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.


Thank you for visiting Walter's World.