Kent is covered in snow. On the first day it fell, not yet turned slushy or dirty, I decided to take advantage of the whiteness and see how my pets would respond to the change in weather. Lots of winter photos in this blog post for those of you who enjoy seeing my pets and their silly antics! (hover your mouse over photos for the captions)
On Monday, the snow was a thin blanket in the garden and my rabbits were reluctant to go out and play. They had seen snow last year and dug through it like crazy but maybe they had forgotten what snow is. As you can see from the photo evidence, Nibbles had a long, unhappy thought process. Oh, I know Nibbles’s fur is looking rather scruffy, he went to the vets who told me he seemed perfectly healthy and at a good weight. The vet seemed to think he just decided to moult in a spetacularly weird way, and me being human, who am I to question the decisions of a rabbit?
Summer thought about it too but he was less wary about it and was out in no time. His facial expressions pretty much said ‘I don’t know what all the fuss is about.’
My cat Gin has a fear of snow. I have a vivid memory of last year when he refused to go out for a day and we had to bring a litter tray in. Because we have an elderly uncle in the house 24/7, Gin has a set routine and has always gone outside to use the loo but last year it was considered an emergency. As we were setting up the tray, he climbed in and instead of using it like any normal cat, he had balanced on the edges of the tray whilst he let loose the waterworks. No surprise when the tray flips as he gets off and wet litter flies all over him, us and the nice wooden floor boards. So this year, I’ve decided to force him to use the garden. I carried him out and set him down by a tree and after some annoyance at me, he got down to business.
By Wednesday, more snow had fallen and my bunnies had grown used to it and were actively exploring. Gin, on the other hand, only wanted to go back in, much to both Summer and Nibbles amusement!
Our other cat Cookie doesn’t seem to have a problem with cold weather. He even caught a mouse today which we got there in time to let the mouse escape. He was confined indoors afterwards for an hour, that cat can be so persistent once he puts his mind to something.
Bunnies had a lot of fun walking around and doing odd things like licking snow. Exploring seemed to be worth the hassle of cold feet as summer started to run off. It looks like Nibbles is licking snow there. Or smelling it. Or maybe kissing it. Who knows?
If Nibbles was extremely noticeable on a sunny day, he definitely sticks out like a sore thumb in winter. I half expect a hungry eagle to sore out the sky and eat him. Luckily for us, seagulls are the worst we get here and they are too shy to fight me for bunny flesh.
I took both back in after a while as I didn’t want them to become ill from too much exposure to the cold. Both had their feet towelled dried and Summer gave me a kick to the head as a thank you. Or maybe it was more of a ‘get off me! Boom! Headshot!’. Nibbles was much friendlier, enduring the feet towelling and then a little snuggle with cheek strokings.
If you do let your rabbits out in the snow, give their tootsies a little wipe after as they do get very damp and cold from snow and ice. I couldn’t believe how damp the towel was after two pairs of hands and feet!
Weather forecasts say more snow this weekend so maybe I’ll take some more photos.
