Kitty cat update

Thursday, 7/4/13 - now there's good news AND more good news... Boots is back home.  He arrived about an hour ago - ate a bowl full of food and is now sleeping soundly in a living room chair.  He's lost weight, but otherwise seems to be okay.

Well, there's good news and there's bad news.

The good news is that Fluffy is doing well with her medication, and I've even found a treat that she likes - it's called "Lickety Stik" and is a salmon flavored liquid she can lick off my finger or off the little roller ball on the bottle.

It's the FIRST thing I've found that she'll touch and it took several days for her to try it, but now she loves it.  She's being really good for her meds and gets treat licks after her medication both morning and evening.  She knows too and she's ready for that treat.

The bad news - is that Boots is missing...

He's been gone since last Friday (5 days today).  He's ALWAYS there in the morning for breakfast - even if he had a 'treat' earlier (he's a hunter).  He spent time Friday afternoon in the living room reclining in a comfy chair but was ready to go out at bedtime.  That's the last we've seen him.

I pray he's not somewhere hurt and is just off on a safari!

More kitty stuff

This is Boots - he was one of two kittens that was 'dumped' on my property in 2009.  

These pictures were made not long after he came to our house and at the time I didn't know if he was a he or a she.  Vet determined that and fixed it :-)

I love the little black dot down under his chin.  Here's another "now" pictures:

He was really shy at first.  He became the 'front porch kitty' as long as Halloween was alive, but since she's been gone he's moved to the back deck.  He's also grown BIG - probably because he's such a hunter.  He's always bringing me 'prizes' to the deck - and leaves them right at the door (or leaves parts of them after he's had his fill).

He's really a sweet cat and very loving - sometimes comes inside for a little while, but is always anxious to get back out.  The two inside cats are NOT impressed when he's in.  He's more than twice the size of either of them, but they hiss and complain when he's in, and he usually backs off from them.

At the vet last week for yearly shots, etc. and weighs 20 pounds.  Obviously, he's a heavy rascal but loves to be picked up, sit in your lap or generally have attention.  I really wish he and the inside kitties were friends.

Fluffy kitty

Here's Fluffy - she's a gray calico 15 year old barn cat rescue.  She's been in my house since she was about 3 months old, but wasn't crazy about human contact when she was younger... and HATES to be picked up.

She did get out about a year ago and spent the night outside.  When we found her she was under bushes at the end of the house and terrified - I managed to pick her up (without her going ballistic) and bring her back in.  That experience apparently gave her an attitude adjustment and she's been a nicer kitty since then.  However, if she's going to be petted, it's going to be on her own terms.

She had been losing weight, throwing up and her coat had gotten really scruffy looking.  The only thing she'll eat is the dry food she's been on all these years.  I've tried everything trying to entice her with food, treats, etc.  Nada - she won't touch anything else.  She'll sniff it and walk away.  These pictures were made before she got sick and her coat was much nicer looking.

Her and Emma Grace close to the window.

She looks nothing like her mother (who was Halloween and featured in an older post.  Though Halloween had a LOT of kittens over the years, Fluffy was the only long haired.
She went from being a gorgeous, long haired cat to a skinny, ratty looking one.  This is "mama" Halloween:

Anyway, finally got her to the vet a few weeks ago (a challenge itself) and blood work showed she has hyperthyroidism.  Now, there's not a snowball's chance in hell that I could dose her with pills, but fortunately there's now a transdermal medication that can be rubbed in her ears.  That sounded doable - except this is Fluffy we're talking about.

This is twice a day and the first week was rough - took two people and she was NOT pleased.  However, I've been sweet talking her and after about 2-1/2 weeks she's decided it's not so bad after all.

She still isn't going to tolerate being picked up, but has become a bit more affectionate and doesn't hiss and run now.  She's not throwing up and hopefully will soon put on some weight and her coat will improve.

Cats are such peculiar creatures - at least the ones I have are.

Refinished furniture - almost done

Both end tables are FINISHED.  So, here are a couple of photos - recapping the process (which was very slow - by my standards anyway).  So, here we go.  I found this ratty old table - and it was ratty.

Took the doors off and sanded... and sanded and sanded and... well, you get the idea

Primed with two coats of primer - let cure for 7 days, then 3 coats of yellow and then 3 coats of Minwax polycrylic on the top - which took more time and had to cure 24 hours.  Interior has upholstery fabric glued with spray adhesive, and stapled inside with the nail trim finish.

Emma Grace wasn't shy about trying it out.

So after the last coat cured, they were FINALLY ready to use today.

Instead of adding the custom cushion, I decided to simply move Frosty's existing bed inside it for the time being.  Thought he might be more willing to use it with his own bed.  Had to 'encourage' him at first.  And, Emma Grace is still curious.

So a little while after putting it all together went back in the living room and there's Frosty - I think he likes it :-)

This picture is the inspiration piece:

I'll post the before and after of the other table in another post - it's already being used also and I'm loving the bright color.  Did I mention my favorite color is yellow.

Coffee table starts getting paint on Monday.

Halloween crossed the Rainbow Bridge

...yesterday. It's never easy to lose a pet and to have to make the decision to let them go, but this one seemed especially difficult. She was so tied to Chuck as she had been his cat when he was alive.

Halloween was my old (17 years) barn cat.

Her mother had come to our barn and had a litter of kittens - then got out in the road and got killed. Chuck raised the kittens and over the years they all disappeared except Halloween.

She had a gazillion kittens over the years - with only a couple of survivors. One we gave to a friend and one became our house cat - Fluffy.

When Halloween was a few years old she began to venture into our fenced back yard (by coming over the gate). She would show up every day at feeding time and 'escort' Chuck to the barn. He would sit with her, pet her and talk to her.

When he got sick the feeding chore fell to me, but she wasn't nearly as impressed with me as she was with Chuck. She moved to the lean-too next to the goat barn (which was closer to the house than the big barn). Then when Chuck died she moved to the deck. When she moved to the deck (at 11 years old) it was time for a vet visit. I did not need more kittens.

She became "my" cat and was quite tame. She thought the dogs were just there for her to rub on. When Boots (the front porch kitty) arrived she even shared her deck with him occasionally. She had a nice house and a comfty bed on the deck. I brought her in a few nights when it was extremely cold, but she wasn't particularly impressed. Her domain was the deck and the back yard. She thought the chaise lounge was just there for her benefit. Occasionally she would lay on the deck rail so she'd have a better view of her world. I don't think she ventured out of the fenced back yard at all in the last 5 years.

I fed her on top of a table on the deck and she jumped up there every morning - including yesterday.

I went outside with Frosty a little after 11AM and found her laying in the monkey grass (in the rain) crying pitifully. She couldn't stand and I discovered once I got her to the vet that she couldn't see. She did respond to my voice and petting on her head, but she was basically paralyzed otherwise. I held her and said sweet nothings to her as she crossed the bridge. Now she's rubbing on Chuck's legs again, but it's surely been difficult here.

My Outside Cat Houses

...yes, you read the subject line right. I've just finished (well, with a little help from my son and grandson) making winter houses for my outside cats. I found the idea online and just changed it a bit.

Front porch kitten - Boots (he's about 7 months old now), lost his brother a couple of weeks ago and has become MUCH more loving since he's basically alone. He comes inside occasionally to visit with the skin grandkids, but the inside cats are not impressed with his presence. He's a great mouser and hopefully will stick close to the front porch instead of going out in the road like his brother did.

Here's Boots, lounging in the sunshine after supervising the placement of his new house.

Anyway, did some online research and found an idea for feral cat houses - my outside cats aren't feral - but they are outside. Take two rubbermaid containers, one larger than the other, put cut insulation between them and cut a hole in one end. And, that's sorta what we did.

Used the two containers, however, son got some spray insulation to go between the two instead of a big sheet to cut. You spray it in, it expands and hardens (and makes a mess). So that worked, however, I was concerned that the inside walls (plastic tub) wouldn't be warm, so I put flannel on the interior and covered a piece of foam with flannel for the bed.

This is looking down inside with the lids off.

I then glued foam on the interior lid for top insulation.

The finished product now sits behind the front porch glider and Boots has already inspected the inside, so I'm confident he'll be a happy camper on cold nights.

Then, there's Halloween. She's an almost 15 year old barn cat who moved to the back deck a couple of years ago. Basically had a bed in a box there, but not really a nice winterized house, and she's not getting any younger.

She hasn't been very enthusiastic about her box there since son & family came with their large, old lab who barks at her. I feed her on top of the bbq table on the deck and she stays when large dog isn't in site. If she would just hiss and slap him once he'd leave her alone. She and Belle get alone great. She has been sleeping back at the barn since large dog arrived, but I wanted her to have the option of the back deck if she chooses.

Anyway, back to her bed. There isn't room for the double box where it can be be protected from large dog, and, the back deck is more protected than the front porch, so I improvised. Got one rubber tub (same size as interior tub in front), a foam mattress pad and some flannel. Lined the entire interior with the foam covered in flannel. Made her a 'really' soft interior bed and glued foam to the inside top of her house. Another hole in the end and 'hopefully' she's set.
This piece of foam is glued on the inside of her top. Same mattress foam that's on the top of Boot's house, and what I covered with flannel for the inside of Halloween's house


Looking at the finished product


This is with the camera inside the little hole, so what she has is comfty and should be relatively warm.


It's put in a fairly protected spot on the shelf of the bbq table, so hopefully she'll actually use it. The back deck has two house walls and while the north side of the deck is open, there's another 'leg' of the house not far away, so it's pretty protected from wind.


She usually shows up at night, so I'll 'encourage' her to check it out tonight. The fan is wedged between the table and bbq grill to give her some added security from large dog.


I had priced exterior, insulated pet houses and the prices were prohabitive for my budget. The cost of both of these houses was around $30 (not including two bottles of spray insulation that son bought for larger house) and that breaks down: 3 rubber tubs-$12.00; flannel throw (cheaper than flannel by the yard)-$5; twin foam mattress pad (and I have a good bit left for future projects)-$13.

Maybe not as elegant looking, but much better than bought houses and I believe they'll be just as snug.

Oh, and I can take both apart easily to clean!!

Goat herding kittens

Who would have thought.

Well, at least now, the two resident front porch kittens are earning their keep.

First, Boots is a great mouser - though he refuses to share with his lazy brother, Firestar.

Or, we thought he was lazy till late yesterday afternoon. Here's the story....

Everyone was gone to various places except grandson Nathan who went to the kitchen for food (an activity he does a lot - he's a big growing football player). He heard a goat crying. You know, the 'help me I don't know what to do' cry. Sounded like it was coming from the front (shouldn't be coming from the front). Looked out and sure enough, "Darth Vader" (little black billy) was OUT of the pasture and near the road in front.

So, Nathan goes rushing out (barefoot) to try and get Darth Vader back in the pasture before the dumb little thing gets out in the road and gets run over. Opens the big gate and tries to herd the Darth Vader towards it. Darth Vader does not cooperate, runs into the woods beside the cemetery (at the edge of my front yard).

This chasing/herding goes on for a little while with no positive effects.

Suddenly - here comes Firestar flying off the porch, into the wooded area and part way up a pine tree. Darth Vader runs past and Firestar leaps out of the pine tree onto his back. Darth Vader goes tearing out of the wooded area towards the front porch. Boots comes flying off the front porch hissing and spitting. Darth Vader takes the path of least resistence and runs through the gate back into the pasture.

The goat herding kittens retire to the front porch to bask in their success.


Wish I had a video.

The cat at Shepherd's Cove

Visited a friend at Shepherd's Cove today.

And in case you're wondering, Shepherd's Cove is a local Hospice facility. All of their offices are housed there and they have ten rooms for patients. Patients who can't be cared for at home, or for respite care for the caregivers. It's an absolutely gorgeous place.

Today was my first visit - it's been built since my dh died, but this is the same Hospice group that took care of him and they are WONDERFUL. I have no idea how I'd have made it without them.

Anyway, back to the facility. The patient rooms are huge and more like a room in your home than a patient room. Armoir with TV, sofa, comfy chair and double french doors that open to a private patio. There's also a 'family living room' complete with all the amenities, a small kitchen, dining area, etc. They even have a kids play room.

You can see some photos of the place here.

I was walking down the hall on my way to visit and looked over in one of the little sitting areas and what was laying on the coffee table but a HUGE cat. Now, I have cats at home, but it would take three of my cats to make this one - and on top of that he has lots of really long fur. He's gorgeous, super laid back, and refused to stand for a photo.

My picture isn't very clear, but you can get an idea of his size, those are normal size magazines on the table he's on.



Apparently he wanders the halls at will. And what a wonderful idea for patients and families to have a soft furry creature to pet.

Boy am I behind

.... and really trying to get caught up.

First, I had family visit earlier in August - that put me behind.

Then I had to work for 10 days straight (well almost, I was off on Sunday/Monday). I'm way too old for this full time working. I normally work 2 days a week in my local cross stitch shop (and love it). There's just the owner and me - and would you believe she had the nerve to go on vacation to Ireland.

And, there were doctor and dentist visits - which usually take up waaay too much time. I'm trying to adjust to a new partial and having to go back frequently for adjustments. This is not fun.

Sitting in the living room one night recently, too tired to do anything and looked across at this:
Does she look like she thinks she owns the place??

Computers and Kitties

My bottom is tired of sitting in this chair. Get started on a project though, and it's difficult to walk away from it. I've worked on facebook and a logo for a friend ALL day.

Well, all day except for the time I spent sitting out on the front porch petting the two new KITTIES who have showed up at my house.

Here they are relaxing with full tummies.

This is Boots (yeah, we've already named it). He/she (I can't be sure) is the shy one and really scary. I've already got it to let me pet it if I walk up to it slowly. This picture was made with it sitting right next to me.


Of course, I'm drawn to this one because it's so shy. Like I really need another cat.


The grandkids haven't been able to come up with an acceptable name for this one. It's all black with a touch of white on it's chest and way back on it's tummy. VERY friendly.



These little cuties were starving - about 2-3 months old and so cute. Here he (I think this one is a he - but again not sure) laying down - you can see the bit of white.


I don't need more kitties! I don't want to be the "old cat lady". Why do these keep appearing on my front porch??? My cats inside are having a fit.

Laura's Kitty (a grown orange and white one that showed up about a week ago that I've hopefully convinced Laura - a friend from church) to take).... isn't particularly pleased either.

And Halloween (my barn/back desk kitty) won't even come to the front porch with all these interlopers here.