Prepare

Hi, Pam here.

Our thoughts and best wishes are with our friends on the east coast as Sandy comes barreling onshore later today.  Travis and I have been watching The Weather Channel this morning.  The winds and storm surge are pretty intense already.

It got me thinking.  We've never had to worry about evacuating here, but Travis did have to prepare when he lived in southern California during a massive wild fire.  He had Mr Tucker with him.  Luckily he never had to evacuate.

Are you prepared for a disaster?  Do you have emergency supplies for 3-5 days?  Do you know your evacuation route?  Do you know where the nearest shelters are located?

Have you thought of the same things for your pets?  The ASPCA has a great disaster preparedness check list.  Here is a summary of things to remember so that you and your pets have the best chance to make it through a disaster.

• Get a rescue alert sticker
• Arrange a safe haven
• Emergency supplies and travel kits
• Choose designated care givers
• Evacuation preparation
• Geographic and climatic considerations

The website goes into detail about each of those points.  It also provides special consideration sections for birds, reptiles, and small animals such as hamsters or mice.

You want your family to be safe during and after a disaster.  Your pets are part of your family.  Prepare to keep them safe too.

Patience

Hi, Pam here.

I want kitties.

Travis isn't ready.

Patience is hard.

Vacation

Hi, Pam here!

Vacations are wonderful, but going back to work can sure be tiring.  I had piles of proposals and contracts to review on Monday, and that spilled into Tuesday.  Travis had an IT issue with a key system that caused a system to run abnormally slow. 

Don't even ask how many emails I still have to go through.

We loved seeing Mr Newby again.  He's such a mild kitty cat, but boy has he gotten vocal.  We were up every morning at 5am because he was ready to eat and spend some time outdoors.

Miss Kailey was sweet, but very nervous.  She did eventually warm up to us.  She enjoys belly rubs, and she'll wrap her front paws around your arm and bunny kick.  We watched the movie How to Train Your Dragon.  Take a look at that little girl there and tell me...doesn't she look like the Night Fury? 

Of course we also enjoyed our visit with family.  We spent 10 days with Travis' folks.  In the middle we went to California and saw Travis' aunt and uncle and cousins in Oceanside.  Then we drove up the coast to visit with his sister.  That was when Travis earned his Uncle of the Decade award by buying his niece an iPhone.

We relaxed so much that we completely forgot to take any pictures.  I know!  I couldn't believe it either.  We took the camera and left it in the bag for the entire two weeks.

Oh well.

Now the talking really begins...about whether we're ready for cats of our own.  We'll keep you posted.

Opinions...

...kitty haz dem.

Three

Hi, Pam here.

Three is more than two.  Of course it is.  But sometimes a girl needs a practical demonstration before she makes a life altering decision for herself, her man, and some kitty cats.  We're keeping an eye on our neighbor's kitties this weekend and the next.  She has three. 

The older two are about 8 years old, both male, and she's had them from kittens.  They came together, although they are not litter mates.  The one is fiercely independent.  His name is Lindy.  He spends afternoons outside, but he never roams very far.  He likes Travis, and they seem to have an understanding between them.  Lindy isn't quite so sure about me, so I've learned to let him come to me or not as he chooses.

The other is Rudy, and I think of him as a special needs kitty.  He has long hair that needs brushing, and a mushed face with weepy eyes.  And he's a snuggle boy who needs lots of cuddling.  This morning when we went next door to do the morning chores, he was the first one to greet us.  After he had his breakfast, he came right to me to get his eyes cleaned and his hair brushed smooth, and then sit for some snuggles.  Rudy has the sweetest purr.  It's very soothing.

But there are three.  Little Miss JoJo is just about a year old.  She joined the family next door last April.  She's a real kitten!  Loves to play and roll around.  She takes on Lindy, who has about 5lbs on her and really doesn't want to be bothered.  He smacks her and gives her hisses, but she just comes back for more.  She's also quite the chatterbox.  Travis has conversations with her, like he used to do with Mr Tucker.  In fact, Miss JoJo has markings very similar to Mr Tucker, although she is quite petite.

I know what it will take to keep multiple cats.  When the country gentlemen visited here, we had three...Mr Bailey, Mr Newby, and Mr Tucker.  And when we watch our neighbor's kitties, there are three.  It's extra food and litter, and a lot more work to make sure all three get the attention they want and need.  Plus extra trips to the vet to keep them all healthy and happy.

They seem to each decide what they want from you.  Then it's your job to be what they want.  But, with three, I think there's another piece of the puzzle.  I watch Lindy and I wonder if he's trying to get just a little more of the attention the other two demand, but he's not sure how to ask for it.  So it seems important to be in sync with each personality, understand when one might be feeling left out, then figure out how to fix that.

Maybe Lindy isn't so aloof as he seems.  Travis says he often walks right up to him outside, and they have a few minutes of head buts and discussion. 

I don't know how my neighbor does it by herself with three. 

Multiples

Hey gang...Travis here.

Thanks for the great feedback to Pam's post about multiple cats.  We really appreciate your thoughts and stories.

When I first moved to Washington State, Mr Tucker and I spent about 8 months with the folks down in Toutle, which is outside of Castle Rock, which is about 36 miles as the crow flies from Mt St Helens.  Those of you who have visited Trav's Thoughts probably know about the country gentlemen, Mr Newby and Mr Bailey. 

They were about 6 months old, I guess, when Mr Tucker and I invaded their space.  Being the dominant male of the pair, Mr Bailey struggled a bit with a mature older male.  And Mr Tucker was way bigger...by about 8lbs.  On the one hand, it was Mr Bailey's house, so he tried to be The Cat.  But on the other hand, he was a juvenile and sometimes showed his belly.

Mr Tucker didn't really care about who was The Cat.  He was in a new place and trying to figure out how he fit in with two rambunctious gentlemen.  He was a sweet, non aggressive spook who just wanted to live and let live.  He didn't really understand why sometimes Mr Bailey hissed and spat at him, or ignored him, or lowered his head and tried to be small.  The three essentially got along, but I knew that Mr Tucker would be happier as an only.  And he was.  When we finally got our own place, he was much more content.

He tolerated visits by the country gentlemen.  He was The Cat in his own home.

I would hesitate to start with two and try to add a third later.  I think that's upsetting to everyone, cats and people.  But I suspect that if three litter mates decide they are coming home with us, all together at the same time, then we'll do our best to make a home in which we can all co-exist in peace and respect.

We just might need to get a bigger sofa.

Meow

Hi!  Pam here,

Last March when we lost Mr Tucker, our neighbor told us about MEOW Cat Rescue in Kirkland.  This is the no kill shelter where she adopted her youngest of three, Miss JoJo.  We donated some of Mr Tucker's things to the shelter, and also made a cash contribution in his name.

I think this is probably the place we'll go when I convince Travis that we're ready to adopt.  We've discussed it and we're sure we want litter mates, and at least two.

Well, I should say Travis has agreed to two for the moment.  I threw in that "at least" part.  I've never really had pets, and I loved Mr Tucker so much.  It seems to me that two isn't much more to handle than one.  And if two is good, why not three?

His, mine, and ours...right?  Do you think he'll go for it?

Stand by

Pam wanted us to have a place to tell you about our thoughts as we consider adopting some new friends to share our lives.  This is that place.

Stand by as we get organized.