🐱Kitten chaos 🐯

We're holding our own. JB's cough is still hanging around. He's had a breathing test. The nurse showed him how to properly use his inhaler. He has a pinched nerve, which he ignored with his cold and cough, and has what my massage therapist used to call a 'crunchy nugget' with the pain referring down his arm. He's been to the doctor. He's got muscle relaxants. I've been massaging it, as best I can, three times a day. I think he got this from looking after his cold, and not moving around much. Necessary, at the time, but not good for a septuagenarian.

Novel Corona Virus

Two Canadians aboard a cruise ship off Japan test positive for new coronavirus https://t.co/rYplXuQehJ

— The Canadian Press News (@CdnPressNews) February 6, 2020

The nCoV 2019 has been spreading around the world. We're grateful not to be quarantined, or on a cruise ship (two, with 6000 people stuck in 3 x 5 m cabins), that would drive me nuts. Happily, 211 Canadians are being brought home after the government jumped through hoops to evacuate them from China. We have strict protocols in place, which we learned from SARS, and soon all will be well.

Feb. 6th, they are coming home

Kittens

We treated ourselves to Take Out Asian food from our restaurant in town. I was supposed to be with the grandies Wednesday/Thursday, as there are rotating strikes here in Ontario, but I didn't want to leave him alone. They were doing a good business, which was good to see.

After my breakfast, and my morning workout, I went out to fetch trailcam memory cards. Cinnamon was birdwatching!

Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 29

Annabelle seems to be fine. She loves anyone who feeds and loves her. We miss her, but we need peace and quiet. 

We are having much fun with the kittens, who are now relaxing. Nutmeggie has been sleeping with us, between our pillows. Meggie and I had a nice play. This is a fun scratch post. She loves sleeping in it.

We went out to dinner last Friday, for the first time since mid-November, when JB got sick. We we returned home, the beautiful scatter rug from Jean looked like this! I'm sure it gave them great joy, as it does us! Thank you, Jean.

After dinner, JB was snuggling under his sleeping bag, two kittens perched on his footstool. Those are his knees on the left!

Dratted Red Squirrel (DRS) avails itself of the bird feeder. I'm thinking I might lose some plants before we are done.

Friday, Nutmeggie spent a couple of hours sleeping in the Muskoka room. She's a hoot. It was chilly, but she was happy.

Playtime

I snagged a photo. "If I fits, I sits! "

With kitties goes kitty litter

I'm not always ready to try something new. We are trying a different type of litter. This is what we've been using: scoopable litter. You need three litter boxes for three cats. I scoop out the stuff, and put it into the empty container with the yellow lid. One bucket holds the scooper, a metal, slotted tool.

 Kitty litter is heavy. I throw it into the forest, but city folk have to throw it into the garbage. It's made of absorbent clay. The boxes are heavy. You can buy bigger, less expensive boxes, but I cannot lift them.

The plastic containers we usually recycle for other purposes. The blue one, above, holds the tools. The large container, with the yellow lid, I've re-used for the scooped stuff.

I've tried different kinds. This box was only half-full. I didn't buy that again.



The plastic bags are difficult for me to carry, as well. The boxes have been easier.

It's $15.99

There are many who are using wood pellets instead of kitty litter. I noticed my son using it in their Vancouver bathroom for their cat. Also, they use it at our cat hotel.

I began by introducing the wood pellets to Nutmeg in her spare room. We're keeping her isolated here. Annabelle is out in the night. Then, when she sits and sleeps, we put her into our bedroom and let Nutmeg out to play. We are vigilant, and it is wearying.

The cost is quite interesting.

Compare that to kitty litter... $15.99.

The pellets absorb the urine, falling apart, and you just take out the poopies. You can see how the pellets just break up. I wondered how they would react to it, but I know they go outside, and using leaves, debris and aren't so picky. When I've gone on forest walkies with cats, it's the first thing they do!

Cat tales: 

Kitty Hormones... |   Hormones, cats – part II | hormones Part the third

PART III: Plan D
We're keeping Nutmeg isolated from Annie. Annabelle is out in the night. Then, when she sits and sleeps, we put her into our bedroom and let Nutmeg out to play. We made a mistake and while I was on a 2-hour conference call for ODPRN, we forgot about Annie in the bedroom.

We have plan D. We will try Feliway on Annabelle's collar. We can't put it in all the rooms of the house, but this could work. It could take 7 days to work, if it is going to work.

Once Nutmeg gets her stitches out on Friday, she is less fragile. Hopefully, the hormones in both kittens will work their way out of their systems, too. Annie hunts Nutmeg down, and just goes for her. Nutmeg is cautious. They are fine early in the morning, when they are hungry, then things go awry.

If this doesn't work, the vet has said they will take Annie back. She was rescued by one of their former employees, and that is where we adopted her from.

How to make a cat collar

Annabelle and her bird collar

P.S. Cinnamon is quite intense. A fly woke up and came in the house with the warm temperatures. He's having a great time watching it on the ceiling!

The snow tells its tails

Bob V has disappeared under the snowfall. Here is a summer photo for comparison!

Little mice friends have been nibbling on the pumpkins!



The ice crystals on the bird bath were beautiful. I used the videocamera to take photos.



The dock is disappearing.



I was out using the snowblower. JB took a photo of the blessed event. It's a beautiful day for snowshoeing, but I'm too tired!



First the sidewalk...



I'm not happy with my new trailcam yet. This is a screen grab of a video without anything in it. I had just walked down the hill to the right.



There is brightness indoor. And the hopes of spring to come.

Anytime now, the deer will be losing their antlers. I have my fingers crossed, as this guy keeps hanging around.

2015: five years ago!

We have come to the conclusion that we must rehome 8-year-old Annabelle. If anyone is looking for a loving, beautiful cat. It breaks our heart, but she is chasing Nutmeg. We've been alternating locking them up in the spare room.