The Law of the Jungle

I probably forgot to mention that we also have a fish. My four year old daughter got the fish under false pretenses. A little less than a year ago we were in a monumental struggle to get her to go poop on the potty. This is a big step for kids. We resorted to bribery and promised her that we would get her a fish if she did it. She did. We got the fish. A pretty Beta named Mia. Mia has a sexual identity crisis, as Mia is a boy, but my daughter insisted on a pink fish. The male Betas are the pretty ones, and since it is pink, my daughter has decided that it is a girl. After we bought the fish, my daughter promptly refused to use the toilet again for pooping. I told her that we got the fish because she pooped on the potty. Her logic was that that indeed was the agreement, and she did poop on the potty. Once. "I did. So we got Mia." "But you need to keep pooping on the potty." "No." (Fortunately she now does it regularly). So Mia.

For most of the last year, Mia has been swimming obliviously in her little aquarium in the den. Enter Ned, the new kitten. It took Ned about five days to discover Mia's existence on the counter. I took photographs...

I went to the pet store and bought a more secure tank. But Ned figured out how to get the top off. I discovered lots of water all over the floor, but Mia was still swimming. I have put Mia into the witness protection program, and she/he has been relocated to an undisclosed destination for her/his safety (a high shelf in my daughter's bedroom).