Pray for the Fish

The minions have been exposed to a lot of pet death in their lives.  They don't remember our cat Tweaker who died of complications from diabetes just a month or two after they were born, but they tell me they miss him on a routine basis (little do they know that the easily annoyed orange kitty would have likely scratched them to pieces had they ever really had to interact as toddlers and cats under the same roof).  They do remember our cat Pan, the gentle old man giant I got when I was 21 years old (who had only three legs for the majority of their lives) and talk about genuinely missing him regularly.  We have yet to replace either cat.

When our giant goldfish Maqbool (named after our friend's father) died a few months ago at age five we had a burial in our backyard.

Last week we decided that it would be a good exercise in responsibility and such to get the minions some new fish and them help us set-up the tank and take care of them.  We are now the proud owners of four goldfish named: Lucy, Todd (Todd is a girl), Alex (a boy) and Mr. Nemo Hampton.

The Kids Filling up the Newly Cleaned Gravel

Chris and the kids are all on me pretty regularly about getting a replacement cat, with Molly throwing out the odd, "If you love and miss Pan, why don't we have a new cat yet?".  The guilt is strong.  Here's the thing....I miss my cat, not other cats and I have a few major reasons for not wanting a cat or dog or higher maintenance pet right now.  1)The house is already a disaster enough without adding pet fur and animal furniture damage into the mix 2) We are already so busy, pet maintenance and expense isn't a great idea 3) I primarily work from home, I don't need some jackass cat sitting on my keyboard while I'm trying to work and 4) The minions will either a) injure that cat or b) hate the cat because it will hate them for being too handsy with it and invading its space and c) They'll name it something ridiculous like Mr. Nemo Hampton.

Here are 4 conversations my children have said in the past week about fish that make me fear for any pet who enters this house.  Chris will be forced to read these transcripts every time he suggests we get a cat as proof that a cat is a very bad idea.

Jack: Can I put blue food colouring in the fish tank.
Chris: No. It would kill the fish.
Jack: Would they be mad?
Chris No they would be dead, I would be mad.
Jack: But they'd die, right?  You're sure.
Chris and I: YES!!!



Molly: Can I hug the fish?
Me: No, you might hurt them.
Molly: Well, can I take a bath with them then?
Me: No.
Molly: But they're dirty.
Me: No they aren't but, Still no.


Jack: Is Maqbool (our dead fish) bones or dust now?
Me: Probably bones at this point.
Jack: Can we check?
Me: No.
Jack: So Maybe later?
Me (to Chris): I live in constant fear that Jack is going to excavate our fish from the box buried in the yard, please don't remind him where it is.



Molly: I'm done with my dinner, so can I feed it to Lucy?
Me: Fish don't eat people food, so no.
Molly: But mom, it's cucumber!
Me: Still no.


To read about our cat's leg operation click here.

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