November 8th 2011 6:09 am
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My condolences to all you Eastern kittehs under your blanket of snow. I gotta tell ya we’ve been lucky as heck with our weather lately. No snow, no crazy ice storms, not even as much rain as the Mama has grown accustomed to up here in the Great Lakes country. Sure it freezes at night, but this is pretty easy-going, all in all, compared to some past years.
Take yesterday for an example: beautiful sunshine at the close of a mild day. The folks took the opportunity to finish the last touches on the feral winter shelter, and they both were very pleased. The Mama was more than pleased – she was delighted! She’s taken a pic, but it really doesn’t give a good idea of what the inside is like, so she’ll try to describe it.
The North porch is where she feeds the ferals – not the ideal location, but the only practical place as our cattery is on the more favorable south side of the house. You Southerners and Californianites (is that a word?) may not appreciate the significance of south-facing versus north-facing, but up here in the frozen northlands, it DOES matter.
Anyway, against the east side, which is elevated a couple of feet off the ground, they shoved an old table that had been used for various outdoor projects. Around the base of the three open sides they stacked hay bales – 8 of them. A 9th bale they tore up and lay on the ground inside the little shelter. Since the table was about cat-height taller than the porch, there was a gap at the top there on that 4th side – this would be the entrance. Before they shoved all the side bales into place, the Mama crouched inside the shelter to see how it felt. It was warm and cozy, plenty big enough for the 10 ferals who are coming for feeding, but not so big that it would be hard to heat with body heat. The pawrents both felt that even they, puny humans that they are, provided they had winter coats and guaranteed food source, could survive a winter in this shelter!
When the sides were finished, they threw an old very heavyduty tarp over the whole, just as further insulation, and added some more hay bales around the entrance and around the perimeter of the porch for windbreak. The Mama has taken a picture of the front; she put some kitten milk down for a treat to get them to come out, so you’d see they are using the shelter.
As for us, because it was such a beautiful day right then before dusk, the pawrents brought out the leashes and took Sleeper and me for a walk! They’ve abandoned the harnesses – Sleeper’s doesn’t fit anyway, and both of us have been so good lately on just the leashes. The Mama didn’t get a picture this time, because she forgot the camera, but she’s posting a pic of one of the places we walk on the property that she took just a few days ago – she calls it “one of Essie’s old haunts – Essie was their little dog before we came along.
Yesterday was a nice fall day in the mitt (Michigan), eh? But probably it won't be long before the white stuff shows up. One of my buddies from CA calls himself and his family CATifornia kitties or Catifornians! That is so nice of your pawrents to provide the ferals with such a nice shelter ~ high paws fur the Mama and the Papa! That shelter sounds wonderful!! If you can find one at a good price, a solar pool cover would keep it toasty warm too!
xoxoxo Tasha You guys have THE COOLEST pawrents!!! Luv, Tink Your pawrents are pawsome for doing that for the ferals! Apparently the pawrents aren't a moment too soon. Snow is predicted for Thursday! Good thing I'm unpredictable! MOL! Luv, Snow You are wonderfully unpredictable, I'm sure. Snow in Michigan, however, is very predictable - that is, it's sure to happen, just not sure when!
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November 8th 2011 at 7:07 am