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COVID has made me so very glad that we got the travel trailer and can at least periodically get a change of scene for us and the Kittons! I am sad that this was to be the last trip of the year, but feeling rather blessed that we had the option at all.
We already have reservations made for next year!
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The Butthead Brigade got to make one final outing for 2019 when we headed again to Staunton, VA and the Walnut Hills Campground. This is our second fall outing to this location because it really is a lovely campground with exceptionally level sites, Halloween activities and fun things to do nearby such as the Frontier Culture Museum and a wonderful little German restaurant. Siada got to shine this trip in some wonderful photos, and they all had their fill of playing the-floor-is-lava game where they jump from the bunks, to the cat tree, to the theatre seats, to the table to the bed. I think they are already looking forward to taking the Princess Palace back out next year!
I have mentioned previously that we purchased two strollers for Siada's surgery recovery. One is at the house and the other at the Cabin and goes camping with us. I figure it is about time for a side-by-side comparison of the two items given that we have now had them for 6 months.
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Several people have asked me how Siada is doing, so I thought I would give the lengthy answer here.
She is doing well. The 2 week follow-up went great. We had some concerns about a small bump about a centimeter from the incision, and the surgeon said that it was tissue over one of the pins. He said she is exactly where she should be in her recovery process. She walks with a heavy limp, but is finally putting a little weight on that limb. It is pretty crazy, actually, how quick she can still scoot around the room. So the good thing is that she is going very well, but the bad is that we still have 6 more weeks of crating. She is allowed out twice a day for 5-10 minutes to walk around but otherwise, it's in the crate. We are doing our best to make sure that she doesn't left out, bored, lonely or sad over this. We have the stroller I mentioned previously at our house and use it to take her from room to room with us in the evenings. This allows her to sit with us while we play computer games or when I do the dishes or other work. She seems to enjoy it. The stroller is perfectly serviceable for our needs, but Papa decided that it was not sturdy enough for outside walks and for use while camping, so he ordered a more heavy duty one to take camping.
I bought the travel kit on a total whim and am so very glad I did. The crate is essentially a pop-up tent. It weighs nothing and folds completely flat. It is not super sturdy, but has so far survived a couple of wrestling matches between Malik and Layla (both on, or in, it). All of the accessories were a bonus (it has a tarp lined litter pan, a mat that has a vinyl side and an absorbent side, a collapsible water dish, toys and a carrying bag for the accessories. This would also be fantastic for a long road trip with a cat.
And because the world needs more cat pics, here are two of Malik and Layla playing in the camper and one of Siada getting some quality time sitting on Papa (which I am sure is helping with her recovery). Also, please note that yesterday was the Reeses-aversary! On October 24, 2004, she was adopted from Rude Ranch at the local Pet Smart. Alas, she preferred to nap on her holiday so the image at the far left below was the best I could get of her scrumpy little self. The Merry Rosette participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases.
This weekend we finally got to take a real trip with the kittons in the new camper. The trip up there was interesting as Layla and Malik were a little unsettled for the ride. Siada has ridden in the truck before (and she was born fearless), so she was fine, but I had to take turns holding everyone for a bit until they calmed down for the rest of the journey.
The new Grand Designs Imagine camper proved to be as perfect for camping with feline companions as we had hoped. There was loads of room for them to romp and chase and even enough space for playing with feather wands with them.
We opted for this product over other available options as we always travel without own mobile internet source that stays in the RV at all times, that made this device ideal over those which typically cost more and require a monthly service contract.
It took only a few minutes and my iPhone to set up the Temp Stick. I now have an app that I can use to monitor the temperature and it is set to send me alerts if either the temperature reaches a certain point, or if the power goes out to our internet source. I checked the temp many times throughout today and am exceptionally pleased with my purchase. (The other item that I read great reviews for that I considered is the RV Pet Safe monitor. Had we not already had a hotspot, I would have purchased that model and their cellular plan.)
There was one thing I did not plan on, that was somewhat bizarre in close quarters, and that was Siada launching into Feral Kitton Mode at 4am. Her papa had gotten up for something briefly and it woke myself and her Princessness up as well. I saw it in her gaze and knew what was coming as she scanned around the room looking for a target.
ME: Siada, baby, no, not right now. SIADA: Engage Feral Kitton Mode! ME: No girl, you will wake everyone up. SIADA: Must.... go.... feral..... (locks eyes with Malik) MALIK: Oh crap (jumps onto the counters, followed by a wild-eyed Princess, off the counter again, over the dinette, behind the recliners where a WWE match ensued, leaping out onto the chairs, the top bunk, the bedroom) ME: <sigh> (heaving my tired carcass out of bed to stop the rampage) Siada, you need to leave him alone, someday he will be bigger than you. SIADA: I will go feral on your ankles!! (and she did) ME: Come here little Malik, that girl is picking on you (rescues him from the blankets draping off the edge of the bed and then shove him under the blankets and give him a fuzzy blanket, he suckles on the, as a pacifier) SIADA: (says nothing because she is already curled up asleep on the recliner) LAYLA: BEST DAY EVER (as she jumps on and off the top bunk repeatedly for no apparent reason, shaking the entire trailer with each landing) ME: And this was a good idea why??? The Merry Rosette participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases.
Why has it been so quiet here? Well, we had to take delivery of Siada's new Princess Palace! The RV that we had was tight on space for active Savannah kittens, and given that the kitties enjoy camping it was prudent that we got a camper better suited to their antics.
After much research we opted for a 2019 Grand Design Imagine 2800BH. Thanks to a large slide-out, there is a great play area. The bunks, bed, and (sheesh, Siada, that is where the waffle iron goes) shelves, give them places to go rest or hide (not that this crew is prone to hiding). The storage area under the bunks is also pretty massive, and can easily house two litter boxes. There are also large windows that allow them ample view of wildlife (or, in our case, of the driveway because the campground we were taking a test trip at was flooded and we ended up testing out the camper at home instead). And don't their fur coats match the camper interior exceedingly well? (No, that wasn't planned, but it is perfect!)
What I discovered as I was researching campers is that people love to make modifications to their mobile homes. I really did not think this is something that would appeal to me, but the idea of making a more cat friendly environment actually makes sense if we are going to travel more with our herd. (The camper did come with one fantastic built-in pet mod, with that being a drawer under the fridge that opens up and has in it trays for food and water for critters.)
Savannahs love to go high, and our cats all have claws (as they should), so we did need a scratching option for them inside the palace. I found a door mounted cat tree that is perfect. It is built for a regular house door, so we had to take the top piece, remove molding and the door hanger (they simply unscrew) and chop about 5 inches off the top, and then replace the molding and hanger. It took longer to work out the math (and triple check it) than it actually took to cut down the piece to make it work. I will need to take it back apart in the future and flip it so that the platforms face the other direction, as the second from the top bumps into the bunk a bit more than I would like, but even as is, the bathroom door is still functional and people can come and go easily.
Now I am very much looking forward to our next trip, and hope that the weather will not prevent us from taking the camping kittons out on new adventures!
The Merry Rosette participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases. This weekend had much excitement as we took all three Savannah's camping with us. It was just a one-night trip to see if we actually could survive being locked up with them all in the RV. We did survive, though Siada and Malik were literally climbing the walls in there. It was Layla's first trip out camping, and she is our cautious kitty, so it took her a little longer to get settled, but then she seemed to be quite happy doing her thing in the camper. There were certainly times when we were tripping over kittons, but the RV we have currently does have space for a couple of litter boxes and with the top bunk they can go vertical if they want. There is a hallway for playing fetch and they all absolutely love to look out the many windows. They also loved that so many people came in to meet them. I really am just overjoyed at how social this whole crew is. None of them are people-shy at all. And that is actually one of the things that has me so overjoyed right now. When we got Nimar, he spent quite some time hiding. We would have to lure him out with toys and food. He eventually became our constant companion, always following us through the house and monitoring our activities. I believe I have mentioned before though that he was never one to cuddle. Malik, on the other hand, never hid from us, and will purr and give headbutts, and this weekend I got the best late-birthday-present of all. He cuddled me. He actually chose to curl up on me and nap. Not once, but twice!!! He even calmed down enough in the RV for Layla to cuddle him! (The girls love to play chase and other games with him, but he keeps trying to jump on them and ride them around like horses, and they don't much love that so there have not been many opportunities for him to get loving from these very affectional gals.)
We are trying to train our kittons to be Camping Kittons. Siada made three trips last year and was not in the slightest bit phased by her outings in the RV. She loved to climb around in it, and enjoyed her campground walks. We got Layla after camping season was over, so she has not been out yet, but we did use this past weekend as an opportunity to take out Malik. The three of them are still separated at night, so tossing them all in an enclosed space and expecting them to totally behave was likely not in our best interest in terms of sleep. We also used this as an opportunity to further bond with Malik.
I think it is save to say that he loved it. He also climbed all over the RV, tossed his toys around and had his first experiences walking on a leash. I wish I could say that I have some wonderful magical advice about how we acclimated our cats to the camping experience, but the fact is, they just came to us as fearless, adventurous critters. Malik also had his first opportunity to socialize with other people, and he had no issues just hopping up on laps or bouncing around people to play with them.
While folks were checking out the camper and our new baby kitton, several remarked on the new crate that we had for traveling with Malik. I initially got one for Siada, who has long since outgrown the very small hard-side kitton crate in which she was delivered to us. But after seeing these in person, I ordered two more in the other available colors. They are sturdy canvas and have the top and three sides in mesh (with doors that cover the mesh as well). We got the medium-large size with should be all Siada and Layla ever need, and even when Malik is full grown it should be comfortable for short rides.
Each crate also has a plush pillow/bed in it, as well as straps for carrying and clips that can be used to secure the crate in a car by using the seat belt. There is even the option of getting a folding stroller that holds the crate! (We did not yet get one of those, but I bet at some point we will!) One of the best features is that the crates very easily collapse (they use a spring bar technology for the top rails). This is perfect for traveling with all three of them, because once we get to our destination we can just pop the top rails and fold the crates flat. There is also a pocket on one end where we can store the harnesses and leashes when not in use. There was no whining and bellowing when the cats were placed in these crates. I am not sure if this is due to them being roomier, or that they have enough visibility that they don't feel crated, or if they are just are coming to terms with the fact that yes, at some point during each trip, they will, in fact, be shoved in a crate. The Merry Rosette participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases.
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AuthorSavannah Caretaker who is honored to do the job. The Merry Rosette participates in the Amazon Associates program and a small commission is earned on qualifying purchases. This revenue goes towards helping to feed the Furrals!
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