When Bob was getting his cancer medicines delivered, one had to be kept cold. It was delivered in a foam, insulated cube. Afterward, some were used as coolers, some were given away. These were left.
I thought about these cubes for some time. Today I used four to make a house for the outside cats by taping them together.
But before setting it outside I showed it to Othello.
To get him to look inside, I had to put treats in the cubes.
I do not know if any cat will really like to shelter in this house but at least I tried.
Better a home for cats than put in the garbage.
I might have to use treats to attract outside cats, too. It may take a while for them to figure out that it is warm inside. I just hope it is large enough for comfy living.
I have a furry friend hiding in my house. She is a cat. Her name is Cruella.
As a tiny kitten, Cruella was rescued when her mother abandoned her. For her early weeks, she was fed with a bottle. She should be the sweetest pet ever after all that special care. She is not
Cruella is crazy. That’s probably why her mother left her and took her siblings to another hiding place in the barn.
Cruella has fights with her tail. This video is just a small sample of her tail attacks. It’s difficult to catch her on video as I never know when she will have one of her tail issues. Here she’s watching her twitching tail. She growls at it around the 20-second mark. It’s not her biggest tail encounter, but just an example. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agggIJ9eXo4
I tried embedding the video here and it just didn’t work.
Staying mostly to herself, Cruella avoids visitors. Son-in-law Andy came across her a couple of weeks ago. She was on my bed upstairs. For the first time ever, she didn’t run and hide. In fact, Cruella let Andy pet her–he was honored.
I hope the attached youtube video works for you.
BTW: Cruella sleeps with me every night. She purrs like crazy right by my head. Too bad she uses her claws to knead and wake me.
I’m going to try reading another old column later today, but first, before the rain, I’m going to take Sunny for a walk.
I was studying Shakespeare’s Othello when two cats came to live at our house. Rebecca named the runt Peter Michael Manzke (Pete outgrew being the runt). I named the other Othello.
Though Pete has crossed the rainbow bridge, Othello is still with us at the age of 16. He’s a scroungy old cat, needing a good brushing.
Pete hates to be brushed. I do a little of him at a time, usually quitting when he starts biting.
Last year this time, while Bob was struggling with his cancer, Othello wasn’t well. I couldn’t bring myself to put him down. I’m so glad I didn’t. He is fine, and good company, sleeping with me.
Othello, without the scroungy half of him showing
Today, I share my home confinement with my pets, so I am not completely alone.
Othello is a beggar, always wanting treats, he gets them, too. I better not run out of his treats. I don’t know what he would do to me if he didn’t get a few every day.
So that’s my blog for today. It’s extra quiet here. I think that’s because I should stay to myself. The crazy thing is that I was finally getting out of the house after losing Bob.
Oh well, this too shall pass….though it will take a while. Good thing my freezer is well stocked.
A prospective storm changed our family get-together. All our children were coming to help tomorrow, but a Sunday snowstorm changed plans.
Other commitments meant everyone couldn’t come this Saturday. Rebecca, Rachel, and Arianna made it here and helped with writing thank-you cards.
After spending hours together, writing, stamping, and addressing, Rebecca went home to do her own chores. Rachel and Arianna decided I needed more fish in my fish tank–I have one. So off we went to a pet store in Green Bay.
With Arianna’s help, I chose two guppies and then decided to get a beta to take up residence in his own bowl in the kitchen.
After choosing my new pets, Rachel asked if I needed anything else. We were near enough to Fleet Farm so I asked her to stop for water softener salt. “I don’t need anything else.”
After we got inside the store, I remembered I also needed cat food, wild bird food, cat litter, a trail mix and pecans for snacking.
With all the heavy bags, it was a good thing Rachel was there. She not only loaded her car with my purchases, but she also unloaded at home and carried everything everywhere from the basement to the front porch, to the upstairs.
The photos that follow were taken by Rachel as Arianna and I pushed our over-full cart out of Fleet Farm and to Rachel’s car.
It was a fun adventure and a relief from writing thank you cards.
Now everyone is on their way home. I’ll be alone on Sunday, but that’s okay. I’ll spend some time watching my new fish and then look out the window at the snow coming down outside–knowing not one of my family is trying to drive out to the farm on slippery roads.
Along with a birdfeeder, we also have a heated waterer attached to a porch post. Birds stop there for a drink, but so do barn cats–not at the same time.
I understand the cats coming for a drink when everything is frozen outside. I just don’t understand how they take a drink some of the time.
Most get up on a ledge, also built for feeding birds, but mostly empty these days as cats like to sit there. Some cats take a sip from the edge near where they are standing.
Adventurous cats plunge their paws into the water and drink from the opposite side of the ‘birdbath’.
Taking a drink this way isn’t bad on a mild day, but I’ve seen them do this when it is extremely cold outside.
I haven’t seen any frozen cats, but I can’t see the reason they have to drink while dunking their tootsies.
I just hope they can off their feet fast before they freeze.
Taking a drink from the far side of the heated birdbath.
