MY GARDEN IS PROTECTED !

[susieqz]

cuddles is one perceptive cat.
yesterday, i decided on a kill or cure remedy
to stop his desire to be a welfare cat.
i was gonna cut his food in half n bar him from the house for a couple weeks.
somehow, he sensed this.
when i called him in for his last full meal, he came
with great pride, carrying a baby mouse.
he threw it in the air a bunch of times,
then, he ate it.
a baby mouse isn;t much of a challenge.
he killed one that drifter brot at 9 weeks old.
but, he caught, killed n ate evil prey.
he;s clumsy, but willing, so i told him all was forgiven.
i loved him to pieces all evening.
he even got a little milk, which is reserved for killers

 

[steelslaver]

The black cat I ended up with is a killing machine, birds, mice whatever. Thats all fine and good, especially the mice. But, I am tired of him dragging them in the house, in the shop or leaving them in front of the door. Other day I was cutting a piece of 1/2" aluminum plate up to make a griddle that covers the whole strove top and milling grease grooves around the perimeter. He brings a mouse and drops it at my feet. Hooray for you. Next day, I ended up with a bird flying around the house, because he caught it, then brought it inside to play with it and it got away and took wing. Then, I had cat and dogs after it. Don't need the excitement in the house. 3rd time I ended up with a dead bird and a bunch of feathers in the house. NO. If Blue cat didn't deserve the use of the cat door, I would lock it closed.

 

[susieqz]

CONTEST OF WILLS, DAY 10
cud has decided to be a house cat. he never wants to go outside.
i suspect something scared him, but he had no injuries.
anyway, drifter would tell me if something bad was around.

it used to be, if i said OUTSIDE, cud would gallop to the door n stand there quivering til i opened the door.
now, i have to hunt him down n toss him out bodily.

i/m trying to put him on a schedule to go out with drifter.
they go out at 7am, til a 10am snack.
then out with me from 12 til 2.
finally, they go out with me in the eve. i go out at 6pm n let them back in at 10pm.
this isn;t lots of time, but i think it's the minimum to do their work.
drifter likes this schdule, tho yesterday she was out 12 full hours.

i thot cud would get used to this, but he's fighting.
this is not a case of bad weather.
i keep them in if it's nasty out there.

 

[vonn]

My cats have never been very trainable,they know what I want them to do and if they feel like it they might humor me and do it but rarely will they do it twice consecutively. Mine are very nocturnal and like to lay up all day in a nice comfy spot.

 

[susieqz]

drifter isn't nocturnal.
she mostly sleeps at night/
i think this is a defense against coyotes.

cud is nocturnal, so maybe this is my fault.
when he started roaming i worried he would get killed at night, so i kept him in.
perhaps i should let him take his chances outside at night.

 

[Redbert31]

Maybe let cud out a little longer into the evening gradually with drifter (if she'll go). But like you said, he may have been severely scared by something and just about escaped luckily. It's hard to say... Just maybe start while it's still warm. Those coyotes probably get real hungry when the weather turns colder and you done want cud to be their snack [emoji3525]

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[susieqz]

well, i guess it was my fault.
i started going out more.
drifter always comes with me n when cud saw both of us leave, he would accompany us.
but last night, i called them in for the night.
it takes drifter 5 minutes to come up the 4 steps.
as i waited, cud came in n got his ears scritched.
then, he went back out n refused to come in.
he spent the night outside.
he wasn't even very hungry when he came in.
i guess i have to accept the fact that cud is nocturnal n
won't be happy unless he stays in days n works nights.
i hope he can keep himself alive.

 

[Redbert31]

I hope he can too!!

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[Redbert31]

How's the fig harvest going this year? [emoji267][emoji255][emoji263]

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[susieqz]

this is my first year with a good harvest. i will get 300 figs before frost. next year it should be 1,000.
potted figs have crops faster. when you put them inground, they spend years working on roots before making big crops.
i'm gonna throw drifter in the washing machine.
she was nice n brushed, laying between my legs.
i was just stroking her as i watched tv.
my hand came away black.
brushing doesn't remove the dirt ,
she rolls in the dirt every day n i see no way to stop that.
cud the clutz is much cleaner.

cats draw mice.
i used to get a mouse or two when the weather turned cold.
now it's all the time.
cud caught a baby mouse yesterday.
lost it.
found it 10 minutes later.
lost it.
found it.
lost it.
found it.
no excuse for losing it because a baby is so slow.
finally, i got up n stepped on the mouse.
only then did cud throw it in the air a couple times n ate it.
that baby could not have got in the house.
it was born here.
that means the mother n the rest of the litter are roaming around.
disgusting.
i think poison works better than cats, but i can't use it without killing cats.

 

[vonn]

Poison leaves dead mice in your house that smell for a long time. We poison them in the very old house we stay in where I hunt and I wish we had cats but we can't because no one is there for long periods when it's not hunting season. We leave nothing to attract the mice and we still have a problem.

 

[Redbert31]

They, the mice, just come in for comparative warmth I guess... Sounds like Cud just likes playing with the the baby mouse like a cat toy. Drifter is all business. Sounds like you're going to have a wonderful first good harvest!! Congratulations on your hard work and Drifter and Cuds participation [emoji175][emoji175][emoji175]

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[susieqz]

HO HO, I WON!
well, i couldn't train cats like i do dogs. i can't even beat them into submission.
but, i need them to spend a certain amount of time hunting.
i've learned that i can use their nature to get what i want.
see, these guys love routine .
if they do the same thing every day, they are happy.
so i set up a schedule for them.
i had to hunt cud down n drag him out at first, but no more.
right after breakfast, at 7am, they go out.
they come in for a snack n a nap at 10. then, when i go out at noon, to garden n read, they come.
then, back in for a snack n nap at 2pm.
at 6, we go out to pick figs.
they don't follow me in. i call them in at 9 or 10 for a snack that we all have.
then we all cuddle on the couch til i leave for bed.
i no longer drag cud out. drifter always comes anyway.
cud now runs to the door. he's happy because this is normal.
i won't ever vary this schedule n they won't either.

if the weather is bad, i'll open the door so they can see the problem.
then, they will have the option of staying in, but that door will open.
drifter sometimes stays out longer, but that's fine.
only the curfew call is mandatory n she knows that.
my garden is protected. as an added benefit, since they leave right after breakfast, there is much less litter box cleaning to do.

 

[les.b]

Well, susie, it looks like they have you trained properly now!! (Just kidding). Sounds like a great routine though, for all of you. So glad to see that things are working out.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Redbert31]

Good job to all 3 of you [emoji175][emoji175][emoji175] that's a win-win-win!!! How often in life does that happen? It works because you studied their behavior till you find the key that unlocks their souls[emoji4][emoji192][emoji250] And no less significantly, they found a way into your soul.. Congratulations to all [emoji6]

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[Redbert31]

les.b....a little off topic but here goes.. How do I change my profile on this forum to change my NRA status to lifetime. Right now it says none. This is on the Smith and Wesson forum I believe. There are different line items on my profile for non gun related threads and topics I think. I'm not too great at figuring out how to change things once I entered them. You can pm me if you want.

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[les.b]

les.b....a little off topic but here goes.. How do I change my profile on this forum to change my NRA status to lifetime. Right now it says none. This is on the Smith and Wesson forum I believe. There are different line items on my profile for non gun related threads and topics I think. I'm not too great at figuring out how to change things once I entered them. You can pm me if you want.

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Linda:

First go to the top right hand of your screen, and click on "Quick Links", then choose "Edit Your Details". This will give you a screen where you can click on "Life" for NRA membership, and while you are there you can put in a few things you might want others to see in your profile.

Let me know if you run into any difficulties.

Best Regards, Les

 

[Redbert31]

This is what I get when I click the 3 dots in the upper right part of this screen. I'm probably on the wrong screen, but maybe I'm not seeing"quick links". Which screen should I be on to click on the upper right corner and find quick links come up?

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[Redbert31]

Here it is

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[les.b]

Here is a screen shot from my tablet (iPad). In the upper right hand corner, see the "Quick Links"?.... Right above where it says "Welcome les.b"

That is where I'm talking about clicking. If you are in "mobile view", you may have to exit that and go to the traditional view.

Edit....maybe you need to get out of tapatalk and just log in to the forum as a web page....

Best Regards, Les