Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't (Tuesdays & Thursdays)

Sailor began to feel somewhat better. Almost immediately the bitter cold was relinquishing its hold on his body and he was beginning to feel warm again. He felt like he could now move without fear of bodily harm and tentatively peeked his head around the corner of the soggy opening, into the street. His eyes followed the cobblestone road that lead through town, out up the hill and away, to the peaks of the castle so far in the distance where they could hardly be seen. A weird bluish haze appeared in among the trees leading there yet they called to Sailor and he was compelled to follow! Voices from within the house behind told him the denizens of the village would be out and about soon. Sailor had to move! Out from the recess he trotted on the rain slick road, he kept his pace until he was clear then ran toward the trees where the blue light emanated. He was indescribably unafraid of the the light. It held the promise of answers for him and the hope of finally learning where his home truly lay. Sailor's paws fairly flew beneath him as they carried him forward to his fate. It would be the end of secrets. A final resolution to the mystery surrounding his life and a settlement of this disorienting sense of non-belonging anywhere. 

Catspaw

This ends Chapter One.

 

Sailor and the Ruined Castle, Con't

Sailor awoke to a harsh reality. His mind was fogged by the unconsciousness he'd lapsed into while his body throbbed with cold and pain, he could not seem to clear his head. With great effort he pulled himself to his feet and leaned against the door-frame not having the strength to hold himself forward. Sailor felt confused, his mind was fuzzy and strange images merged with familiar ones in his clouded brain; but he couldn't sort them out into what was real and what was not. Questions, always questions. Sailor tried to shake his head - The castle. It held the answers and he had to reach it. Although Sailor had tried to settle in this village and call it home, in fact it was the castle that was most familiar to him and it was in its presence that he really felt like he was home. If he could only muster enough fortitude, he would take to his paws again and revisit the castle. A powerful sense of urgency now washed over Sailor forcing him to move toward the entrance of the alcove and out into the rain and fog. He advanced stiffly forward, willing his legs to move; his body was so unyielding that he feared trying to walk lest his legs broke! A cry of agonizing pain escaped his throat as his legs buckled and he collapsed forward; his head hitting the rough cobblestone while shooting pain raced up his legs and reverberated through his already wracked body. Utterly exhausted and crippled with affliction, Sailor braced himself against the wall and struggled to stand again. He waited until he could sense his paws under him, then gingerly shook himself. The heaviness of the rain weighing down his fur fell away. Feeling lighter and a little more mobile with constant forced movement Sailor stared out into the rain sodden village. Everything was saturated and the intense cold was returning to his body.

Catspaw

(How To) ~ Save On Kitty Treats ~

If you're anything like me, cat food is an expense in itself and its hard to replace with something that is healthy enough to be adapted as an alternative or a replacement for bagged or canned cat food. 

I've tried several recipes from online sites and so far have found little to nothing that is suitable. What I have found to be suitable is not within my price range to buy and prepare. Course the other consideration is the cats themselves, it may be the healthiest alternative since sliced bread but if the animals won't eat it, it becomes a huge deficit to the budget that most of us simply cannot afford.

That doesn't mean you give up altogether.  In testing to see what my cats will eat, I found they like chunks rather than the puree most people make and they like meat above everything else. Well, cats are meat eaters! So I'm looking at different ways to alternate, which is pretty tough when meat is on my list for us and its so expensive to buy (and share). 

I decided to start with their kitty treats. Usually I buy Whiskas Temptations and Purina Luv brands from Dollarama; stores charge wayyyy too much for these pet products and I'm not interested in spending a 1/4 of a paycheck on cat treats!! 

$2.99 In some stores!

Up to $2.50 in stores!

To compensate for buying these products only once in a while now; I purchase a 500 g bag of Meow Mix Cat Food or whatever other brand I can find on the shelf at my local Dollar Stores and use it as Cat Treats for my cats. It doesn't taste the same and they know it, but its a higher end cat food that they don't get because I can't afford to pay $25 for a large, 8 kg bag of the high end stuff. Frankly, with 4 cats to feed...

Also ridiculously priced for a mere 500 g bag

Although my cats tend to disagree with my brilliant plan to save money the expense of their more refined taste buds and flatly refused this offering, at first; I cleverly concealed a few morsels of Temptations and Luvs in, gradually weaning them off these addictive treats. 

Now its a once-in-a-while thing for them to be served their absolute favorites and they've have to adapt to getting a tiny bit less of it. Ok, a lot less of it!

But what I save on these tiny 85 g Temptations and the 60 g Luvs bags, I can use else where. Its easy to think it doesn't make a difference in the long run but just start adding it all up every time your shop and you will see what a hemorrhage it has become to your budget. Just a suggestion. Cats are highly adaptable, they'll learn or they will go without.

Catspaw

Barn ~ Cat ~ Hunt

Ever wonder what they are thinking when they do this?

I thing that say it all, don u.


Catspaw

Cat Foods Made From You're Own Larder

Molly & Sassy

I was employed on the computer early this morning while Molly, Sassy, Emerald and Winston happily dozed, in their own spots of course, by any window to soak up the rare sunshine we have these days. Since they are very much aware of everything I do and every move I make, when I headed for the kitchen it took only a few seconds for each of them to come trailing in to check out what I was up too. After all, they believe they should know exactly what's going on at all times in their house.

I removed the grinder to a chorus of curious meows and yips of expectation, then dug around in the depths of no-mans-land - the fridge - to see what was plotting my downfall because it was left for too long. Sure enough, I struck the dreaded leftovers to add to the raw pigeon I had just unthawed. Yep, I was not disappointed to find chicken, meatballs and a potato or two. That would be just enough for the next batch of natural kitty food. My hubby did the honors with the pigeon that he plucked and gutted for me.

Raw Pigeon, the whole bird

They are small birds so I just cut it in half and ground it up with a bit of water – yes, bones and all; the entire bird! 

Pigeons look a lot like chickens but smaller

I ran it through several times to make sure the bones were ground and rifled through the end product to assess both the consistency and the lack of bone fragments. Having satisfied myself to that end, I deboned the remaining chicken with the skin, fat and jelled juices, threw in the meatballs with two potatoes and ground it all together to form this yummy looking concoction: 

 consistency of can cat food; all meat

Its quite alright to add a little cooked potato for bulk but I don't add more than two pieces. Put this mixture an air tight plastic container, pop it in the fridge. Combine with canned cat food or serve as is. I know my cats will enjoy the change of venue because I tried them on it first to make sure. Little bits of meat when I was making dinner showed me they would not hesitate. If you try this yourself you will find that they won't eat much at one time, this is because its natural food and fills their tummies for longer periods. It has all the nutrition they need and its 95 % pure meat. It does need to be refrigerated as it will go rancid if left out. 

Emerald enjoying the homemade kitty food

Good Luck and let me know what happens if you decide to do this yourself. I'd appreciate and welcome your comments/feedback.

Catspaw

Disclaimer to the Coming Story

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse, meets Moggy is based on a true story, with permission to share it with my faithful readers. 
The names and personalities have been changed to protect the innocent.
No mice were harmed in the telling of this story. 


Story to be posted January 31st. Please come back, enjoy the story and leave a comment. 

Catspaw

A Personal Introduction to My Readers

Hello and Welcome to my Blog, dear reader. 

My name is Stephanie; I live in a tiny hamlet called Emerald on Prince Edward Island in the extreme east of Canada called the Maritime. My husband, Merrill and I live in a little house on a local dairy where he works. Four cats share our home and our lives: Molly (Drama Queen), Sassy (Matron), Emerald (Princess) and Winston (School Boy). These are accurate descriptions of their personalities right now. I say right now because their dispositions change over time. 

We moved to the island two years ago in a seven day road trip from Penhold, Alberta with two overloaded vans, an encumbered, homemade box trailer and three loudly complaining cats in carriers. As much of an adventure that it was, it’s not one I would care to repeat any time soon. 

I was brought up with cats as a child and have raised and rescued cats and kittens many times over successfully, these experiences have included finding and securing excellent homes for them when necessary; sometimes nursing them back from the brink of death. I have made my own cat foods, experimented with various organic cat litters and performed my own brand of naturopathy when the occasion called for it. 

I can write an ad to find a home for a six month old stray or an abandoned throwaway and get a call the same afternoon once the post goes live. I can offer stories of my own involvements with my companions and the experiences of friends; one whose family operates a dairy and is listed as a ‘colony’ for stray and barn cats. Another who works with Humane Societies to catch, to provide care and find homes for.  I can also offer advice, recipes for homemade treats and an upcoming eBook that Merrill is working on with designs for a totally unique cat walk that can be set in front of a window or over a tv area in your home. 

It is my intent, dear reader that you will find some of this information entertaining, helpful and just plain fun to read. I hope you will follow me in my new venture with this Blog and gain insights, wisdom and more enjoyment from your own furry friends as some of it will be told by them. I will be including pictures of my cats to share them and their dazzling temperaments with you as I introduce them to you, one at a time and share their stories.

Thank you for stopping by and if you love cats, add me to your follow list. If you have a Blog, I’d love to have the link. 

Stephanie   a.k.a. Catspaw