Sunday, March 29, 2015

Scooter, a month later

Scooter is calming down a little bit.  Spouse has been letting her roam the house for the last 2 weeks, so I also let her out during the day.  She's getting so she doesn't slink around in all the rooms.  If she sees another cat, she just hisses at them and debates whether to turn around or continue on.  If one is blocking her way to her room though, she charges with growls, hisses and a swat or two on her way by to her room.  The other cats just look at her, none willing to stand up to her at that point.  She does not like going past a cat that is sitting above her and with let out nasty howls & loud growls like she's being killed, when all they're doing to her is looking at her as she goes by them.

As you can tell, her room is her sanctuary.  Even with the screen door open to the rest of the house, she sleeps there during the day.  Lately it's been up by the window on her knitted blanket.



Butch will watch her from afar, low growling as he does.  Gypsum just watches and will hiss if she gets too close.

I've been trying out the Spirit Essences scent, Peacemaker, but not sure if it's working or if it's just that she's getting used to the house and the presence of other cats.  Getting drops on all of their coats is a challenge.  If they see that dropper coming at them, they will try to avoid.  I think it reminds them of my using the eye dropper on their eyes as kittens or when I had to put drops in their ears.  I don't think they like the alcohol  smell that is in the drops, either.  I've tried it on their water, but then they avoid drinking from that particular container.  Don't dare to try it on their food because of their immediate reaction to the alcohol smell. At this point, I'm not sure if she'd do better on one of the other Essences than the one I got.

George no longer spends long times at night with her to keep her company and she's ok with that now.  He just kept that up for about 3 weeks.  I found that I just couldn't sleep on her couch for more than a couple of hours.  Even so, she'd sleep on top of me or down by my feet.

  We do play with her in the evening in her room which she enjoys.  She likes to play with the string attached to the wand, but not with the ball at the end of the string.  She also likes to attack the wand when it's being swished under her tent.  Catnip doesn't seem to interest her.

As for her visit with the vet a month ago.  He figures she's between 10 and 12 years old.  She had already lost most of her teeth through decay and gum disease and had to have surgery to remove her last 2 teeth.  She recovered from that well.  Vet also said to keep her on her normal diet as  she's quite healthy.  Since the dental surgery, her gums have healed and she's learned how to use her mouth to pick up things without a problem.

Rainey mostly ignores her, except when she hears one of the other cats in trouble with her.  Then Rainey will move to see what's going on and is ready to interfere on her friends behalf if we're not around to interfere ourselves.

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

My Jacob's Ladder Project, Part 9

Finally, the last 4 blocks are done and I've been rearranging the blocks.  It's in kind of an order, mainly trying to keep the lighter blocks together and the darker blocks together, but not quite.  Still had to please my eye and make both quilts have the same color blocks in the same spot on each quilt.
Here's what I have at the moment.  Of course I'm going to let it sit for awhile while I piece the sashing and cornerstones though I am pleased with this placement.

I might even have these 2 quilts done in time for my guild's next quilt show next February.  They'll fit right in with the show's theme, Quilt Color Splash

Now for a look at the old family quilt that started this project:


and here is the first unfinished quilt from this project.  I'll be taking this one all apart and rearranging the blocks as I'm still not pleased with the layout of it:

All the fabrics used in this setting are used in the two color block quilts above.

Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Catification starting

If you've watched My Cat From Hell (on the Animal Planet channel), you've learned about Jackson Galaxy, the host of the show.  He does wonders with families experiencing what they think is a cat problem.  Many of his problem fixes have to do with changing the cat's environment in the house and he labels the process as "catification".  He's even co-authored a book called Catification with his designer, Kate Benjamin, just recently published (2014).

With our new cat, Scooter, I felt that we needed to do more to our house so she can fit into the household of 4 other cats in a smoother fashion.  This will probably be enjoyed by the other 4 as well.  So, I took a picture of the first area that will be improved as it will be the easiest to do and will solve one of the issues the first 4 cats have with each other.

As it is now, the cats like to sleep on top of the TV cabinet when we're in the room (there's a heater vent right above their beds (1 cat bed and 1 low-sided cardboard box).  They've only had that spot for a few months now as I cleared the "CLUTTER" off the top this past September and have a climbing post on the right side. It is the 3rd post we have in the house and one they use a lot, even the scratching posts on it.

 They love being able to use the post and sleep on the cabinet.  But they don't love having to get past Rainey or Rainey doesn't love having to get past them, all depending on  where they were sleeping and who got where first.  It does get kind of funny watching Butch or Gypsum try to get past Rainey as they will look for other ways down but end up having to run by Rainey (she swats them anyway).  They do the same to her if she has to get past them to get down.
Before
As you see, I've labeled the first 2 areas that will be fixed.  The deadend spot on the left and another route down on the right. (thank you Jackson Galaxy for explaining some of the finer points of catification to the world).

The left side will get some steps down and I'll have to clear the "CLUTTER" off of the end table, maybe even move it to another spot in the living room.  Though the house is large, the rooms are on the SMALL side so this will take some more thinking as to furniture placement.

On the right side of photo, the corner will get a couple more "steps" leading down. (and I really need to remove the "CLUTTER" in that corner.  The dark spot in the "tunnel" at the top of the post is Rainey, sleeping, her favorite spot at the moment and a spot the boys don't like having to go past to get down as she swats them in the butt every time as they go down over the end.

As you can tell, CLUTTER is my problem as I collect but I also like things orderly.  I will have to cringe and remove a lot of CLUTTER that I  no longer use nor can make orderly.  The cats would have more room to run around if I got rid of that CLUTTER.  btw (by the way) the cabinet looks stuffed because we have a small bird that we needed to keep out of places as she is destructive to anything paper or even cloth(anything that will make nesting material).  We ended up leaving her caged permanently, which in the long run is safer for her in a house now full of cats.

When this part of the Living Room is catified, I'll post an "after" picture and then move on to the next catification project.


Sunday, March 1, 2015

My Jacob's Ladder Project, # 8

The Corner Stones are completed!


 

and work has begun on the missing blocks.  Mind you, I will be rearranging the orders of the blocks in each quilt once the final 4 blocks are completed.

Here's what I have so far:

 
Ready to sew together.

and the solid blocks are ready to sew.  Here's one:

Now it's off to sew for the day ... and get the final fabric cut for the 3rd and 4th blocks.

 

The last blocks above.