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The Squirrel
We have a chihuahua that I can’t stand.
We have a fish that appeared over night.
There is a bird in Sam’s room that bites me.
We finally got rid of a hamster whose roll wheel kept me up at night squeaking.
The cat that stays outside is the only animal I remotely like at our house.
And I’ve always wanted a pet squirrel…
Carolyn yelled at me on Tuesday from her office to “come here quick!!!!” I jumped up and ran back there. To my horror, the cat had a baby squirrel, and was preparing it for dinner. Carolyn was just watching.”What are you doing, you sicko!?” I exclaimed and ran out the back door.
Apparently the door slamming startled the cat and allowed the squirrel to leap onto the nearest tree. It was barking/squeaking. And it was cute.
My photoset at Flickr probably tells the story best.
What happened next was a tragedy. I allowed Carolyn to talk me out of keeping it. I envisioned putting it in the chihuahua’s kennel and raising it with TLC&A (tender loving care & acorns). Carolyn didn’t think that was fair to the chihuahua. Mind you, this is the same demon (the dog, not Caro) that bit through my fingernail last month when I was trying to put her in her kennel.With regret, I placed the squirrel back on the tree, and watched it slowly climb up a ways.
As I entered the house, a surge of determination overcame me. I will have the squirrel for a pet. This is nuts, I thought. I hurried back outside, to see to my dismay that the squirrel was higher than I could reach. I ran and got a ladder and placed it clumsily against the tree. The wobbly climb began.Little did I know that Squirrel Hater (previously known as my wife) was laughing her head off as I delicately climbed the ladder – and taking pictures.
I got to the top rung and for a brief moment, grasped the squirrel’s tail, but was unable to dislodge it from the tree without also dislodging myself. It was then that I realized that I was dangerously close to falling. I had a death hug on a pine tree. And here came SH – the photographer I live with…
Anyway, I think I’m over it today… But I still wish I had a pet squirrel. Its parents (or two larger squirrels) found it, and they were building a nest in the pine tree out back on Wednesday. Buddy (as I have now named him) could be seen watching from about 20 feet up.
i had a pet squirrel. he was great. raised him from a baby….he would greet us at the door when we got home from school. scurry up my jeans and shirts and perch on my shoulder for most of the afternoon. he was playful, and actually much like a dog….that couldn’t be house trained. he would even roll over for a belly scratch. you should ask tj about him, we were dating, then, and i think tj loved him more than i did! 🙂
a squirrel huh? while cute at times, they usually look like rodents. and i loathe chihuahuas as well. our sunday school teacher (whom you may know from school – scott spakes?) has one named chippy and he hates him as well. you should join the springer spaniel club – big and slobbery but very loveable 🙂
TREE HUGGER!!!
Just so everyone knows ‘the rest of the story’. Smokey, the cat, saw Jeff and his antics of trying to capture the squirrel. So he knew Jeff really wanted the squirrel. So last night Smokey left the squirrel at the back door for him. Not much was left of the squirrel, his head was gone!!! Smokey wanted to share his meal with Jeff. He remembered he really wanted the squirrel too. I haven’t laughed that hard in some time!!
CAROLYN!!!!!!
guess jeff doesn’t like the cat anymore, either. poor jeff. 🙁
I had written this entry the evening after the squirrel ordeal and timed it to be released today. When Caro reminded me about it coming out this a.m., it made me think “how fast things change.” It was shocking to me… literally… to come across Buddy lying there decapitated last night. And then SH just died laughing when I held up his little headless body. I am still pretty bummed about the whole ordeal. Brandy, your description about what a loveable pet he would have made makes it worse… There has been a tragedy here at the Noble household. I… Read more »
cat just did what a cat does, bro. btw, if merely driving down the street in one’s geo metro would cause one to “ruin” oneself, i dont even want to think about what hanging on for dear life from a tree would do for one’s constitution…
This is too funny. I love the picture of you hugging the tree. I couldn’t have a pet like this. My husband thinks they are for shooting not keeping. Terrible I know. I want a pet Mallard, and my spouse thinks I’m crazy too. There was some woodducks in the bayou down from the house that had babies and I could never get them close then one day I was talking to Brad and he was driving down the road and they were crossing and one got left behind, and he wouldn’t stop and get it for me. So here… Read more »
Poor Jeff. Maybe next time.
Jeff, squirrels can be rabid!!!
Hey Jeff… saw you’re blog searching for cute squirrel images. I have a pet squirrel named Tailer (named by a coworker for having a fluffy tail) that I have had for almost 7 years. My cat (unlike yours) brought him to me intact and uninjured. He was pretty badly dehydrated and in shock but pulled through and has made a great pet. Your wife sounds like a witch… go decapitate that chihuahua and leave it on her pillow. They look more like rats anyway.
Krystal, just to illustrate a point… I’m going to take Tailer and step on his skull….
The emotional reaction you just had to that is about the same that I just had to reading your witless comment calling my wife a witch.
While I appreciate you leaving a comment, I hardly think insulting my best friend is an appropriate first attempt.
May Tailer live long and prosper.
I have a pet squirrel and she is one of the best pets I ever had. I am so sorry to hear that your little friend was killed by the cat. Sad that you friend finds it funny. They are living creatures. Fortunately for us, my 14 pound cat and the squirrel are wonderful friends and play together. We find the squirrel when she was about 6 weeks old, so she grew up as part of the family.
I LIVE IN PINE BLUFF, AND AM LOOKING FOR A HOME THAT HAS ROOM FOR ONE MORE SQUIREL. I AM RAISING A BABY BOY, MOSTLY RED FOX SQUIREL. I HAVE FOUR RESQUED DOGS AND AM CONCERN ABOUT “SNIFLES”!!!!!! IS THERE ANYONE OUT THERE THAT MIGHT BE INTERESTED IN THIS LITTLE ONE? HE APPEARS TO BE BLIND AT THE MOMENT. I DO HOPE HIS VISION WILL IMPROVE WHEN HE IS OLDER. I BELIEVE HE IS ABOUT 10 WEEKS OLD.
One night before bed my wife heard what sounded like a baby bird or large rat screaming and scratching inside our bedroom wall. So we cut a small hole and fouund a six week old baby squirrel. We fed him for about a week until he was back to health and tried to set the little guy free. His freedom lasted one night. As the very next day we woke up to him greeting us at the front door. So we bring him in feed him and name him Hammy from Over The Hedge. So far Hammy has been lotts… Read more »
my cat brought in a baby squirrel last night. i thought it was a stuffed animal my weimaraner plays with. between the cat, my dog going nuts and me squealing…my neighbor and i finally caught and released the little one. the only thing i regret is taking pics for my grandson.
i’ve raised four orphaned squirrels in the last two years. we always release them into the big oak trees in our yard. Last month, the squirrel i released last year, came up to me and ate pnuts out of my hand. squirrels are sooo much fun to raise and release into their natural habitat. they deserve the freedom of running in the branches of trees and just being “squirrels” not pets.
to other poster, squirrels do not get rabies, geez you’re on the internet, look it up, squirrels are great, i feed them everyday, they are like outdoor pets, so sweet, i have one that even just sits on my lap when eating.