Ace of Spades Pet Thread, January 31

Courtesy Dr _ No

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Good afternoon and welcome to the almost world famous Ace of Spades Pet Thread. Thanks for stopping by. Kick back and enjoy the world of animals.

Would you like a treat?

Let's relax a little with the animals and leave the world of politics and current events outside today.

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Our own Dr _ No has been experimenting with AI. Dogs are good subjects for imagination.

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Cats are also good subjects for imagination.

Courtesy Terry Glenn

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A friend went hiking with a grandchild during a time of medical stress at Wild Burro Trail at Lake Pleasant in Arizona. They met some wild burros.

Stress relievers. At least on this day.

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Meet The PetMorons

A week after we lost Kroger, we were contacted by a regular client who wanted to rehome their boy because they were expecting their first child. We quickly accepted and a few weeks ago, Domo arrived in the house. He's very sweet and as laid back as any normal Greyhound. Here he is discovering that he has toys at his disposal.

&&&

And as you can see, he's very helpful when it comes to chores like making the bed.
-NR Pax

So sorry you lost Kroger. Glad you got sweet Domo. We can see that you needed help making the bed.

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PetMoron Adjacent Animals
Encountered by Members of The Horde

From By-Tor

Brown Pelicans followed our boat back to the dock, hoping for scraps from the deck hands that were cleaning our fish.

Great photos, as usual!

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Thank you for sharing your pets and animal photos and stories with us today.

If you would like to send pet and/or animal stories, links, etc. for the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, the address is:

petmorons at protonmail dot com
Remember to include the nic or name by which you wish to be known when you comment at AoSHQ, or let us know if you want to remain a lurker.

Until next Saturday, have a great week!

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If you start feeling nostalgic, here a link to last week's Pet Thread, the Ace of Spades Pet Thread, January 24

I closed the comments on that post so you wouldn't get banned for commenting on a week-old post, but don't try it anyway.

Posted by: K.T. at 03:23 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Greetings everyone! Thank you for giving me a chance to share my new pup's pictures.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 03:26 PM (7xrfc)

2 Nice.

Posted by: Aetius451AD work phone at January 31, 2026 03:26 PM (zZu0s)

3 Quiche on a leash!

Posted by: Barry at January 31, 2026 03:27 PM (Kt19C)

4 Happy Caturday everyone

Posted by: Skip at January 31, 2026 03:28 PM (Ia/+0)

5 Thanks for the post, KT … !

Posted by: Dr_No at January 31, 2026 03:32 PM (ayRl+)

6 Afternoon, Pet Folken! I forgot this week to send along pics comparing Stirling and Dagny as kittens to their looks now. This week, I promise!

NR, Domo reminds me of every cat I've ever known. When it's time to make the bed, every feline is an instant supervisor and irritant. The larger the cat, the more insistent on "helping" he is.

Chilly but sunny here this afternoon, with a low expected below freezing, in the "run the water tap at a thin stream" level. The cats have even less interest in going outside than they usually do.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 03:33 PM (wzUl9)

7
I'm not a cat person because I'm allergic to them.

Dogs, what would we do without them?

Posted by: fourseasons at January 31, 2026 03:34 PM (3ek7K)

8 Dr_No at January 31, 2026 03:32 PM

Thanks for the art!

Posted by: KT at January 31, 2026 03:36 PM (7vIsy)

9
It's 50 degrees here in Wyoming. The dogs are enjoying laying in the sun.

Posted by: fourseasons at January 31, 2026 03:36 PM (3ek7K)

10 Thank you for the post, KT

I guess the wild burros are pretty docile.

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 31, 2026 03:38 PM (QGaXH)

11 Dr_No

Good art.

K.T., thank you.

Posted by: NaCly Dog at January 31, 2026 03:38 PM (u82oZ)

12 Stirling the big black continues to leap across me, and kick me as he goes, at three or four in the morning. He must be entertaining himself, as he does not get to eat any earlier if he gets me up that early.

Dagny has been replaced with an exact lookalike who is actually sociable! I've mentioned that on occasion I've lifted her sleeping form from a chair or the floor and settled her on a cushion on my lap to get fifteen minutes or so of lazy lap time. Well, one night this week she settled on Miss Linda's arm of the sofa and somehow slipped down so that she was actually on L's lap more than she was off of it.

That held for about fifteen minutes. Then Linda slid her over into my cushioned lap, and darned if she didn't stay, purring and happy to be petted, for forty-five minutes. I am floored and can only conclude that it's a ringer, not my original aloof kitten!

(Okay by me. I'll keep this one.)

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 03:39 PM (wzUl9)

13 9
It's 50 degrees here in Wyoming. The dogs are enjoying laying in the sun.

Posted by: fourseasons at January 31, 2026 03:36 PM (3ek7K)

We're enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures here too. Touched 80 yesterday. That's warm for us even in summer. Drops fast as soon as the sun starts to go down.

Posted by: Anonymous Rogue in Kalifornistan (ARiK) at January 31, 2026 03:41 PM (QGaXH)

14 Wolfus, the funny thing is that what you are seeing is the only time he's helped with the bed. But I'm glad he has quickly adapted to living with us.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 03:41 PM (7xrfc)

15 This morning I found two of my kitties (Jasmine and Kaylee) lurking around the water fountain the library.

I'm fairly certain they were gossiping about me.

Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 31, 2026 03:48 PM (ESVrU)

16 So Wild Burro Trail lives up to its name sometimes, huh? They are very handsome animals. And that landscape makes me long to visit the desert Southwest again.

Okay, explain to me. A mule is a hybrid of female horse and male donkey, yes? A donkey, though, is its own species. Then what is a burro? I'd guess mule crossed with donkey, but mules are usually sterile, aren't they?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 03:48 PM (wzUl9)

17 Meow....

Posted by: Puddleglum, drive by meow at January 31, 2026 03:48 PM (sAmhv)

18 Afternoon all,

NR Pax, so sorry about Kroger, but looks like you got to open your heart to another sweetie.
------

I have done a small update to our cat blog.

https://tinyurl.com/dg65258

Posted by: Joyenz at January 31, 2026 03:49 PM (2F0/Y)

19 Our hold-out kitten (the black one) has let me briefly pick him up before eating this week. And wants to play, but keeps his claws out (as do the others). The grey stripey one is often too fast to catch.

Posted by: KT at January 31, 2026 03:51 PM (7vIsy)

20 Our cat was always gifting my mom live mice and grasshoppers. She would scream and I would laugh. Cats are awesome.

Posted by: San Franpsycho at January 31, 2026 03:52 PM (RIvkX)

21 Okay: "Burro is a word for donkey in both Spanish and Portuguese. In the United States, it is commonly applied to the feral donkeys that live west of the Rocky Mountains; it may also refer to any small donkey."

So a burro is not a separate hybrid, it is a donkey, or "ass," as we used to say.

(Current TV commercial: "That's one intelligent donkey." "You mean a smart ass?")

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 03:52 PM (wzUl9)

22 Woof!! Great thread as usual. It always sizes me how laid back greyhounds are. Domo looks like he adjusted well and has fit right in.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 31, 2026 03:53 PM (fPvmg)

23 NR Pax, so sorry about Kroger, but looks like you got to open your heart to another sweetie.

And it was unexpected. We'd honestly planned on waiting a few months before getting another dog and then this happened. Thankfully, Domo had been to our house so many times that he is used to the routine.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 03:54 PM (7xrfc)

24 12 Stirling the big black continues to leap across me, and kick me as he goes, at three or four in the morning. He must be entertaining himself, as he does not get to eat any earlier if he gets me up that early.

He's chasing away the demons and ghosts that only he can see! You should be thanking him!! Good Kittuh!!

Posted by: Puddleglum, drive by meow at January 31, 2026 03:54 PM (sAmhv)

25 It always sizes me how laid back greyhounds are.

As I am fond of saying, "Check him for breathing" is a normal remark.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 03:55 PM (7xrfc)

26 He's chasing away the demons and ghosts that only he can see! You should be thanking him!! Good Kittuh!!
Posted by: Puddleglum

I wrote a story a few years back about a cat was doing exactly that but the owner just saw it as the cat spazzing out and racing around the house.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 03:55 PM (7xrfc)

27 I meant *amazes* me. Autocorrect wins again (at least that's my story)

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 31, 2026 03:57 PM (fPvmg)

28 He's chasing away the demons and ghosts that only he can see! You should be thanking him!! Good Kittuh!!
Posted by: Puddleglum

***
Then the demons have only moved in here during the last six months, or he only now became able to detect them. He didn't do this for his first three years with me.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 04:00 PM (wzUl9)

29 28: LoL!!

Kittuh zoomies work in mysterious ways.

Posted by: Puddleglum, drive by meow at January 31, 2026 04:01 PM (sAmhv)

30 I couldn't give away a pet I had for any length of time. Probably why I could never foster an animal.

Posted by: Opinion fact at January 31, 2026 04:03 PM (cwGMH)

31 The upstairs kitteh gets the zoomies, and we hear its tiny feet galloping back and forth across the ceiling. We miss having a cat, but have decided to wait until we get a house.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Rock 'n' Roll Martian at January 31, 2026 04:04 PM (0aYVJ)

32 Probably why I could never foster an animal.
Posted by: Opinion fact

We fostered for a while. The attitude we had was "This is not our dog. We're training it to be someone else's dog." We only failed once out of 24 pups.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 04:06 PM (7xrfc)

33 donkey's and Burros are the same animal. Both are very loud at night when trying to sleep at Alamo State Park. Go ahead, ask me how i know!

Posted by: AZ deplorable moron at January 31, 2026 04:08 PM (qo38o)

34 I'm fairly certain they were gossiping about me.
Posted by: "Perfessor" Squirrel at January 31, 2026 03:48 PM (ESVrU)

I'm
Sure that they were only saying kind and complimentary things. .

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:11 PM (oT1li)

35 He'll never hit the hydrant from up in that beautiful balloon.

Posted by: DaveA at January 31, 2026 04:20 PM (FhXTo)

36 I was walking Paisley T. Dog today when she saw a seagull flying overhead and decided to chase it. Well she caught me by surprise pulled me down. Fortunately I am still sturdy despite my vast age so I'm unhurt.

Posted by: Northernlurker , Maple Syrup MAGA at January 31, 2026 04:21 PM (8CIFn)

37 Our 16 year-old cat has been losing weight recently. I'm concerned he has diabetes, but being too cold is another option. We got him a pet heating pad that has temperature control and can be set to stay on for 24 hours. I put it in the office, where we are most of the day, under a chair so he could feel like he was in a den. Took him less than a day to decide that was a really good place to be.

Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette at January 31, 2026 04:26 PM (lFFaq)

38 Took him less than a day to decide that was a really good place to be.
Posted by: Polliwog the 'Ette

"You're offering pleases me, food provider." -:-)

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 04:29 PM (7xrfc)

39 Congratulations!
https://shorturl.at/MD4gE

Posted by: Helena Handbasket at January 31, 2026 04:30 PM (ULPxl)

40 I am getting a bit tired of placing pets on the rainbow bridge.

Three weeks ago, we had to help Daughter #2 take her 22 y.o. cat across.

Two weeks ago, we had to help Son #1 take his 18 y.o. cat across.

Last weekend, I almost had to take our 15 y.o. dog across. However, he is responding well to his course of antibiotics, so I am hoping can he can get one more nice spring of lying in sunbeams and guarding our backyard from all of the neighborhood wildlife before he finally has to cross.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at January 31, 2026 04:37 PM (HlyYF)

41 Adorable greyhound, . NR Pax and I'm sorry about Kroger. These dogs are so blessed to have you and Mrs. NR Pax to be their temporary step parents.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:38 PM (ELdpA)

42 Thanks, Fen. We actually stopped fostering a while back because my wife's business ended up doing pretty well. So now we get a parade of dogs and get paid for looking after them.

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 04:40 PM (7xrfc)

43 The cat poem is genuine. I also love the pic of the ballooning retriever.

Posted by: exdem13 at January 31, 2026 04:41 PM (XjTSo)

44 Posted by: Pillage Idiot at January 31, 2026 04:37 PM (HlyYF)

That does sound very hard to help others get their dogs across the rainbow bridge. That is very kind of you..

I am glad that your dog is doing better.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:41 PM (ELdpA)

45 I liked the cat poem as well.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:41 PM (ELdpA)

46 It was so cold here late night (-

that Smoke decided he didn't want to out for his midnight patrol & stayed inside. As soon as it got above zero though he was asking to be let out.

Posted by: exdem13 at January 31, 2026 04:45 PM (XjTSo)

47 Golden Retriever meeting baby for the first time. From Faithpot site:

https://tinyurl.com/4fwzhnyw

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:48 PM (8Cor4)

48 dorbs

Posted by: Mark Andrew Edwards, Buy ammo at January 31, 2026 04:51 PM (xcxpd)

49 Wrong link, Fen. -:-)

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 04:52 PM (7xrfc)

50 I finally remembered to set up the heating pad for my old cat in the bathroom. It's like a spa in there now.

Posted by: notsothoreau at January 31, 2026 04:52 PM (+mUZM)

51 That does sound very hard to help others get their dogs across the rainbow bridge. That is very kind of you..

I am glad that your dog is doing better.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:41 PM

These pets were so old, that they used to be family pets.

My kids grew up enough to fly the nest themselves and take part of our legion of rescue animals with them.

The good thing is that I can point out that they didn't get shortchanged at all on the amount of time they got to spend with their respective pets before they finally were ready to cross.

The 22 y.o. cat looked like it was about five! She still got around well and ate well. Vet thinks she finally had a stroke.

Posted by: Pillage Idiot at January 31, 2026 04:52 PM (HlyYF)

52 I did like the look on the Golden's face though. "You brought me a small person!?"

Posted by: NR Pax at January 31, 2026 04:54 PM (7xrfc)

53 And I loved the wild burros and the pelicans.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 04:59 PM (7RYym)

54 Sorry for the incorrect link for Golden Retriever and baby . Hopefully this works. Scroll down for video

https://tinyurl.com/yrsm9pky

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 05:02 PM (7RYym)

55
Miley put out some bird seed for the birds during the snow (looks like maybe 6" out there), and we've got a bird convention on the front porch. 15 - 20 little birds out there now.

The two cats are watching through the window, and making little noises. They want to attack. But they aren't trying to get out. They just like to watch.

And looking at radar, I see a little snow is falling around Lake City, Florida. Temps are in the mid-30s there, so no sticking.

Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at January 31, 2026 05:02 PM (w6EFb)

56 Posted by: Pillage Idiot at January 31, 2026 04:52 PM (HlyYF)

That's nice of you to care for and love all those rescue animals and to pass on that love and concern to your family.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 31, 2026 05:03 PM (7RYym)

57 Off, Barry sock.

Quiche on a leash though.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at January 31, 2026 05:15 PM (Kt19C)

58 And looking at radar, I see a little snow is falling around Lake City, Florida. Temps are in the mid-30s there, so no sticking.
Posted by: publius, Rascally Mr. Miley (w6EFb) at January 31, 2026 05:02 PM (w6EFb)

I'm a bit south of there, and we're at 51 degrees with strong gusts from the northwest keeping the snow birds hunkered down. I have a chicken in the oven. If I give it a name, does this become an on-topic post?

Posted by: Joe Kidd at January 31, 2026 05:18 PM (nbLIj)

59 Hmmm, get a squirrel boss but zap birds with it!

https://m.youtube.
com/watch?
v=vKcruJ36BfM&pp=0gcJCTMBo7VqN5tD

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at January 31, 2026 05:18 PM (Kt19C)

60 Back from my shower, all,

That is the thing about aging, in cats, at least: They don't show it. They don't go gray, for instance -- at least I've never seen it, even in dark cats -- and while they may have wrinkles, it's all under their fur. They may move with more difficulty and they may lose weight or gain it, depending on their health conditions. But most of the time, an elderly cat looks about the same as a young adult.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 05:20 PM (wzUl9)

61 I'm wearing thin long pajama pants under my jeans. My legs at last feel as warm as my sweater-clad upper body. That layering thing really works, huh?

About forty minutes until I need to feed the furry thugs. They of course are cruising around, hoping there will be an early food drop.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 05:23 PM (wzUl9)

62 It's 21 degrees outside now. Had snow this morning but it's gone now, just a few spots left. The wind must have blown it away.. Let the dogs out, they didn't want to stay very long. They're not stupid. 22 degrees was our high today. Very little traffic. Still have power, hope it holds up. It's really a stay in day, the weather guys were right. And that's my report from NE Bama. Y'all stay warm!

Posted by: Case at January 31, 2026 05:26 PM (E7+ue)

63 But most of the time, an elderly cat looks about the same as a young adult.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 05:20 PM (wzUl9)

Yup. Scout still looked like she did as a youth, but we grew more and more aware that she was ailing. The vet said her kidneys were failing. She would have good days and bad. But the bad overtook the good, so we had to say goodbye. She was 20.

Posted by: Pug Mahon, Rock 'n' Roll Martian at January 31, 2026 05:27 PM (0aYVJ)

64 I have the blackout curtains open and the blinds angled to get some late afternoon sunlight into both rooms. The sun will dip below the buildings across the street in another fifteen minutes, though; but in the meantime I'm getting some natural heating.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 31, 2026 05:28 PM (wzUl9)

65 HOBBY NOOD

Posted by: Skip at January 31, 2026 05:30 PM (Ia/+0)

66 "He's very sweet and as laid back as any normal Greyhound."

Huh. I didn't think "laid back" was a usual description for a greyhound.

Then again, our Daisy the irrepressible Malinois has reached a stage where she can lazy on the couch a lot. When she's not furiously barking at anything outside or nudging us to do something for her.

Daisy spent last week digging different old toys out of her toy box. So funny to see her enjoying something she hasn't paid any attention to in months. … I'm just glad she knows what's her stuff and what's not. We are well past the chewing up shoes and furniture stage.

Meanwhile, in the Wonderful World of Cats, little old black cat Ony has apparently decided it was too easy to just throw up on the floor or carpets and has now taken to barfing under our bed. And that bed is not something we can easily move or get under to clean. If she wasn't so cute and cuddly, lying in our laps or on top of us in bed, she… would still be a good kitty.

Thanks for the Pet Thread, K.T., and Moron pet owner contributers.

Posted by: mindful webworker - owned by the critters who keep us at January 31, 2026 05:36 PM (j02Vi)

67 A funny bird is the pelican.
His beak can hold more than his bellykin.

Posted by: George V at January 31, 2026 06:48 PM (HUbHH)

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