Rebecca McLeod

Jan 2015 3

Cooking with Floppy, or Hot Curried Flop: Cat Cooking Show Part 1

2015 Articles, Pets, Rebecca McLeod

by Rebecca McLeod

Floppy the kitten was not a professionally trained chef, but he did enjoy watching Mom’s cooking shows on Netflix, especially ones with Gordon Ramsay. Chef Ramsay was yelly and exciting and he had Michelin stars (whatever those were). The only thing that Floppy didn’t understand about those shows was when Chef Ramsay said that someone’s food tasted like “cat food,” he said it like it was a bad thing! Cat food was delicious, in Floppy’s humble opinion – especially the turkey and giblets flavor.

Oct 2014 25

A New Hope…of Fish and Chips: Halloween Special, A Cat & Rat Story

2014 Articles, Pets, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings, Terrific Tales

by Rebecca McLeod

The rats were busy chewing a pumpkin into a Death Star facsimile under the guidance of Bob, the pack’s official engineer and current artistic director. Bob had big dreams, but was working with a surly, nearsighted construction crew that was more interested in eating the pumpkin than carving it.

Jul 2014 12

Working From Home…With Cats: A Cat Tale

2014 Articles, Pets, Rebecca McLeod

by Rebecca McLeod

“Ehhhhhhhh!”
This is the sound that my kitten, Floppy, uses for most communicative occasions. It means a variety of things:
“Mom, I think I broke your iPhone!” (Yes Floppy, and I think you broke my foot when the iPhone landed on it.)
“Mom, I’m sitting in the dryer!” (Great Floppy, thanks for pre-shedding the clean clothes.)

May 2014 10

Trouble in Paradise: A Cat Tale

2014 Articles, Pets, Rebecca McLeod, Terrific Tales

by Rebecca McLeod

Tikky, the big black cat waited for the mail. He was of the minds that by doing all the things dogs traditionally do (fetching slippers and mail; licking faces; following the humans from room to room); he postponed the possibility of them getting an actual disgusting, slobbery dog. It wasn’t too difficult – I mean, dogs weren’t known for their exceptional brainpower – and he could nap in a sunbeam while he waited for the mail to pop through the slot.

Mar 2014 15

Emig-Rats: The Journey Begins

2014 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings

by Rebecca McLeod

“Mom ditched us?” Bob incredulously asked. “But I thought she loved us!”
“I bet it was that damn Tikky cat that talked her into it. I knew he was up to no good,” muttered Pirate. She’d seen that big tomcat staring at their cage, and she knew what cats were like. Shifty characters, although she rather admired how the little female Babycat would beat up Tikky (who weighed as much as two Babycats). There was a lot to be said for having a strong character.

Jun 2013 15

Father’s Day Rat Tale

2013 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings, Terrific Tales

by Rebecca McLeod

“Lookit what we caught!” hollered Linus as he and the other baby boys scampered up from their latest expedition. The four young boy rats were dragging a fish by a length of fishing line still attached to the hook in its mouth. Behind them waddled Zander and Dexter. Dexter wore an army helmet and a machete strapped to his curly-furred back. Those zombie hamsters weren’t going to catch him unprepared.

May 2013 11

Rat Tales: A Mother’s Day Brunch

2013 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings

by Rebecca McLeod

Sitting round a table fashioned of a Q-Tip Box, the mother does enjoyed a late brunch, compliments of their offspring and indulgent owner. There were scrambled eggs, sliced fruit, and veggies with a little brown bread to round out the edges of the meal. As the hustle of snagging the best pieces of food died down, the does began to compare notes on Mother’s Day and how their individual sessions with their offspring had gone.

Apr 2013 27

Rat Tales: The Virtuous White Baby

2013 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings

by Rebecca McLeod

It is seriously difficult to tell one white rat from another. Some owners trim their fur a little in patterns to try and tell them apart; others use food coloring, but I’ve largely given up. The White Babies don’t want individuality; I think of them as having a hive mind controlled by the Head White Baby.

Jan 2013 19

Rat Tales: Old Man Rodent

2013 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings

by Rebecca McLeod

Old Man Rodent came to us as a rescue from another rescue that had become overwhelmed with animals and financial difficulties and had had to close its doors. He was described as “rat aggressive”, which meant that he could not be housed with any of our other male rats, but needed his own cage. Skinny, partially bald from a wicked case of mites, and so dirty that I couldn’t figure out what color to enter into our records, he joined the crew at Bec and Matt’s Rats around Halloween with twelve other ratties. His unfortunate name, was Ashtray.

Dec 2012 22

Rat Tales: Cage Side Story

2012 Articles, Rebecca McLeod, Rodent Ramblings

by Rebecca McLeod

The two groups of does faced each other across the kitchen floor. Their beady little eyes narrowed as they squinted at each other nearsightedly. On one side, this was merely curiosity. On the other side, rage was building.