Good for you Connie! Hi there oldbroad...what are you up to?

Gerry

Just wondering if you have allowed any of your cats to venture out alone yet, hagatha ??

[And, if so, was it a nail biting experience ??]

Mad, Dude escaped one day, which freaked me out, but all he wanted to do was walk around the house and go back in. Willow would be totally trustworthy. She goes for a walk with me every day around the garden, and she's a lazy fat thing who would rather roll around on the grass than go down the road. She won't stray too far from the food.

Dude has gone out on a leash a few times but he's really not comfortable with it. Yesterday we sat on the front step for about ten minutes while he just looked around. Of course Willow, the little jerk that she is, always tries to stop him from coming back in so I have to pick him up and shoo Willow away with my foot.

My neighbours all insist that the biggest danger to cats here is other cats. Still I would never consider letting them out unless I had a couple of cat flaps for them to get back in.

Yes. I had read your previous “escape adventures” thank you, hagatha, including Dude’s behaviour on the lead, but was just wondering if you had made any further positive progress as yet.
A cat flap certainly sounds like a step for you to consider though and good luck with that or whatever else you might decide to go for 🤞🤞

We used to have cat flaps which were a good option in the absence of busy roads or other immediate hazards, also removing the need for litter trays: our cats always reliably came home for food, although we had one which would also visit a neighbour's house via the cat flap there to enjoy additional food (fortunately both cats and humans were on good terms)!

We also have experience of well cared for domestic cats which go begging outside other houses, pretending to be starving ferals, and if fed may even change allegiance...

Good Morning and Happy Friday everyone! Cat flaps can also invite other critters into your home...I have heard of raccoons and skunks coming in thru them too! Cats can also fall prey to hawks and owls if they are outdoors. I remember a few years ago reading about a women walking her dog on a leash and a hawk swooped down and tried to carry him off!

Hope you all enjoy a peaceful day!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Karaoke with friends at Hacienda tonight. Enjoy the day and hug someone.

Gerry, my previous cat lived in a coyote-infested neighbourhood for 16 years. Other cats vanished; she had her bolt-hole. We actually saw a coyote chase her up the side of the house and she blasted through that door to safety. She didn't go out for about ten days. That was when she started using her litter box all the time instead of going outside. There are no coyotes here on Vancouver Island. But I'm not decided yet. Dude may give up at some point and stop bugging me. I won't be able to even think about a catio this year, There's too much to do around here already.

Today I have to deal with some issues around the house. I was giving the garden some much-needed water yesterday and the water just...stopped. I thought it must be a kink in the hose, but no; there is no water coming out of the hose bib all of a sudden. I've never heard of anything like it. The other thing is that water is not getting to the ice-maker in the fridge. And then there's the gate, which needs to be on a remote but nobody can find where the power line goes and which breaker controls it. All very annoying.

So I'll be having lots of dark coffee this morning, and then I'll get to work.

Cat flaps can be “personalised” to stop anything other than your cat getting through ….

Hopefully this is the last of the 100+ degree days here. Man, it's been brutal.

First night of league bowling last night. I got news last week that both my knees are bone on bone, so I was very happy they didn't hurt at all while bowling. Doctor is somewhat puzzled because I have no pain unless I start getting over 3 miles of walking in a day or if I go down stairs. Plus, I bowled quite well! Win, win!

Do you have water at your sink or in the bathrooms? Guess the problem all depends on what your water source is and how your plumbing is set up. Good luck!

Draclvr, all the other water in the house is working fine. The water from the hose bib literally just stopped flowing while I was watering. I do have another hose bib but it's been tightened too tight for me to turn it, so I can't test that one. I might try using a lever to see if I can turn it. My garden is so parched!

I think my knees are in a similar state. They pop every time I get up now. Hopefully it won't impede my walking -- I ran into one of the people I met at that party; she lives around the corner from me and wants to start walking in the 'hood, so we're starting today.

Good luck with everything hagatha. I'm sorry to hear there are some issues starting in your new home.

As far as the cats, I still definitely vote for keeping them inside. There must be a window they can get comfy in for now? In my earlier cat owning days I had various forms of bad luck with cats being outside. The last family of cats we had/have were born outside and lived the first several months out there. None of them seemed to want to ever go back out once they came in our house. They liked the open windows and patches of sun that came in. That was good enough for them, thankfully.

hagatha, I had to look up what a hose bib is! We would call it a faucet or hydrant! I would definitely NOT try unscrewing it unless you turn the water off in the house. If water is still going to the "bib," and you suddenly remove it, you could have quite a mess on your hands!

Oldbroad, Willow is perfectly happy to go out on her leash, though she would love to be free-range. Dude is the real whiner. He spends his days with his nose pressed up against a screen. Eventually he will either get the message that going outside means wearing a harness, or he'll give up.

There was a Raven sitting on the peak of my house while I was out watering. It was definitely having a look at me. I love the Corvids, but a Raven is a big rascal, and smart. You definitely don't want to get on a Raven's bad side.

The plumber came and did something to the hose bib. It works now. It was a gasket or something.

Where I live, my experience has been that letting cats outside the home is basically condemning them to death. Sooner or later, the coyotes (or something other wildlife) get them. This is why I have always kept my cats indoors. When I first took my cats to the vet, the vet asked me if they were going to be indoor cats, I said yes, and they said that was a very good thing. Of course outside environments can differ, though.

Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend!

Good Morning and welcome to Saturday and the weekend! Hagatha I agree with oldbroad and Marian that the safest place for cats is indoors...so many variables outside...even just bringing in parasites or ticks! Draclvr hope you have a cooler weekend...congrats on your bowling...sorry to hear about your knees. I heard something about a new treatment where they inject a gel to surround the knee joint so you don't have to have surgery...maybe an option for you or hagatha.

Have a happy day everyone!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break room. My cats are indoor only, too many coyotes and other hazards outside. Shopping is on the agenda today. Enjoy your day and hug someone.

Good morning Gerry, Connie and everyone else who pops in. Woo Hoo the weekend has arrived. Dark roast Sumatra coffee, Scottish Breakfast tea and bottled Fiji water in the Break Room with Connie's treats. I'm ready for some cinnamon crunch bagels today. Weekend chores and projects are on my agenda today. Have a great day!

OOPS, I forgot the double dark brew soot! Just put some more on!

Gerry

Thank heavens you put on another pot, Gerry! I'm just now ready to sit down with my coffee and start the weekend!

I walked out to the tomato forest and didn't feel like I was going to burst into flames or was breathing under water! Man, this 90 degrees is going to be welcome today...

Happy Saturday!

Mmmm. Coffee. I'm sleeping much better here and had a great, late morning reading the news with Willow on my lap and Dude making blinky- eyes at me from one of the easy chairs.

I'm tackling the last of the boxes today, trying to make my deskless office at least presentable. And tomorrow, after i mow the lawn, I'm going to clear up the garage as much as possible so it doesn't look like a bomb went off in there.

My mother is visiting for a month through October so I'm hoping to have the house as close to finished as possible.

What a boon to be able to sleep better at your new house! Sounds like the perfect morning...

Yes, it's very quiet here. In thee old place we had a lot of water traffic and the old Beaver floatplanes going by all day long. Sometimes at night we'd get two hours of a large log boom being pushed and pulled into position by two huge tugboats, and they are not only loud but they send off a kind of sonic wave that feels like the house is shaking. Here there's just the odd car going past.


EDIT: All of sudden we are blanketed in smoke. At first I thought someone was having an illegal fire, and realized that it's everywhere. I guess I'll be using my puffer non-stop for a few days.

Good Morning Connie, soot, Draclvr, hagatha, oldbroad, Marian, and everyone. I've put on a fresh pot of extra strong double dark brew and already having my first cup! So glad to hear you have a little relief from the oppressive heat Draclvr. Congrats hagatha on already getting pretty well settled in your new home! Is the smoke coming from the Canadian wild fires? I hope the wind changes direction and clears the air for you.

Have a peaceful Sunday!

Gerry

Good morning, Danish, Donuts and Bagels in the Break Room. Enjoy the new week and hug someone.