All posts by susanmanzke

Cat water fountain – review

pets, review

About two weeks ago, I bought a Drinkwell Multi-Tier Pet Fountain. I purchased this water fountain for our cat, Othello.

Othello is over 15 years old and he looks it. Every morning he’d ask me to turn on the shower so he could drink water there. It didn’t matter that there was a bowl of water across the bathroom. He wanted his water from the shower. If I didn’t do this for him he didn’t drink enough water.

A friend had a pet fountain for her cat and she said it worked well. I looked at a variety and decided on the Drinkwell one.

It said dogs liked it too, but Sunny hasn’t even tried taking a sip from the fountain.

Both our cats, Othello and Cruella, do like taking their water at the fountain. The water fountain is on the first floor, so if they are upstairs at night, with only a bowl of water, they hurry down in the morning to take a drink.

Othello seems to be taking in more water now that we have this fountain.

Othello taking a sip
Othello by his pet fountain

It is a bit more of a bother than putting water in a bowl. I have to keep the level up and wash it out more often than I like. It’s also not easy to move once it is filled with water.

To wash it out I put the plastic fountain, water and all, in a plastic tub and take it to a sink where I can dump the water. Having it in the tub as I walk across the house is so I don’t slosh water on the floor.

Anyway, this fountain is helping our old cat drink more water and I think that’s a good thing.

Cats and chickens

pets, wildlife

I just went outside to give the barn (feral) cats their evening meal. I should have waited just a little longer. The porch was invaded.

If I had waited our chickens wouldn’t have joined the cats on the porch. Since chickens are omnivores, they will eat anything…I think I’ve said this before.

Cats do not scare chickens and chickens do not scare cats. For a short time, the chickens joined the cats and pecked at the food I had set down.

This is not fair. The cats never venture into the chicken coop and eat the chicken food. The chickens do not share equally.

Hen heading up the front steps
Cats and chickens munching on the front porch

If I try to shoo the chickens away I end up shooing away the cats. It’s best to let them all be. The chickens don’t eat much, just chicken feed.

A little nature

Farming, nature, photography, wildlife

Bob and I haven’t been able to take our 2-wheel drive cart all the way down to the woods yet this year. Too much rain has made part of our farm lane a quagmire. In earlier years, we didn’t let that stop us. If mud got the best of us we got out and pushed, be damned the yuck. Now with Bob’s health issues, we don’t want to risk it. Getting stuck might mean a long walk home.

Usually, I take nature photos. The best I could do today was a snap of six ducks in a ‘lake’ in the middle of one of our crop fields–too much rain this year isn’t good for any farm. (No, the water shouldn’t be there.)

Look hard and you will see the ducks above this caption.

Most of the local birds, like sandhill cranes, are nesting now so they haven’t come out to greet us yet, but we hear them so we have hopes to see our crane family soon.

This photo of ducks was taken a few years back in late September. The crop around the waterhole is soybeans.

These ducks were a little easier to spot.

We’ll have to start bringing our binoculars out when we take our cart rides if the wildlife stays at a distance. Hopefully, the weather will change and dry up the land–for a while–so all farmers can get out on their fields, even retired ones.

Toys from Susan’s past

Family, Memories, Odds and ends

When Antiques Roadshow came to Green Bay in 2017, I tried for tickets, but when I didn’t win any, I volunteered. I knew that volunteers were allowed to have two items appraised, too.

I took two toys from my childhood: a doll handed down to me from my Aunt Mary Ann. (All three of us: me, my aunt, and the doll had the same color hair.) The other treasured doll from my youth was a Howdy Doody marionette.

Sweet Sue and Howdy Doody

I knew my dolls weren’t worth much. I just really wanted to know a bit about the fancy-dressed doll.

Marshall Thomas Martin, the doll appraiser, gave me a great gift. He told me that my doll was made after WWII. She was a plastic American Character doll. The best part was her name. She’s called Sweet Sue!

My Sweet Sue is only worth $45, but that’s okay. To me she’s priceless. My 1950s Howdy Doody marionette is only worth $20. Howdy is made from composite materials, which is why he has so many cracks.

I just thought I’d share them with you today.

A man and his cat

Bob, pets

I was in the kitchen but I could still hear Bob in the living room. He was upset. Not with me. He was having issues with our cat, Cruella.

When he went to ease back in his recliner, Cruella was ready to join him. This doesn’t bother Bob. In fact, he likes it when Cruella or Othello come to sit with him. What does bother him is when Cruella uses her claws to get aboard. Ouch!

Cruella also uses her claws to get his attention. She stretches out on his chest and puts her feet toward his face, trying to get him to pet her. The only problem is that she always has her claws out.

Bob and Cruella

I just wish he wouldn’t get so excited when she does this. I immediately think he’s in need of help and go to lend a hand. I’m relieved to find he’s just having an argument with the cat about the use of her claws.

It’s good that this isn’t a big problem, just an annoying one that makes him go “ouch!”