I can’t believe it has been three years since I started this blog. It seems time really does fly when you’re having fun. When I started blogging, I remember reading that many bloggers quit after a short time because, among other reasons, they set their expectations about readership and the ability to make money far too high. Fortunately, I set my money-making expectations very low. My goal is to make more than zero dollars on this blog during the first five years and if everything goes as planned, I may just do that.
To be perfectly honest, I have accumulated $24 in ad revenue and, at this rate, I should reach the $100 needed to get paid by 2024. Obviously, I am not doing this for the money, which may be why I haven’t given up on it. I see this more as a hobby that I enjoy.
I enjoy it for two reasons. The first is because I like to write. I wish I had known this about myself when I was younger, I might have chosen a different career path. The second reason is because I have met so many wonderful people who share my passion for writing and for animals. While I have not yet met any of them in person, I feel like we would be instant friends.
There is a third reason that I like to blog. I enjoy photography and this blog not only gives me a place to post some of my pictures, it motivates me to take more pictures too. With that in mind, here is a picture of Chris on our new cat perch.
Finally, I want to thank all of you for reading and following this blog. My biggest hope is that the value you get from it, whether it be entertainment or information, will be worth your time. I encourage you to let me know if there is anything that I can do different to make this a more enjoyable read.
I knew it wouldn’t be long before Chris and Frankie figured out how to slip out the door in our new home. It happened on Thursday when both escaped on separate occasions.
I don’t worry about Chris because he is mostly interested in eating grass and hunting lizards. I do worry about Frankie because he is an explorer and I fear he will get lost in an unfamiliar neighborhood. We also live in a neighborhood where cats are not allowed outside. I am not sure you can legally allow dogs outside but not cats, even leashed cats, but I would prefer not to draw attention from busybody neighbors.
When Chris got out, I didn’t try to catch him right away because it was clear he was not interested in leaving the area. I probably should have, because before I knew it, he had a lizard in his mouth and was ready to go in. It was a real pain trying to get him to give up the lizard. Three or four times I got it out of his mouth, only to have get away from me and him catch it again.
I recorded the first attempt but had to put the phone down so I had a better chance of saving the lizard, which I eventually did with one slightly shorter tail.
When Frankie got out I was lucky. He was disoriented and while he was trying to figure out which way to run, I grabbed him and put him inside.
Last Saturday we moved to a new home… again. I am really starting to feel like a Nomad with as many times as we have moved lately. We’ve moved six times in less than eight years and Chris has now lived in five homes in the five and a half years that he has been with us.
I loved the last place we lived. It had a great screened patio for the cats, a nice big back yard for the cat’s weekly outing, great neighbors and a nice view of the marina. It also came with a hefty price tag and now that we have a car payment we decided to find a place that would free up money for things like vacations and cat food.
Since Rose is turning 55 this year, she decided she wanted to check out 55+ communities. I had noticed in the past that the best deals seemed to be in those neighborhoods so I included those in my search. We ended up finding an incredible deal on a partially renovated mobile home in a well-kept 55+ community that is about six miles from our old home and is also closer to work for both of us. We paid cash for it and the lot rent is about 40% of what we were paying. That means I won’t have to feel guilty every time I fork over $39 for twelve days worth of wet food. I won’t even talk about the dry food and litter.
We packed for two weeks and the cats didn’t really notice at first but after the first week we started bringing stuff over to the new house. When our house became emptier with each passing day the cats seemed a little on edge. When I say cats, I mean mostly Puck, but Chris and Frankie were also affected. I think those two just became more needy for attention.
By moving day it was obvious something was up. The house was half empty and we had the beds leaning against the wall.
We moved most of our stuff ourselves but saved the big stuff for a moving company. That morning had brought a load of stuff to the new and when we returned I loaded the rest of the small stuff in the truck and waited for the movers.They showed up just before noon and when they arrived we closed the cats in our bedroom with a litter box, food and water.
It took them about thirty minutes and then we opened the bedroom door and left to follow the movers to the new place, When everything was unloaded, I went back alone to get the cats.
When I arrived there was not a cat in site. Before we left I saw Puck squeeze between the mattress and box-spring that was leaning against the wall. His favorite hiding place was inside the box-spring so he managed to find his way in there, despite the challenges. Apparently Chris and Frankie liked that idea so they joined him. I had to tear off some of the lining to get them out.
I first put Puck in the large carrier and then quickly grabbed Chris and put him in there too. I then put Frankie in the smaller carrier. Surprisingly, it was easier than I had expected.
I put Chris and Puck next to me in the front seat and Frankie in the middle of the back seat where I could see him. They didn’t seem too stressed and made very little noise. Even so, I wanted to get them there as soon as possible.
About a mile or so from my destination I was stopped by the longest funeral procession I had ever seen. It was also the slowest due to the coffin being pulled by horse and buggy.
I was concerned someone would start to get agitated but they were all good.
When we got to the new place, Chris and Frankie went exploring and Puck just hid in the carrier for a while and then left to find a better hiding place. I took a video with my phone when I set them loose but after two minutes the battery died and the video was lost. I quickly got my other camera and was able to capture a bit of the investigation.
Puck spent the next couple of days in and out of hiding and even Frankie hid under the bed with him at times. They also have not eaten much of their wet food and I threw away most of what I had given them these last few days. Chris never eats much of the wet food anyway and I don’t think this move has affected him much. Frankie seems mostly comfortable here but he is still surprisingly skittish when someone comes in the door. Puck spend much of his time under the bed but when he is out he seems fine.
There are other things I want to mention but I will save them for another post.
The dreaded moving day is approaching fast. We have been packing up the house for the last couple of weeks and this past week we have moved a good portion of our belongings to the new place. This kind of thing can be a very stressful time for cats and Puck is a bit more nervous than usual but Chris and Frankie are having a ball. Chris has been through three other moves and he seems to enjoy the upheaval. This is new to Frankie but he too is having fun. Perhaps because there is an endless supply of boxes to play in.
The last two pictures were taken 14 hours apart.
Notice the teeth marks on the box on the right.
No cat can resist a mattress on its side.
Saturday the movers are coming for the big stuff and then we have to figure out how to get three cats in two carriers. One of the carriers is big enough for two cats but trying to put one in while the other is trying to get out can be a challenge. Wish us luck.
Even though I just watched a minor cat fight between Chris and Frankie, most of the time Chris tries to be friends with Frankie. Frankie, for his part, tolerates Chris but can quickly become annoyed by him. Here is one example of reserved tolerance.
Today is Chris’s sixth birthday. Actually, we don’t know his exact birthday but he was about six months old when we adopted him so I thought we would just celebrate his birthday six months from his adoption day. I thought it would be fitting to re-post some pictures of him at each year in his life.
This is Chris between Alex and Tigger in November, 2009.
Tigger washing Chris, June, 2010.
Chris between Abbey and Tigger, February, 2011
Chris the daredevil, November, 2012
Chris at the pool showing off his expanding belly, November, 2013
Chris showing he can still be bad, October, 2014
Chris with Frankie, showing off his catch, March, 2015
Unfortunately Chris has been sick with a cold and we have to work all day and then go to a wedding this evening so he won’t get the attention he deserves. Perhaps I will leave the bedroom door open for him tonight.
After the trouble Frankie caused for me during the last couple of cat outings, I decided it was time to put him back on a harness. The harness he had was just too hard to put on a struggling cat so I looked for a harness that was very easy to put on. I found one from a company called Bark Appeal. Judging by the name, I assume it is a dog harness but it also works for cats. This harness has two Velcro strips and putting it on is just a matter of wrapping it around his neck and abdomen.
Frankie seemed perfectly fine wearing it. He made no attempt to get out of it and gave no indication that it might be uncomfortable. I bought the mesh version because I thought it would be cooler and lighter but there were other fabric choices. I also got a size large and it seemed a little loose on him but if he wasn’t so excited about going outside I am sure I could have wrapped it a little tighter.
Rose did not want to partake in our little adventure so I had to leave Puck inside because watching two cats is hard enough if one cat is Frankie and the other Chris. I felt bad but Puck cares less about going outside that the other two boys. The outing was fairly short-lived because Chris disappeared on me and I had to bring Frankie inside so I could look for him. As soon as I got inside I saw him from the window peeking around the corner where I just was with Frankie.
What do you think? Anyone else have a harness that is easy to put on?
Bad Cat Chris 