Cat House

I have four cats.

Eryn Grace

Chance (back), Tommy (middle), Trouble (front)

Just like the Teen, there isn't a whole lot I wouldn't do for my cats.  They are as much a part of the family as the humans.

I learned early on they don't require special trips to Pet Smart for toys, though Chance did like the rabbit fur mice in his younger days.  Most of the time, they are content with ties to dresses or robes, or caps to water bottles, straws, boxes, my make up brushes, etc. Eryn has an affinity for pony tale holders and anything she can drop in the toilet.

I am always on the look out for practical ways to spoil my brats.  Knowing that most commercial products aimed at cat owners are a bust, I try to get creative.

And then one day, I was rolling through facebook and I found this link : DIY Cat Tent.  Seemed legit, so I pinned it to Pinterest.

I finally got around to digging out everything to complete the project today.  The source is basically just pictures, but it seems straight forward enough.  I gathered what I needed:  two wire hangers, a t-shirt, and my pliers.

The pics aren't great because I unexpectedly had to complete my project indoors, instead of outside, where there would have been better contrast than the hardwood floor.

First I straightened the wire hangers using my pliers.  I fashioned them into an X shape, using a small piece of duct tape to secure the top of the X.  I also bent the end into feet, like in the source material.

straighten the wire hanger

fashion into an X

Once they were bent, I tried to stand them up.  They slid back down into the X formation, above.  I tried it again.  Nope. Still sliding.

I got the bright idea at that point, to cap the little wire feet ends with duct tape, hoping it might (maybe) reduce the slippage, and protect my t-shirt from holes.  The result?  See picture above.

Thinking that the t-shirt would help, I began trying to shove the hangers into this epic t-shirt:

Do you know how hard it is to shove hangers into a t-shirt and keep the X formation?  Let me tell you, a mother of a toddler with five arm has it easier.  The hangers kept collapsing.  They wouldn't hold the X shape.  They slid; they fell.  I couldn't get the hole at the bottom for the entrance.  I was a little perturbed.

The inspiration picture has a cushion in the bottom. I started to suspect this was the key to the magic holding of the X shape. I didn't have one, and I wasn't about to purchase anything like a cushion for the cats, knowing my oldest would promptly do something foul.  But, I had a box from a case of water bottles.

I had to get a box

Ta Da!  The box held the hangers in the X formation!  And cats love boxes!

I taped the hanger into the corners:

And set off to shove the t-shirt over the frame.  I quickly found that my epic Goonies shirt was too small. So, I grabbed a shirt the teen had recently laid claim to.  This shirt was an XL. It took a minute, and some frustration, but I finally got the shirt over the frame and secured the back with a pony tale holder.  I left the arms open for paws and quick escapes.

As soon as I backed away from the tent, this is what happened:

What's this, Momma?

Blurry action shot of a paw stealing a ribbon

Eryn was the first one in the box.  She immediately saw the merit of using the box for a sneak attack on her brothers. She was in and out an arm hole so fast, Tommy had no idea what hit him.

Tommy was next in.  He's naturally high strung and a titch skittish, so he initially liked the idea of the covered box.  He also liked the arm hole escape.

Trouble peeked in.  Chance couldn't be bothered with it.  So, the initial reaction was 2 out of 4 cats liked the novelty of the idea.

The tent has been up for several hours and is thoroughly ignored.  The newness has worn off.  Going to leave it up for a day or two, to see if they reconsider, but it appears this idea was a flop.

Type Casting Shadows

I realize it's been a while since I've uploaded.  I have blogs and experiments for you, I just must find a moment to commit to writing and moving pictures around.  Bear with me, I will be back for more fun Pinterest things soon.

This post is not my usual banter.  With four posts, it's a little difficult to convince you, but I must assure you that it's not normal. 

I wish to refer you to another blog (Nightdreams & Daymares) and tell you a little story.

Growing up, I was biologically the oldest child in my family, but in my play and in some fantasies, I was the younger sibling.  I always felt that I would be a good little sister, though I clearly had the.... leadership skills (we'll just go with that) indicative of first born siblings.

You can imagine my glee when, in high school, I started "adopting" older siblings.  These were upper class men that took a small freshman under their wing and picked on me unmercifully, just as big brothers should.  And then one of my Bubba's introduced me to his college age sister.

It was pretty much squealing, and giggling, and love on the spot.  I got a big sis.  And she's been my big sis for getting close to 20 years (eeep!).  I passed out programs at her 1st wedding.  The very first baby shower I went to was for her daughter, my "niece," Sarah.

Sarah was an extraordinary kid. Bright. Artistic. Full of the right kind of Sass.  Not afraid to stick up for the underdog. For a someone so young, she related well to adults.  I remember talking to her at her mom's and step dad's wedding and having to remind myself I was talking to someone that still had diaper-butt when my daughter was born.  Sarah also had Type 1 Diabetes.

On Sept 16, 2011, a Friday morning. I got a call from my Bubba.  I had just gotten to work.  I was tired.  My best friend had just moved 185 miles away, and I still felt like my right arm was missing.  I had deadlines.  I didn't want to talk on the phone.  But we live in a day and age where phone calls to cell phones from texting family and friends equates to emergency.  The governor could not have stopped me from answering that call.

I will never forget those words, "We've lost Sarah.  Sarah's gone..."  I remember the rest of the call like watching a movie.  I remember dropping my phone on my desk and standing there for a minute.  Somehow I got around the corner and down a long hall to my Supervisor's office before I lost it.  By the time I got to her office, I felt like I was choking.

I don't remember getting home.  I barely remember texting my best friend, "911, text me when you wake up."  The next few days were a blur.  I only remember pieces.  Telling my daughter was one of the hardest things I had to do.  Going to the funeral was excruciating. I cried every time I pulled up facebook and saw a blue candle. 

What my Big Sis and family has gone through in the last year and a half is unimaginable. Heaven got one hell of an Angel on September 16.  Our lives are richer for having had her here for 14 years, and great things are happening in her memory.  But it's still not fair.

Type 1 Diabetes is cutting lives short.  My heart hearts every time I see a post, or I see a blue candle show up on facebook.  Children should always wake up in the mornings.  No mom should have to endure what my Big Sis has, but moms, dads, little brothers, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and best friends are living this Hell every day. I urge you to read her blog and pass it along. Know the signs.  Don't let a doctor attempt to contradict your gut instinct.  Test those sugars.  Get treatment.  Pass it to your friends.



We gathered last September 16 to draw with side walk chalk, blow bubbles, and share cupcakes with kids at the local skate park.  A young girl came out with her Diabetic Alert Dog, and we laughed when he saw Big Sis's small, chew-toy sized dog and went bananas. I hope we will do the same every September 16.  
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Until there's a cure.