Maggie May did not go outside at all the first two years of her life. However, when Mazie Grace moved in with us, Maggie May didn't understand why Mazie Grace got to go outside and she didn't. Maggie May has her Daddy wrapped around her paw, so he gave in to her crying and let her go outside. Now she wants to be outside all the time. She chases grasshoppers and butterflies, and she actually chased the neighbor's dog off the deck. I'm hoping all the exercise will take a few pounds off her, since she has gotten quite chubby. I prop open the door to the garage just enough so she can run inside if she needs to.
Mazie Grace enjoys having Maggie May outside to play with. They will chase each other and play hide and seek in the flowers. In the picture above Mazie Grace is watching a mole hole, waiting for the poor critter to come out and get eaten. She still hunts but not as much as she did when she first came here. There's always food in the dish, so she doesn't have to catch prey in order to survive.
I have been occupied for the last week with problems at my Dad's house. One of the aides saw a black snake in the basement when she went down to wash clothes. Of course, everyone was then afraid to go in the basement and were also uneasy in the house. I got an exterminator out to remove the snake. The exterminator seemed to think there were possibly more snakes in the insulation on the ceiling of the basement. They came back and removed all the insulation and did find another snake.
We then had to clean a lot of junk out of the basement. I took away seven pickup truck loads. The exterminators came back today and sprayed the basement and all around the house for pests and put down mouse bait. I'll go back tomorrow and take a few more things out and give it a good sweeping. Hopefully that will take care of the problem.
After working all weekend at Dad's house, I came home with a renewed determination to tackle the junk around here. It's so easy for things to accumulate in a garage or in closets. I'm going to go through and donate to Goodwill or freecycle everything we don't use.
9 comments:
It IS so easy to accumulate 'stuff'!
Well, I daresay that with the snakes you shouldn't have had any mice -- but snakes are creepy, aren't they? (No doubt, Mazie Grace and Maggie May had something to do with this, too)!
Can't get over how much your calico looks like my Jezebelle. She was a neat cat.
Great example of how a little problem swells up into a big one.
I hope the exterminator used a mouse bait that has no secondary kill to it or your cats could get sick if they eat a sick mouse.
I had that happen and almost lost my cat.
Kathy,
I haven't heard anyone complain about mice at Dad's - guess I know why now.
Patti,
Dad doesn't have any cats, so we don't have to worry about the bait. I don't use it at my house for that reason.
Maggie May looks like a big cuddly cat. I like that.
Hearing about the snake(s) sends a shiver through me... I can't tolerate snakes and feel they should only be bred for fashion purposes i.e. belts, shoes, wallets etc.
I hope you checked those boxes carefully before you put them in your truck!
One thing I learned, in Australia if you want rid of snakes you catch one and set fire to it in a metal bucket. It will let out a "scream" that other snakes can hear and the other snakes will leave the area. It sounds cruel, but snakes are the enemy!
My cat always wants to be let out too. She was a stray when we found her so she is safe to let outside. She's just getting a bit old (she's almost 20)and I worry.
Hope you get all your junk dealt with. I'm doing to same thing now and I'm surprised how much junk I have!
Now those are some good looking cats. We have (4)! One is a calico (less white and more black brown and orange). Libby is 12 and use to be an indoor outdoor car (great hunter), but since we moved all are indoor only now, and they've adjusted fine.
We lost 4 cats in 6 years to the outdoors, and decided enough is enough.
Your blog is fun :0
Maggie May and Mazie Grace are just beautiful! Several of my cats love to play outside and chase things that hop and fly low! Betsy, the kitten even pounces on grass when it waves in the breeze! We have a few chubby ones too! The exercise they get outside is also good for their mood, keeps them happy and helps them sleep better, like people! lol
Glad you got the snakes taken care of! That is scary.
It's inevitable that stuff accumulates over the many years of having a house.
Have a nice weekend!
The thought of snakes in the house gives me shivers. Glad you were able to get that taken care of.
Dave,
Don't think I'll try burning live snakes in a bucket as that would require me to handle them.
Sweetflutterbys3,
Mazie Grace was a stray who lived outside, so when we adopted her she didn't want to be inside at all. She is getting more used to the house now.
Diane,
Thanks for visiting my blog! I wanted to keep Maggie May inside because inside cats live longer, but Hubbie let her go out. I do keep an eye on her when she is outside, and I crack the door to the garage so she can run inside if she gets scared.
Amy,
Maggie has so much fun outside, I just don't have the heart to keep her from going out.
CountryDew,
Several of the aides who stay with my Dad are terrified of snakes, so we had to do something about them. Personally, I'm OK with snakes if they aren't poisonous and aren't close to me.
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