Scavenger Hunt # 6 - Someone or Something Napping

Like many other people in this hunt who have animals in the house there is just no excuse as to why this was a difficult item to obtain?

Maybe we were all trying to be ultra amazing and find something else a sleep to catch a quick picture of?
Yet when all else fails we resort to our original plan and capture that ultimate picture of our own little 4 legged friend a sleep somewhere in the house!

I give you our 2 cats enjoying our bed in the morning because that is where the sun streams in nice and warm.

They are on the same bed at the same time, just that Barney had managed to snuggle on the bed before I managed to pull the blanket back over!

Hide 'n' Seek

Whilst at mum's house a few weeks ago, we got to enjoy the wondrous sunshine that suddenly decided to hit New Zealand.

We got to sit outside in her courtyard area and have some lunch.
She has a lovely large flower box in the middle of the area

can you spot the cat?

And it seems like her cat, Chivers, has decided that this is his space, despite the fact there is no space for him!

Chivers enjoying the daffodils as much, if not more than we are!

At least he is showing who owns what around the house!!

Picture Day

Are we there yet?

Going Out

It's dark and very wet outside there.
The rain has been thrashing against the house for several hours now.
Just the thought of having to go out in it is off putting, of having to enter into that wind and rain!
Luckily for me I am not needing to go out there, but sadly the cat sat at the bottom of the stairs is!

It is 3am, I have been awake, sort of, for a little while.
The cat, who was spared some grace by my husband at bedtime, is still in the house, although I guess I did agree to it, knowing it would be me who moved during the night to let her out (she only seems to wake me!)

As I open the door to that monsterous world outside, she jumps forward eager and ready to disappear, that is until she sees and hears the rain!
She flies back up 3 stairs very quickly, but then I don't blame her, who would really want to go out there like that at 3am?

Sadly I grab her and talk soothing words to her as I explain that she has to go out, I need some sleep!
And with that I close the door behind her

I know I will hear about this later, I know she will tell me all about it when I open the door later on this morning to let her back in but all will be forgiven. She will eat breakfast, spend the day sometimes in and sometimes out and then snuggle on our bed in the evening just hoping that on the off chance that when we finally go to bed we will either take pity or even over look the fact she is snuggled all warm and a sleep on our bed and not get thrown out for the night!

Tonight you will be going out, tomorrow is work and school. I need my sleep to be able to face another day.

So goodnight pussy cat, I'm going back to bed now.

The Cats

Last weekend we managed to finally get to the caravan. We were away for 2 nights and the cats got to stay outside for 2 nights.
Nothing marvellous about this, apart from the last time we went, Prenzel took off in the 3 nights we were away, and it took us 2 weeks to find her and get her home!
So this time we were a little wary, even decided that if she disappeared again, then No, we were not looking for her!

2 lovely nights at the caravan and on our return, 2 lovely cats sat at the door waiting for us and telling us off for leaving them over 2 cold nights!

Looks like she might be happy and have decided to stay?

Cats Update

Prenzel has settled back into the house as if nothing had ever happened!
She actually seems more settled this time. Her and Barney are getting on very well, as if they have been together for ever. A little bit of sqwabbling, but nothing 2 cats don't always do.
They are peaceful and quiet in the evenings, and apart from the odd day when you have to throw them out at 4am, they are pleasant in the house at night.

Maybe the next time we go away, she will stick around and be more pleasant!?

Found

Once again we are a 2 cat family.
Yes that is right, the elusive wandering cat has been returned to us after 2 weeks away.

A nice gentleman called today to say that he had been given our details by the SPCA and he wondered if the cat that he had at his mother's house was ours?
Turns out she had arrived there about 36 hours ago and he had took her in and looked after her, fed her and then called the SPCA to see if anyone was missing her, because she was pleasant, well groomed and had a collar on.

Luckily I had called and informed them that she was missing last week and they in turn placed her on their 'lost and found' board.

Let's see how long she sticks around for this time!

Kindness

One of the cats, Prenzel, has gone for a walk!

We always guessed that she was a wanderer, but never thought she would prove it to us within 8 weeks of having her.

But what gets me, is that there are still some kind people out there!

We have put fliers in peoples mailboxes this week and we have had 3 calls about it. Now people don't have to call but I was really touched that they took the time to call and say they had seen a cat like ours around in the last hour, day or week.

The boys don't seem too bothered that she is not here. They know she has gone for a walk but they are not all that upset by it?

I do miss her, she is so cute. But if she is a wanderer then maybe she doesn't want to live here. I don't want to go away for the weekend wondering if she is still going to be here when we get back each time?

Barney is not at all bothered that she is not here. She is ruling the place like this is what was meant to be!

Cat Training

How do you train a cat??

We have placed a cat door in the garage because ultimately the cats will be outside during the day and also have somewhere dry when we go away over night etc.

The cat door is in situ but now we have to get the silly things to actually use it.

We have shown them the door several times, we have pushed them through it and also enticed them out of it.

We have shut up all the garage so the only way out is via the cat door but alas they must be too stupid to come through it!

They quite happily sit in the garage and stay there.

Ok we have only done this for an hour or so, so not sure what will happen if we left them there all day and then they decided they needed to wee etc.

Probably find we would come home to a mess in the garage somewhere.

So if any of you have any wonderful ideas on how to teach a cat to use a cat flap, then much appreciate a few pointers!

Cat Update

Prenzel is back from the hospital and a lot more full of beans.
She has been desperate to get outside, but the SPCA told us to allow her at least 10-14 days before letting her out!
Today she managed to sneak past Alex as we were coming in and I did not have the energy to chase her so I just let her go!
She is having a ball. She is leading Barnie all round the garden, investigating, using the veggie patch for her business etc.
They both keep coming back to the backdoor and lounging in the sun.
So I think maybe when we are home, if she wants to go outside then she is free to do so.
I think it will make her happier and maybe settle easier.

Only thing is I now have to go and find her to give her her next dose of medicine from the vet!

Hospital

The cat is in the hospital.

Our latest addition to the family, who is called 'Prenzel' by the way has not been well since she arrived on Tuesday. She was fine for the first day but then slowly she has stopped eating and has not been having pleasant poo's.

She is getting along with Barnie very well now, and they are tolerating each other nicely.

We took her to the vet on Wednesday and they dosed her up with pain relief and extra stuff. She ate a little when she got home, but has really not touched anything since.
Unfortunately she poo'd in our room 4 times during the night, not pleasant, and has become a little too laid back for our liking.

So we called the vet again today, explained all that had been going on in the last 24 - 48 hours and they made us an appointment.
10 minutes later the phone went, and it was the vet herself to say that she would like Prenzel to be brought in to her, not for the appointment, but to the hospital so she can observe her over night.


Ben helped me and we took her off to the cat hospital.
Ben was all very worried, he wanted to see where she was going and even told me in the vets that 'he was going to miss her tonight!'


They will call tomorrow to let us know how she has been over night and then hopefully, if they can get her to start eating and drinking they may let her go home tomorrow afternoon, if not maybe Monday. They want to assess her for IV fluids, extra drugs she may need and also what is happening with her insides to create so much poo.

She is so cute and unfortunately we have all fallen in love with her just in 3/4 days, so hopefully she will come right very quickly.


I'll let you know what happens and when she comes home.

Latest Addition

Here is the latest edition to our family.
She doesn't have a name yet, although it is now Ben's turn to choose one, think it might turn out to be 'Prenzel' but will confirm that when we know.


Of course Barnie and her are getting along like a house on fire.....not!
But hey give them chance and maybe oneday the will end up loving tolerating each other!

Cat Update

I decided today to go and check up on the SPCA.

Thought I would go over and see if 1) the 2 little ones I liked had gone for their surgery and 2) to see if there were any others available?

Good job I did.

Turns out the 2 little ones I liked had been sorted the day before and were now immediately available.

And the lady had even felt sorry for me so she placed the little tabby one as Not Available, hoping that I would return soon, even though I wasn't planning on returning until Friday at 1pm when I thought they would be ready!

The tortoise one had just been adopted as I got there but our little tabby was waiting for me.

I didn't actually know what to say to her, especially after the conversation on Tuesday!

So we have a new member to our family. We really want 2 new members but they had nothing else available at the time. Maybe next week.

She is about 10 weeks old and very snuggly.

She doesn't have a name yet, we are working on that one, although Alex has taken to calling her 'Barnie'!

Cats

Almost four years ago we had to sadly put our cat down. He had got very old and became very sick. His name was Ferris and he was at least 18 yrs old.
I was 36 weeks pregnant at the time with baby #2 and we decided that we didn't want another cat then and there, especially with the baby about to arrive.
We thought about it and decided that maybe we would look at getting one when the boys were big enough to enjoy having a cat. I don't actually think that Ben has ever realised that there was a cat in his house for his first 20 months of life!

During last year we had a cat adopt us!
Walked right in one Saturday afternoon and never left. After a while we got him checked out and sorted out. And then sadly about 8 weeks after he adopted us he dissappeared. The boys know that Tigger (what we called him because he bounced a lot) went away but they were never really sad about it. Tigger just wasn't here when we came back from a night away one time.

We again discussed about getting a cat because Alex was totally taken with it. He cared for it, snuggled it and generally was all soppy about the cat. It was so cute, but again we decided that time was not the right time to get one.

So last weekend we had the subject come up again and we decided that maybe now was a good time to look at getting another cat. After the discussion I had managed to swing it so we looked at getting 2 cats, they can keep each other company!
We checked out the local SPCA and found out they had visiting times during the day.
Today I went and checked them out, see if they have any kittens that might suit us?
They didn't have many, one ginger and white, one tabby and one tortoise colour one.
Unfortunately this is then where the fun began.

We don't actually want to get a cat before Thursday, because I then have 5 days with no work and that will allow someone to be here most of the time whilst they get settled in. So I was checking out if they had anything that I could look at getting on Thursday?

The one I really liked and she seemed to like me is being desexed on Thursday, so is not available for adoption until 1pm on Friday, but they do not do holds! So if you want the cat you have to be there at 1pm to get it. The other cat in the same pen as her was not one that immediately jumped at me as one I wanted, although thinking about it for all of the afternoon I think she might be a good cat to have as well. So we will see on Friday when I go.
There was also the ginger one in the other pen. I enquired about when he/she (not sure) was available and the answer I got was....

'it hasn't been desexed yet!'
So I asked when it was getting done?
'Not sure as the vet is very busy! but could possible be on Friday?'
So that means it would be available on Saturday at 1pm?
'Maybe?'

Now this conversation went round in circles several times whilst I was stood there and at the end of it I really got the impression that they were in no hurry what so ever to get these darling little kittens adopted out!
Yet 10 minutes before when I had been looking at the cats, the lady had told me that they always have lots of new cats coming in and that they even have a waiting list for cats to go in the currently full pens!

So now I am very confused and not sure if there will be any cats there at 1pm on Friday when I go there?
You are not able to pay any money to hold the cat for you. I would have quite happily paid for the tabby one so it was ours on Friday but no, not allowed.
The lady even went so far as to say 'if it is meant to be, it will be!'

I walked away thinking that with her help they would never be with anyone because she doesn't seem to want them to be with anyone! With how unhelpful she was I am surprised they ever have any new cats in because I think everyone walks away more confused than when they first arrived!

Anyway, I will be there at 12.50 on Friday to see if I can get the tabby one. As for the 2nd cat, well we will see when I am there, we may even have to go back at 1pm on Saturday to secure the other one. If not I will check it out next week sometime.

Cat

When we have gone away before we have left the cat a whole load of food in the wendy house out in the back garden. This then allows him to have somewhere dry to eat and sleep if that is what he wants.
We even put a towel in there for him to sleep on.
Unfortunately he didn't see us go on Friday and so we are not sure if he did eat the stuff in the wendy house or if one of the other cats did.

We can't really ask him either because we haven't seen him since Friday afternoon!
Yes that is right, the cat that adopted us has suddenly disappeared.

The Cat

I caught the cat snoozing in the sun the other day.

It was the way his head is was just there that got me, not lying on the ground, just held up to catch the rays.

Alex and the Cat

The cat has well and truely made himself at home.

We have taken him to the vet and got him checked over. He is fine, about 12-15 months old. No microchip to identify him and they don't recognise him from anyone else bringing him in previously.

So looks like we have a cat.

Not that anyone in the family seems too bothered by this.

The cat has made his place known, as all cats do. One evening this was his favorite spot...

Although when the boys go to bed each night, this is where we find him.

Alex is asleep in this picture but the flash made it light up so clear

He goes up with us at story time and then he snuggles and stayes there for the rest of the night. Usually moving finally about 4.30am.

He is going to the vet on Tuesday to be seen too.

House Guest

We have our first house guest.

Well I don't know if he is a guest or a permanent visitor?

On Saturday he hung around the house all day. He was inside checking everything out, very friendly with the boys and generally just there. No we didn't feed him and we generally ignored him. We threw him out as we sat down to dinner and never saw him again.

Then on Sunday morning I spied him next door with the neighbour. So I went over and checked if he was their's? Nope not their's.

Apparently he had slept on the chair on their porch all night and was now hanging around.

So finally at 4 pm, Steve said if I wanted to feed him then go get him.

So I went to the store and got a flea collar and some food and brought him in.

He has been here ever since. Slept on our bed each night. Comes when you call. Loves the boys and is very friendly.

He is in very good condition which makes us think he belongs to someone somewhere.

If he is still here in 2 weeks then I will take him to the vet and get him checked out.

If he is still here in 4 weeks then I will take him back to the vet and get him sorted out. Sure he won't like us for that!

We have called him 'Tigger' because he bounces like Tigger does. Not sure how old he is but we think maybe just under a year.

We wanted a cat, just not quite yet, but one that is friendly and already trained is always better than a kitten you have to train up.