Yesterday, I took a deep breath and opened up the doors to the kitchen and the bedroom so the kittens could start exploring their world finally. There have been some pretty substantial hissing and growling from Molly (to which the kittens don’t respond except to run away). She hasn’t charged the two interlopers or shown any signs of going to battle. Her ears aren’t back, her gaze does not narrow at the sight of them. Her tail will twitch and it is kept low, but not tucked into her legs. So these are all good signs. I shut the kittens up at night in the bedroom/patio but during the day they are busy finding out more about this house and all the hidden places they can go. I do have her on a pheremone  collar which is helping a bit.

I dodged a bullet with my lawnmower. After being told by two different corporations that I will likely need to buy a new engine, a friend of mine told me about a smaller outfit who keeps their estimates honest and their prices fair. One to the mechanics came out last week and fixed my riding lawnmower for $10.00! Turns out the O ring by the oil dipstick had corroded and it was simply a matter of sealing the leak with silicone gel. I was grateful because once again, we need to stock up on canned cat food. It doesn’t last long around here, and it got me to thinking about approaching one of the major cat food companies with an idea I had. If they go for it, and I hope they do, it will greatly benefit the small mom & pop rescues- not the bigger ones with all the political clout and money behind them, but places such as mine where we are mindfully trying to get the biggest bang for any buck that is sent our way. i think it is a great idea, and if they do accept it, you will be the first to know what the idea that came to me after I washed out the cans of cat food for recycling purposes. Wish me luck!

Well I hear some pretty active growling going on upstairs. I am trying to act like this introduction is no big deal, but to Molly, who has been Queen B around here way to long, it is a very big deal to her. I have dark blankets ready and stacked in corners if there happens to be a war. Anytime two or more cats are fighting, the best way to stop them is to drop a dark colored blanket on top of them. This startles them apart and you use the blanket to herd them away from each other. This way you don’t get attacked with their stress level is out of control. You put one into a room with food and water and you leave the cat in there until it has calmed down and has eaten and is grooming itself. That my friends is the tip of the week, 🙂