Last night, this happened.
Yay! That leaves Angelo, Orlando, and Thomas at Petsmart. Maybe this will be their weekend!
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Chrystal over at Daily Dose of Dogs/ Cats with your Coffee does private rescue, and at the moment has 5 cats over her limit in the Winnie’s Wish Cathouse. Five cats above maximum! Yikes!
She’s located in Southern Illinois, BUT transportation can be easily arranged if you fall in love with one of those sweet faces. Go to Chrystal’s site and read about the cats available for adoption in her sidebar. Adopt one of them! Spread the word! (Read about Mackie and fall in love!)
Hey, I understand if you don’t have room for another awesome kitty in your home – but you can always spread the word, right? The more people who spread the word, the better chance that the right person will happen to see the right cat, and it will be TRUE LURVE FOREVERRRRRR.
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Kong makes a thing called ZOOM GROOM – a purple rubbery thing with thick inch long nubbies. My cats actually line up to be zoom groomed! And boy, does it ever take out that loose fur. Maybe that would be a good alternative to the terrifying furminator.
After I read this comment, I remembered that I actually HAD a Zoom Groom around here somewhere, so I looked for it and finally found it. I tried it out on Stefan, and he followed me around afterward and gave me the Love Eyes. No one else has been that crazy about it, but I’ve only just begun. Anything that leads to fewer cat hair dust bunnies roaming the house is a good thing.
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Is it my imagination, and possibly my wishful thinking, but has Livia slimmed down some? She looks thinner in that pic of her in her favorite napping spot. And, awww, so sweet to know that she and Dennis have been getting it on — so, she’s the Cougar and he’s the Boy Toy?
Livia very well might be a bit thinner. She looks it to me, but I unfortunately didn’t weigh her when I brought her home. She spends plenty of time playing (and not much time eating out of boredom), so I imagine she’s worked off some of the weight.
I prefer to think she and Dennis have more of a mother-son relationship.
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Robyn, you must tell us what you’re reading during nap time. (The book business needs you…)
I’m going through a light fiction phase at the moment (yesterday I started Almost Like Being in Love. I actually don’t read romance novels all that often, but I happened to pick up the first in the series at a used book store, and now I have to read the other two, because I need to KNOW the answers to all the mysterious questions!). I keep track of the books I’m reading over on GoodReads.
I do have a Kindle app on my iPad, but lately I’m sticking to physical books because I tend to get distracted by the fact that I can check my email (or play a game of Words with Friends) on my iPad, whereas if I have a book, I can’t do anything but read with it.
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Have you ever had to “rescue” a cat from the trees before?
Shortly after we moved into this house, I had to climb a ladder to rescue Tommy from the very tree Kara’s been climbing up – which was the reason we attached the piece of metal to the tree in the first place. Luckily, Tommy hasn’t even thought about climbing the tree (and I guess we’d better replace that piece of metal before he realizes he can!)
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For those who may need a babykitten fix – Tiny Kittens on Livestream has a mama about to give birth on LiveStream (she started ‘showing the signs’ 18 hours ago – several of us barely got sleep last night!) Caly is a sweet calico – but determined to give birth ‘her way’!
So so so sweet! (And she had the kittens, yay!) I love Calypso’s orange tabby “legging.” She is such a gorgeous girl.
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Seriously, how do you lay on a bed, with a blanket, and cats, and not only cats, but cats that are sleeping.. and not take a nap?? because I am falling asleep just thinking about it..
I do occasionally take a nap, but more often I get so caught up in what I’m reading that by the time I get sleepy enough to put the book down and snooze myself, it’s time to get up and do stuff.
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Uhh.. how many eggs do ducks lay in one day? or was the 20 an accumulation of both girl ducks over several days until you realized they were going under that tree? also, what do you do with those eggs if you don’t want them hatching? are they edible? do you throw them in the garbage/compost? inquiring minds want to know!
They lay about one egg a day, so that was several days’ worth. Duck eggs are edible, and I use them to bake with sometimes, but don’t like the taste of them straight-on.
If we have a lot of duck eggs and I have no plans to bake, we’ll leave them out near the (cat food) feeding station for the raccoons and possums.
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I know that you’re doing what you have to do but I’m picturing those girl ducks frantically quacking and digging at the filled in dirt, trying to get to their nests and eggs.
As far as I can tell, they just kind of shrugged and moved on. I think they’re laying their eggs under the coop for now. They seem to move where they lay them, and I live in fear that we’re going to end up with a flock of little ducklings.
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When you guys do have pigs, are they humanely slaughtered/processed?
In a perfect world, we’d do them here, ourselves. But that’s beyond our skillset (and too many things could go wrong), so we take them to an Amish processor about 45 minutes away. It’s very quick for them, and hopefully the last thing they think is “Oooh, a cookie!”
(Edited to add: I hope that last bit doesn’t sound flip. I know that the pigs are scared during the ride to the processor, and I hate that they are. But I don’t believe they realize what’s about to happen to them, and it’s done quickly and respectfully.)
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When did Corbie become Sheriff Mama’s deputy? Or is he a freelance investigator? Does she know he’s on her turf questioning her subjects? Tsk, tsk!
Corbie’s kind of the bumbling Barney Fife type. Sheriff Mama despairs, but there’s only so much work one tiny girlcat can take care of on her own. She’s gotta have an assistant.
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I love how in the bath time for Dennis photo, it looks like he has a string & ball for a tail!
I totally didn’t notice that!
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I just came across this Bravo! Dog and Cat Food Recall. Oh dear here we go again *sigh*
Connie added: I feed Bravo, and I’m unconcerned with the recall. It is for lysteria, but there are no reported cases of problems (there were a couple of dogs that had some issues, but they couldn’t be sure it was the food)
If you and your pet are healthy, a little lysteria or ecoli is not going to be a problem.
Thanks, Shakatany & Connie!
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Do you happen to know a good “cat dictionary”? Artemis makes all kinds of noises and I often have a hard time deciphering what it is that she means!
I don’t know of any good cat dictionaries, I wonder if any of you guys out there do? Ideally, it’d include videos so we could hear the noises they’re interpreting.
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Surely most of you’ve heard about that cat that chased off the dog attacking the little boy this week? I TOTALLY thought of Sheriff Mama when I read about it! Here’s the video but skip the last 10 seconds (dad gives us a closeup of the bite on the kid’s leg).
That is one awesome kitty!! I’ve seen it multiple times – and in fact, I discussed it with no less than three people yesterday. Amazing video!
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I saw this on Facebook yesterday, and it made me laugh a lot. Sugarbutt, who was laying in the bed next to my keyboard, got disturbed and stomped off in a huff.
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From Louise:
OK Robyn and the L&H community I have a dilemma and a question for you !!!
I was doing my dishes today and noticed a neighbor lady putting out a large bag of cat food (AGAIN!) for the cats in our area. I fully understand why she is doing this. She is trying to help the many strays in our small town. I do also know that most of the cats that partake in her free feast are NOT strays. They have homes to go to. Our town does not have a trap and neuter program.
So here is the big question and my even bigger dilemma. Since she has the food in the next yard they use my yard as their litter box and the un-neutered boys spray my house and cars. How do I approach her to let her know I am not happy about my yard being used as a litter box. They do not use her yard as she has three large dogs while I only have indoor cats. Who by the way think the “smell” is very interesting when we open the door. I am very afraid they will get territorial and begin spraying inside. HELP !!!!
I’m hoping you guys will chime in on this topic! What I’m thinking, Louise, is that when you approach her, make sure you’re calm and present it as an issue you’re looking to solve, with her help. I’m sure that since she has dogs in her yard, it might not have occurred to her that the cats are spraying in your yard.
If, however, she decides that the cat spray is not her concern and you need to deal with it yourself, what I’d suggest is that you make your yard as inhospitable to strange cats as possible. You could set out cat training aids (like these) in the spots where they tend to target – the cats will approach, be startled by the shot of air, and hopefully learn to avoid that area. I’ve also heard good things about motion activated sprinklers (though haven’t tried them myself).
I know you guys out there have suggestions (and probably better than the ones I just shared) – please chime in!
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Thomas with his favorite toy (before he went off to Petsmart).
During the day, Thomas liked to hang out in Fred’s office.
The day before he went off to Petsmart, I got out a pack of those pop-open cat cubes, and Thomas took one out for a spin. Er, a sit.
And then he tried to eat it.
OM NOM.
I love the look he’s giving Dennis.
“What?”
I know it’s hard to tell from this picture, but she was flopped against me with her back end up in the air. She is such a GOOF.
Always a lady.
Kitty yoga time.
Pretty pretty pretty girl.
And she knows it!
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Doesn’t he have THE most fabulous whiskers?
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Previously
2013: “I AM TOTALLY THE CUTEST GIRL EVER!”
2012: No entry.
2011: I called her Dorfy and when I was looking for her Saturday evening, I called her KittyDorfin’ and then EnDorfin’.
2010: No entry.
2009: No entry.
2008: “She did WHAT?!?!”
2007: “WHO’S READY FOR THE SNACKIN’?” I bellowed
2006: No entry.
2005: No entry.
Hooray for Mariette! “I prefer to think she [Livia] and Dennis have more of a mother-son relationship” made me laugh. And what’s the square thing that handsome Thomas was sitting on in Fred’s office? Am keeping my fingers crossed for many, many adoptions this weekend.
That’s a screen that goes in the window – the owners who had the house before us put in windows without screens (or storm windows). On the three days a year it isn’t boiling or freezing here, we like to open the windows. (It’s my dream to replace every single window in this house some day!)
Speaking of getting cats out of trees, these local tree climbing fellows rescue cats in the Seattle/Tacoma area, paid for by donations! They will even go rescue strays that no one claims. Sweet fellows! Kitties seem to know they care and are there to help.
http://www.canopycatrescue.com
If you follow them on facebook, they post photos and videos of the kitties they rescue.
I love those guys!!!
for the lady with the neighbor – I have heard good things about motion activated sprinklers too. however, if she is going to feed the cats, she needs to take some responsibility to make sure the population is controlled. Alley Cat Allies is a great resources and may be able to point you to area TNR groups, clinics and information on how to approach her
I totally understand the “distraction issue” of having a Kindle app on a tablet. I settled that by getting a Kindle paper-white and find that I LOVE reading on it now. I’m getting older, eye-sight not what it once was, and enlarging the text helps a lot. Honestly, I’d gotten to the point I would hardly read hard-back books due to the small print.
Congrats that Mariett got adopted. Fingers crossed for a good adoption weekend for other kittehs.
I actually bought a Zoom Groom last weekend, and my kitties both tolerated being brushed with it for much longer than they’ve tolerated any other brush. Even Holly, whose normal brushing tolerance threshold is roughly 2 seconds, let me do a few good strokes. It’s a win!
Tricki has elevator butt…
Man, I adore that goofy gorgeous girl.
I feed strays in our neighborhood and I don’t like the spray smell either. But I also can’t stop feeding the cats. We have named most of the cats and have known most of them since they were kittens. They all have different personalities and we talk about them all the time. Also there are new kittens and it’s just kind of snowballed (it started out with one mom cat and two kittens, now I feed the front and backyard twice a day! ack!). If someone were to approach us about it, I guess I would ask what they want me to do. Do they want me to stop feeding them and let them starve to death? That’s really the only thing I can do at this point. I feel kind of responsible for them like I got myself into this mess and now I can’t stop or a bunch of cats will die. We often wonder what would happen if we moved. We have contacted agencies to help us with TNR and no one will help so we gave up on that. We were hoping someone would invent something to put in their food that would sterile them. I would miss the kittens though. I suppose you could call Animal Control, that’s always an option but the cats would be doomed.
Talking to her would be my suggestion too. She may be unaware or even overwhelmed by the situation and can’t figure a way out. Pssst: TNR! Alleycats.org is a great site.
I TNR my own rural backyard. I don’t feed the stray for a few days and set the trap and wait him out. My other cats have enough sense not to go into the trap. I release in my backyard and most cats just keep moving. Unlike Robin’s house, where everyone sticks around.
If you feed ferals, you must TNR. It’s the only responsible way to help these cats. SPCA & local rescue rent low cost humane traps or build your own droptrap w/ Youtube help. Really, it’s not that hard just time consuming. I can get a feral spayed for $10 at my poor county SPCA. Even the price is right!
Feeding strays is a very touchy topic. My sister has a neighbor who will not claim that she is feeding but there are cats all over her yard and they are also all over everyone else’s yard. We understand the basic desire to help these kitties but in the long run she is actually making their situation worse. They do no get vet care. They are not being fixed. There are constantly new kitten litters. The animals are destroying the neighbors’ yards with spraying and pooping and digging. The disruption to the demeanor of my sister’s indoor cats is another huge issue. The displaced aggression she has to deal with because of the cats sitting on her porch is really a problem. TNR is great for the long term as eventually the colony will be under control and will not grow but just feeding is not going to do it. Without vet care the kitties have food, sure, but they are doomed to long difficult lives of disease and struggle. This is not to mention the attraction of other animals such as predators like coyotes and scroungers like raccoons. I think approaching the neighbor calmly and offering to help is the best approach. Get info about TNR ( the resources mentioned above are great) and share. There may be a lot of resistance. Then you may need to involve authorities. In our city you are not allowed to maintain a colony without being registered. Also there may be limits to the number of animals you can have. All areas are different. I hope they can work this out peacefully. This is a big problem everywhere. Kind hearted people want to help but in the end make things worse for the cats and the neighbors.
Thanks Robyn ! For posting my question. I have tried a few different deterrents. I have a motion sensor that makes a sound that cats don’t like. It works a bit but some cats don’t react to it (they may be old and deaf). I also have a spray that I spray around my back door. I will try some of the suggestions. Being that some of these cats are just neighbourhood cats and not strays a TNR program wouldn’t really work. I also live in a very small town in Northern Canada.
I really appreciate everyone’s suggestions.
hmm,can you sell those ducklings (IF any hatches)?