I have a lot of animal friends in my life, some more… unorthodox than others.

Tsuki

This is Tsuki, a ragdoll cat that my uncle found hiding under his porch as a kitten.

He was a very good boy, who was 25lb in his prime. He passed away in the summer of 2023, after almost 18 years. His favorite activities were sleeping, eating, and tolerating our constant need to snuggle him (he loved it ;)).

Squish

Squish is my little axolotl, who I found at a reptile expo in Kansas City. She is a bit shy around strangers, but has a very playful and silly personality! She loves eating bubbles and squeezing herself into all sorts of strange positions. She is 4 years old.

When I first got Squish, she didn’t have any front arms. Within less than two weeks, I watched her regrow both arms and fingers entirely. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen! If anyone is interested in the process of limb regeneration in axolotls, Dr. Jessica Whited has a lab at Harvard that studies this~ I encourage you to check out her papers!

(Axolotls also do not have teeth, and it is really fun to let them try and eat your fingers. It’s nothing personal! Regardless, they will try very hard and no, it does not hurt.)

Peach

Peach is my other axolotl, who I took in less than a week after living alone and being totally unsupervised for the first time. She is 5 years old and has the energy and loyalty of a dog– she is incredibly excited to see me whenever I walk up to her and always does a little dance. Unlike Squish, she is very extroverted and will happily take attention from anyone who will give it to her.

If you want more photos/videos of the axies, they have an Instagram account you can follow! @squishy.axolotl

Tangerine

Tangerine a 4 year-old leopard gecko. I promised my little sister that if she came to live with me for a few months, we could get a snake. We did not find a snake, but we did find Tangerine.

Tangerine is a rebel, and loves to walk off of tall surfaces and fall to the ground if I’m not watching him closely. I’m not sure if he has extremely poor depth perception or just wants to be a skydiver. Thankfully, he has never been hurt in any of the falls! I do my best to prevent this but he has a will of steel.

Leopard geckos have a Jacobson’s organ like snakes do, meaning that he licks to smell things. This, in addition to the big grin he always has, makes him extra cute and silly :)

Udon

Udon is the latest addition to my in-home zoo, and is a 2-3 year old cat who mysteriously appeared in my friends backyard (among 7 other cats they have attracted over the years). He is the sweetest boy ever and is a master biscuit-maker! Seriously, he was kneading nonstop for the first 2 weeks I brought him into my home and still does so very regularly. He also runs over to greet me at the door every time I come home!

Lulu

Lulu (or 卤肉饭) is my parent’s new baby. She’s a scottish fold and ragdoll mix who is obsessed with playing and is blindly affectionate towards anyone that will play with her. She is much more active than Tsuki, which is very unusual for us.

Tofu & Pickle

Tofu and Pickle are my older brother’s cats. Tofu is very mischievous and adventurous, and Pickle is very sweet and clingy once she gets comfortable around you, so my brother calls her Sticky.