Cabin in the City

Books, cats and midwestern charm.

Cats

by Leave a Comment

How to Travel with Cats

Filed Under: Adventure Tagged With: ,

We’ve become the type of people that travel with their cats. It might sound odd or eccentric or even inconvenient, but we’ve spent the last year or so learning to enjoy the process.

We originally started traveling with the cats to save our family the hassle of watching Mukki and Ember when we were away at our cabin during the summer. But after a few successful trips, we really learned to love bringing them along with us!

Now, these tips are limited. We don’t take our cats to hotels or on planes. But we do take them on decently long trips to our cabin every few weeks—a feat considering these two would whine on the 10-minute ride to the vet! So here’s how we do it and how you can give it a try yourself:

Keep Them Safe in the Car

First things first: Always travel with cats in carriers (I’m telling you this, but the ASPCA and Wisconsin Humane Society also recommend it). Cats are wily, weird creatures. Don’t risk them climbing beneath your feet in the car.

To keep the cats feeling safe (and for my own peace of mind), I make sure to secure the carriers with a seatbelt. I don’t want the crates to go tumbling if we make an unexpected stop. I also prefer hard-sided carriers to soft duffle-style animal totes. I don’t know if they’re actually safer, but I prefer the hard carriers just in case stuff shifts around in the car.

Do a Test Run

If you’re concerned about your pets in the car, do a practice trip. If possible, try a ride that’s a little longer than your regular trips to the vet. Why? Well, we found that the cats meow a lot on that 10-minute trip to the vet. After 10 minutes, though, they settle in. If I had only taken those quick trips as a sample we’d be searching for a pet sitter.

Also, experiment a bit! We found that the cats do so much better when we have their carriers facing one another. They also tend to settle in with a little background noise. I like to think they are fans of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend.

Don’t Mess with Success

A lot changes when you travel with pets: the surroundings, the sounds, the smells. It’s not the time to mess with things like food or litter. Feed your cats the same kibble they get at home and use the same brand of litter. Simple things like this can help them be at ease.

Bring Some Familiar Things

It’s only natural to want creature comforts from home. Make sure you bring a few things your cats love like a blanket and a few toys. You don’t need much, but just the scent of home on a towel or toy mice is comforting.

Set Up Camp Before Unleashing the Beasts

It’s fun having pets in a new place! I get it. However before you open up the carriers and let them run wild, get everything in order. That means filling the water dishes, setting out toys, getting the litter boxes set up—all of it. It also means unpacking your stuff as well.

This will make things easier for the cats; all their needs will be met from the jump. Also, it means you don’t have to worry about stumbling over them as you put away your clothes or unpack the cooler.

Litter Boxes First

Before I show the cats anything, like food or water or even the picture window with an excellent view of the bird feeder, I show them their litter boxes. Yes, cats can pick up the scent of familiar litter, but it never hurts to be sure.

Check Their Collars and Tags

One of my worst nightmares is having one of the cats get out, especially somewhere unfamiliar. However, it’s best to be prepared if the worst would happen. Make sure your cats’ collars fit well and that they have an ID tag. I also can’t recommend microchipping enough. It’s super affordable (somewhere around $25) and vets and shelters all across the country are equipped with scanners.

This is also a best practice before the holiday season when visitors are in and out.

Have a Pack-Up Plan

Even though our cats are great in the car and love being in our cabin, they loathe getting into their carriers. This is not uncommon. I suggest having a plan before you even bring the crates out.

We corral the cats into a bathroom before leaving. Then when it’s time to leave, we can pick them up and take them directly to the carrier. They won’t even have a chance to get spooked or go hide. This step took an embarrassingly long time for us to figure out, but is completely necessary; Ember loves to hide under a dresser the second she thinks she has to leave.

by Leave a Comment

Introducing… Ember!

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

A little over a month ago, Michael and I added a new member to the family: a tiny black kitten named Ember.

We adopted Ember from MADACC, the county animal shelter. The first few days home were a struggle, first in picking a name and then introducing her to Mukki, but after a few weeks, we all got in the groove. All of us are so happy she’s here!

So, What’s She Like?

She is squirmy and silly! When she’s not running around after her favorite sloth toys, she’s flopped on one of our laps or snoozing on her scratching post.

She also spends a lot of time with our other cat Mukki. She gives him a run for his money! Ember tackles him, leapfrogs him and is generally a pest. She also likes to snuggle by his side and clean his head. It warms my heart to see it.

Why We Picked a Kitten

I volunteered at the Wisconsin Humane Society for five years, so I understand the advantages of adopting an older cat. Older cats are sweet! They’ve grown out of the bounce-off-the-walls stage and into their personalities.

But in the end, I selfishly wanted a kitten. I hadn’t had a kitten since I brought Zara home 16 years ago. Also, it’s been a very hard year. I figured we deserved a kitten as an extra dose of fun. I also rationalized that introducing a tiny kitten to Mukki would be easier than getting two grown cats to adjust to one another again (it was very challenging).

It turns out that this was the right move, not only because we love Ember, but because our vet said this was smart thinking. According to Dr. Paul over at Harwood Veterinary Hospital, older cats tend to respond to kittens better. Kittens aren’t that threatening to older cats, and kittens adjust pretty easily to most surroundings. It doesn’t mean that two fully grown cats won’t get along, but the getting-to-know-you process can be more challenging.

What’s It Like Introducing an Adult Cat to a Kitten?

I think introducing cats is incredibly hard. In all honesty, it’s what I was most nervous about before getting married. Would our cats get along?

This being said, introducing a kitten to an older cat went much more easily than getting two adults to adjust to one another. So how did we do it? Irresponsibly! Most experts would recommend, letting the kitten have their own space before bringing in the existing cat. But Mukki loves other cats, so we let him see her pretty much the second we got home. It wasn’t so bad! They sniffed, had a little hiss, played and that was it. We only let him visit with her for about 10 minutes at a time. There were squabbles and growls, but nothing serious.

We did keep Ember in her own room exclusively for about five days. We’d spend time with her and let Mukki in occasionally, but she stayed in her habitat for a while before we released her into the rest of the house. And even then we still had her sleep in her room at night just in case.

After two weeks, we let Ember have the run of the house full time, and things went well! I mean, yes, she does feel the need to get into trouble every night around 11:00, yes, she wakes me up in the morning biting my nose and yes, she collects every cobweb she can find in the basement, but in the end, all of us are happy she’s here.

In the words of my dear friend Amanda (a newer cat lady), “two cats is the perfect amount.”

by Leave a Comment

Getting Ready to Say Goodbye

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

Back in the fall, I found out my cat had a tumor the size of an egg in her abdomen. I cried because my options were a painful, risky surgery or to let her live out her days knowing this tumor would kill her.

I opted for the latter not wanting to put my 15-year-old tabby through an arduous operation. The thought of her dying on the operating table or being in severe pain post-surgery was too much to bear.

Now, she is in her final days and it is hard. So hard. I knew it would be, but this is a loss layered on top of so many this past year, including the heartbreaking loss of my mother-in-law. Knowing that yet another blow is coming is gutwrenching.

But there’s no way to stop what is ahead. Zara is slowing down. We knew this was coming, but for so many months, she was doing well. Her attitude and habits were pretty much unchanged since the fall. She sat with me as I quarantined with COVID. She comforted us both after the loss of my mother-in-law. She squawked at the door to go on the patio. She grumbled when we woke her up in her cat bed. She’d growl if our other cat got within an 18-inch radius.

She’s not doing these classic Zara things anymore, and we’ve had to have some really challenging conversations. Bless Michael for his softness and sense. After a chat with the vet (a call I could not bear), he sat me down and we talked about what was to come.

We had to discuss what our ideal situation would be for her last moments and what would happen after. It’s not pleasant, but I know that having this talk now is best.

For now, I am spending as much time with my sweet Zara as I can. While she can’t do her favorite things like go outside or climb her cat tree, I can still try to make her days as pleasant as possible. This means lots of wet food, treats, fluffy blankets and naps. It means appreciating her purrs when she has the energy and her meows when she’s excited for food.

She’s not the Zara she used to be but she is no less loved or cared for.

by Leave a Comment

Keeping Your Cats Safe (and Yourself Sane) at Christmas

Filed Under: Cabin Tagged With: ,

If I love two things in this world, it’s my cats and Christmas (OK, OK, and my husband and family). But I recognize that the two aren’t always compatible. I mean, every cat guardian has suffered at the hands of a kitty who got caught in the tree. So in efforts to make the holiday season a little easier on your cat (and you), I’ve got a few tips from personal experience on how to keep your kits (and, to a lesser extent, your dogs, rabbits and parakeets) safe.

  1. Set up a basecamp. I can’t stress this one enough. The holidays are crazy stressful even for the most social of cats. I find it best to set up a place as far away from company as possible for the cats to retreat to. That means I fluff up the kitties’ favorite blankets on our bed and keep the bedroom door cracked open for them to have some alone time if they need it. For Zara, our tabby that is not really a big fan of strangers, I try and encourage her to hang out in our room before the party even starts.
  2. Prep your guests. On that same note, let your guests know if you’ve got a finicky feline. I’ve got a script that I use all the time: Zara is a cranky cat. Please, just ignore her. This will help preserve your cat the stress of having visitors go searching for them all the damn time.
  3. No plants. Pretty much all the Christmas-y plants are toxic to cats, dogs, rabbits, birds – pretty much any critter. Poinsettias, mistletoe and holly are all bad news for pets and their intestinal track. As for pine trees, they’re not that great for your pets either. The needles are super hard to digest, and whatever plant compounds are in them can lead to some serious stomach upset. Also, tree water: It likely has some pesticides from the tree (and sap) in it. Try to keep that covered. While I’ve never run into tree-eating issues with my cats, it’s probably best to monitor how your pet interacts with the tree (and cross your fingers that they aren’t too curious).
  4. Just say no to ribbon. Ribbon, string, twine, tinsel – you name it and our cats love to chew on it. While they’ve never ingested any of these things, you can never be too safe (it can get pretty gnarly if your cat swallows ribbon). I’ve cut down on my ribbon usage and I’m sure to keep it any festooned gifts and garlands put away or far out of their reach.
  5. No people food. We don’t feed our cats much people food. Around the holidays, though, it can be tempting to want to share a little something special with your pet. I’d draw the line at a small, skin-free piece of turkey or ham. Any greasy foods can cause stomach upset (and its friends vomiting and diarrhea), and other foods – raisins, currants, chocolate, onions – are straight-up poisonous.
  6. Have updated tags. There’s a lot of hustle and bustle around the holidays with people coming and going. Visitors that aren’t used to pets in the house might not be as mindful of the door as you, so your cat (or dog) could slip out by accident. In case, I’d make sure their tags have your current contact information on them (and make sure those kitty collars are break-away!).
  7. Avoid the vet. Not in general of course, just right before Christmas and New Year’s. A few years ago, I took my cat to the vet a few days before Christmas for her checkup and vaccinations. That year she had a really terrible reaction to the shots, lost a lot of weight and became really lethargic. I was on the phone with the vet on Christmas Eve begging to bring her in. Luckily, I was able to get her an appointment and pumped with some fluids (and Christmas was saved!). To avoid anything like this happening, I say just push that appointment up to the first part of December or postpone until January. You never know.

OK, I’m off my cat lady soap box! Now go enjoy the holidays with your pets. And if you need a DIY gift idea for your kitties, I’ve got one!

by Leave a Comment

On Introducing Cats

Filed Under: Life Tagged With:

Michael and I are cat people through and through. Since we met, we’ve sunk significantly deeper into the cat mom and cat dad roles. It’s probably annoying, horrifying or endearing to those around us. At any rate, we knew one day we’d merge not only our love of cats but our feline friends themselves. And I’ll be honest, I wasn’t looking forward to that moment.

Cats_2

Why? Because my cat Zara – despite her beauty and her natural instinct for knowing when is precisely the right time to curl up next to me – is a cranky little beast. Everyone knows this. Everyone knows that she only likes me and my parents, will tolerate my two aunts and Michael (only recently) and will growl, hiss and flatten her ears at all other humans. It’s just how she is, and everyone accepts it and goes about their lives.

Cats_3

But Michael’s Mukki, dear sweet China cat sunflower, is the opposite. If Mukki was a person, he’d be your best friend. He’d invite you inside, hand you a beer and ask you to join his game of Mousetrap. He’s a chill dude, and everyone loves him.

So the idea of having Little Miss Sociopath and Mr. Personality meet was terrifying to me. Like really terrifying. And this was only exacerbated by the fact that Zara in her nine years on earth, hasn’t met another cat (outside of her littermates). So here’s a total crank that has roamed this planet for almost a decade without seeing feline life, and then one day – BAM! – there’s a creature that looks just like her (but orange) sitting in her cat bed. What. The. What. Can you see that going smoothly? I didn’t either.

Cats_4

So we took the advice of the Wisconsin Humane Society and dozens of episodes of My Cat from Hell and decided to introduce them nice and slow. Yeah, that’s right. After four days of swapping them in and out of bedrooms and listening to them yowl we said screw it and let them see one another. It wasn’t great. Mukki was a gentleman and ate his food as Zara hissed for five straight minutes.

Cats_1

Now, three months in, I am finally finally beginning to see some progress. After months of hissing every time Mukki entered the same room and growling when he climbed her scratching post, Zara is starting to chill out a bit. She is still not interesting in snuggling or sniffing or being very nice, but there are days where she’s OK with sharing the recliner with Mukki and me (of course begrudgingly if you asked her).

So we’re doing alright. I’m hoping by Christmas they’ll actually make some sort of physical contact that is not a swat or an unsolicited sniff. I’m hoping for a family Christmas card, you guys. Wish Michael, me and the kitties luck!

by Leave a Comment

Mr. Mukki + How-To Kicker-Roo

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: ,

Happy times over at the cabin – we’ve got a new addition! Well, sort of. This handsome boy is Mukki, Michael’s cat. He’s a real gentleman and just about the sweetest boy around.

KKR_1

He’s also a little more playful than some cats around here (that’d be my Zara), so we’ve got toys all over the place. But a feisty cat like this needs more than felt mice, so I decided to whip him up something a little more substantial: a kicker-roo. You don’t know what a kicker-roo is? Well, you’re in for a treat. Bonus: this project is super easy to make and your cat will love you.

KKR_11

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Fleece or faux fur fabric
  • Fiberfill
  • Catnip

To start, grab your fabrics. Go for something cat-friendly and fairly sturdy (to withstand all the claws and biting). I went with some fleece and low-nap faux fur that I had on hand.

KKR_2

The construction of this is just like making a pillow… with a tail. That means you’ll want to identical pieces for the body (the pillow part) and a smaller strip for the tail. I cut two body pieces at 12″ by 5″ and the tail 8″ by 3″, but you can cut to any size you like.

With your pieces cut, you’ll make the tail: sew the two sides, clip the corners, turn right-side out. Easy as that.

KKR_3

Then center this on the narrow end of one your other strip and pin it. Then give this a few good zips on the machine within the seam allowance (I just did the standard 5/8). Cats will want to tug on this part the most, so best to reinforce it now.

KKR_4

With the tail in place, pin the body pieces right-sides together. Sew around the perimeter, leaving a gap for the stuffing where the tail is. Same as last time, clip the corners and turn right-side out.

KKR_6

Now you’ll want to stuff your pillow – I mean kicker-roo. First, add a few pinches of dried catnip inside. Is it necessary? No, but it’s more fun for them. 🙂 Then just stuff your pillow with fiberfill. Don’t skimp on this part – you want it to be densely packed to stand up to lots of playtime. If you don’t have fiberfill on hand, feel free to use plastic bags – added bonus: cats love that crinkle.

KKR_5

To finish this project up, just stitch up the open end. You can do this by hand or make it easy on yourself and run it through the sewing machine. And with that, you’ve got your own homemade kicker-roo.

As soon as I trimmed the threads on this project, Mukki was all over it. I think he’s a pretty happy camper right now.

KKR_7

He could hardly stay still he was too busy playing. And below is perfect form for kicker-roo kicking. What a sassy cat.

KKR_10

If you give this silly thing a try, let me know what the kitties out there think!

by Leave a Comment

Wisconsin Humane Society Fundraiser

Filed Under: Life Tagged With: , ,

Do you all have your Christmas shopping done? What about your wrapping? I’m crossing my fingers that you Milwaukee-area folks are last-minute shoppers because I’ll be wrapping gifts to raise money for the Wisconsin Humane Society this Monday at the Mayfair Barnes & Noble.

I adopted my cat Zara from the Wisconsin Humane Society eight years ago, and I’ve been volunteering as a cat socializer for the past three. WHS is a wonderful animal welfare organization with three locations in Milwaukee, Ozaukee and Racine Counties. I’ve seen first hand the good work they do and the wonderful people that care for the animals there. I can’t think of a better organization to receive your charitable contribution this holiday.

Wrap_1

So swing on by Monday morning and say hi, or come in anytime through Christmas Eve; there’ll be WHS volunteers there to wrap your gifts all week, and of course we’d appreciate your support!

And happy holidays from Zara and me! (She just loves Christmas.)

 

by Leave a Comment

Short Story: Shrinky Dink Pins

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: ,

I haven’t made a Shrinky Dink in over 15 years. I know this because I was cleaning out a cupboard at my parents’ house and I found a box of them half used among my fourth grade school supplies. But after a good, solid break I figured why not give them another go. And here we are.

SD_1

If you need a supplies list for this little ditty, here you go:

  • Shrinky Dinks – don’t go cheap on these (I did and it was not great)
  • Ultra fine Sharpie
  • Colored pencils
  • Pin backs
  • E600 glue

SD_2

You know how the rest of this story goes: draw your design on the rough side of the sheet, outline in Sharpie (if that’s what you want), and fill in with colored pencil. I did find that nicer pencils with a lower wax content – I’m talking the good ones sold individually at your local craft or art supply shop – worked infinitely better. These gave a much more satisfying and saturated color. Another word to the wise: fine Sharpies (you know, your standard type) tended to bleed a bit more and made the designs a little muddy. And of course remember to make your designs about three times larger than the size of your desired finished product

SD_3

Let me tell you how this one ends now: you cut it out, bake it according to the package’s instructions, and glue your pin to the back. And that’s all she wrote for this one!

SD_4

I won’t lie to you: I love my hardcore cats pin. I’ve got a few more tattoo-ispired designs in the works.

by Leave a Comment

Black Cat Halloween Wreath

Filed Under: Make Tagged With: , , ,

Scary story for all of you: I spent half of October with zero fall decorations. OK, that’s not so scary, but the best season of the year deserves more than the everyday.

Halloween Cat Wreath Craft

That’s why I decided that it was high time I whip up something for Halloween. And not just anything – a cat something, a sparkly cat something. That’s when I got the idea for this purrfect (sorry) wreath. Let’s get started.

Here’s what you’ll need:

Halloween wreath supplies

  • Styrofoam wreath – this one is 12″
  • Halloween garland – I found mine at Target
  • Foam-core board
  • Black paint
  • Black glitter
  • Orange cardstock
  • T-pins
  • Modge Podge
  • X-acto knife
  • Craft glue
  • Fishing line or very thin wire

To start, trace your wreath onto the foam-core board. You’ll use this as the template to draw your cat face. When you draw the face, try to keep it – with the exception of the ears – within this circle.

Halloween cat template

When you’re satisfied with the proportions of this kitty’s features, you’ll begin cutting out the nose, eyes and all the rest out of your cardstock.

…

Read More