Here at tlillie, we love animals.
And there are so many great animals to have as pets. Don’t you love those videos on the internet of people with weird or unusual pets? We do. In another life, we would have a wildlife sanctuary. There is such a wide variety of amazing mammals, insects, animals, amphibians, reptiles, and fish to love.
But here at the tilillie homestead, we have a pretty great crew also. We thought that we would introduce you to all our own pets because they are such a big part of our lives.
These are the furry friends that share our days, and we wouldn’t be without them for anything in the world. They are also a big part of our videos on social media, so we thought that we would take the time and make an introduction. Make sure to check them out on Facebook and Instagram.
Come and meet the pets of tlillie!
Rev
Rev, or The Reverend, is the veteran of the tlillie house. Rev has been with us the longest and came from the Humane Society in Sheridan, WY as a little itty-bitty kitty. Even though he was small in size, he had a BIG purr- which is how he got his name.
Rev- like you’re revving an engine, get it? We kept the name but changed it to The Reverend, or Rev, for short, so he fits in perfectly in our clergy family.
Padre
One day we decided that Rev might be lonely and needed a friend.
Was he?
We don’t know for sure. But we trotted off to the shelter right here in upstate NY to see if we could find Rev a bestie. This handsome guy immediately jumped on us and started purring.
Padre was a cat that came from a hoarding situation, so we guess that his socialization was…let’s say, a little wonky- and it shows. He doesn’t seem to know how to be a normal cat, but Padre makes up for it by being energetic and goofy.
He can’t sit still and gets into everything- the plants, the curtains, the other cats’ biznaz, hence his famous nickname, “no Poddy, no!” But we wouldn’t trade him for the world or want him any other way. Normal is boring, right?
Mama Kitty
After we adopted Padre, we believed we had all the cats we needed (silly us!). But eventually, three starving cats appeared outside our backdoor.
Of course, we gave them food and water. But we soon noticed something strange about them- they were not used to humans at all. They completely ignored us or scattered in fear, unless there was food involved.
This was a new experience for us. I mean, all the cats we’ve known have wanted something to do with us!
Mama Kitty seemed to be the leader, or the mom, of the little group of three. She’s the one who took to us the fastest, and the other two followed her lead. Mama Kitty turned out to be a very affectionate cat- very happy to have a warm house, lots of love, and plenty to eat.
We affectionately call her the Little Bowling Ball- because she is round!
Bitsy
Bitsy was the smallest and shyest of our new little feral band. He’s nicknamed The Grey Ghost because he tends to hide the most. We immediately fell in love with his white fur and grey spots, and he soon found his way into our hearts. Every milestone that Bitsy achieves is a cause for celebration- he jumps on the bed! Bitsy didn’t run when we looked a him! He came to us to be petted!
The gorgeous guy just keeps getting more and more comfortable, and we’re loving every minute of it.
Church
Church gets an honorable mention here, though he’s no longer with us. You’ll still see him in our photos and videos on social media though, so he needs an introduction.
He was a gorgeously soft grey cat, just like Winston Churchill in the movie, Pet Semetary. I don’t know where he got such a thick, beautiful coat, but we couldn’t stop petting him. Shy, but a little braver than Bitsy, he more quickly came to love and trust us. Unfortunately, Church died about nine months after we adopted the them of them, but he’ll be in our hearts for always.
Henrietta
Henrietta, or Bun Bun, is a mini-Otter Rex kind of bunny.
When we first got the idea that maybe our oldest son wanted a pet, we had no idea what bunny care entailed. There was a big learning curve!
We had to learn about everything- from a bunny’s diet, how much room a bunny needs (more than you think!), how to keep a bunny healthy, how to stop them from chewing everything- and all sorts of other things. We ended up buying Henrietta from young girl who raised bunnies- get this- for meat. She raised them for her local 4-H group, and thought that we were a little weird to want one for a pet.
Henrietta is a part of our household as a free-range bunny- which means she’s free to roam the upstairs of our house. The cats do keep her close to her room, as it’s her territory. They are all great friends, but the cats can chase her more than she likes. But don’t worry- she lets them know she’s unhappy with them, and tells them to stop!
It has been endlessly fascinating to learn more about bunnies. We love to see what Henrietta will like, what she’ll eat, and what she wants to play with. That’s why we include her cute videos on our social media!
Doolittle
Doolittle is the cutest little Rosy Boa. Again, snakes were not in our repertoire, so we had to do a lot of research.
And we’re not afraid to admit it- we thought snakes were kind of scary, so we were a little nervous.
However, Doolittle was the exact right kind of snake- not aggressive, very docile, a good eater (eventually, and not in the winter!), and a great addition to our family. While he is not our most popular pet, Doo is a great ambassador for snakes in general- he’s been a great snake for our friends to meet who are afraid of them. Not all of them have changed their opinion, but they leave feeling less nervous and more compassionate to the species.
Yay, Doolittle!
Do you have any pets- normal or unusual? Drop a picture in the comments for all of us to see! We’d love to meet them.
And don’t forget to check out our social media for more pictures and videos of these cuties!