We adopted two cats this summer. I was scrolling through our local Nextdoor forum, and noticed that someone was looking for a home for their cats, as they were soon to be moving. I was a little shocked, at first, after all, who leaves their cats when they move? When I clicked on the posting, I understood.
Syd and Leo each weigh over five hundred pounds. They are not easy to move. The owners had moved them several times, but they were getting older, and it was time to find the cats a new family. I called them and made an appointment to meet the cats in their Seattle courtyard.
I met Leo first. Leo was easygoing and friendly. He liked being scratched behind the ears, but I steered clear of touching his tummy or his paws.
Syd was a bit more standoffish. You can tell, by his scraped up head, that he's been in more than a few scraps.
I sent my husband pictures of the boys, explaining that we needed to rescue these kitties. We've had a lot of experience, over the years, with the accumulation of giant heavy things that provide no function. My husband agreed that we needed these cats.
Using straps, moving blankets, an appliance dolly, a small ramp, and a come-along, we managed to get the cats out of their little courtyard and down a long driveway and into the back of our truck, where we strapped the boys in, for the ride. The former owner kindly helped us get the boys into the truck.
It was a long ride! We took them out to the beach house, so they can stand sentry at the head of the beach path, facing the sea. When you live on the coast, the threat of tsunami is always at the back of your mind, but with these boys guarding the path.... well, I think they will protect us about as well as anything.
For now, the cats will stand guard at the base of our stairs, as we need to pour proper pedestals for them to sit on, at the head of the beach path. We brought Syd out first, since he was the most likely to give us trouble. We kept the blankets over their heads until they were in position, so they wouldn't get too stressed out. If you've ever moved a cat, you know they don't always react well to riding in cars or to new environments. We were concerned that one of them might run off into the dunes. With our four foot tall dune grass, we might never find them again.
Interestingly, it was Leo who gave us the most trouble. Syd was pretty stoic. Leo kept trying to throw himself on the ground and slip out of our grasp. My husband has a few big scratches on his arms after tussling with little Leo. We left the boys in their new home for a little while, to let them get used to the place, before pulling off the blankets.
They looked around, and seemed to understand that this is their new home, and they have a new mission to guard the beach house from intruders and tsunamis. They will continue to be outside cats, so we won't need to get a litter box. They can just discreetly do their business in the dunes, then return to our yard. I expect they will be good mousers, as well.
This is Syd in his new home. He looks pretty good, considering he'd just ridden for three hours in the back of a truck, with a blanket over his head.
This is Leo. Leo was a little nervous about the new place, but he's adapting well.
Ultimately, they will live at the head of this beach path, facing the sea. No sea would dare send a tsunami to face these fierce protectors.
A few weeks ago, the sea came and swept away our gradual dune approach to the beach, and now we have to use the rope ladder again. If we had only had the cats then, the sea would never have dared come so close.
We left the beach house to return to the city, knowing our home was safely guarded.
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on throughout week on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to all your favorite social media sites.
To learn how to create this sea inspired faux coral, click below.
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!
~Amanda
Syd and Leo each weigh over five hundred pounds. They are not easy to move. The owners had moved them several times, but they were getting older, and it was time to find the cats a new family. I called them and made an appointment to meet the cats in their Seattle courtyard.
I met Leo first. Leo was easygoing and friendly. He liked being scratched behind the ears, but I steered clear of touching his tummy or his paws.
Syd was a bit more standoffish. You can tell, by his scraped up head, that he's been in more than a few scraps.
I sent my husband pictures of the boys, explaining that we needed to rescue these kitties. We've had a lot of experience, over the years, with the accumulation of giant heavy things that provide no function. My husband agreed that we needed these cats.
Using straps, moving blankets, an appliance dolly, a small ramp, and a come-along, we managed to get the cats out of their little courtyard and down a long driveway and into the back of our truck, where we strapped the boys in, for the ride. The former owner kindly helped us get the boys into the truck.
It was a long ride! We took them out to the beach house, so they can stand sentry at the head of the beach path, facing the sea. When you live on the coast, the threat of tsunami is always at the back of your mind, but with these boys guarding the path.... well, I think they will protect us about as well as anything.
For now, the cats will stand guard at the base of our stairs, as we need to pour proper pedestals for them to sit on, at the head of the beach path. We brought Syd out first, since he was the most likely to give us trouble. We kept the blankets over their heads until they were in position, so they wouldn't get too stressed out. If you've ever moved a cat, you know they don't always react well to riding in cars or to new environments. We were concerned that one of them might run off into the dunes. With our four foot tall dune grass, we might never find them again.
Interestingly, it was Leo who gave us the most trouble. Syd was pretty stoic. Leo kept trying to throw himself on the ground and slip out of our grasp. My husband has a few big scratches on his arms after tussling with little Leo. We left the boys in their new home for a little while, to let them get used to the place, before pulling off the blankets.
They looked around, and seemed to understand that this is their new home, and they have a new mission to guard the beach house from intruders and tsunamis. They will continue to be outside cats, so we won't need to get a litter box. They can just discreetly do their business in the dunes, then return to our yard. I expect they will be good mousers, as well.
This is Syd in his new home. He looks pretty good, considering he'd just ridden for three hours in the back of a truck, with a blanket over his head.
This is Leo. Leo was a little nervous about the new place, but he's adapting well.
Ultimately, they will live at the head of this beach path, facing the sea. No sea would dare send a tsunami to face these fierce protectors.
A few weeks ago, the sea came and swept away our gradual dune approach to the beach, and now we have to use the rope ladder again. If we had only had the cats then, the sea would never have dared come so close.
We left the beach house to return to the city, knowing our home was safely guarded.
.........................................
If you enjoyed this post, please subscribe to House Revivals in the sidebar, so you won't miss the fun projects we have planned. Find us on Facebook, too, so you can catch all the "in between" stuff, and see what I'm working on throughout week on Instagram. Feel free to link today's project to all your favorite social media sites.
To learn how to create this sea inspired faux coral, click below.
As always, thanks so much for stopping by!
~Amanda