New sleeping arrangements / Worried about Katie

On prior posts, I published pictures of the three "cuchas" I had made for the boys with On the Border potato chip cardboard boxes I got at Walmart. Neither Paquito nor Nico had any problem adjusting to them though at the time the "raccoon and possum" episode had not taken place yet.

After that horrible incident, I moved Paquito's doggie bed that I had gifted last Christmas to Rudy, Nico, Sonny, and him but that ultimately Paquito decided it would only be HIS and put in a different location.

I placed his bed on a table by the kitchen porch as he preferred his bed to his cucha. Since it got cold back when I did that I made sure his cucha was next to his bed in case the rain, cold and wind made it uncomfortable for him...he had another alternative.

With that said he hardly ever used it.  I set two other cuchas on another table but by the back porch for Nico and Katie. Katie did use hers but one morning I saw her coming out of the cucha by Paquito's bed.  I was very SURPRISED as Paquito is very territorial and does not like to share his things (sounds likes his owner) :)

Katie taking shelter in Paquito's...now HER cucha

For some reason, Nico decided he preferred to sleep somewhere else (have not found out where) and Katie took over the one intended for Paquito and forgot about hers. The three fur babies I have left have put on some weight in the past two months. I was worried about Katie being pregnant but I think she is just chunky or at least I hope that is all she is.

My chunky little Katie

She is not a morning cat and after breakfast, she goes back to sleep. Last night we had an incident...I will write about it in my main blog...and I think she might have gotten scared. She has been sleeping all day or awake but still inside the safety of her cat house which I think is odd as she is usually all over the place.  I just hope she is not nesting and about to give birth.

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Raking leaves with the boys help

Ordinarily today Wednesday would be trash day but since it happens to be Christmas I think we will have trash pick-up either tomorrow or Friday.  I will take my clue from the neighbors since they seem to always be on social media and thus "in the know".

So like it or not I had to tackle raking the leaves in the backyard to fill up the trash can which monthly cost is more than what we pay for water and sewer combined.  Of course, the cats came out of their hideout to give me a helping hand...NOT!
 

I do not know why they like to play with the rake and shovel.

They had recently eaten so thankfully they soon ran out of energy.

The morning started out foggy but by noon the sun came out and warmed up to 69 degrees from the morning low of 57.

Since they would not move from the pile I had raked last week I raked more leaves from another part of the yard.

There is never a shortage of leaves around here. This year has been strange as these leaves are dead but still are hanging on despite the strong winds we had last week.

Finally, Paquito settled down and let me work.  Poor guy, he works so hard he was dead tired!

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Cleaned and locked the back bathroom/shed/junk room/Paquito's bedroom

Last night I was on the phone talking to my friend when the smaller of the possums entered the back bathroom and came up to the window ledge.  I could not believe he made a return visit three days in a row...is he trying to drive me crazy?

I had had enough and decided right then and there to close and lock the door forever.  It was the perfect location to shield the boys from bad weather in particular when it is cold or raining but no more.

This morning I proceeded to clean it out using more ammonia and a mixture of hot peppers, garlic, and Dawn and spraying it around doors, windows, trash can, and back and side porch.

I got all these tips from watching YouTube videos.  I had no idea how prevalent these animals were not just in warm locations but in all types of climates. Though most of the videos I watched were of people who had gardens and were sick and tired of having their crops raided by these creatures.

Paquito's bed was moved to another location and I also made an extra cucha for him in case he wants to protect himself from the elements.

Paquito in his former bedroom

Remember I mentioned that I was not sure if I saw Katie coming out of one of the three cuchas I set up?  Happy to report that she has been sleeping in one of them and seems to like it.  She sleeps late too and does not get up until she hears me calling them for breakfast which can be anywhere between 10:00 a.m. to twelve noon.

I had to use the two bigger boxes I brought home from Walmart in order to be able to fit in the pillows and bedding.

Nico's cucha...

Katie's cucha...

Paquito's cucha...

I had an old tarp that I cut up and wrapped around the cuchas in order to insulate them and also to keep them dry.  I am going to remove the clothespins and use duct tape...that is when I find said tape.

I have since added old flannel gowns and cut up an old blanket for extra warmth.


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Terrorized and Speechless - UPDATED

As I mentioned in my prior post I set up a new feeding station for the boys and Katie. Little did I know the consequences this would bring.

When dad was alive he entertained a lot and had a second bathroom built so guests would not have to come into the house to use the facilities. There is no access to it from the house and was built next to my bedroom. Typically,  There are drapes on both the bathroom and my bedroom that are always closed...why would I want to look into the bathroom?  It is no longer a working bathroom...we use it to store stuff and Paquito has his bed on top of the chest of drawers.

Since I moved the feeding station I open the drapes so I could see when the cats come to eat and what time Paquito goes to bed. Last night I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye and it was this medium-size animal that I would later identify as a possum. He set out to eat the boys' food even after I yelled at him. The good thing is that Paquito is a deep sleeper.

I apologize for the poor picture quality but I lightened it up as much as I could.

About an hour later another thing caught my eye and left me terrorized and speechless. It was this HUGE thing the size of a small pig and terribly overweight.  It scared me silly...I grabbed the cellphone and hit the record button to make a video...wish I could post it but I can not as it is profanity-laced and I do not know how to edit videos.

I went into a program that is supposed to over-ride the audio.  For some reason I can still hear myself in the background...if you are sensitive to profanity put your audio on mute...I just wanted you to look at the fat raccoon.

I had to calm myself down because I did not want Paquito to wake up and knowing him he would try to run it off and could be injured. This fat animal turned out to be a raccoon.  I pretended to throw things at it so it would leave and it would...then come right back in...this was not a good night!

If that was not enough excitement for one night...I would get a third visitor this evening...a smaller possum :-(

You can see his snout in the bottom left of the picture

I had no idea how much I was missing by keeping my drapes drawn and frankly I do not want to find out.

After reading up on these two animals I think I might have solved the mystery of what "may have" happened to Rudy and Sonny.  Google says raccoons can eat cats.  Sonny had become very territorial recently so I am not surprised if he tried to run off a raccoon.  Though it pains me to think he suffered :-(

This morning I had to clean the back bathroom with ammonia which is something I read these creatures do not like to smell.  They do not like mothballs either but I have not been able to find my stash...I use them in Terlingua to keep rattlesnakes at bay.

This evening though there was no food in the back bathroom/junk room/storage room/Paquito's bedroom both the smaller possum and the fat raccoon dropped by but did not linger.  I do not know whether to credit the smell of ammonia or the lack of food for their quick exit.

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Katie is a smart cookie

There is a big black cat that always comes around and eats the boy's food.  For some reason, they let him which is odd in particular for Paquito. It then dawned on me that perhaps this was their father who back in the day was thin. 

As much as I run him off he keeps on coming back so I decided to feed the boys and Katie and stayed outside until they finished and then took the leftover food back in the house until dinner time.

I, therefore, decided to change their feeding station and feed them in the back bathroom/shed/junk room/Paquito's bedroom.  I have no problem with Paquito and Nico following me there but how was I going to let Katie know?

I went into the house to get a paper bowl so I could leave her some food on top of the old washing machine and when I went to fill it from the bowl I had in the new location...Katie was in there eating!  How did she know?  Since she blends in so well with the landscape she probably saw me feeding the cats there!  Smart girl :)

Yesterday morning I set out to feed them when I think I saw Katie coming out of one of the "cuchas" but since I had it set up at an angle I could not be sure.  I hope she is making use of one of them I need to find another pillow so I can make her one of her own.

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Alternatives for cat or dog beds

Like I mentioned on my other blog Terlingua Dreams https://terlinguadreams.blogspot.com/
yesterday I went to Walmart to pick up a couple of items.  As soon as I walked through the door I spotted the perfect cardboard boxes to make a "cucha" for my boys.

They were empty boxes that previously held "On The Border" potato chips.  Grabbed two medium and two large ones would have grabbed more but there was not enough room in my car.

I arrived home when it was already dark so I did not set it out for them until this morning.  I only put them up temporarily since I have to find the old pillows and winter clothing to go in them.

What was my surprise when I came out later to find them making use of them.

The one I was most concerned with having a little cucha was Nico since Paquito will not allow him to share the dog bed I bought for them last Christmas...only HE can use it!

I was delighted that Nico took advantage of it right away and fell into a deep slumber.

During the day the temperatures have been in the low 70's but at night in the 40's a little cool for Nico because Paquito goes into the back bathroom/shed/junk-room and sleeps in his cozy bed.


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Looking for Sonny

I have been looking all over mom's property to see if I see any sign of Sonny dead or alive.  Being orange and white he is more likely to stand out than say Nico or Katie who due to their color can blend more easily into the landscape.

It makes me mad that Pollito has never come back to remove the weeds.  I did not like that Paquito followed me as he only has one eye and I did not want him to hurt it.

This is the area to the north which is easier to walk through than the southern part.

To the south where Walter's old corral is located has too many mesquite trees as well as thorny cacti.

I walked to the fence line but did not see or smell anything there either.

We do not have a County Animal Control Center and the City of Del Rio does not take animals from the county. Today is Veteran's Day in the United States so it is closed hoping to drive into town tomorrow just in case they have him.

It is funny because Sonny came here on his own and not even Blanca was able to get rid of him.  He did not like people or to be touched.  He barely allowed me to pat him in the head but only if he was busy eating and even then he would stop eating if I did so and take off until I left.


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I am very sad...Sonny is missing!

I have been so sad I have not even wanted to make a post.  As you know I spent nine days at the Terlingua Chili Cook-off and before I left I made sure there was plenty of food and water for my boys Paquito, Nico, Sonny and my little girl Katie.

I usually make two trips when I go to Terlingua to make sure everything is alright at home and to leave things I do not need and or stock-up on those that I require.  When I came back in the middle of my vacation they had eaten all the food I left them...though they had help from the other stray cats in the neighborhood but they are very resourceful and love to hunt prey.

All the boys and Katie were here but when I came back from my trip Sonny was nowhere to be found. I looked around but could not find him and somehow convinced myself he would be back.  Here it is six days later and he is still missing.

It reminded me of Rudy who also left earlier this year not to be seen again.

Who knew these would be the last pictures I would take of my boy...:-(

Putting on weight or pregnant?

I suppose all of Katie's kittens have been adopted since they are no longer around and she spends most of her time here with the boys.

I can tell that they all have been putting on weight though my concern for Katie is that she is not gaining weight but might be pregnant :-(

I will keep positive thoughts in mind and hopefully, that is NOT the case.

Paquito has gone back to being a bully and keeps on pestering and running Sonny off.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.


Cat Saying of the Day

Fat Paquito / Deer Encounters

No kitten sighting in quite some time.  Their mother Katie has been hanging out with the boys during the day.  Paquito has been putting on weight he eats a lot and sleeps all day just not when I want him to like when I go for my morning walk.

I did not go for my morning walk today as I had to run errands in town but this afternoon I did but only for 30 minutes because it was getting dark.

Twice this past week when I have been coming home the back way I have had encounters with deer. With these summer-like temperatures, I forget that deer are active in the fall.  Glad I was paying attention would hate to wreck my vehicle and not be able to go to the Chili Cook-off!!!

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.



Cat Saying of the Day

Cat Food / Pooping doves

I bought two bags of cat food on Tuesday when I went to Tractor & Supply.  I like that store since the employees will take my purchases and place them in my car.  I have a bad back and can not lift a lot of weight without throwing my back out.

Unfortunately, it was very hot so I left them in my car and did not open them until late this afternoon...well at least one of them...the 44 lbs one.  Like I previously mentioned I have a bad back so I cut it open and then used my 2.5-gallon bucket to bring the cat food into the house where I store it in 5-gallon buckets.

I washed my car on Tuesday but we have had a lot of wind lately and those darn doves that hang out in the garage/carport pooped all over it.  That is the main reason I do not mind if the boys eat them as snacks!

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The boys as well as the horses welcomed the change in temperatures

Even the boys seemed to have welcomed the change in temperatures.  I saw them more active and not going to bed as soon as they had their breakfast.  Even the horses seemed more energetic.

However, that does not always work out for the best.  Saw Nico climbing down a tree with something in his mouth.  I knew right then and there that it was NOT a rat but a little bird.  I have no idea why he does this when he had just finished eating :-(

Katie has been coming daily to eat with them but I have not seen her kittens in a long time, in particular, Precious.  He/She is so cute but Sonny constantly bullies him/her and runs it off.

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New Alarm Clock?

I woke up early this morning to a sore back, arms and a pain in my knee.  I suppose I overdid the yard work yesterday.  Decided right then and there that I would NOT be going for my morning walk, turned around and went back to sleep.

At exactly 7:00 a.m. Paquito started whining loudly by my bedroom window sill and kept at it for at least three minutes that seemed endless. I yelled at him to be quiet (using more forceful vocabulary) and he finally obliged or got tired of being ignored.

Fell into blissful slumber when he started whining again at 9:10 a.m.  I had no choice but to get up and feed him as well as my other boys.  When I was at Walmart the other day I bought a rotisserie chicken for our dinner.  Removed the skin, the dark and burnt parts, our leftovers and fed it to them today...they love it!!!

I need to go buy some more cat food soon!

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.


Cat Saying of the Day

A sleepy Paquito / Dead Rat

I woke up early today, I got dressed in order to go for my morning walk as soon as daylight broke.  I had forgotten that I had brought the trash can to the front of the house as I have been raking leaves and did not want to drag the leaf bags to where the trash is usually located.

Of course, Paquito like most cats likes to perch on higher ground and he found the trash can.  He was still asleep as I tried to quietly go out the door.  I apologize for the poor picture quality but it was a quick snap as I was hoping to head to the gate undetected.

However, that was not to be and he followed me down the street crying as usual.  Scooped him up and brought him back home.  Proceeded to get his cat food and feed him, Nico, and Sonny.  As they ate I made my exit without being detected.

As I made my first walkabout I spotted something on the trail.  Yuck...it was a dead rat!  It looked to have been recently killed as there were no ants, flies or other critters trying to eat it.

It did not take long for Frank to make an appearance though I have no idea if it was him that killed it or the other cats that hang around there.

The past two days it has been cloudy during my walks...NOT this morning...the sun rays were beating down on me so I cut my walk short and limited it to an hour.

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Cat Saying of the Day

Morning walk milestone / Frank / Cat Saying of the Day

With the sun rising later my morning walks do not start until seven-thirty or shortly thereafter Paquito permitting.  He was not permitting today but I ignored him and left him whining by the front gate.

I was into several laps when Frank made his presence.  I had not seen him in a couple of days.  He seemed to be interested in sniffing this morning...

He looked a little bit more beefed up than before.  I wish my boys looked as good as he does.

This morning I set a personal record...I was able to walk for 1 hour and 30 minutes...as it was cloudy and I did not have the sun rays beating down on me.

Thank you for visiting Walter's World.


Cat Saying of the Day

Blanca, Nico gone for two days, a sad Sonny

It had been over two weeks perhaps even more since Blanca had made an appearance.  I had almost written her off...if she has not come around it is because she has found a place to call home...that is a good thing.

Nico went missing for two days. When I go for my walks I often see him coming from the next street over.  I kept on calling out his name when I finally saw him jump the fence into our yard by way of the corral.

He did not seem very hungry for being gone for two days so I suppose he too found a second home.  At least if we have to go out of town for a few days I won't have to worry about him.

Here is Sonny, he was sad as he and Nico are close and I suppose he missed him too.

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Paquito is keeping an eye on me

Every morning I open the front door around 6:00 a.m. hoping that it is cool outside. Usually, Paquito is within hearing range and runs towards the front door and I have no choice but to close it. This morning he was joined by Nico.

The sunrise is occurring later so I have to wait to go on my morning walk.  I am tired of having to bring Paquito back as he follows me whining as if he were a dog.  So even though it is early I am feeding the boys before I leave to keep them entertained as I make a dash for the gate.

Paquito thinks it's funny to hide by the pomegranate tree as he lays on the fence awaiting my arrival to pounce on me.  I guess it is his way of getting even with me.

Can you see him?  Neither can I, lol :)

As I get closer and just because he does this to me daily I know he is there.

Here is my one-eyed Jack knowing I am wise to him.

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