Monday 20 October 2008

A better place

Well, the inevitable has happened. I am sad to report that our little bunny, sweet, innocent Jiffy, who has been menaced for weeks by the Puma of Peckham, has finally gone to a better place.

The spare room. Unfortunately.

As you know, I was never keen to have her in the house. Or, indeed, the garden. The pet shop seemed like a perfectly fine place for her to spend her days, frankly. But Child One and Child Two were not to be gainsaid and, as usual, guilt got the upper hand. Was I stunting their development by refusing them to care for a small furry creature (though what about the cat we've already got?). Was I just the meanest Mummy on earth? And could I stand the nagging a moment longer?

No I couldn't, and thus we became proud bunny owners.

Already, it's getting a bit frosty here in Herne Hill. And the Puma has stepped up its attentions - the second gardening glove was left abandoned on the lawn last week, in a similar grisly state to its twin. As True Love said, down a crackly phone line, it does make you wonder what happened to the gardener.

All this meant that, at the weekend, I found myself wandering miserably through Pets At Home, looking at delights like dried pigs' ears (apparently dogs like to chew these, yeeesh!) and a million different flea products. The joy of pets! Sixty quid later, we had a spanking new ghastly plastic cage for Jiffles, and plethora of dried sweetcorn cobs, looking a little like those shrunken cannibal heads, to garnish it with. Harumph. I tried not to think of the lovely cardi I could have bought in Hobbs for more or less the same amount, give or take a hundred.

Still, it was worth it as Child One snuggled up that night to sleep with little Jiffy in her cage at the foot of her bed. Though I did revise my opinion at 1am when Child One insisted I remove the bunny as it was chomping its hay too loudly. Jiffy was despatched to the spare room and everybody was happy.

Except, apparently, the Puma. This morning, we found a horribly dismembered sports sock on the lawn.

9 comments:

Lindsay said...

Set a tiger trap with a bunch of odd socks!

ADDY said...

"Chomping its hay too loudly".... I couldn't stop laughing!

Anonymous said...

"stunting their development"

It's certainly good for them, creating good childhood memories etc., but I just couldn't face something else to clean up after so we were pet-less when my son was small.

On spying a friends' cat, he'd wave wildly at it!

Anonymous said...

I had to move my son's fish tank into his bedroom the other week, after it crashed its way rather spectacularly through the kitchen sideboard. As the "pump makes too much noise" I have to put a cd on most nights to help him get off to sleep. I do feel a tad sorry for the little fella, but as we only have three rooms (and his being the only one with any space for it)it looks like he will just have to get used to it. Pets, lovely as they are, do have their downside!

Hadriana's Treasures said...

I'm afraid it's hubbie who keeps me awake...having babies has sent my sleep patterns to pot! I can't even cope with the sound of his breathing poor man...I've tried ear plugs as well!

Millennium Housewife said...

Oh dear, perhaps you could have a quiet word and ask the puma to put a sock in it (sorry, couldn't help it)

Potty Mummy said...

And what DID happen to the gardener? Is he hiding somewhere at the bottom of new cage, shivering in terror at the thought of the dreaded puma?

dulwichmum said...

I too have recently given in and acquired a new pet - OHMYGOD! How much can one small puppy poo?

We must drink heavily together soon...

Hadriana's Treasures said...

Hi DD...you've been tagged! Hx