Bling

Silvery bling

I picked up new collars for Angel and Chuck; the old ones were kinda scruffy.  I also bought new tags, but I haven't yet attached them because I have to nail them on.  

No more clink, clank as their tags knock against the food bowls.  

Bwa-ha-ha!

You can see that Sammy isn't afraid of the 'trap' right now, but I couldn't pull the stick because of the extra one holding up the other end.  I've now moved both sticks toward the center, and will remove the extra one when no kitty is around to witness.  Then, when Sammy gets all of the way underneath...keep your fingers crossed!

The Sammy Expedition has begun!

Drop trap with cover and extra stick

Patty is not afraid!

Here, Patty models how it works

Sammy says with this look, "You'll never catch me, copper!"

The game is on!  Drop trap in place, ready for Sammy to enter.  He hasn't yet, even though Patty and Mama Mia have.  It's only been 1-1/2 days, so patience, Grasshopper!  The extra stick is to give the contraption stability, since the pull stick is designed to move easily, and not be a table leg.  We screwed the trap to the top of the feeding station (read:  old picnic table).  A length of landscaping fabric is stapled to the top to further mimic the usual awning (read: old card table). As Sammy begins to drop his guard, I'll remove the extra stick, then wait for the opportunity when he is inside.  If another cat is in there too, then all will get a trip to the vet, but shhhh...don't tell the hubby; he doesn't know that part!

Sammy is constantly drooling, and has food and dirt stuck to his face fur.  He is wary of this new thing, and hasn't gone inside of it.  The theory is: Sammy goes in to eat, after he's lost his trap fear (he's a smart cookie, my Sammy is!), and we yank the string, the stick pulls out, dropping the trap around Sammy.  Either a cat carrier or metal trap is placed at the door (see it on top?), and the cat will voluntarily walk into the smaller space.  Then, I call the vet!  Hubby and I have set up a holding area in the garage, should need be, with tarp and blankets.

For now, we wait...Where did I put my pith helmet?

Lazy

Chucky on the chair

Patty playing Sphinx

Lolling Mia

Angel up on her perch

Neighbor cat Aries 

All the cats are lazin' around these days.  Chucky has staked out an old chair covered in my long sweater.  Hey, I wear that, Chuck...and I want it back!...someday.  Patty goes wherever I am, and he prefers to be the one in front of the camera, but he allowed me to shoot Mia lolling on the deck one hot afternoon.  Angel sleeps on the top of a book case, which we call her 'perch'.  And Aries belongs to our backyard neighbor's, but she loves our yard; she filches bits of food, and often sleeps on the deck.  However, she has a hissy disposition, and will pick fights so we try not to encourage her much.

And look at this!  We primed the Cat Hotel, then gave it a good coat of house paint.  So now it blends nicely to our house, but it looks like a tank!  The Cat Tank.  We will paint the top and bottom floor verandas, and probably add some more doodads and such, before we move the whole ball of wax into it's intended location closer to the back door.  Of course, I was worried that the 'o' cats might shun the thing, since it smells like paint.  Lo and behold, Mia came right out of it this afternoon when I set out the food bowls.  Gosh, cats just simply amaze me.