We Interrupt This Broadcast

For a very important pre-election message from the Caturday Tribe...

Love

We're wordless.
Sleep well, B and Mrs B.

Sleep Is Important

After running around the yard for twelve hours straight, the divine Miss R collapses where she lands.



So does her brother in his usual laid back style.



One night the whole tribe, (including two footers) were so tired we all hit the bed at 8PM and skept through until 6. We woke to this arrangement.



And today, B and the missus enjoyed a nice lie in until 9.





"She a babe , isn't she?" says B.

Three Faces

This is Junebug



Maybelle



and Mugsy

Three little shelter kittens. They all have applications filed and should be adopted out as soon as they are old enough. Wicked cute, aren;t they?

Mr. B

I had to take Brendan in the vet on Sunday. Brendan showed me there was blood in his urine again, like at Christmastime. The vet said he should get better. He had some fluids and some shots and I am giving him Clavamox, Cosequin and the Chinese herb mixture. I didn't know this, but Cosequin is good for our old fellows with kidney issues. It helps the lining the of the bladder.

He was up to inspect the builing progress with Olof and he did walkabout in the fenced in territory and now he has gone upstairs for his morning nap. His appetite is down a bit but he seems ok.

He's old, yanno. Our vet says, ":Brendan is happy but he's tired." When you think of his age in people years you realize he is very old. In cat years 17 and a half, going towards eighteen. In people years, what, 90?

He is such a wise being and all of you who read Caturday I think get a feeling for what this special creature is like. A while ago he was napping with his head on Mrs. B's butt.

I take Brendan to the vet, it's a 45 minute drive. I just put him in the seat in his car seat and he looks out the window with calm curiosity. He's calm at the vet but of course he doesn't like getting shots. He doesn't get fearful, though his eyes were quite large the last time we were there and a Great Dane was woofing away near us. Still, he has been with us since he was eight weeks old and all he has known from people is kindness. It's a perfect kind of life. He's been lucky and we've been lucky to live with him.

It's not over yet and we'll take the best possible care of him and watch over him.

I was reading a new story over at

Then There Were Four

about what happens to us when we lose a Beloved animal companion. I think he really hit it in this one. It just tears a chunk out of your heart but I love the way he describes it as a cord that keeps us connected. Pop on over there and read it.

Where the Wild Things Are

The door is open all day long and the kittens (young cats now really though they still act like kittens) run in and out. Ramona cries when the door is shut around 6 PM.

"I'll never be Out again! I just know it!"

Then she collapses and crashes out until the next morning. She runs up the apple tree and hides under the bushes and stalks little creatures. Harper and Ramona chase each other through the vegtable garden. She did get out one more time and then I added some fencing around the few trees we have the fence staked to. And a raccoon got in once so we check the perimeter every morning.

Brendan goes out too. We had a down spell with him and we gave him fluids for a week and that has really perked him up. Also we found a new food he just loves so he has put weight back on. It's the new Fancy Feast in the blue cans. He is nuts for it. It probably isn't as good for him as Wellness but hey, I'd rather he eat.

I went home to Cape Cod to see my family. Did a little research on the ancestral mansion which was built in 1845. Found out some fun family tree stuff like the town my great great and so on mother was born in in France and that the father of that same period was from Prussia. I wish they had all left journals!

We're still working away on the studio remodel. Everything is upside down. And it's going to be a real international summer with guests arriving from Ireland, France and Sweden. It''ll be fun.

This time when I got back Harper let out one loud meow "You're back!" He didn't forget who I was like last time. Then he slept next to me with his paw around my neck. He's a love.

I figure Harper and Ramona are my consolation gift from the universe for losing Fergus. They are both sweet and very comforting companions.

Breakout!

This just in from the A.P

There was a breakout at Caturday Lane yesterday. No injuries were reported.

"I don't know what happened," said Mrs. Brendan (aka Miss Ramona), ""my brother and I were in the from yard watching chipmunks. They were stealing seed our people put down and we were warning them away. I had my nose to the ground and suddenly the Boundary slipped over my head and I was Outside. Brother followed me at once to assist. Then we realised we were Outside and we couldn't get back in! Brother said we should follow the Boundary until we found a way Home. We were doing that when our people called us. Brother was rescued by Herself and I ran to the Very Nice Space with the Big Things that go down the road are kept and I yelled at the door until Herself came and let me In."

"It was verwy scarwy.""

All were reported safe and resting up from the ordeal.
The Boundary has been reinforced with extra protection.

Spring comes to Caturday

The fence went up, the old shed came down. The garden went in and the cats went out. Yup, May flew by in a rush of activity. I'm down to two maor studio projects and about a zillion outdoor projects.

First, the fence. It is a black plastic deer fence with long steel stakes you pound into the ground and attach the fence to with those plastic pull tie things. There are stakes to fasten the fence to the ground and you can pile rocks on it in places where you can't get stakes in. Below is the web site for the company I bought it from. They are on Cape Cod but they ship the fence from a warehouse. You might be able to find the same stuff locally. Because it is so thin it is hard for a cat to climb and when you put it up you can leave the top kind of loose so there is no footing for a houdini. We stapled some of ours to trees and left the top loose. If you put it on the front of the tree it is hard for a cat to get his paws through the fence to climb. Our guys so far show no interest in trying to get out. They have enough to do inside their yard. And they tend to stay right around the house if we are not out in the yard. Last night we saw a raccoon in the yard so Olof followed him. He had no problem climbing out. But the cats wouldn''t be able to do it as easily. And the fence is black to it blends in against the trees and you hardly know it is there.

http://www.invisible-deer-fence.com/



Ramona walks over the cat sized bridge that crosses the creek between ponds.

Being able to go out has made a huge difference in the cats well being. Before they were content. They slept during the day and ran around at night hunting for mice. (and often finding some). Now they can't wait for the cat door to open around 7 AM and they spend the entire day running in and out until we set the door to in only around 6 PM. They will come in on their own by 6:30 if we are in. Then they sleep like exhausted children. Life has become exciting for them. They get to fufill their inner tigers, stalking frogs (usually rescued by me), bugs, leaves and the occasional rodent. Ramona springs up the apple tree and sometimes just lies in the tall grass napping. They used to cry when we finally shut the door at night but I think they have learned the routine. Cats like routine. And Harper used to yell in the morning trying to get me to open it but today he is still asleep. I generally walk around the perimeter when I let them out because we do have bear and moose here and either of them could simply crash through the fence. Though Olof saw a bear a couple of weeks ago put his nose to the fence and walk away. So it also keeps out creatures we would rather not have in the yard.

We've got a lot of other projects underway, the biggest being a complete renovation of our studio building.



Yes, it is big. The room with the big windows up top is our new editing room. It will be really really nice with a fantastic view. A nice place to sit if you are working on something. Yesterday Olof and I put that horrible fiberglass insulation up in the roof and half of the walls. We'll finish this morning. But there's still the rest of the garden to plant too.