One time, we had a rabbit who was kept in a hutch outside by the back door. One morning it disappeared, the wire mesh had been forced back. We were told a wild animal had taken it, but my suspicions lay elsewhere. The hutch was all too conveniently close to the servants’ quarters and a bit of fresh meat was all too tempting.
Our dog Petro turned out to be quite promiscuous, she had two litters one of 10 puppies and another of nine. The puppies were all shapes and colour; they didn’t stay with us for long as (we were told) they were rehomed. The last straw was when she leapt from a first-floor balcony for an assignation and broke her paw. A quick visit to the vet was needed to have her fixed in both senses of the word.
Gopi the Siamese cat was lost and we replaced her with a fluffier version and (you guessed it) we called her Gopi. This did pose a problem, if only for a short time, as the first Gopi returned. Finding it a bit confusing, the first Gopi turned tail and once again left us.
Yet another cat decided to join the family, a stray black tom adopted us, we named him Sin (as in black as sin).
I also had a mouse and chameleon, both used to accompany me in my shirt pocket to school.
The horse Marco, the rabbit, puppies, Siamese cat, black tom, my mouse and chameleon all eventually disappeared one way or another before we moved again. This makes you feel you shouldn’t turn your back on them.