This week we have an original mystery short story by author Diana Hockley from Australia (hence the more European spelling you may notice below). And within this story is a treat for those of us who love our pet rats.
Here is a mystery novel that has a little something for the music lover, antique lover and even for those who like pet rats. At the end of this review is a chance to not only win a copy of the book, but also some French Silk or French Roast coffee to enjoy with it.
The Cast: Tommy: the senior member of the Boys Cage; a Siamese, mostly deaf
Spotty Boy: the famous 101 Spots the neutered rat
El Dorado: the handsome young PEW who will one day rule the Boys Cage
Captain Smudge: Tommy's boyfriend
I rarely sulk, but when given to do so, it is necessary to make sure that it is done everywhere.
The lounge room is a good place if there is anyone else at home, as those in the house can't miss what is going on. The loo is an excellent place to sulk, but only if my husband Andrew, the two cats and our four pet rats all know that I am in there expressly for the purpose of sulking.
Elegantly dressed, a vision in camel and olive tweed, she approached the Circus somewhat hesitantly. Her sweet face registered interest, like an "outside" cat approaching a roaring fire: not sure how close to come, but lured to the warmth.
Lorie Ham interviews Australian mystery author and KRL writer Diana Hockley about her new book The Celibate Mouse and her love of pet rats, and C.L. Shore reviews the book which is the second one in her series. At the end of this article is a chance to win a copy.
Wee Companions is a small animal rescue in San Diego, California. Their president Fenella Speece took some time to talk to KRL about the wonderful work they do.
I became aware in 1998 that here in San Diego there was no formal rescue group for rodents. I adopted a guinea pig (I had them as a child) from a dog rescue group and that introduced me to the rescue community. I talked with the volunteers and got some contact names and began to make ties to the local rescue folk.
Drusilla Kehl is well known in rat circles for her art work of rats, mice and other animals. Here at KRL we have used several of her pieces to illustrate rat related stories/articles. But I knew very little about her and thought it would be fun to find out how. Hope all you rat and/or art lovers out there enjoy getting to know this talented artist a little bit more. The art throughout this article is all Drusilla's.
People who are “owned” by small animals - and there a millions of us - are love-bound to look after them. Some of us have them as surrogate children; some for security. Others keep working animals - sniffer, guide, police and sheep dogs. So it is probably safe to say that the majority of us love our animals, and that being so, it occasionally becomes desirable to bathe them.
You're a what? ‘Er...I’m a mouse judge.’
This is the typical start of a conversation with non-rodent admirers, who gaze at me like I am about to bare my teeth and gibber. The “what” is most pronounced when I am talking to farm people; for some reason, they are not rodent lovers.
