Growing up, our household had varying allergy issues so we did not have dogs or cats. I recall having gerbils. When we introduced a new one to the cage, they began fighting. When I retrieved the new one from the cage, it jumped up and bit my nose. Shaking your head around with a rodent attached to the end of your nose is definitely memorable. I also attempted to keep hamsters, until I learned the hard way that they will kill their young. Our family also had a guinea pig, a rabbit (briefly, thanks to a fox) and a parrot named Cooper. In my teen years, a beautiful Main Coon…