Inspired by Jeremy, I dug up an old Facebook tag. For those of you used to expecting distinguished and profound posts from me, you’ll be so disappointed… For those of you who know me, this will assure you that I am still not distinguished and profound. I intercepted a note in 5th or 6th grade [...]
The Squirrel
Posted By Jeff on September 21st, 2007
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. 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 the top run 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.
On this day...
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September 21st, 2007 at 7:45 am
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! :)
September 21st, 2007 at 7:47 am
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 :)
September 21st, 2007 at 7:49 am
TREE HUGGER!!!
September 21st, 2007 at 8:06 am
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!!
September 21st, 2007 at 9:55 am
CAROLYN!!!!!!
guess jeff doesn’t like the cat anymore, either. poor jeff. :(
September 21st, 2007 at 10:30 am
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 tried to kick the cat last night. He is no longer my favorite.
Sniff.
September 21st, 2007 at 10:45 am
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…
September 21st, 2007 at 1:45 pm
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 I am holloring at him on the phone trying to load up to kids to go get this duck and he tells me no that it finially caught up and I was outta luck. I was so dissapointed.
But on another subject I love the Wendy’s picture. I had no idea we were so much alike. I was in Wendy’s the other day (w/o my phone) and was wanting to take a picture (just like above) and send to Shelley (we waste all our husband’s hard earned money on sending stupid pictures to each other). LOL
September 21st, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Poor Jeff. Maybe next time.
September 21st, 2007 at 9:13 pm
Jeff, squirrels can be rabid!!!
December 15th, 2008 at 1:47 pm
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.
December 15th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
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.
April 11th, 2009 at 8:37 am
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.
April 17th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
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.
April 21st, 2009 at 4:28 am
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 of fun and (I) love him. We are putting togeather a house for him.
September 24th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
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.
November 11th, 2009 at 6:09 pm
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.
January 21st, 2010 at 11:50 pm
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.