15 November 2014

NECESSITY IS THE MOTHER OF INVENTION

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Having got Daisy back safe and sound from the neighbour and back to full health we then had to think hard about her future.  I was very worried that if she remained an outdoor cat the neighbour would steal her again.

So she became an indoor cat with outdoor options.

We took her to the vet and got her all the regular vaccinations plus a rabies vaccination and an identity chip, so that we could bring her home to the UK when we returned for a long spell.

The rabies vaccination was not done soon enough to bring her with us this time so we were faced with having to leave her in France for two weeks.  Our friends Tim and Pauline had offered to cat sit – to call regularly and keep her company, play with her, make sure she’s ok and keep the cat feeder topped up. 

We felt very strongly that she would be less vulnerable to the neighbour’s uninvited attention if she could get into the house where it was safe and warm whenever she liked, rather than having to find shelter in the draughty barn.  We needed a cat flap!

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The problem was, where to fit one?  All the doors into the house are made of full length glass, something we’re very pleased with as it makes the most of what light comes into the house at the front - as a typical longère there are no windows at the back and the front is currently shaded by an overly large lime tree.  Whilst it is possible to fit a cat flap into an existing glass door (I enquired once we got back to the UK) we hadn’t got the time to get that organised in France before we came away.

cat flap

So we improvised!

Tim and Pauline loaned us their spare cat flap and Tim made a wooden insert that fits the utility room window.  We constructed a cat ladder from a pile of logs and with a bit of encouragement Daisy soon learned how to go in and out. 

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By which I mean that she learned how to climb in very quickly, because we started to keep her bed and food inside, but needed a little more coaxing to get the hang of going out.  We took the magnet off the closing mechanism as the door seemed quite hard for a kitten to push, and that helped.

The going out through the cat flap learning process was assisted by Lulu.  We were in the habit of giving Lulu her dinner outside the front door – she prefers to dine al fresco – and a race soon developed between the dog and cat as to who could get to it first.  Daisy would shoot out of the cat flap and down the ladder and we would sneakily open the door to make sure Lulu got there just ahead of her!

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For the last two weeks Tim and Pauline have been keeping us up to date with her progress and sending photos.  She is thriving without us, it seems!  She has grown, her eyes have turned a gorgeous green, she is keeping the mouse population down and enjoys playing with the kitchen sponge and teatowel.  Which tells me that it didn’t take her long to work out how to get onto the kitchen worktops via the spiral staircase and the top of the fridge.  She’s a clever and fearless little thing.

  cat flap4 I knew that three-seater sofa would come in handy!

So we’ll soon be back in France and are looking forward to seeing how she’s got on without us.  Pretty good, I suspect!

Bon weekend !!

19 comments:

  1. What a clever idea and a clever kitten. She's gorgeous. :-)

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  2. It didn't take Daisy very long to get you, Nick and Lulu sorted out!!

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    1. Gaynor, you could be right.
      Even without the incident involving the neighbour, I was worrying about how she would manage when we were not there and wondering about a cat flap!

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  3. Clever kitty! And where do you sit when you're not taking photos of this handsome threesome? :)

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    1. Martine, luckily there are two sofas, so I get the two-seater all to myself!
      It's more of a problem when we have visitors...........

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  4. It would seem Jean, that you have three pets now - Lucky Lady. We now have two weeks in the Loire and one in Paris before returning to reality. Thank you to you both for your hospitality and adding another memory to our trip.

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  5. A www, I do like all of this good Daisy news.



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  6. She seems to be a very happy cat. yes she is doing well without you but even better when you are at home - she is a very lucky kitten.Jaana

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  7. I meant to say -- you couldn't have more devoted catsitters than T&P either. They love going over to keep Daisy entertained and happy.

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  8. Catching up with your story at last! You are doing so many of the things that we did when in France, upsizing, renovating, odd neighbours....
    Hope your new house is everything you wish for.

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  9. Life is now additionally interesting, now that you have a "cat house." I trust all will be well. I am glad you've got her back.

    You didn't say how cat and dog get along. I suspect Daisy has gotten Lulu as well organized as she has you and Nick. Cats are like that. Dogs have owners; cats have staff. Enough said.

    Blessings and Bear hugs! Even to Daisy. As long as she doesn't shred my snout.

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    1. Bear, Lulu and Daisy get along fine although it was difficult at first.
      There's a whole post about it coming up soon!

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  10. P.S.: It looks like you're going to have to change your introduction. "The story of two people, a poodle, a cat, and their not quite so little home in France."

    Yeah; that's better.

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    1. Bear, thanks for the reminder!
      I have changed my introduction to something along those lines........

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  11. Daisy is a love and I look forward to more cat and dog and house news.

    Each time I look for your blog I wonder if the name has changed. You're not in Grand Pressigny anymore, are you?

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    1. Carolyn, I wondered about changing the name, but Le Grand-Pressigny is still our nearest village and we feel as though we're still part of it, although strictly speaking it is no longer our commune. It's where we feel we belong, so the name will stay the same for now.

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    2. But...
      you are still in the canton of Le Grand Pressigny...
      so why change??

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