Good-bye January

                                             Peachy Paws
Although the day brings little in sun-puddles the temperature has risen to -1C. That is relief and very much welcomed.   As January comes to a close thoughts turn to the mixed-bag of weather that February brings with it. Hopefully it won't be as cold as what we just lived through. I bid "Farewell" to January and give it a 'thumbs-down'. Worst month ever for cold weather.

 I am filling spare time with knitting these days. Nothing amazing; just some little blankets for Ry's doll bed.

                                        "I knit now."

"No, you don't, Audrey. You need thumbs to knit.
'Grow a pair' and I'll teach you. "

"Did she just tell me to 'grow a pair' ? "

"Honestly!"

"I'm not sure how to take that."

Hope you all have a good weekend. It's a busy one for me with lots of people away now for holidays. I am off to collect keys and fill up the cat-bag.
I'll have some photos of kitty-clients for you soon.

"So long, January."

  "Can't say I'll miss you."                                                    

hugs, Deb

"Hello Kitty"

I was doing some house-cleaning on my blog today and came upon a post that I forgot to show you last Fall.

Since I'm sitting in the office looking out the window at all the dirty snow I thought I would put this up today just so you can see some greenery and flowers. Look at that sunshine!

So here's a post from last Fall, 2013. 

While walking our property today, I peaked through some brush when I thought I spotted something moving. 

Looks like we had sparked some interest with a neighbours' cat.

"Hello gorgeous."

Seeing our lot has been vacant for years now, this feline was probably rather surprised to see anyone walking around. I certainly got it's attention. 

There is one building on our 2 acre lot. It is an old chicken coop that my grandmother raised her hens in and I have very vivid childhood memories of collecting their eggs.

The coop is covered with grape vines and these little red berries. 

This is an 'un-safe' zone because of rotting wood.

The old boards will eventually be pulled off to reveal the logs underneath.

Then I have plans for this building.

Right now, though, I would say a raccoon may be living in there.

I can just picture it using its' long fingers to open this door to the loft.

The retired guy was busy doing 'somethin'. Looks like he's rowing a boat but I think he was actually picking up branches so the tractor wouldn't hit them.

There were a few flowers hanging on for dear life today. One more frost and I expect they will be gone.

A man and his old dilapidated tractor.

It's pure love, I tell ya.  

So that's it.

Now back to winter. :(

hugs, Deb

Some favorite things.

The little felt bag that now holds some knitting was a gift from Ronna at http://ronnas.blogspot.ca /last Christmas. It is the perfect size for carting around with you from place to place. "Thanks Ronna. I love this little bag."
The tea-cup was a Mother's Day gift from my oldest daughter that came all the way from South Korea a few years back. Jess was teaching there for a year and found it in a little market on her time off. I've always loved it and consider it to be one of my favorite possessions.

Blueberry Muffins with Margaret's Hope tea.

Can you find the floating Annie head in the pic? hahaha!

I didn't know she was there until I looked at the photo.

The muffins are fresh out of the oven.

Cats in windows...well,

I need not tell you that that is one of my favorite things, too. This kitty-client named Lucy was a beautiful cat with an equally charming personality.  She passed away a few years back at the age of 20 and this photo remains still today to be one of my favorite 'cat in window' captures.
I still miss her and think of her often.

Well, the sun lasted a few hours today and then a cold wind blew in. But, the good news is the temperature is rising now and we had a balmy -12C today.  This is a much more tolerable day. Heading out for a walk soon and dinner at the pub with some family.  Fish & chips....ya!

I'm joining Share Your Cup Thursday at http://jannolson.blogspot.com/

Stay warm.

Her cat, Hugo.

Chocolate sundae paws.

For your viewing pleasure

(my kitty-client Molly)

Frost-bite warning was out again yesterday. Thankfully the temperature will rise a bit for a few days. -6C will feel absolutely balmy.

Our Gwyn knows how to stay warm and toasty in her bumper seat, on a quilt, in her cozy sleeper playing with her cat, Hugo.

I see a future cat-lover in our family. And cats love her, too.

Hugo is the sweetest cat on this earth so he is a wonderful 'first' cat for a baby.

A Gentle Lion

He is diabetic but doing very well on a proper diet along with his daily insulin. He only needs one shot a day.

He is the gentlest of cats with a big purr and a soft heart. 

Gwyn's other cat, Ruby (Audrey's sister) is a bit more shy around Gwyn and keeps her distance for now.

She does a lot of 'puckering' trying to make sounds.

We looked at books and she had 'tummy time' on her mat. This helps to get her mobile as she is now rolling over and moving along. Won't be long before she is crawling.

It was a fun afternoon with little Gwyn and her kitty-cats.

off to cat-sit.

hugs, Deb

Warm kitties and woolies

http://down---to---earth.blogspot.ca/ is a blog I learn a lot from. I feel I should share it with you so drop on over and see what you think.

But first, Lucky wants to say "Howdy"

"Where's my breakfast?"

Her sister, Addy is shy and waits 'til the sitter is long gone to dive into her meal. 

She's a grey beauty, much like our Audrey.

My kitty-client, Dominique loves to be groomed.

She has such beautiful markings

with a big smudge on her nose. "Adorable."

One of my readers asked if the heat is left on for my cat-clients while their owners travel. Yes, it is and the cats are kept very comfortable in their homes. I remind them everyday of how lucky they are to have such loving owners and warm, safe homes during our frigid winters.

It's Gwyn-time today then I'm off to the wool shop in town. It's great to spend time knitting by the fire on these cold nights. I discovered acrylic needles and I love them.

They are smooth and light-weight.

Let's see...what shall I knit today?

"How about some wooly socks for these beauts?"  

"Oh Audrey, must you be so rude?"

Yes, she must.


hugs, Deb

Brrrr....it's cold out there.

After my cat-sitting rounds this morning I headed out for a walk about town. We are in the bleak mid-winter and the wind howled as I passed by these poor little ducks. Our town is blanketed in fresh snow and the temperature is -18C. It will drop to -25C tonight.

                                                       This is along the Mississippi River  

Sierra was soaking up the sun when I returned from my walk. The wind had picked up and I came home reminding myself to bring an extra scarf next time. "Whoa! It's cold out there."

"Silly human. She oughta find a sun-puddle."

"But not mine"

hugs, Deb

Brave, bold, beautiful & "bundle up"

Someone was woken from a very comfy snooze today.

Surprisingly, she did not head for the hills when she saw what all the noise was.

She stayed to figure out this wee human that has been showing up at her house lately.

                                  "So, what can YOU do for ME? "was her first thought, I'm sure.
This is where you would normally find her when a stranger entered. Safely tucked away in one of her hidey-holes.

Audrey is 'maturing' in many ways this year and one is that she is not so afraid of strangers; even little ones. I'm sure she would run for the hills if the baby made an unexpected LOUD noise but if Gwyn is happy and content...so is Audrey. Attagirl!

My feeders are being used only by squirrels on these very cold days. They are enjoying the fruit (although it is frozen) and the nuts. The suet sits untouched. I am in the market for a bird-house that holds the suet, too, like I have seen on some blogs. Smart idea. Today I put out the third apple in my apple feeder.

I'm glad that I am forced out the door these frigid days or I would find projects in the house and stay put. Of course, that is not the healthiest thing to do for too long but again...very smart at -20C. We bundled up and managed a walk with our old dog, Kane and then he curled up in front of the wood-stove and snoozed the afternoon away.

I fear for our wild-life (ferals included) as they are not getting any reprieve from this miserably cold weather. How does anything survive out there? I have not missed a night to place food for the feral cats and plenty of it. It is all gone the next day. For all I know, I am feeding other animals, too,  but I don't care at this point. Everything is starving. That is something that feels heavy at times.

Time to bring out the pretty china.

My favorite tea on a cold day lately is English Breakfast Tea. It is so refreshing and only needs a touch of milk to make it perfect.

I suppose if it wasn't for this cold snap I would never pick up my knitting so for that I am happy. I'm knitting a blanket for my grand-daughter's doll bed. She's a pink lover. Easy as pie. Oh....pie. Now that would be good with this tea. ;-) but a berry scone will do.

Stay warm, get at some of those forgotten projects inside that have been knawing at you lately and please help feed the wild-life if you can.


hugs, Deb

Sun-lit Sunday #4

Sierra

                   This face speaks volumes.

I'm joining  http://mylittlehomeandgarden.blogspot.ca/ for Sunlit Sunday.

hugs, Deb

Cat tip of the Day =^..^= Handling inappropriate behaviour

An apple a day...keeps the squirrel doctor away, too, I guess. This guy sure looks healthy.

                          Through the icy window.  Apparently he prefers McIntosh apples.

The cats and I were being entertained by the squirrels at the apple feeder today.
One, in particular, is a nut. He swings upside-down from it and sometimes with just one leg.
I know he's trying to figure out how to get the whole darn apple 'cause that's what they do. He has already taken off with some of the bird feeders. Oh well, he's hungry too and keeps the cats from going bonkers this winter. I put out a tray of nuts for the squirrels this morning so perhaps the birds will get a chance to have a bit of fruit.

Where did this week go?
It is still so cold. The wind has really picked up now although the temperature is rising. We are in for some milder weather next week.
I'm off to kitty-sit 4 cats today but first I will leave you with this 'Cat tip of the day' =^..^=


Cat-tip-of-the-day - handling inappropriate behavior

When it comes to cats, elimination, scratching, jumping and aggression are normal behaviours. With that in mind, it is inappropriate to punish a cat for engaging in them. Punishing your cat may reinforce this unwanted behaviour because you are paying a lot of attention to the bad behaviour and your cat may think, "I want attention; if I eliminate over here, I'll get it." Also you can break the bond with a cat that you are screaming at all the time. I have found that the most often asked questions from my cat-sitting clients deals with inappropriate litter box behaviour. 
First and foremost, have your cat checked over by your veterinarion to see if it is a medical condition. It could be a bladder infection that is causing the cat to eliminate outside the box, for instance. After that, if your healthy cat continues to behave inappropriately, behaviour modification is to retrain the way your cat thinks. First, be sure that the litter box is clean.  Is the location right? It has to be in a place that is quiet, easy to get to and not next to something that can suddenly make a lot of noise, like a washing machine. It should not be wedged into a corner where it is hard for the cat to get into or if your cat is on the large size, do not use a covered box that the cat feels uncomfortable trying to get into and out of. Also, if you have multiple cats and there is one that is dominant, your shy one may not want to feel trapped in a covered litter box in case the dominant one becomes aggressive. If you have recently changed your litter to one that has a lot of chemicals in it to keep down the smell, some cats cannot stand the smell of it. I have to agree with them on this one. Even as an owner, I have found some litters to be very offensive with too much added chemicals and fragrances. I buy plain litter and add baking soda and it works great.

I can't stress enough how screaming and hitting a cat that pee's on the floor or the carpet will cause adverse results. Your cat will become afraid of you and very stressed around you and the problem will get worse. After cleaning the spots thoroughly where your cat inappropriately eliminated,  I suggest you try the following:

Limit the cat to one room. (I suggest a spare bedroom and not a bathroom as it is too small and not comfortable for the cat) Place it's food and water on one side, clean litter box on the other and lots of toys and blankets and window perches and so on to make the cat feel very comfy. Making the cat's world smaller will possibly take it's mind off the inappropriate behaviour and start fresh. You will have to put time aside to spend with the cat by adding a chair for reading  or TV to the room so the cat still has time with you but the cat is not to roam the house for 3 days. Adding a radio to the room on a station that plays soft music will keep the cat calmer. After 3 days of using its' litter box properly, let the cat roam the house while you are home but when you are away the cat returns to its room. If the cat eliminates inappropriately in the house after 3 days, start again. Once you are sure that the cat is using the box again return things to normal. I have seen this work and I suggest trying it. It has saved many cats from being 'given up' to shelters. One of my clients used this method and every time I see her now she thanks me and says I saved her cats' life.

Your cat depends on you to help it through this confusing time in its' life.

hugs, Deb

"Hello"

Rosie

THIS is how you say "Hello" to a cat.
Cats have an extremely sensitive sniffer and they use their sense of smell to gather information about their surroundings.They are especially good at picking up subtle but very important scents, like those from pheromones. From sense of smell alone they can determine whether someone or something is a threat.
Your cat smells your hand for the same reason he would smell another cat after approaching. It provides information. In the cat world, this sniffing is generally accepted as normal protocol so when you try to pet him right away, it takes him by surprise.

In my business I meet new cats regularly and each and everyone is unique. When I go to the home for the introduction I always greet the cat in this manner. It is usually at the end of the meeting that I get down to their level and actually pet them. By then they are used to me being in their space and are much more receptive to me. It is a matter of giving the cat time to adjust to your presence.

There will be some cats that jump right into my lap when I sit down. That's a bonus, of course.
Like Smudge, for instance. We were friends from the get-go. She just wondered what I looked like from a new angle.

"Not bad. You'll do", she thought.

We had a fun afternoon with little Gwyn today.

We care for her during the week to give mom a little break.

Love the wee barrette.

She's also reaching the stage where she will 'make strange' with people so it's good to see her often so she won't forget her Nan and Gramps. 

4 1/2 months & teething.

                                                                         

hugs, Deb

Help your birds this winter

This photo was taken in 2012 of Mr. Ed and Sierra.
Mr. Ed passed away in his 26th year on Dec. 9, 2013. He loved to 'follow the sun'. I'm so happy I took many photos of him in the five years he lived with us. What a wonderful fella he was.

In this frigid, cold weather we need to help the winter birds stay fed and warm.
Drop over to /http://acultivatednest.com/ for some bird-feeder ideas and help your local birds if you can this winter. They really need us.
The toilet-paper roll shown in the post is a great idea but if you have squirrels around don't be surprised if one just takes the whole thing and high-tails it. Ours lasted 5 minutes.

This is a good day to do some shopping after cat-sitting. I'm in the market for some bedroom side-table lamps. I think too, I have talked the retired-guy into dinner out. Ya, that sounds like a plan.
Are you bored yet with our freezing weather? I don't last long enough outside to make the best of it so I am not your typical 'Canadian'. Well, not in -30C anyway.

Stay warm and remember our hungry birds.

hugs, Deb