Kluay's birthday with a tiny cake and a lot of seeds

Kluay came to me as a tiny baby, a Winter White hamster the colour of frost with remarkably fast feet. I named her after the Thai word for banana because she was small, round and not in the least bit fussy about food. Today she turned three and a half, and I made her a birthday cake from oat flour and a little apple.

She wasn't impressed at first. She ran to the corner of her cage and sat with her cheeks full, watching me as if I had lost my mind. But she came back for the apple slice. Some of the best moments in life are small, and I'm grateful for every one of hers. Happy birthday, little one.