My growing family

We've been adding to our collection of pets this month. 

First were two tortoises - a gift from one of Yusef's friends. I like tortoises but they're a bit boring. We're keeping them on the balcony in an enclosure in the corner. 

Then came a cat. This was from a friend who is leaving Libya and was unable to take the cat along with them. It's a typical Libyan male cat with a mostly white coat, a striped tail and a spot on it's back, ears and face. He's playful and has had no trouble at all in adjusting to our rather noisy and crowded flat. The fact that we have a hamster, a canary and two parakeets as well as a female cat are all just pleasant bonuses for him! So he's happy here. The bonus for us is that he's quite happy to go outside instead of using a litter box. 

Yusef loves dogs. When he's on the internet he's usually looking at sites about dogs. We've got dogs at the farm and I think once we move out there Yusef's dream is to have 16 dogs. It's been a while since he's had a puppy. A while back a friend of mine offered me a puppy but then it fell through and Yusef was upset and has been begging me for a puppy ever since. At one point he wanted a puppy that he saw in a pet shop for 275 dinars - I said 'NO way. A free Libyan dog is just as nice if not better. Wait and one will come along.' 

The other day Yusef came home with a puppy. It's the cutest little thing, mostly black. Yusef is keeping it up on the roof until it gets bigger and then it will be moved to the farm. I'm not sure what 'it' is - a male or female. Yesterday the boys had 'it' downstairs while they were washing my car and I asked Ibrahim 'Is it a male or a female puppy?' He of course grabbed it by it's tail and held it up for me to look at all the while poking at the poor squirming puppy's butt with his finger. 'Ewe! Ewe! Put the puppy down! I don't need to know! Go wash your hands!!! NOW!!!' I should have known better than to ask Ibrahim... sigh.. 

My house is a zoo....  sigh... I'll post some pictures later.