A Visit to a Cattery

We've been thinking about getting another cat for a while.  Ed researched Cornish Rex catteries.  The best possibility turned out to be in South Florida.....guess where?  Port St. Lucie!  We visited Barmont Cattery recently. 

http://www.barmontcat.com/

Bob, the owner, and Ed

Bob has these neat cat trees.  We took pictures so Ed can make some this summer.

Ed is interviewing a candidate named Blanche.

Bob also has some Persians. 

 What are you looking at, huh?

A Cornish kitten.  Bob has 4 litters now and a few more expecting.

We think Blanche will be a good match for Pepper.  She's a bit smaller, a contrasting color, a female (no more spraying males, please!), and is very friendly.

 

Kitty Litter in the RV

I wasn't sure about taking Pepper in the RV but it has worked out very well. She has brought us some good laughs and keeps us entertained.

This new litter system is THE way to go with cat litter.
You can read more about this system at http://www.felinepine.com/
Another plus is that it's all natural.
We started this at home to be sure Pepper would use it. Ed mixed the former litter with Feline Pine but that was probably not necessary. The switch happened in one day with no effort.

Pepper is smart and, as we know, cats don't like dirty litter boxes. She waits until we're here before she goes. She gives us the signal that she wants her box cleaned NOW by her jubilation dance where she runs from one end of the coach to the other like a wild cat!

"No odor" is a good thing in such a small space. It still amazes me how well this works.

People at the cat show told us that if you go to Tractor Supply or any farm store, you can buy White Pine stove pellets for a really cheap price and they are exactly the same product.

New Program for Pepper

I recently wrote about Pepper the Pest and how she disrupts our sleep. We're trying a new approach and it appears she might be changing her behavior.

When she jumped on us during the night, we sensed she wanted attention so we've been petting her or that she was cold so we let her under the covers. We've bought her a new heating pad for her bed, so being cold is not an excuse.

The new policy is this: When she jumps on the bed, we quickly and gently pick her up and set her on the floor. She then sits at the foot of the bed on the floor and gives these pitiful little meows -- it's all I can do not to laugh out loud.

After 4 nights, she's doing better. Last night she jumped on Ed once and on me three times. After that, she meowed several more times, then went into her bed. We're also trying to give her more attention during the day. Time will tell!

Someone pointed out that this is like teaching babies to go to sleep -- you have to let them cry until they get the hint. (Why didn't we think of this sooner?)


She does sleep in some funny positions. Here she is in her favorite blanket on the sofa.

Pepper, the Pest

Pepper's been waking us up numerous times a night because she's cold. A queen-sized bed is not adequate for 3 sleeping bodies so we finally bit the dust and bought her a new heating pad to replace the one that died last week.

Nowadays, heating pads are all automatic shut-off, which doesn't cut it for keeping a Cornish Rex kitty warm throughout the night. We had to buy a more expensive model to get the option to "turn off the shut-off"......go figure.

Anyway, as I predicted, Pepper stayed in her bed almost all night. I'm not sure about tonight because she's slept all day while Ed was watching football.

Pepper's Big Day

Hi, it's Pepper again and I wanted to share my BIG day with you. Daddy put my pink harness on me with a leash and took me OUTSIDE! It was my first time EVER to go out, except for a few foiled escape attempts in the past. I really wanted to go under the RV, but they wouldn't let me. Anyway, I'll have lots of new things to dream about tonight!

Pepper's Perceptions

Hello, I am Pepper, Queen of this RV.

You may think I look rather strange and many folks say, "Oh, a cat with no hair!", but that's not true.

Cats usually have two coats, the top coat and the down coat. I have only the down coat and, if I do say so myself, I feel like velvet. I am a Cornish Rex.

I came from a North Carolina breeder called Tribetta Cattery. My grandmother, Frances May, was shocked that my parents would drive all the way to N.C. and PAY for a cat!! Ed has had Cornish Rex for years because we don't shed and we are people lovers.

My parents were nice enough to make several nests around the RV for me, that's a good thing because, as you probably know, we cats sleep about 18 hours a day.

Does this mean I'm a closet queen?

They close the door during the day or else I'd sleep there all day!

But, hey, I do help out.

Bye, bye for now.