LostWoods Blog

You might be able to guess from the title of tonight’s post that I have a little escape artist on my hand. Now I know I said it was Pepino who was the first to start climbing the gate — and he was. But he gave up before getting to the top and he hadn’t yet figured out that is the key to his freedom. But Galia did.

This morning the visited with the babies while I was getting ready for work. They were eating, playing, attacking my toes (ow!), and having a great time. Then I stepped over the gate and went out to the bedroom to put on my shoes. Galia decided she needed to be out there, too. So up the gate she went. Once she reached the top, she started down the other side, dropping (or falling — it’s hard to say really) to the floor about half way down. Then she was off on a dead run to come attack my feet some more.

I gave her kisses and put her back. Before I could get across the room she was over the gate again. I think I put her back four or five times before deciding it was a losing battle. I didn’t take the gate down, though, as I would like them to stay in the bathroom until I can trust them with the litter box. And since they aren’t pottying much yet, they’ve yet to need to litter box much. So there were four kittens in the bathroom and one running loose in my bedroom when I left for work.

When I got home from work, Galia was back in the bathroom. Either she climbed back over since there was nobody to play with or snuggle with on the bedroom side of the gate, or Kali took her back. I’m betting on Galia climbing back over.

Sondra took the Warriors to the vet today. We’re a little behind on our usual vaccination schedule, but the kittens are doing well. All except Dawnflower were over three pounds — which is an excellent weight for their age. Dawn is about average, no worries even though she’s a little smaller than her siblings. Sondra said she’d take pictures today or tomorrow, so I hope to have new ones on the site by this weekend.

Now, I’m off to play with babies for awhile before going to bed. I was up way late (for me) last night and I’m tired. (Ha! Susanne, I just had to say that! LOL!) Actually, I was up a little later than normal, but it was the 1:30 a.m. phone call about a problem at work that disrupted my sleep. Good night all!

The Melons are getting to be too, too funny! They are, for the time being, living in my bathroom. It’s not huge, but it’s not small either. They have two litter boxes, two food dishes, two water dishes and the little corner condo in there, not to mention a basket of toys. Since Kali likes napping on the cool vinyl floor, she’s nearly always in there with them. They take their naps wherever they happen to be when exhaustion takes over — little kitten bodies littering the floor.

But when they hear my voice, they pop back up, full of life and mischief.  Honey is the most interested in real food and loves the wet food I give them each day. Galia likes to try to get past the gate into the bedroom. Charlie loves attacking his mother’s tail and wrestling with anyone. I see more of his tummy that I do the others’ put together. Crenshaw was the first one to respond to me and comes running when he hears me. Pepino was a little more laid back — playing, responding to our voices, eating just a little bite now and then — nothing that really set him apart from everyone else, except he’s the smallest.

But that changed in the last couple days. He’s been beating Cren to the door to greet me. He’s climbed halfway up the gate in his attempt to escape (while everyone else sits and watches him.) And last night he showed me just how determined he is to get my attention.

I was wearing a pair of cropped pants and was barefoot. I’d gone into the bathroom to give them their wet food. I put the plate, the food, and the plastic knife I use for scooping the food from the can on the counter. Pepino ran over and climbed on my foot, then stretched up his front paws just far enough to hook his little claws on the hem of my pants. Then he dug his back claws into my bare leg and proceeded to climb up my pants. He really, really wanted some loves!

I picked him up and gave him kisses and scratches, then put him back on the floor so I could dish up the food. Pepino repeated his climb. I scooped him up and put him on the floor to eat. A little later I came back to get the now bare plate and he once again thought climbing my leg was a great way to get some attention. It does work but it’s painful… I may have to start wearing long pants around the house if this keeps up.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday when writing about moving is what to do once  you get to your new home. Older cats - especially those who are homebodies - may be freaked out about their new home. While you may already know that it’s a good idea to keep them shut in just one room (like the bathroom) when you’re moving things into the house, you probably plan to turn them loose once the doors are all safely closed. But if your cats are upset or unhappy with the move, you might want to make them cozy in your bedroom or another quiet room in the house for a day or so. They’ll have a chance to get used to the smells of the new place while recovering from the stress of the move itself. It’s not unlike what you might do if you’re bringing a new pet into your home — let them get used to the new slowly. Kittens and cats who are used to new situations (like Michelle’s Licorice) may handle everything just fine. Pay attention to your cat and go from there. There is a big deal for him or her, too.

Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1217376305

Nope, not moving in the sense you’re probably expecting! Instead, I’m talking about packing up and moving to a new home with your cats.

Rangashrii asked for advice on this topic, so I’ll first write some practical words of wisdom, then at the end of the post I’ll paste most of an email I wrote in March of 2006 after we moved 800 miles from Castle Rock to Helena. I think it’s humorous – although factual — and hope you will, too.

Some things you can do as you anticipate your move is try to get your cat used to being in a vehicle. Short little trips around the neighborhood, trips to the pet store to buy cat food, a visit to a friendly neighbor… all those can be fun and a chance for your cat to learn that the car is not a horrible place where they spend time only on their way to another horrible place — the vet’s office. Few cats are going to be happy with the first outings. Keep them short at first. Reward them for being in the car and then again when you get where you’re going and back home again.

But some cats will never like being in the car — especially older cats who have never been anywhere except to the vet. If, after trying to acclimate them to being in the car, your cat is one of those, consider talking to your vet about Composure. It’s a natural compound to calm pets that is available only by prescription. For some cats it works wonders - and even better, some of them love the flavor and will lick it right off a spoon. It works best if you start giving it several days before you need it. Another option is chamomile tablets. NOT capsules with the dried chamomile. Instead, these are usually found in health food stores or online, marketed as teething or calming tablets for infants. The ones I’ve used are Hyland’s Chamomilla 30x tablets. They, too, work best if given for several days to allow the effect to build up a little. Note that I consider “drugging” your cat to be a last resort, but given the choice of a yowling, drooling, stressed out cat and one that is a little sleepy, I pick sleepy.

Next thing to consider is how the cat is going to travel. That depends a lot on how far you are going. An adult cat in a carrier — with room to move around and a small dish of water — will be fine for several hours. But if you are going more than five or six hours, you might want to look into a larger crate of kennel so you can put a bed, litter box, food and water in it and your cat can be more comfortable. I have both a steel framed large dog kennel — good because if the car is crowded I can put things on top of it safely — and a pop-up nylon tent-like (rectangular, not a teepee) kennel for trip when I have plenty of room in the car and know I won’t need to stack things on it. The first kennel will cost about $150; the second about $25 if you decide to go that route. Take your cat with you in the vehicle you are riding in. Do NOT put them in a truck with all your furniture and belongings. (I know, I don’t have to tell you all that. You love your fur babies. You’d never do such a thing.)

A note about food on the trip… Some cats do get car sick and throw up. Usually they do it fairly early in the trip and that’s it. But if I have a cat that tends to do that — and you’d probably find out on your adventures attempting to acclimate your cat to being in the car — I’d withhold food for a couple hours before you start out and during the trip unless you’re going to be spending more than 10-12 hours en route. If it’s a long trip, feed them, but make sure you’re prepared to stop and clean up the mess if they do get sick. Always, always provide them with water. One way to provide a supply of water without making a big mess — well, sometimes this works — is to put ice cubes instead of water in the bowl. They will have a supply gradually as they need it, but if they spill it, it won’t make quite as big a mess.

Some things you’ll want to have in the car and easily accessible: food, a bottle or two of water, trash bags, litter scoop, some spray cleaner (in case of a yucky mess) and paper towels. Some air freshner is also nice for those times when your cat leaves a smelly deposit in the litter box while you’re driving down the road.

It is much safer — for you and your cat — if the cat is confined when you’re on the road. However, if you insist on letting him out in the car, use extra care any time you open a door or window. And any time you’ve stopped and gotten out of the car, double check to be sure he is still in there before you head on down the road.

Now for my comments about my own moving experience (only partially cat related)…

No matter how good of a housekeeper you think you are, when all the furniture is moved out of your house after seven years, you’ll think you’re the worst housekeeper on the planet and be distressed at the condition of the house. Trust me on this. However, trust me again when I say that despite the condition of the floors and baseboards, you’re not living like pigs.  Kittens will think any change to their environment is a new and fun game. Older cats will be dismayed at the disruption to their home. They will get over it.

The Queen of Everything will be severely distressed at the loss of her favorite closet, hate the ride to the new home, and be wild-eyed at the thought of having kittens HERE! However, the Queen of Everything will calm down if given enough loves, cat treats, and time. However (again!), she will become a Velcro kitty every time she sees her lisa-mom because her lisa-mom has had the nerve to abandon her every day to go to work after staying home for almost a year.   

Stressed out older cats will stay in their litter boxes the entire ride and cry at random times. They will refuse to eat, drink, or be comforted. They blame you. Luckily they will also forgive you.

An 821 mile drive is long and boring, especially across Wyoming and part of Montana. The drive will be even longer and more boring when your husband insists you stay behind him and he is driving a loaded down U-Haul truck towing a Jeep.

Boxes half filled with paper will become boxes completely filled with paper once the items packed in the paper are removed. No paper will be added to the box – just returned after the unpacking. It is a great mystery of life how the paper expands to fill all available space.  

The trash service for the City of will not pick up boxes filled with paper left beside a dumpster, even if a special pickup is arranged. They will, however, pick up BAGS filled with paper. They will also take boxes filled with paper if placed inside a dumpster. We have not yet figured out how to get a box that once held a coffee table that is now filled with paper into the dumpster. And so it sits…  

A two car garage cannot hold all the boxes of stuff carried out of a 2500 sq ft house with a two and a half car garage, plus an 8 x 10 storage unit. A 1400 sq ft house cannot hold all the stuff carried out of a 2500 sq ft house along with all the furniture from said house. Attempts to make space for all the stuff will result in throwing away random items as you unpack. You will still have stuff sitting around on counters, on dressers, and in boxes weeks after the move as you attempt to find a place for necessary items. The definition of necessary will become narrower over time. 

Two additional 36” wide cupboards (one upper, one lower) do not add up to the space in a six foot wide pantry. Attempts to stuff small appliances and pantry items into the new space will result in throwing away random items and a resolution to never buy two packages of stuffing when one will do. For the matter, why keep stuffing on hand at all if you only make it at Thanksgiving?   

You will say “bless you” when the driver for the moving company tells you he sold half your stuff and wish he hadn’t been joking. As long as he’d shared the proceeds, you’d have been happy. A week after the move, you wouldn’t have even cared if he’d shared the proceeds, you’d just be happy you didn’t have to unpack and find a place for those things. 

When you have a walk-in closet and move to a home with only a standard closet, you will make a resolution not to buy any new clothes until at least half of the things you now own wear out. You will discover that, despite having given the Salvation Army four big boxes of clothes before the move, that you still have things that can be donated.  You will no longer hang up t-shirts, instead stacking them on the closet shelf. You concede that you will have to iron said t-shirts should you decide to wear them to work, but since you have plenty of time in the morning, you can do this.  

You will decide that the place you are renting, despite its limitations, will be just fine until you can buy/build a bigger home. You are not going to move again unless it’s permanent. (or as permanent as things get these days!)

A couple of the Melons escaped over the top of the climbing structure (placed on its side) that was blocking them in the closet last night. Little climbers already! So after work I have to finish cleaning the big kennel and put them in it tonight. I used it for the trip to Texas and have taken the cover off and washed it. But I haven’t cleaned up the frame and put it all back together yet. Tonight.

Sondra was gone over the weekend, so no 10 week photos of the Warriors, but they might be writing their story later this week. School starts soon for Sondra’s girls and she goes back to work right before that, so it’s a crazy time at her house.

I have pictures of the Hurricanes! Here’s one of Tori and the babies together, but this evening I’ll update the ForestKatz site with their individual pictures. Tori looks so content in this picture. And, I might add, she also looks a lot like her Shira-mom, except with more color.

Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1217203508

Well, not really slices. Photos. I managed to take a few acceptable photos of the Melons at four weeks today after failing miserably at getting 3 or 3 1/2 week shots last week. They are up on the website now.

The kittens are all getting so very active and fun. They are currently living in my closet with a little corner condo and a bunch of toys. At night I set a little half circle climbing/scratching structure on it’s side to block them in while still allowing Kali access. During the day they’ve had run of our bedroom, but that’s coming to a halt as I discovered kitten poop on the floor today. So nighttime in the closet or kennel, daytime in the bathroom, evenings run of the room when we are up there — at least until they are potty trained.  

I love watching them at this age. They discover and learn something new practically every moment. They like the toys such as the crinkle balls and the shiny, roll-y balls. They love to wrestle with each other. This morning Honeydew climbed up on the basket of magazines sitting beside the bed and played Queen of the Mountain, looking down on her siblings.

They are all very, very friendly — coming to us whenever they hear our voices. They climb on my lap — never to stay, but up on me, then off the other side, and then back again. They are having so much fun!

Let’s see… Other news… I hear that LostWoods Ariane of Winteridge (you know her as Ohanna) was at a show yesterday and got at least one final — a 3rd Best AB kitten. A litter of little hurricanes came ashore down in the Houston area on Thursday — five babies born to LostWoods Torianna of ForestKatz and her beau, HattKatts Guri of ForestKatz. Donna took pictures today so I hope to have them from her tomorrow with plans to update their website tomorrow night. And I guess that’s about it. I’ve been suffering from a migraine since last night, so I’m not terribly with it tonight. Better, but not all together yet. I still owe you a report of the Wichita Falls show. One other little bit (okay, a big deal!) is that the #1 cat in all of TICA (yes, that’s all the breeds of all the adults unspayed and unneutered cats) is Basia’s handsome littermate, ForestKatz Mr Wickett of KSNorskatt! While there’s still a lot of show season left to go, MW has been kicking butt and taking names every where he goes. We are all so proud of him and his owner, Sharon Poer. I am equally proud of LostWoods Majestic of Foresttales who is currently sitting in the #5 spot for all altered adults in TICA. Love it when wegies — especially wegies who I know and love — are doing well in the show ring.

I’m back! And I’m so far behind!

The trip to Texas was absolutely wonderful. On the wegie side of things, there were 15 NFCs at the show – nine in championship, one kitten, and five alters. Nine willing slaves (including me) attended to their every whim. Supreme cake was eaten in celebration of LostWoods Colyn and Tretap Malcolm of KSNorskatt. Basia posed for some professional photos, which turned out beautifully. I’ll post some show results later as I’m just going to do a quick post now. (Not only am I behind at home, I’m behind at work, too!) On the people side, I enjoyed visiting with my sister and brother-in-law who live in Wichita Falls. All in all, a great weekend, even if Buzzy is a pathetic loser cat. LOL! (An explanation of that will be forthcoming. I do NOT really think that Basia is a loser!)

I did get to see, cuddle, and photograph the Warrior Cats in Colorado last week on the way to Texas. I have some nice shots, including a litter shot, to post to the site. Here’s a cute picture of Dawnflower to whet your appetite.

I’ll get their eight week and nine week pictures posted this evening to the website. If you miss them because I expect I’ll be posting 10 week pictures either tomorrow night or Friday night, just go to their individual pages to catch up.

I have not taken pictures of the Melons yet. That’s another thing on the agenda for tonight. They grew like little weeds while I was gone and are wandering around the room on voyages of discovery. Four of the five are nearly a pound already. Ken was kind enough to weigh them for me on Sunday so I’d have an accurate three week weight record.

That’s all for now ’cause I really do need to get back to work. Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1216771508

I just finished updating the website with the Melons two week photos. Insert usual whining about how I hate to take pictures of two, three, and four week old kittens… Sondra is continuing to have issues with her computer, so although she has taken the eight weeks pictures of the Warrior Kittens, she is unable to send them to me. So as soon as I have them, I’ll get them posted and let you know.

A little bit of Melon Madness over the weekend… I was cleaning Ken’s and my bedroom when her came Kali, carrying Charlie (Charentais) and deposited him in my closet. Taiba was playing with her crinkle ball in the bathtub and came to see what all the commotion was about. Kali had a little chat with her daughter and left the room. Taiba stretched herself out in the closet next to Charlie and proceeded to get acquainted. Notice she brought her toy with her in case he wanted to play.

Next Taiba gave her little brother a kiss.

And as all good babysitters do, she made sure to check to see if his bottom needed to be cleaned.

Over the next ten minutes or so, Kali came back twice to make sure Taiba was taking proper care of Charlie and, apparently being satisfied, then went back across the hall to the other babies. Eventually Charlie got hungry and started complaining loudly.

I picked him up to take him back to Kali and as I walked off, Taiba was running at my feet meowing as loudly as Charlie, “Put him down! Bring him back! I’LL take care of him!” But I thought it was better to give him back to his mother so he could eat.

I wondered if this was the first of the latest round of moving kittens — deciding they needed to be in my closet — but Kali still has them all in the guest room closet for now. Probably when I get back from Texas next week I’ll move them into the kennel in our bedroom. Time to start spending more time with them and getting them used to the normal commotion of a household.

Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1215993906

I’m looking forward to the weekend. As usual, I have tons of chores to do around the house. And add to the list some work in the run. Somehow –  I think the tree we put in there caused it — we got a small tear in the netting that makes the “roof” of the run. And Fin has discovered if he climbs up the tree he can wiggle through and be free. I went out last night to feed him and the GKs and he was missing. I walked around looking for him and calling his name, but I couldn’t find him. I went back in the house and opened up all the windows (they have screens — nobody could escape) so I’d hear him if he came up by the house. Finny has always been rather talkative.

Luckily, about half an hour later I heard him on the front porch and when I opened the door, he came running in, eager to see me and the other cats. I was so relieved. I had a bad day yesterday and I think it would have been about more than I could take to have him disappear for good. That does remind me, however, that I still haven’t written the post about what to do if your cat does get out and run off. So maybe next week I’ll try to get that done.

Other weekend chores include getting all my cat show stuff cleaned (yes, it’s all still in the suitcase from the trip to Chehalis!) and repacked for the trip to Wichita Falls next week. I leave on Thursday to drive to Colorado. On Friday Brenda and her son, Grant, will join me for the rest of the drive. We’ll head back to CO after the show on Sunday night.

Pictures… Sondra took photos of the Warrior Cats yesterday evening. But… her husband took the computer in to be fixed this morning, so I’ll probably get the pictures from her tonight or tomorrow. I’ll get them up as soon as I can. I can’t wait to see the kittens in person next week!

Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1215734709

I took a few pictures yesterday evening of Fin’s run. It’s not as nice as I hope it will be in the future. We have a big blue wooden box under the window for access into the stud room. I hope to replace it with something more fitting for the natural environment. And I have plans to add a small pond and waterfall to the corner of the run — hopefully yet this summer. Anyway, here they are:

 And here are a few pictures of Finny enjoying his run.

And last, here’s Donut, the garage kitty. (aka Tucker) Caboose did not grace us with her presence when I was taking pictures, so a new one of her will have to wait.

Today’s trivia: http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1215648307

On Monday evening I noticed that Charlie’s (aka Charentais) tail looked funny. Upon close examination, it looked like it had been chewed on. I don’t know if Kali did it moving him - although she hasn’t moved them since Friday - or if maybe she got overzealous cleaning him. Whatever the cause, I was a little worried about it. Ever since, I’ve been making sure it’s clean so no infection sets in and it looks like it is healing okay. I can feel a little kink now, so no show career for Charlie. Chances are he wouldn’t have been a show cat anyway — not all that many of my cats go to show or breeding homes — but that doesn’t mean I like ruling out that possibility when a kitten is a week old.

The Melons continue to gain weight, with Honey still in the lead at a lovely 9.9 oz this morning. Since my hopes are for them to be 16 oz at 4 weeks, I’d say she’s well on her way to achieving that goal. The rest aren’t much behind her. Kali is now allowed to leave the room for some “me time” since she has quit moving the kittens. The other cats — most of them anyway — have inspected the kittens and now pretty much ignore them. (No, I don’t think one of the other cats injured Charlie’s tail. The injury happened before anyone else was allowed to spend time in their room.) Uncle Spaz (Dilan) is the exception to ignoring them, as he likes to go lie in the closet with them all and grooms the kittens from time to time. I think Kali appreciates the company. When he’s there, she’ll lie beside him — often with her head on his body — and nurse the kittens, content as can be. Yes, I need to get a picture of that.  

Today’s trivia link:  http://www.funtrivia.com/email/play.cfm?egroup=323149&tmp=1215561910

Hope you’re enjoying it. A group I belong to - Hippolotofus - has a private, ongoing game where we compete against each other. Month before last (the first month we played) I came in second. Last month I won for the month. This month I’m currently in 10th place… what can I say? The recent questions and categories have been hard!