| Mission Impossible-- PART II (thank you) - CLICK HERE for the Pet Manual Forum Home Page |
| JHBennett |
I feel compelled to put a cap on the thread I started--*How about a
Challenge*--and express my appreciation for the help you all provided. I
must confess I wasn't real optomistic about coming up with *THE* solution to
the problem, but can now happily report, and senior management concurrs, we
have what we believe to be a winner!
It might interest you good people to know, when I posted my little
problem here, I also posted to 4 other cat related news groups. The
creativity, resourcefulness, and insight you all provided to addressing our
situation so far outstripped any other replies I got elsewhere, there is
simply no comparison. I've yet to get a response on 2 groups, got chewed
out on another, and told to have our cats neutered on the last.... I
suppose they think I'm a total idiot.
As you know, I stumbled in here as a visitor with a particular problem;
however, I must say I'm very impressed with this group of people and have
found you all interesting enough that I've decided to stick around. To
those of you who might consider that a threat, I'll try not to overdo it.
While I can't be as involved a cat person as you veterans, I would claim I
am decidedly an animal person; yes, dogs, but I'll not push the matter.
I received such a mass of traffic, it's difficult to keep track and
acknowledge the contributions of everyone; however, I valued all the
responses, even--or especially--when such only reinforced what someone else
offered or added some nuance to aid my understanding.
Having arrived at the point where I should make special mention of a few
people, I shall do so.
Christine Burell came up with some outstanding web sources--nice bit of
research--and I've now got them tucked away in my computer, for futre use.
Thanks, Christine.
Karen Chuplis actually got the ball rolling and stuck with it all along
the way with many helpful comments. Another thank you.
Sherry gets a kudo for coming up with THE -- actually our, best solution
as we've decided to turn our critters into barn cats.
Pam S (Tanada) has earned another kudo, and completly captured my heart,
with her suggestion of planting the Southern Mulberry. Best advise, never
mess with Pam.
I must also mention the great value of the points raised, questions
answered, observations shared, and ensuing general discussion which Cheryl,
Steve Touchstone, Jette Goldie, Jo Firey, Seanetta Blaylock, and likely
someone I've overlooked (sorry) added to this effort for me. Cats are very
unfamiliar territory for me and your knowledge was most helpful and
reassuring as Mother and I sorted our way along to making our decisions.
I can almost guarantee I'll be back for more help, when we approach
dealing with our 3 half grown, and seldom seen, kittens. Can't really offer
much for a starter with those critters as I've just reached the limit of my
knowledge on that subject;-)
I must say, as a problem solving group, I think you done yourselves real
proud. We appreciate it greatly.
Jack Bennett
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| Sherry |
>It might interest you good people to know, when I posted my little
>problem here, I also posted to 4 other cat related news groups. The
>creativity, resourcefulness, and insight you all provided to addressing our
>situation so far outstripped any other replies I got elsewhere, there is
>simply no comparison. I've yet to get a response on 2 groups, got chewed
>out on another, and told to have our cats neutered on the last.... I
>suppose they think I'm a total idiot.
Don't take it personally. The other cat groups are frequented by people who do
serious rescue/shelter work. The spay/neuter mantra comes from seeing, day
after day, firsthand the effects of the overpopulation problem. It's a
knee-jerk reaction, not a personal attack. So many healthy cats and kittens in
the US euthanized every year just because there aren't enough homes. I am
probably also guilty of being way too blunt on the subject, but this group is
an entirely different forum. Stick around. You'll enjoy it here.
Sherry
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| Seanette Blaylock |
"JHBennett" <Ben.net@mvn.net> had some very interesting things to say
about Mission Impossible-- PART II (thank you):
> As you know, I stumbled in here as a visitor with a particular problem;
>however, I must say I'm very impressed with this group of people and have
>found you all interesting enough that I've decided to stick around. To
>those of you who might consider that a threat, I'll try not to overdo it.
>While I can't be as involved a cat person as you veterans, I would claim I
>am decidedly an animal person; yes, dogs, but I'll not push the matter.
We're generally willing to keep anyone who's well-behaved, and are
certainly sympathetic to the allergy problem. Some of us even have
dogs, and some who can't for whatever reason still like them, so a
fondness for barking creatures, especially in someone with a cat
allergy, is not a problem. Welcome to the asylum! :-)
I strongly recommend reading the FAQ
[http://www.angelfire.com/mt/yowie/catfaq.htm] [warning: annoying
popup windows]. Conversations do make more sense. :-)
--
"Don't mess with major appliances unless you know what you are doing
(or unless your life insurance policy is up-to-date)." - John, RCFL
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| Tanada |
JHBennett wrote:
>
>
> I can almost guarantee I'll be back for more help, when we approach
> dealing with our 3 half grown, and seldom seen, kittens. Can't really offer
> much for a starter with those critters as I've just reached the limit of my
> knowledge on that subject;-)
>
Jack,
May I suggest that when you move (how old are the kittens?) and/or the
kittens are about 12 weeks old, you separate them from their mommas and
put them in an enclosure on your new property. A cat enclosure doesn't
have to be huge to be effective. It needs lots of climbing, sleeping,
playing, and hanging out area, but doesn't have to be huge. The ones
used by our local no kill shelter are about 10'x10'x10' and have as many
as six cats in them. I'd recommend a bit larger, but then I have a
large back yard. If you get them their shots, and get them into the
enclosure before they become unmanageable, you'll have a better and
easier time of it with them. Just my $0.02 for what it's worth.
Pam S.
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| JHBennett |
"Tanada" <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3F25B599.9437E7D3@earthlink.net...
> JHBennett wrote:
> >
> >
> > I can almost guarantee I'll be back for more help, when we approach
> > dealing with our 3 half grown, and seldom seen, kittens. Can't really
offer
> > much for a starter with those critters as I've just reached the limit of
my
> > knowledge on that subject;-)
> >
>
>
> Jack,
>
> May I suggest that when you move (how old are the kittens?) and/or the
> kittens are about 12 weeks old, you separate them from their mommas and
> put them in an enclosure on your new property. A cat enclosure doesn't
> have to be huge to be effective. It needs lots of climbing, sleeping,
> playing, and hanging out area, but doesn't have to be huge. The ones
> used by our local no kill shelter are about 10'x10'x10' and have as many
> as six cats in them. I'd recommend a bit larger, but then I have a
> large back yard. If you get them their shots, and get them into the
> enclosure before they become unmanageable, you'll have a better and
> easier time of it with them. Just my $0.02 for what it's worth.
>
> Pam S.
Pam,
Major change in plans at this end. My CEO lay awake most of the night
worrying about the cats, if we took them to the country. So, it's going to
be the construction project for a cage, moving the shelters, critter door in
the garage, etc. etc.
Christine Burell, bless her, routed me to a site with enough photos of cat
enclosures that construction of one will be a snap (I'm mechanically
gifted....really). Your information regarding the density of population and
area is very timely for me to refine the concept of the thing. The yard at
the new place isn't all that great for open spaces suitable for an
enclosure, but I believe it will be possible to enclose an area of perhaps
10' x 30', using one side of the garage.
The plan is to build the enclosure, capture them one at a time, take
each to the Vet, then release them at the new place, since I'm likely to get
just one shot at them. The kittens were born around the end of April and
would be around 15 or 16 weeks, I suppose. They are really nocturnal
creatures but hide in the shed, during the day. Capturing them is going to
be a challenge as the inside is a maze of whatever you can imagine and the
shed walls resemble a sive. Were I a cat wanting to avoid capture, it would
be my pick for a place to hole up. On my side of the equation, I do have a
live trap and a fish net. I also have the belief that I'm smarter than they
are. I really am, you know, as I just thought of how I can take them. I'm
going to do battle on my turf, not theirs. They come into the house, via
our doggie/critter door every night or so to partake of canned food treats
Mother sets out for them. All I need do is rig that door so it will let
them in, but not out, thus turning the entire house into a live trap.
End position on this will be the 3 adults and 3 nearly grown kittens in
the enclosure at the new place. White Stocking, our Tom, will be the first
to make the move and, if he knew what was in store for him, he'd likely take
off for parts otherwhere.
All I can think of at the moment.
Cheers,
Jack
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| Yowie |
"JHBennett" <Ben.net@mvn.net> wrote:
<snip for space only>
> As you know, I stumbled in here as a visitor with a particular
problem;
> however, I must say I'm very impressed with this group of people and have
> found you all interesting enough that I've decided to stick around. To
> those of you who might consider that a threat, I'll try not to overdo it.
> While I can't be as involved a cat person as you veterans, I would claim I
> am decidedly an animal person; yes, dogs, but I'll not push the matter.
> I received such a mass of traffic, it's difficult to keep track and
> acknowledge the contributions of everyone; however, I valued all the
> responses, even--or especially--when such only reinforced what someone
else
> offered or added some nuance to aid my understanding.
<snip list of helpful people>
Hi Jack, and welcome to the group. I'm Yowie and usually have more time for
the group (and would have answered your original post) but Real Life has
caught up with me recently and I seem to be forever catching up (I *used* to
have time to write anecdotes too!).
I'm in Australia and share my life with Joel (soon to be husband), a
shtoopid but lovable mutt called Fluffy and a furry grey tyrant called
Shmoggleberry aka "b*st*rd c*t".
You can see them at my yahoo page
http://photos.yahoo.com/yowie9644
I hope your move goes well and *hisspits* to your nasty neighbours.
Yowie
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| polonca12000 |
Welcome!
Best wishes,
--
Polonca & Soncek
"JHBennett" <Ben.net@mvn.net> wrote in message
news:vi9ui9rgkf6i9a@corp.supernews.com...
> I feel compelled to put a cap on the thread I started--*How about a
> Challenge*--and express my appreciation for the help you all provided.
<snip>
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| Tanada |
JHBennett wrote:
>
> Major change in plans at this end. My CEO lay awake most of the night
> worrying about the cats, if we took them to the country. So, it's going to
> be the construction project for a cage, moving the shelters, critter door in
> the garage, etc. etc.
> Christine Burell, bless her, routed me to a site with enough photos of cat
> enclosures that construction of one will be a snap (I'm mechanically
> gifted....really). Your information regarding the density of population and
> area is very timely for me to refine the concept of the thing. The yard at
> the new place isn't all that great for open spaces suitable for an
> enclosure, but I believe it will be possible to enclose an area of perhaps
> 10' x 30', using one side of the garage.
>
Good luck on catching them all and getting them spayed and neutered.
Using the side of the garage as part of the enclosure is inspired. The
big problem is making sure that there is NO gape between the enclosure
and the wall. Cats can, and do, squeeze out of the smallest places.
You may be able to use a section of the garage as a "house" complete
with potty facilities and a feeding station situated far away from the
potty area. It would save you having to put a waterproof cover on part
of the enclosure, and make life easier for whoever feeds the beasts in
your household.
BTW we're looking at the same website for construction our own
enclosure, and the only questions we have are, how we will hook it up to
a window without giving burglars a possible entrance, how big we want
it, and if we want to cover any of it for shade purposes. So it's very
much in the planning stage.
Bless you and your mother for caring about the cats, and for wanting the
best for them. Please give your mom a BIG hug for everyone here in the
newsgroup, and consider yourself hugged in return.
Pam S. who misses driving through Illinois to head west from Ft Campbell
KY.
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| Steve Touchstone |
Congratulations on deciding to keep the cats and take them with you.
It's what I was hoping you'd end of doing, but of course didn't really
know all of your situation.
A couple things to keep in mind, especially since it seems like there
will be a little time until you get the enclosure built and are ready
to make the move.
This really helped me when I was planning to catch Rockie, so maybe
you could adapt it to help. Find out if they have any food
preferences. Rockie eats pretty much anything, but really goes for
Friskies canned food (maybe not the best food for cats, but you can
always worry about upgrading after you catch them). So, I fed him the
canned food, and gradually, over about 15 days, I just kept getting
closer while he ate and talked while he ate. He got used to me being
close while he ate, and by the time it was time to take him to the vet
I just dropped a towel over him and put him in the carrier hidden
around the corner. After a lot of worrting, on my part, it turned out
to be very easy, though you may have a harder time as your's are more
wild.
Your idea of making the petdoor one way and trapping them in the house
is probably good. You will probably want to restrict their access to
inside to the smallest room you can, and remove anything they can hide
in or behind well in advance to when you want to catch them. I know
with Little Bit, anything new or strange makes her cautious. So make
the changes now and let them get used to them.
Don't be too surprised if it takes awhile, though. You MAY be smarter
than they are, but their whole lifes have been spent avoiding getting
trapped, either by humans or other predators. They will probably be
pretty streetwise. Rockie, who spent his early years feral, simply can
NOT be caught in a trap, after being caught once three or four years
ago. Hopefully yours will be easier to catch, but if not there are
some folks here who have lots more experience than I, who I'm sure
will be happy to offer advice.
Guess my main point is to get make a plan and get ready well in
advance. I actually did a couple dry run to see how long it would take
to dro my towel on Rockie, turn and put him in the carrier.
On Tue, 29 Jul 2003 00:02:11 -0500, "JHBennett" <Ben.net@mvn.net>
wrote:
>
>"Tanada" <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in message
>news:3F25B599.9437E7D3@earthlink.net...
>> JHBennett wrote:
>> >
>> >
>> > I can almost guarantee I'll be back for more help, when we approach
>> > dealing with our 3 half grown, and seldom seen, kittens. Can't really
>offer
>> > much for a starter with those critters as I've just reached the limit of
>my
>> > knowledge on that subject;-)
>> >
>>
>>
>> Jack,
>>
>> May I suggest that when you move (how old are the kittens?) and/or the
>> kittens are about 12 weeks old, you separate them from their mommas and
>> put them in an enclosure on your new property. A cat enclosure doesn't
>> have to be huge to be effective. It needs lots of climbing, sleeping,
>> playing, and hanging out area, but doesn't have to be huge. The ones
>> used by our local no kill shelter are about 10'x10'x10' and have as many
>> as six cats in them. I'd recommend a bit larger, but then I have a
>> large back yard. If you get them their shots, and get them into the
>> enclosure before they become unmanageable, you'll have a better and
>> easier time of it with them. Just my $0.02 for what it's worth.
>>
>> Pam S.
>
>Pam,
>
> Major change in plans at this end. My CEO lay awake most of the night
>worrying about the cats, if we took them to the country. So, it's going to
>be the construction project for a cage, moving the shelters, critter door in
>the garage, etc. etc.
>Christine Burell, bless her, routed me to a site with enough photos of cat
>enclosures that construction of one will be a snap (I'm mechanically
>gifted....really). Your information regarding the density of population and
>area is very timely for me to refine the concept of the thing. The yard at
>the new place isn't all that great for open spaces suitable for an
>enclosure, but I believe it will be possible to enclose an area of perhaps
>10' x 30', using one side of the garage.
> The plan is to build the enclosure, capture them one at a time, take
>each to the Vet, then release them at the new place, since I'm likely to get
>just one shot at them. The kittens were born around the end of April and
>would be around 15 or 16 weeks, I suppose. They are really nocturnal
>creatures but hide in the shed, during the day. Capturing them is going to
>be a challenge as the inside is a maze of whatever you can imagine and the
>shed walls resemble a sive. Were I a cat wanting to avoid capture, it would
>be my pick for a place to hole up. On my side of the equation, I do have a
>live trap and a fish net. I also have the belief that I'm smarter than they
>are. I really am, you know, as I just thought of how I can take them. I'm
>going to do battle on my turf, not theirs. They come into the house, via
>our doggie/critter door every night or so to partake of canned food treats
>Mother sets out for them. All I need do is rig that door so it will let
>them in, but not out, thus turning the entire house into a live trap.
> End position on this will be the 3 adults and 3 nearly grown kittens in
>the enclosure at the new place. White Stocking, our Tom, will be the first
>to make the move and, if he knew what was in store for him, he'd likely take
>off for parts otherwhere.
> All I can think of at the moment.
> Cheers,
>Jack
>
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| JHBennett |
"Tanada" <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3F26D36D.185B5388@earthlink.net...
> JHBennett wrote:
> >
> > Major change in plans at this end. My CEO lay awake most of the
night
> > worrying about the cats, if we took them to the country. So, it's going
to
> > be the construction project for a cage, moving the shelters, critter
door in
> > the garage, etc. etc.
> > Christine Burell, bless her, routed me to a site with enough photos of
cat
> > enclosures that construction of one will be a snap (I'm mechanically
> > gifted....really). Your information regarding the density of population
and
> > area is very timely for me to refine the concept of the thing. The yard
at
> > the new place isn't all that great for open spaces suitable for an
> > enclosure, but I believe it will be possible to enclose an area of
perhaps
> > 10' x 30', using one side of the garage.
> >
>
>
> Good luck on catching them all and getting them spayed and neutered.
> Using the side of the garage as part of the enclosure is inspired. The
> big problem is making sure that there is NO gape between the enclosure
> and the wall. Cats can, and do, squeeze out of the smallest places.
> You may be able to use a section of the garage as a "house" complete
> with potty facilities and a feeding station situated far away from the
> potty area. It would save you having to put a waterproof cover on part
> of the enclosure, and make life easier for whoever feeds the beasts in
> your household.
Yup, gonna have an enclosed area inside the garage as well. I tend to
overdo some things, so this could become quite elaborate. I've friends in
the UK who have ragged me considerable for my building the *cat
ouses.* --JB
>
> BTW we're looking at the same website for construction our own
> enclosure, and the only questions we have are, how we will hook it up to
> a window without giving burglars a possible entrance, how big we want
> it, and if we want to cover any of it for shade purposes. So it's very
> much in the planning stage.
May I suggest locks on interior doors. I read once where interior locks are
a bain to burglars, slows them down, and they don't like that. I should
imagine a commercial grade deadbolt, on a sturdy door, especially in
conjunction with an alarm system, could do much to give you peace of mind,
when you're away.
>
> Bless you and your mother for caring about the cats, and for wanting the
> best for them. Please give your mom a BIG hug for everyone here in the
> newsgroup, and consider yourself hugged in return.
>
> Pam S. who misses driving through Illinois to head west from Ft Campbell
> KY.
Hmmmm......... Why am I thinking 101St Airborne?
Gotta dash,
Jack
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| Tanada |
JHBennett wrote:
>
>
> Hmmmm......... Why am I thinking 101St Airborne?
> Gotta dash,
> Jack
Rob was with the 4/101st AVN BN, one of the three blackhawk Battalions
that are based at Ft Campbell. He went to air assault school, but only
after they tried 10 times to get him to go. He says that his section
sergeant cheated on the 11th try, he said "please." Other than
transporting the airborne units and their supplies, he really didn't
have much to do with them.
Pam S.
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| JHBennett |
"Steve Touchstone" <stouchst@sirinet.net> wrote in message
news:jngdiv0hm0li53hfdairr3pudjqqlm3hfv@4ax.com...
> Congratulations on deciding to keep the cats and take them with you.
> It's what I was hoping you'd end of doing, but of course didn't really
> know all of your situation.
>
> A couple things to keep in mind, especially since it seems like there
> will be a little time until you get the enclosure built and are ready
> to make the move.
>
> This really helped me when I was planning to catch Rockie, so maybe
> you could adapt it to help. Find out if they have any food
> preferences. Rockie eats pretty much anything, but really goes for
> Friskies canned food (maybe not the best food for cats, but you can
> always worry about upgrading after you catch them). So, I fed him the
> canned food, and gradually, over about 15 days, I just kept getting
> closer while he ate and talked while he ate. He got used to me being
> close while he ate, and by the time it was time to take him to the vet
> I just dropped a towel over him and put him in the carrier hidden
> around the corner. After a lot of worrting, on my part, it turned out
> to be very easy, though you may have a harder time as your's are more
> wild.
>
Steve, I'm anticipating a cake walk, with the adults. At the rate we seem
to be making progress, they may be indistinguishable from lap broken house
pets, except denied resident house privileges, for reasons of my survival.
As I mentioned elsewhere, Bootsie, following her ordeal, just plain walked
up to say hello, when I pulled into the drive this evening. I was frankly
astonished that she did that, deliberately coming to me, without an
enticement of food. I petted her for a couple of minutes and did finally
offer her some food. Her little tummy was obviously packed, but she nibbled
at the offering anyway. Miss Kitty was with her, but hung back about 6 feet
while Bootsie and I interacted.
Whenever I do call them for food, Miss Kitty can be depended upon to
butt into my leg, then rub against me, while I pet her. Interestingly
enough, after I pet her for a few moments, and have put down canned food for
her, she will back off a few feet as though thinking, "oh, I wasn't supposed
to do that." When I pause to open the can, she will flop down and roll
around at my feet, as though very happy. The performance reminds me very
much of the submissive display of pack animals, such as wolves or even dogs.
White Stocking, the Tom, can't seem to make up his mind and will vacillate
between showing me how aloof he can be or, in the alternative, how much he
likes to be petted. He'll do flop down and roll around, like Miss Kitty,
but only wants to be petted about half the time. Bootsie, interestingly
enough, does not do flop down and roll around, like the other two.
Having read and observed how dogs and cats act, when picked up by the
scruff of the neck, like their mothers did, it's how I plan to pick them up,
when the time comes, and deposit them in the carrier. Bootsie also allowed
me to pick her up when I brought her back from the pound and seemed very
unconcerned about it. In that case, I picked her up by placing my hand
under her chest and she just hung limply for me to carry her out to our
kitchen.
Thinking about it, I believe I can work on getting them adapted to being
picked up in the days ahead, in one manner or another. I also think it
would be wise to keep the carrier out of sight and can keep it stowed in the
car, until I have cat in hand. Drop cat into carrier, and off to the Vet
for the full course. The eventual process will start, when the time comes,
the first time I get my hands on the notional White Stocking. I can later
get Miss Kitty and Bootsie, probably at the same time and, perhaps, having
each other for company through the spaying would mean less stress for them.
I'll have to talk to the Vet about that, unless somebody around these parts
has some particular insight to offer.
The 3 kittens are going to be another matter as I've not had any
opportunity to tame them. By day, they stay out of sight in the shed, under
the supervision of Miss Kitty, and will come out during the dark of night to
explore the world. I'll see them in the wee smalls, in our front yard, and
they will come into the house nearly every evening, so far as we can tell.
I may find a way to tame them a bit, before we get into the critical period,
but, if not, I think I might be able to use my size and weight advantage to
overpower them. Getting them cornered downstairs for capture has a much
better chance at working than trying to take them on their home turf, for
sure. Then I will likely use your towel method.....along with leather
gloves and a long sleve jacket, and thanks for the tip. Especially about
making some dry runs before the real thing.
Cheers,
Jack
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| JHBennett |
Pam,
Sorry, I was in a bit of a rush earlier. I think I can offer you a
better answer about your security on a cat entrance. It really would be a
simple task to make a window secure against penetration by an intruder,
while allowing your cats access. You can start with a couple of wooden
blocks that will fit into the track of the sash, which I'd guess would be on
the order of 1-1/2" wide. Make your blocks about 1" x 1-1/2" x 3" then
screw them into the tracks above the sash to limit how far up it can travel.
To limit the width of the opening, I'd use a piece of plywood, and secure it
to the sill with small angle irons. These can be found in any hardware
store in a small size. A couple of these on the order of 5/8" wide, with
legs of around 2" would do nicely. Screws have tremendous holding power and
the small angle irons, with just one screw hole in each leg, would do quite
well to secure a board to the sill. Next, you would need to fasten the top
of the board to the bottom of the sash, and this can be done with a couple
of steel flat irons--the same thing as the angle irons, only lacking the L
shape--i.e., they're straight. Use a couple of these to fasten the top of
the board to the bottom of the sash. Blocking the window in that way would
allow you to leave a cat sized opening and create a real hassle for someone
to try and get in that way. Fact is, it would be much easier to force some
other entry, such as prying the door.
Put a cat run up to it---dare we say a catwalk (?)--and you're in
business ;-)
Hope this helps.
Jack
"Tanada" <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3F26D36D.185B5388@earthlink.net...
> JHBennett wrote:
> >
> > Major change in plans at this end. My CEO lay awake most of the
night
> > worrying about the cats, if we took them to the country. So, it's going
to
> > be the construction project for a cage, moving the shelters, critter
door in
> > the garage, etc. etc.
> > Christine Burell, bless her, routed me to a site with enough photos of
cat
> > enclosures that construction of one will be a snap (I'm mechanically
> > gifted....really). Your information regarding the density of population
and
> > area is very timely for me to refine the concept of the thing. The yard
at
> > the new place isn't all that great for open spaces suitable for an
> > enclosure, but I believe it will be possible to enclose an area of
perhaps
> > 10' x 30', using one side of the garage.
> >
>
>
> Good luck on catching them all and getting them spayed and neutered.
> Using the side of the garage as part of the enclosure is inspired. The
> big problem is making sure that there is NO gape between the enclosure
> and the wall. Cats can, and do, squeeze out of the smallest places.
> You may be able to use a section of the garage as a "house" complete
> with potty facilities and a feeding station situated far away from the
> potty area. It would save you having to put a waterproof cover on part
> of the enclosure, and make life easier for whoever feeds the beasts in
> your household.
>
> BTW we're looking at the same website for construction our own
> enclosure, and the only questions we have are, how we will hook it up to
> a window without giving burglars a possible entrance, how big we want
> it, and if we want to cover any of it for shade purposes. So it's very
> much in the planning stage.
>
> Bless you and your mother for caring about the cats, and for wanting the
> best for them. Please give your mom a BIG hug for everyone here in the
> newsgroup, and consider yourself hugged in return.
>
> Pam S. who misses driving through Illinois to head west from Ft Campbell
> KY.
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| Tanada |
JHBennett wrote:
>
>
> Sorry, I was in a bit of a rush earlier. I think I can offer you a
> better answer about your security on a cat entrance. It really would be a
> simple task to make a window secure against penetration by an intruder,
> while allowing your cats access. You can start with a couple of wooden
> blocks that will fit into the track of the sash, which I'd guess would be on
> the order of 1-1/2" wide. Make your blocks about 1" x 1-1/2" x 3" then
> screw them into the tracks above the sash to limit how far up it can travel.
> To limit the width of the opening, I'd use a piece of plywood, and secure it
> to the sill with small angle irons. These can be found in any hardware
> store in a small size. A couple of these on the order of 5/8" wide, with
> legs of around 2" would do nicely. Screws have tremendous holding power and
> the small angle irons, with just one screw hole in each leg, would do quite
> well to secure a board to the sill. Next, you would need to fasten the top
> of the board to the bottom of the sash, and this can be done with a couple
> of steel flat irons--the same thing as the angle irons, only lacking the L
> shape--i.e., they're straight. Use a couple of these to fasten the top of
> the board to the bottom of the sash. Blocking the window in that way would
> allow you to leave a cat sized opening and create a real hassle for someone
> to try and get in that way. Fact is, it would be much easier to force some
> other entry, such as prying the door.
> Put a cat run up to it---dare we say a catwalk (?)--and you're in
> business ;-)
> Hope this helps.
>
Thanks Jack. I printed this off and gave to the hammer guy and told him
to think about it. He says it's very do-able. Now to get the money for
the materials...
Pam S.
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| JHBennett |
"Tanada" <tanada@earthlink.net> wrote in message
news:3F286A31.649A3F65@earthlink.net...
> JHBennett wrote:
> >
> >
> > Sorry, I was in a bit of a rush earlier. I think I can offer you a
> > better answer about your security on a cat entrance. It really would be
a
> > simple task to make a window secure against penetration by an intruder,
> > while allowing your cats access. You can start with a couple of wooden
> > blocks that will fit into the track of the sash, which I'd guess would
be on
> > the order of 1-1/2" wide. Make your blocks about 1" x 1-1/2" x 3" then
> > screw them into the tracks above the sash to limit how far up it can
travel.
> > To limit the width of the opening, I'd use a piece of plywood, and
secure it
> > to the sill with small angle irons. These can be found in any hardware
> > store in a small size. A couple of these on the order of 5/8" wide, with
> > legs of around 2" would do nicely. Screws have tremendous holding power
and
> > the small angle irons, with just one screw hole in each leg, would do
quite
> > well to secure a board to the sill. Next, you would need to fasten the
top
> > of the board to the bottom of the sash, and this can be done with a
couple
> > of steel flat irons--the same thing as the angle irons, only lacking the
L
> > shape--i.e., they're straight. Use a couple of these to fasten the top
of
> > the board to the bottom of the sash. Blocking the window in that way
would
> > allow you to leave a cat sized opening and create a real hassle for
someone
> > to try and get in that way. Fact is, it would be much easier to force
some
> > other entry, such as prying the door.
> > Put a cat run up to it---dare we say a catwalk (?)--and you're in
> > business ;-)
> > Hope this helps.
> >
>
> Thanks Jack. I printed this off and gave to the hammer guy and told him
> to think about it. He says it's very do-able. Now to get the money for
> the materials...
>
> Pam S.
You know, Pam, it may be that your concerns are greatly exagerated as I
recall a break-in down in Florida, some years ago. In that case, the
burglar left without touching a thing...... The owner's pet cat was a full
grown lion. Talk about something I'd pay large money to see ;-))))))
Tell your resident hammer operator I said *hi* and that the last step
should be mounting the blocks in the tracks above the sash. It will make
the job easier, but he's likely already figured that out.
Otherwise, I've got to tell somebody about these cats. I've posted
elsewhere the account of Bootsie's ordeal. Yesterday evening, I was amazed
that she just came up to me as I pulled into the drive. She just came over
to say hello and socialize, and thrived on my petting her... following her 5
days of solitary confinement. But, there's more to the story as this
morning, Mother advised me that she apparently came into the house and
curled up on Mother's bed for a lengthy nap, vacating only when Mom and
Rattler went to bed around 11.
Also, as for White Stocking, earlier today he came over, when I called
them for food, and we really got it on. He rubbed against my legs for
several minutes, while I petted him. I'm not certain, but he may actually
have been purring. He also flopped down on his back and let me rub his
tummy. He would close his eyes and rub his face against my hand. As a
trial run, I even picked him up and he didn't seem to mind it, but I was
careful not to overdo it, just getting his feet off the gtound a bit, before
setting him back down. He was definately more interested in interacting
with me than putting his nose in the can of food I set out for him. Later in
the afternoon, he also walked boldly into the kitchen, passing Mother, and
strode into the living room. Mom says he spent 10 or 15 minutes looking
around before coming back through the kitchen, walking by her again, and
leaving.
I do believe we have some cats consdering the advantages of being house
pets. Undoubtedly because they know I'm so terribly allergic to them:-(
The puzzlement to me is, when they come to me, we can interact. However,
they will not allow me to approach them.... yet, anyway.
The other thing which I find most amazing is neither Mother or I have
ever seen any of our cats scratching, nor Rattler, our dog. Accordingly, I
surmise that somehow, we don't have fleas. I would think that something on
the order of a miracle, for feral cats.
Wishing you success on your project and happy to have been of help <g>
Jack
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| Tanada |
JHBennett wrote:
>
>
> I do believe we have some cats consdering the advantages of being house
> pets. Undoubtedly because they know I'm so terribly allergic to them:-(
> The puzzlement to me is, when they come to me, we can interact. However,
> they will not allow me to approach them.... yet, anyway.
> The other thing which I find most amazing is neither Mother or I have
> ever seen any of our cats scratching, nor Rattler, our dog. Accordingly, I
> surmise that somehow, we don't have fleas. I would think that something on
> the order of a miracle, for feral cats.
> Wishing you success on your project and happy to have been of help <g>
> Jack
LOL, cats aren't stupid, are they? Finally got a chance to get onto the
computer after being out of town for a couple of days. I got my chance
to be a caretaker for little children again, and had my belief that
teenagers are an improvement, re-affirmed. I don't have to entertain
teens, just listen to them grunt and point. I'm good with the little
ones, but really prefer the older kids.
Anyway, back to the furry part of the story...
I'm glad that your owners are becoming more interested in forming a bond
with you. I'm very allergic (not to your extent, though) to cats, but
not my own, except for PFC Huey. Of course, he's the cat that wants to
bond with me the most. I think its taught in cat 101 that they MUST rub
against the person most allergic to them. I don't know about the fleas,
as I don't know enough about them.
However not only are you doing something right with the fleas, but with
the cats as well. they're learning that they can always trust you, and
that you'll take care of them. That is a big honor and a big
responsibility. I'm sure you'll live up to it. Congratulations on
being the right kind of Paw for them.
Pam S.
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