Cats Rock

Hi everyone!!! As you can tell the last week or so has been truly crazy!!!  It has been a couple 24 hours since I checked in with you all and I am SOOO happy to say that ALL the kitties in my world appear to be doing better!!! YAY! And I mean ALL - I will explain everything in this post so get ready for a looooong update! HA!

The last time I checked in, a week and a half ago, the four feral cats would soon be on their way to the barn!

Well....the morning of relocation came and when Margo was putting the traps in her car to come pick me up - one the the kittens was able to escape!!!!! The escapee was the all black one that Gloria calls Scar (after the Lion King). It really put a damper on the morning as she tried EVERYTHING to find him but was OUT OF THERE (she said he darted out 'like a bat out of hell")! HA! The only good part is he escaped near a feeding colony of ferals that have also all been fixed so he will have a safe and warm place to eat and sleep if he sticks around there. We decided after she gave up on seeing him anytime soon that we needed to head to the barn with the remaining three ASAP. So she came and picked me up and this is what her car looked like - HA HA!

So we planned on setting up two cages in the barn and having two in one and another alone. We put the friendliest one in alone so the barn owner could socialize him first.  This is the set up...they have blankets and litter boxes, food and water and a little foam cooler to hid in if they need safe space. They will live in these crates for three weeks and then they will understand that this is their home and they will be safe here and hopefully not move out! Ha! THE BARN WAS AMAZING! It was all new and redone and so warm and cozy for them - I hope they stick around. The barn owner was also AMAZING - we could not have asked for a better home for them!

So this is how we were transferring from the crates to the cages...we wanted to make sure the cats went forward and did not dart out of the cages...

One of the cats getting ready to be transferred to his cage...

Cutie pie hiding after we moved him to the cage...

So. the one here on the left is the one that Gloria calls Buttons and he runs to her so we left him alone thinking he would be the first to warm up to the barn owner and we were right!!! He lets her pet him after just one week of being there!!!! She said the others were warming up to her too! YAY! She is super excited about how well it is going so far!

The night we set them up I took a picture of their home before we left and this is it!!! They were covered with comforters for a few days to get used to the farm noises (cows, chickens and tractors) in a safe place so they can feel warm and snuggly while they settle in.

So over the past week, I have gotten a few updates from the barn owner on how they are but here are two of my favorites I have to share with you guys....

And then this!!!!!..

And one more update that she sent to Margo...

I am super excited that she is happy to have them and it seems they are happy to be there! Fingers crossed next week when they get to leave the crates that they stick around and hang out for life!!! YAY!!!!

Then...to make the week even better... I got this update from Margo...

Our escapee Scar has found the feeding station and warming station and has been hanging out there!!! So he is happy, fed and warm too! So it is an all around happy ending for our four sweet little neighborhood cats and my heart is so super happy!!

Thanks to all of you that may not be cat people for bearing with this cat heavy post!!! Ha ha! I have lost so much sleep thinking about these little guys suffering so it is EVERYTHING to know they are safe and warm and fed!!!

AND - another cat note - my OWN cat Grace....you may remember a post I did explaining that my cat was hiding under the bed?? This has been happening since Thanksgiving! We ran tons of tests and checked everything and there was nothing physically wrong with her at all. So then the vet explained to me that she thinks the cat has Pandora's Syndrome. You can learn about it here.

Basically it is cat anxiety and fear from some external event that traumatized the cat. I had to use techniques and work with her to get her to come out and get more comfortable again. It has been months and finally...this happened last weekend...that is Grace on the left and her sister Faith on the right. I think Faith was amazed to see Grace on the bed so she went to join her!!! HA!

And then later she was half under the covers - HA! But she was out from under the bed and watching the birds!! YAY! SCORE!! She is still spending a lot of time under the bed but she is definitely getting more comfortable! I am so happy on so many levels!

So, that is my cat heavy update for this Monday and everyone is doing great and heading in the right direction! YIPPEE!

On a cleaning note...do you cover your house vents with filters?? I never did but I tried it a few months ago to see if it would help with my allergies. These have been on my vents for about 6 months and I just changed them out the other day! Look how horribly gross!!! After this I will definitely be using them and maybe changing them every 3 months! ICK! Who knew if could be that gross in those vents?!?!?

I hope everyone has a fantastic week! I am off to see what you all did this weekend!!!

Happy Monday and hugs to you all!

Do you have pets? Do you suffer when your kids or pets are sick? How was your weekend????