Adopt a Stray
 
When sim law changed and allowed us all to keep pets many sims went straight out in a frenzy to buy animals, I admit too that I was very excited. Subsequently though many of these families realised that they didn’t want 3 cats and 2 dogs..they simply couldn’t cope or couldn’t be bothered and these poor animals were thrown onto the street and have become the familiar faces roaming the streets that we all know. These strays have become quite a problem, not so much downtown or at oldtown but on home lots. They foul on the street making it unpleasant to be outside and have you ever noticed how the more strays there are on your lot the slower time seems to go??Well I have a winning idea..adopt a stray! When you first buy a pet yes there is a bond formed and you have a relationship but think of the joy you would have to give a stray a good home. Not only will your relationship with this stray be great as you will have known them much longer than a new pet but there is no cost involved in buying a new pet either. You can make friends with several strays and find out which one is most likely to suit your household and you will be doing your little bit to help the local neighbourhood. So next time there’s strays on your lot don’t just shoo them away, make friends and show a little compassion..you never know your next family member might be living just under your nose.
Teresa Harrow

Cockatoo's and Parrots
 
Being a vet I've kept and treated my own fair share of animals and have always loved our little feathery friends. When we moved to Simborough my previous birds were left behind with friends but I missed the chirrups and squarwks that they made and so Pebbles was aquired. Pebbles was great, a fun little fellow who you could talk to for hours and as soon as he started saying "Ra chaa raa gallop, ra ra gallop" I was hooked. It does wonders for your charisma and Pebbles soon started screaming "feedle dopin laam" at me when I entered the sitting room. Things were great but on the 7th day of having him he died!

I was obviously distraught about the loss and decided to find out what I could about keeping these birds. However I was soon to find out that Cockatoo's and Parrot's are extremely difficult to keep. During the first few days feed them ONE cracker a day and refill their food. This will be sufficient for them. However the longer you have your little pet it seems, the more hungry they get. I would not recommend feeding them more than one cracker a day though as this tends to upset them so just refill their food all the time. If you are a sim of wealth, patience, and dont mind continuosly buying new birds then Cockatoo's and Parrots are a great addition to the household. However if you have job and little money they are not the birds for you..try budgies or lovebirds (The picture below shows Chris with our new lovebirds) as they are less time consuming for the average working household. But remember all pets are animals so treat them with respect and have fun with your feathered friends.
Teresa Harrow
[If you have any story's or pictures of your birds please send them to Anthony Troy via the link on the homepage]