Cats & Animals

My 2018 cat shelter (Part I)

Categories Cats & Animals, My Place, Nature, photos, This and That, Writing and Blogging137 Comments on My 2018 cat shelter (Part I)

Time to update the outside cat shelter.  Lots of straw, tarps, assorted crates and wood…and a big table… plus more to come.

Barbara, for faithful followers’ information, is the wild Calico Cat that lives outside and was rarely seen…until the greenhouse where she hung out for years was torn down last spring, leaving poor Barbara rather confused and homeless.    But now she has apparently decided to move into the shelter on my back deck.  She is not afraid of me, and comes out when I call her name.  All of the cats locally defer to and respect “crazy Barbara” as she is sometimes called…they make room at the food dish and water pan, and apparently tolerate the tough old lady.

DSC02564.JPG barbara 1
Barbara, an old soldier, three feet, feral, numerous kittens. Bad foot is from being hit by a car, we didn’t know until later.

DSC03663
This guy doesn’t really live here, but is a frequent visitor who apparently likes the food..

DSC03647
Fluffy staked out this nest early on.

DSC03646
An early arrangement, under temporary cover.

DSC03642
This big grey tarp from “mail away” covers the entire deck and stays up year round. There will be at least one more heavy tarp draped over the umbrella. The temps could get down to Zero degrees Fahrenheit later in the winter…or not. This is Ohio, we try to be prepared for whatever comes our way.

DSC03645
early rain protection, the plants have moved into the house.

DSC03644
under construction

DSC03641

DSC03638
This is the house the APL Lady, Joyce, made a few years ago. It was Peggy’s house but now two or three cats call it home. It’s a big tub like for Christmas trees. I put new straw inside this year, and checked out the inside…very impressive, built with ledges and windows to allow light, fully lined with insulation.

DSC03637
Fluffy

DSC03634
View from the kitchen, the shelter will include the swing, several tarps and assorted boxes. It was still green outside when I took this shot.

DSC03628
a view inside, the light in back of the tarps is coming from heavy plastic “windows” in the back of the right side, so it isn’t just a dark hole.

DSC03631
The (R) edge of the tarp will come down to anchor the main part of the shelter.

 

Cat Decisions

Categories Cats & Animals, Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge, My Place, photos, Sometimes, This and That, Writing and Blogging4 Comments on Cat Decisions

 

DSC03517
Now what?

DSC03519
Pearl isn’t sure.

DSC03518
Bob considers the situation.

DSC03516
say what?

DSC03535
Closer, so we don’t have to shout

DSC03536
Time for a nap.

(photos ©Sometimes,2018)  The colors in these shots are overwhelmed by the bright sunlight coming in the windows…except for Pearl, who is completely black and requires different camera settings to see her face.   The green paint is prettier than it appears, but could use a fresh coat of paint.   (The very thought of painting scares me!    and yes, I know we should have painted before we put the flooring down.   yikes!)

No more kittens…but here’s a possibility

Categories Cats & Animals, My Place, Nature, Photographs, This and That, Writing and Blogging66 Comments on No more kittens…but here’s a possibility

 

The latest kittens from next door.   Barbara has been featured in this blog before…she is a rough and tumble lady that appeared from thin air long ago; she lived in the now defunct greenhouse across the road.   Not sure where she lives now, she is very illusive.

[all photos ©Sometimes, 2018}

DSC02549.JPG little grey 3
going next door

DSC02564.JPG barbara 1
Barbara, an old soldier, three feet, feral, numerous kittens. Bad foot is from being hit by a car, we didn’t know until later.   Approach at yer own risk!

DSC02511.JPG LITTLE GIRL KITTEN 2
Little Sister kitten

DSC02514.JPG BARBARA N LITTLE GREY 2
Barbara & Son

DSC02558.JPG little grey 4 good
Here he is: Little Grey

DSC02559.JPG little grey 3
Little Grey posing

DSC02560.JPG little grey 2
beautiful markings

DSC02562.JPG little grey kitten
hmmm…what’s over here?

DSC02552.JPG little grey nosy
Nosy Little Grey

Cat shelter version 2018

Categories Cats & Animals, My Place, Photographs, This and That, Welcome to the Neighborhood, Writing and Blogging69 Comments on Cat shelter version 2018

Here are some shots of my current cat shelter.   It has been very cold this year so far, and my walk-in contraption works great.   The outside cats enter from the top of the storage-box shelter roof.   Two cats live in this structure, Peggy and Cat Henry.

(photos ©Sometimes, 2018.)

DSC00557.JPG BIG TOM 1
Visitor heard the food clatter

DSC00556.JPG SHELTER 5
Dottie and Cat Henry

DSC00555.JPG SHELTER 6
shelter from storage bin, igloo-like entrance; the back wall is clear plastic; straw walls

DSC00554.JPG SHELTER 6
behind couch cushion is a big packing crate/box from the pallet place.    

 

DSC00560.JPG SHELTER 2
The red umbrella is the basic frame for this contraption…with support for tarps from overhead beams on deck. Reflection of glass doors from clear plastic at aback.

 

Spider Days…. warning to those who don’t love spiders…

Categories Cats & Animals, My Place, Nature, Photographs, photography, This and That17 Comments on Spider Days…. warning to those who don’t love spiders…

DSC00127
a work of art worthy of Arachne herself… (©Sometimes, 2017)

DSC00146
This spider is not happy with me because I ran pell-mell into her web this morning, unintentionally… and yesterday rescued a little flying thing from the web.    Have ya ever seen a spider stomp her little feet?

 

DSC00138
A nursery web by a different spider.   The string of little beads are baby spider eggs.

 

DSC00125
Fortunately the spider posing for these photos is not anywhere near as she appears, she is in fact holding onto a big “stink bug” as we call them.  

[Please Note:   all photos are copyright by © Sometimes, 2017.    In the event that someone wants to republish any of my photos they are welcome….but please be sure to give credit mention to Sometimes as a courtesy.]

The Hundredth Monkey (Re-blogged from Ellie’s Blog)

Categories Cats & Animals, education, inspiration, Other Bloggers' Work (re-posted here), re-blogged posts, This and That2 Comments on The Hundredth Monkey (Re-blogged from Ellie’s Blog)

This blog just came to my attention this morning, and its my favorite blog today. Thanks SO much for the re-blog Ellie Haretuko…and for following my blog.

Ellie Haretuku

I recently read a study conducted in 1952. Reliability and the actual occurrence of the study even taking place was called into question, that it may just be a myth. Regardless the study enthralled me and mythical or not I enjoyed it. Here’s the gist of it.

Scientists were providing monkeys with sweet potatoes dropping them in the sand for the monkeys to collect. The monkeys loved the potatoes but hated the sand. One of the monkeys realised that she could rectify the problem by washing the sand off in the nearby stream, she taught the other monkeys. Through imitation they were able to learn. Now this in itself isn’t an anomaly, these creatures are intelligent and able to learn. What was surprising was that colonies of monkeys on other islands began doing the exact same thing without any ability to imitate through observation, as they were on neighbouring islands…

View original post 267 more words