidays.  So about two months ago, we finally allowed her to go pick out a new hamster and welcomed Perry to the family (named after Perry the Platypus from Phineas and Ferb Disney show).

Brenna has done a great job handling Perry every day and he is extremely docile - no biting at all - even when she carries him over to the neighbors house to show him off (which is now banned since he pooped in their play tent and it's just not a good idea to carry a little guy like him around).  Even Ms. Devi likes little Perry and will feed him while we are away.  So, we're a one pet family again and loving the little fluff ball and his cute little squeaks and chirps (never heard a hamster who chirps, but this one does).  Just watch out if you've just woken him up as he will use your shirt as a toilet (keeps his cage really clean and stink-free though!).  He'll be hard to leave behind when it's time to leave, but at least we have several friends who have offered to take him in when the time comes.