Multiplication
My friend and former co-worker sent an e-mail recently with the happy news that he is the new father to two guinea pigs. Well, technically, he’s not the father. Yet, most of us know how attached we become to pets and think of them as our children, especially if you are childless.
There’s been a short, yet spirited conversation amongst our group about how our friend should get the growing family of guinea pigs spayed and neutered.
The happy guinea pig owner sounds like he’s doing well to make them comfortable. The animals are happiest when they are paired up with a companion. However, it’s probably best to have two of the same sex.
We’ve been joking that if he doesn’t do something soon, by next summer his house could look like that “Star Trek” episode when the U.S.S. Enterprise gets taken over by tribbles.
(William Shatner and his crew, all decked out in spiffy, form-fitting uniforms, look over Ted Danson's discarded collection of hair pieces).
My sister made this mistake recently by kind-heartedly feeding the stray cats in the dilapidated barn at her house. She just couldn’t leave the poor critters on their own, and of course they multiplied. Due to too much kindness, she put herself into a woeful situation. After just a couple of reproductive kitty cycles, she faced paying big bucks to have all them fixed, or have her heart broken every few months when she had to give another of her beloved friends away to a stranger.
It’s much more civilized, both for the animal lover and for the animals, to have them sewn up or snipped.
By the way, if anyone wants a semi-feral, yet adorable kitten, let me know.