Category: Cats

The culprit and the cause

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft
Photo description: Izzy the calico on a Barcalounger chair back she has claimed as her own complete with claw marks

Izzy the cat was quite miffed when I got a new chair and got rid of the hollow she has been carefully cultivating for years. She started the process over with the new chair and decided to add in claw sharpening, much to my dismay. To hide the damage I made a chair back cover with materials from around the house. It worked OK, but kept sliding, so I bought some nice heavy custom-print fabric from Spoonflower to make a new cover.

Photo description: old free chair back cover, with the new fabric across the seat

The first decision I had to make was how to construct the back cover. I decided to do a long strip up the sides and top, and a panel for the front and back. I tore the fabric to get straight lines (yes, light denim will tear like cotton plain weave, just make sure to tear at least an inch away from the seam line because the threads distort at the tear.) I then used the treadle sewing machine to sew up a new cover. I did a fit once the side seams were done, adjusted the length, then sewed a hem.

Photo description: Singer model 66 red-eye treadle machine used to sew the chair back cover
Photo description: newly installed custom chair back cover on a Barcalounger swivel chair

I do like the Art Nouveau look with squirrels on the fabric. Izzy has already started to reclaim the new cover. It’s a good thing I like cats more than furniture.

Standoff

On By CarynIn Cats, Uncategorized, Wildlife

It has been while since I checked trail cams. Mostly the SD cards were full of cats, raccoons, and opossums, but there was a series of photos where an opossum was investigating the cat food when a cat came along.

Photo description: night vision view of a back step off the coop with a young opossum, back to the camera, and a black short haired cat, facing the camera

The result was a no-contest. The cat went straight to the bowl of the food on the cat box, away from the opossum, and when the cat settled in to eat and not attack, the opossum left. I’m pretty sure the cat is the one we call Greebo, who has scars from fighting and his fur is thinned with some kind of mange. He actually looks healthier since he joined the neighborhood colony. The last couple years he and Fang show up in the Fall and then head out again in Spring or Summer.

Achievement

On By CarynIn Cats, Craft
Photo description: calico cat sitting on crochet made with wool

Izzy the calico cat has been trying to lay on the wool vest I am crocheting for weeks. She finally found me distracted and cuddled in. I did continue to work on the piece and just rotated her as I went. She still stayed put. Purring.

Size comparison

On By CarynIn Cats, photography, Wildlife

The trail cam pictures gave a good way to compare the size of the new raccoon vs a cat.

Photo description: night vision view of a long haired white cat with his front feet on a wood bench
Photo description: night vision view of a raccoon with his front feet on a wood bench

These two photos were also taken just under two hours apart, so the depth of the ice is the same.

The ice accumulation from the last storm did finally all go away. I can’t recall that I’ve ever seen it stay as long as it did in Texas. I still refuse to call it snow.

Mid-jump

On By CarynIn Cats, photography

Scrolling through the trail cam pictures, I usually skip downloading most of the neighborhood cat pictures, but I noticed a trend as I scrolled. The camera was catching the cats mid-jump. Some of the photos are quite amusing, like the cat is awkwardly suspended.

Yes, I put out food for them, as do at least three of my neighbors. Yes, I get them fixed. They are excellent for snake and rodent control. None of them use the inside of the insulated cat house. I don’t think I designed it right.