Spring is here, so Mom & Dad have been doing lots of work in the yard. After fixing a broken sprinkler pipe and replacing the birdbath, Cousin Nemo decided he’d be King of the Bird Bath. He can be such a pest!
Pesky Cousin Nemo
Category: Neighborhood animals
Visits from cousin Nemo
Cousin Nemo, who lives next door at the house where we were all fostered, came for a visit yesterday. We were all cordial and looked at each other without any hissing. Nemo is a friendly kitty, but he can get a bit frisky. Mom didn’t want him to wear out his welcome, so she gave him a treat and took him around to the front yard so he wouldn’t be right up in our faces at the screen door.
Cousin Nemo came over again today. He enjoys exploring our yard, especially the catnip pot. There’s barely any plant left over from last year and mom was cleaning out the pot in preparation for new growth. Nemo thoroughly enjoyed himself.
We sent his mom a text warning her that Nemo would come home reeking of catnip. Hopefully the other cats don’t get high off his fumes.
Duckling Rescue
Yesterday we rescued three ducklings from the neighbor’s cat.
Jeff was gardening and witnessed sudden pandemonium across the street. A mom duck and 12 to 15 ducklings of various ages were being chased by Jackie, the neighbor’s cat. Jeff scooped up Jackie and we put her in our garage.
Mom and ducklings scattered everywhere. We hoped they would reunite, but after 20-30 minutes there were still ducklings scurrying & cheeping. We managed to gather up these three, which were the youngest. We put them in a laundry basket and took them down the street where mom duck was last seen. There’s a river nearby and we suspected that’s where she was headed.
The ducklings cheeped & cheeped, but mom never appeared. Jeff even drove around the neighborhood searching for mom & the older ducklings but couldn’t find them.
We were now in possession of three orphaned, young, scared, cold ducklings.
You might remember a while back we constructed a pen for one of the hamsters to live in while he recovered from a leg injury. We currently use it as a hamster play area, and it turned out to be a perfect duckling containment pen!
A quick web search taught us that ducklings need warmth, lots of water when they eat, and can be fed “chick starter” that’s used for raising chickens. Luckily, the feed store is only 15 minutes away so it was easy to get the appropriate food. We don’t have a proper heat lamp, but a 60-watt bulb seems to be keeping them warm enough.
The ducklings are cute, but very messy. Their water must be changed every few hours and their “bedding” (old flannel sheets & towels) changed a few times each day. Other than that, we are staying away from them because they are wild and afraid of us and I don’t want to stress them.
Jackie’s family knows someone who lives in a rural area about 1 hour away. Their duck just lost a clutch of chicks so they are willing to take the ducklings. We’re hoping the ducklings go to their new mom later today (Wednesday). I’m sure they’ll do better under the care of a duck rather than in our little duckling containment pen. Fingers crossed our plan comes together. If not, we’ll take them to the local wildlife care association where they can grow up and then be released.
It’s tempting to try to raise them ourselves and release them at the river when they’re older, but we’re not set up to brood ducklings and keep them safe from Wolfie and Tilly. Tilly would be all over those little ducklings, trying to “keep them warm” … inside her tummy!
Gifts for our new kitty neighbor.
We left some gifts on the porch for our new kitty neighbor. This is a strange situation but let me explain.
The 18-year old who just moved in next door asked us if we wanted her cat. We declined because Raven will not appreciate a kitty housemate.
You’re probably thinking, “Your new neighbor asked if you wanted their cat?” Yes, and No. This family lived next door when we moved here. When she was young, the girl used to come over and play with our dog, so she know we love pets. They moved across town, some life stuff happened, and now they’ve moved back. The girl and a college girlfriend are living there until her Mom can join them – maybe – part time.
She’s trying to do the right thing by keeping the indoor/outdoor kitty inside and safe. But kitty is afraid of the exuberant young retriever dog (the favored pet) and the gal thinks it will be best to find kitty a new home. I sigh, but my husband thinks she’s overwhelmed and trying to be a responsible almost-adult without quite enough support.
So, we’re doing what we can to offer support and encouragement. We visited kitty, who is stressed at having been in a new home for less than 24 hours. She’s safe in a large master bedroom/bathroom with her food & water, litter, a kitty bed tucked in a corner, and a few toys. Kitty is very friendly and ventured out to visit us. The room doesn’t have any furniture so we helped move an existing perch into the bedroom so kitty can get off the floor.
We went to the pet store and got another perch, a cardboard scratcher, and a wand toy. We suggested the gal hang out in the bedroom a few times a day to play with kitty, and maybe get a radio to play some music.
It’s been only a few hours, and she’s already sent me some photos of kitty in the new perch. She looks like she’s enjoying it and it’s much better than cowering in a corner.
Whether everyone adjusts to their new home or kitty finds a new family, hopefully everything will turn out ok. We’ll continue to be available to lend an ear and offer support. And the window in the photo looks across to one of our windows, so we may be able to see kitty if she’s sitting in her perch. It will be interesting to see how Raven reacts if she sees kitty in the neighbor’s window. I’m guessing there will be a very loud kitty meeeyyooooowlll.
Indulged Furries 