Blep

I accidentally sprayed some water on Meredith. She gave me a blep face after she cleaned up.

Happy Sunday everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Sewing Machine Cover (with a Cat!)

Making a new sewing machine cover has been on my to-do list for 3 years now. We were still in Singapore the last time I made one and I made it by hand. I've learned a few tricks since then and made this one mostly by machine. I embroidered some parts which is why it took longer than I expected. 

Anyway, I did the cat first and made the base really simple. Just huge strips of denim-like fabric. I think I went for monochromatic tone since the sky has been pouring rain for at least two weeks now.  

I think it turned out cute and it matches the covers I made for my kitchen appliances. Here's how it turned out:

And how I made it:

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Another Cat Quilt

I finally finished the cat quilt I've been working on. It was inspired from Pinterest and I used scraps to put it together. Making it took longer than I expected because I embroidered some parts of it. I also asked for advice from Miggy to make sure the measurements were correct.

Here's how I made it:

And the end result:

 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed making it. I'll use it as part of my new sewing machine cover. I haven't made one in more than 5 years. I hope it will turn out cute :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Black Cat Project Progress

When I started the project I thought it would be easy. I thought I'd finish it in a day or two. What I forgot to take in consideration was the time needed to add the eyes, nose and attaching the tail, haha. I also have chores and make time to play with our cats, so I work on it when I can. 

Working with different fabrics also took time since  I had to measure each one properly. Here's how it's going -

Of course, the tail -

I honestly still have a hard time sewing on the curves. I read though you can use hemostat scissors to help hold down and move the fabric while sewing. I'll dig up my Mom's pair to try that trick. I pinned my finger again while sewing the curved areas, haha. 

I can't wait to finish the project!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Next Cat Project

I want to try some cute Pinterest projects and I chose this cute cat to form part of a new sewing machine cover I'm making.

I thought I'd be finished by now, but I got busy the past few days. Our water pump broke down, so we had to prioritize home issues.

 

Anyway, I've laid out how I'll make this cat. I hope it'll turn out cute.

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made a Cat Coaster

I had a hard time making the Yoda-inspired coasters and to reset I wanted to make something easy. I took a look at a cat coaster I got from Daiso and thought it would be a perfect pattern. 

I found some of my Mom's scraps (they're probably older than Miggy!) and I used it for this experiment. It was fairly easy after I got the size of the squares right. Here's how it turned out -

And how I made it :)

Maybe I should make more in other colors?

#BeKind #StaySafe

Super Typhoon Preparations

After my therapy session, I went straight to the pocket garden to check the plants. I wanted to make sure they wouldn't be toppled over by the strong winds. Most were secure since I also had to make the area cat-proof (they like sleeping in pots!). 

Sweetie cut some of the bamboo this morning. He trimmed the top parts so they don't sway wildly while the typhoon is ongoing. He actually started a few days ago to make sure everything will be secure. 

The only thing I'm worried about are my bell pepper plants, tomatoes and two growing papaya trees. The bell peppers are still growing a number of fruits. I hope they don't get affected by the typhoon. I'm hopeful the papaya trees will stay put. One has flowers already and it takes months before they are ready to be harvested. 

I brought down some of the decorative plants. They were swaying wildly when I went out an hour ago. It was hard to grow them, so I set them in between larger plants to be protected from the wind. 

As for our cats, I added some beds that should warm them up in the next few days. They have hiding places and should be safe. Anakin and Grogu though loves the rain and they really like wiping their wet bodies on our legs, haha. We'll be ready with towels!

Stay safe and warm everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Anakin's Second Gotcha Day!

Yesterday, we celebrated Anakin's Second Gotcha Day! He was a surprise since at that time the only kitten around was Bailey Boo. We suspected that Grey brought him in. We originally planned to have him adopted since we had at least 10 cats and kittens. Luckily, the adopter backed out. 

The kitten was darker than the rest of the brood. I decided to name him Anakin since he reminded me of Darth Vadar, haha. He's the complete opposite of the character though since he's very vocal and affectionate. He originally looked like a rat though, but with TLC and lots of food, he grew up to be a handsome boy. 

Anakin's quite a climber. I've seen him run up the neighbor's tree when he's going after a bird or a lizard. He's also very chatty and never fails to greet me by rubbing my legs when I go out to water the plants. I'm actually glad he came to us since he became Bailey's playmate and bestie. At 2 years old, they still play like they're kittens. 

To our bunso, Anakin, thank you for coming into our lives. You certainly changed the force in the cat-fam and you made Meredith a full time mom. She's very fond of you and Bailey. We love you to Dagobah and back! 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy, Restful Sunday

I hope you all had a restful weekend. We were so busy last week and needed the break.

Our cats are lucky, they rest anytime they want, haha.

We'll be starting the week without water again. Apparently, a third party contractor hit a pipe somewhere in Manila and we're all impacted in our city. Oh well...

#BeKind #StaySafe

Catifying Your Home

We all grew up with dogs in our home, so we didn't have any experience having pet cats. My Mom didn't like cats because they always ruined her plants.

Fast forward to 2022, when we noticed that our new home came with a cat. For a random reason we had brought home two cans of cat food*. We gave to him and soon enough he had a name, Grey.

Word spread fast and we eventually had other cats visiting to eat and the kittens were born! We scrambled to learn how to care for cats and kittens. Here's what we learned:

1. Feed them at specific times and in specific areas. Remove leftovers so it doesn't attract pests. Make sure their drinking water is always fresh.

2. Bring them to the vet for vaccination and deworming. Spay and neuter them. This keeps both you and your cats protected plus you get calmer cats.

3. Designate cat toilets by placing litter boxes. Keep it clean. Don't put it near where they eat.

4. Boxes are the best beds for them. Don't bother with expensive beds, they prefer boxes. You can use mats or old towels as their bedding. Keep it clean.

5. Protect your plants by placing used disposable forks (cleaned of course), so they don't use your plants as a bed or toilet. Keep poisonous plants out of reach from cats.

6. Playtime is important. Just make toys yourself, they'll appreciate it more than expensive toys.

7. Don't cut their nails. They use it to defend themselves.

8. Respect their boundaries. Not all cats like being petted. Let them take the lead.

Everytime I step outside, I call each of our fur babies by name. I ask them to call those who are not around and soon enough they're all present. 

I ♥️ my kitties 😻 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Daily Dose of Cat Love

Grogu accompanies me everyday when I water plants. His favorite time is when I sit on a chair. That's when he rubs my legs and rolls on my feet.

The time we spend together is precious to me. He loves it when I scratch his chin and belly. It calms me down and that is what melts away the stresses of the day.

Today is also Bailey Boo's second birthday! I recorded the day his Mom, Kaley Boo, didn't visit us for her meals. She came the day after and she looked like she gave birth. Few weeks later she brought 4 kittens to our home. Bailey was the one she brought back more than a month after she upped and left. He has lived with us since June 2024.

Our sweet, sweet Bailey Boo has the most voracious appetite! He finishes whatever the others don't finish and he's very protective of the territory. Probably for it from his father, Grey.

Happy birthday our dear Bailey Boo!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Cat Care

One of the things we budget for annually are the expenses for our 8 cats. They were all sent by the cat distribution system. The cats are well bonded and have been self-regulating. They are a tight community and chase off intruders. They understand that the pawmily has to live within a budget. 

Every year we make sure they are vaccinated, get anti-rabies, and dewormed (2x a year). We also put anti-flea/tick meds. Each cat has their own "passport" provided by the vet. We're working on getting everyone through the annual requirements and started today with Eevee and Grogu. 

Mama Brimsley Marie

It's not as easy as it looks. Our cats are feral and only semi-domesticated. They live outdoors and sleep on cots, boxes and cat trees we provided for them. They prefer the boxes though, so we change them often since they like scratching it over scratching posts (better than scratching the wheels of our car!). 

Meredith (Photo by Sweetie)

Should we transfer, we'll bring them with us. We'll probably work on enclosing them within our property since we're afraid they might run away and try to go back to our old place. That's going to take time though, so we'll see. We love our fur babies and try to provide what's best for them. 

We did have a huge unexpected spend last year when Grogu got hospitalized for a few weeks. He had a huge wound (dunno where he got it). We almost lost him and had him confined until the wound got better. He has fully recovered and is actually heavier than Eevee now. 

I can't imagine life without our fur babies. I always pray they will all be healthy and live long lives :)

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grogu's "You Haven't Fed Me Look"

Our cats are most probably overfed, but everytime we step out to check on them they give us a look like they're starving. Haha.

And here's Grogu today giving me that look when I stepped out to water the plants. He only moved when he heard his furdad step out with the container of food.

After having a quick bite, Grogu followed me in the garden and guarded me while I went around watering the plants. If he's not around, Bailey takes his place and waits for me to move to the garage. Then they all disappear and play outside, haha.

I really want imagine my life now without our cats. I'm very sensitive when I see them not their usual self or when they have a wound. Miggy is in-charge of applying wound spray, if needed, and contacting the vet. I'm just glad they've all been healthy <3

Happy Friday!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Made Cat Toys Using Old Socks

Our cats love rubbing their heads on our feet which I read is quite common. While decluttering I set aside some pairs of socks that have seen better days. They were no longer useful since the garter was loose already. A lot of cat owners give their cats stuffed toys or small pillows, so I thought I'd make some for our  cats using some of my retired socks. 

It was fairly straight forward and easy to make. My cats won't judge me, lol. I also used leftover batting which were cuttings from other projects. Here's how I made them:

I sprayed the toy with catnip before giving it to our cats. Meredith (above) immediately inspected the toys. I eventually paced them in their beds/boxes and they've been cozying up to it eversince I placed them there. Woohoo! I'll make more for them once I have enough batting again. 

#BeKind #StaySafe

Grogu's Knowing Look

Grogu knows me too well. With Sweetie's help I embarked on re-potting the rest of the avocadoes and two potted papaya plants. He gave me the look, "I know you're gonna crash after."

Yup, he was correct. I'm dead tired after re-potting 6 trees. Two avocadoes from its second pot, two papaya pots with at least 2 big stalks, and two avocadoes I propagated in water. Whew! It was a lot and required a lot of shovel work. 

I'm tired, but I'm happy my baby trees have room to grow!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Happy Black Cat Day!

It's the day to celebrate black cats! I didn't know I needed one until a scraggly black, mouse-like, kitten showed up in our garage. 

The kitten demanded food and kept rubbing our legs. It squirmed it's way into our hearts and never left. That was 16 months ago, when Anakin, stepped in our lives and became part of our pawmily.

Happy Black Cat Day!

#BeKind #StaySafe

The Box We Can Never Retire

A year ago, I had a brilliant idea. I wanted to make a house for our cats. I got a box and carved out a hole in it. I was planning to paint the sides, but they all scrambled to use it.

The loved it, but ignored the opening. Some tried to stay inside, but they all preferred to lounge on top of the box. 

The cats loves napping on it. They also loved to scratch the top of the box after napping. Eventually, the box started to cave in. We were worried a cat would fall inside the box. We would just add a new cover and did that again today.

Meredith, who was hogging the stool immediately transferred to the box when I added a new cover. She lay there the whole time I was re-potting some plants. It feels nice to have a companion while puttering around my gardening area.

Happy weekend everyone!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Got Little Grey and August Adopted

We were all so stressed when Little Grey gave birth. She just stayed even though the 8 bonded cats didn't like her, so it was difficult to manage all of them. The cats were very stressed as well. We decided to find Little Grey and kitten/s adopted after she gave birth and weaned them away. 

Little Grey had 3 kittens. Only one made it. We named him Augusten. He was born on August 10 and since it's my golden year, I wanted my birthday patron saint to bless him (St. Augustine). We call him August. 

August and Little Grey

To be honest, it's hard to find people who'd like to adopt. You also have to be careful since there are those who "adopt" because they have bad motives. We had cared for Little Grey and August for a few months and we want them to have a better life. We couldn't let them stay because the other cats didn't want to accept them in their community.

Luckily, my Tito and Tita who moved back here love cats. They also rescued strays when they were abroad. They managed to get all their cats adopted and already rescued a kitten. I asked them if they could possibly adopt both. They will take in August.

August is almost two months old now and we brought him to the vet to check if he's ready for adoption. The vet said he's very independent already since he eats both wet and dry food. I caught Little Grey pushing him away too whenever he wanted to nurse. He's also been a little rascal, wreaking havoc everyday. 

Little Grey has also been spayed and will be adopted by Manong Lito. He said he's a cat whisperer and should be able to domestic Little Grey in no time. Little Grey is a sweet cat. She deserves the love of a proper fur pawmily. It's the best we can do for them at this point.

#BeKind #StaySafe

August is a Month Old Now

Little Grey gave birth to three kittens a month ago. Two tabbies and a calico. Unfortunately, the second tabby was born stillborn and the calico didn't make it. 

It's been difficult to manage Little Grey. She's a feral cat that decided to live on our property. I suspect though she's Bailey's sister, but she grew up elsewhere. Our 8 cats have been stressed because of her, so we've been trying our best to keep them apart.

We found a nook where both mama and kitten can stay undisturbed. It's where Kaley brought her four kittens before (including Bailey and Little Grey). The kitten has so far been able to escape daily.

Here's a video of them made by Sweetie: https://youtu.be/1qy2MGPrhEQ?si=8iOLn178x4ovLqX-

We can't possibly keep both of them since we already have 8 cats. Luckily, my Tito will adopt August. The kitten will probably be ready next month. We just need to find someone who can adopt Little Grey. If you're looking to adopt a tabby with beautiful green eyes, let me know!

#BeKind #StaySafe

Braved the Stairs

I managed to brave the stairs after spending a whole day upstairs. I slept the whole day and just felt I needed to rest more. Six nights at the hospital and then falling down the stairs was just too much for my fragile body. The good news is my surgery got postponed. Pulmo rehab is also on hold until I'm better. 

I'm pushing myself to move hourly to make sure the bruises don't develop into scary blood clots! I'm on blood thinners, but that will only work with movement and lots of fluids. I don't want to have another PE. The boys are watching me like a hawk to make sure I don't have another mishap, hehe.

My motivation to conquer the stairs today was to see Little Grey and August the kitten. There were originally two kittens, August and Ten. They were born on August 10. Their name was supposed to be Marvin Augusten, hehe. Little Grey lost the calico kitten, huhu, so there's just the tabby one. It's complete name will still be Marvin Augusten and I'm calling it August for now. 

August's 10th day

Little Grey finally put the kitten in the nest we prepared for her in the pocket garden. They are well protected from the rain and won't be bothered by other cats. The kitten will also be protected from other possible predators and can quietly grow up here. The boys are preparing another nest in case Little Grey wants to move again. In a few weeks we'll bring both of them to the vet. 

As for my leg, I'm following doctors orders to use warm compress to increase blood flow. My hematologist also told me to eat iron rich food so I can produce more RBC. That will also help break up any clots. 

Missing my other cats and my plants. I hope I'll be more mobile soon!

#BeKind #StaySaffe