Wordless Wednesday

linking up with my friend Verena today!

Life with senior cats

It's been three weeks since my mom's cat Sumi has come to live with us. If you follow me on instagram you will already have seen a couple of pics. Adjusting to the new circumstances has been challenging for all of us. Also, for some reason I always thought Sumi was eight years old. Actually, she is already eleven years old! I am so glad that I had arranged space for her up in the attic, and I am even more glad that she's accepted her cat tree (she loves curling up in the hammock-thingy at the top). The first week I kept the door closed, but there is quite a big gap at the bottom, and once or twice I spotted her spying :) But otherwise she pretty much keeps to herself, sleeps a lot during the day, thankfully eats her special dietary food and makes quite a rucus at night!
Meanwhile, thirteen year old Sammy only realized there was another cat in the house after a whole week had gone by. haha. Yes, I did let him sniff the cloth I had rubbed on Sumi before, but somehow he wasn't impressed. Then, finally after another week had gone by he climbed the steps to make "sniffing" contact - boy, was he in for a surprise. Sumi threw a hissy fit and basically communicated to him to stay out of her territory. Yup, the attic is now hers and hers alone.
Sammy has not gone up the stairs since.
After two weeks I decided to leave the door open during the day. I mean...cats are known for their curiosity and at some point I was sure Sumi would venture downstairs. No chance! Sumi simply sits on the threshold and observes/listens to what's going on downstairs, while Sammy remains downstairs and doesn't seem to be all that bothered. And me? I'm getting one heck of a workout running up and down those steep steps every day checking on the cats! Plus the outdoor cats Leo and Molly need to be taken care of too.
I do hope that Sammy and Sumi will eventually "meet up", but I've accepted that they need to do it on their terms. After all, in thirteen and eleven years respectively, both Sammy and Sumi have never shared their home before. Thankfully, domestic cats are social creatures and are known to adapt to new circumstances over time. I hope so anyway.

Es ist drei Wochen her, seit Sumi, die Katze meiner Mutter zu uns gekommen ist. Einige Leser hatten bereits Bilder von ihr auf Instagram gesehen. Aus irgendeinem Grund dachte ich immer, Sumi sei acht Jahre alt. Eigentlich ist sie schon elf Jahre alt! Sumi ist eine eher ängstliche Katze, daher bin ich froh, dass ich Platz für sie auf dem Dachboden geschaffen hatte, denn eine Zusammenführung mit Sammy ist einfach noch zu früh. Ansonsten verhält sie sich eher ruhig, schläft viel, putzt sich ausgiebig und isst zum Glück das spezielle Diätfutter. Es freut mich, dass sie gleich zu Beginn ihren neuen Kratzbaum angenommen hat - das weiß man schließlich bei Katzen nie. Vor allem liebt sie es sich in die Kuhle zu kuscheln (Bild ganz oben). Die ganze erste Woche hatte ich vorsichtshalber die Tür zu gelassen, allerdings ist unten ein großer Spalt wo sie spionieren  nein durchgucken kann. Ab der zweiten Woche hatte ich tagsüber die Tür aufgelassen, aber Sumi hat sich nicht getraut runterzukommen.
Der inzwischen dreizehn Jahre alte Sammy hat erstmal gar nicht realisiert, dass eine weitere Katze im Haus ist. Der "Trick" mit dem Tuch hat leider bei beiden Katzen nicht viel gebracht. Dann, endlich, nach ca. einer Woche wurde Sammy doch neugierig und kletterte die Treppen zum Dachboden hoch...das war Sumi dann doch nicht geheuer und mit lautem Gefauche hat sie ihn wieder nach unten befördert. Offensichtlich ist der Dachboden nun ihr Revier. Seit dem ist Sammy auch nie wieder da hochgegangen. Sumi sitzt nun oft auf dem Treppenabsatz und sondiert die Lage. Und ich bin in den vergangenen Wochen richtig sportlich geworden, bei den vielen Treppen auf- und absteigen, um nach den Katzen zu sehen. Und die zwei Freigänger wollen ja auch versorgt werden. Puh.
Trotzdem hoffe ich natürlich, dass die beiden sich näher kommen. Ich habe Verständnis dafür, dass es für beide nicht einfach ist nach dreizehn bzw. elf Jahren als Einzelkatze die neuen Umstände zu akzeptieren. Vorsichtshalber habe ich Feliway im Einsatz, in der Hoffnung, dass sie die Umstellung besser verkraften. 

Monday Moodboard & why it's been quiet on the blog...

The last time I posted at Duni's Studio was July 10th, oh my! I really miss blogging. The past ten days I've been spending as much time as possible with my mom. As she is sadly declining it was time to collect her kitty Sumi and transport her back here. Driving across the country with a frightened cat is less than ideal. It took eight nerve-wracking hours. That night I was so utterly exhausted that I had trouble holding my toothbrush.  I had made space in the attic ready for Sumi's arrival. Other than a new scratching post I had brought all her beloved toys, food bowl and grooming accessories with me. Sumi is a special needs cat, so I purchased the required hypo-allergenic food and medication that I need to administer daily. As many of my regular readers know I share this place with Sammy, almost thirteen year old, set-in-his-ways resident cat who is easily twice the size of his new sisfur. Under no circumstance was I going to "introduce" the two cats straight away. Therefore, Sumi will need to get accustomed to her new surroundings, new smells, sounds and people up in the attic for a while, before the big meet-up. I am dreading the moment already. A friend gave me a bit of advice to rub a cloth on one cat and use the same cloth to rub the other cat. I will definitely try this and I'd greatly appreciate any other advice offered by my blogging friends with cats!

Du meine Güte, das letzte Mal habe ich hier am 10. Juli gepostet! Ich vermisse das Bloggen. Die vergangenen zehn Tage habe ich so viel Zeit wie möglich mit meiner Mutter auf der Station verbracht. Dann war es an der Zeit, ihre Katze Sumi abzuholen und zu mir nach Hause zu bringen. Quer durchs ganze Land mit einer verängstigten Katze zu fahren ist kein Zuckerschlecken. Es dauerte acht nervenaufreibende Stunden. Zuvor hatte ich Platz auf dem Dachboden für ihre Ankunft gemacht. Außer einen neuen Kratzbaum habe ich ihr geliebtes Spielzeug, Futternapf und Pflegezubehör mitgebracht. Sumi hat besondere Bedürfnisse. Sie darf nur hypoallergenes Futter zu sich nehmen und zudem muss ich ihr täglich Medikamente verabreichen. Wie viele meiner Leser wissen, lebt hier auch unser Hauskater Sammy, nun fast 13 Jahre alt und bestimmt doppelt so groß wie seine neue Katzenschwester. Auf keinen Fall wollte ich die beiden gleich zusammenführen! Daher wird Sumi zunächst auf dem Dachboden bleiben müssen, bis sie sich an ihr neues Zuhause, die neuen Gerüche und Menschen gewöhnt hat. Erst wenn sie keine Anzeichen von Angst zeigt bereite ich das große Treffen vor. Ganz ehrlich? Vor diesem Moment fürchte ich mich schon. Eine liebe Freundin gab mir den Rat, erst eine Katze mit einem Lappen zu streicheln und den gleichen Lappen bei der anderen Katze einzusetzen. Ich werde es auf jeden Fall versuchen, und wenn ihr, liebe Katzenfreunde, auch noch einen Rat für mich habt wäre ich äußerst dankbar!

And last, but not least, here's a new Monday moodboard. I hope I can get back to regular blogging soon!

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Zu guter Letzt zeige ich eine neue MontagsCollage. Ich hoffe, dass ich bald wieder zu regelmäßigen Bloggen komme!

Ice Cream Colours...

1 -- 2 -- 3 -- 4

Hello, my name is Sumi

May I introduce myself? I'm called Sumi, and the humans say I'm a small, but elegant cat with very good manners. Plus I'm smart. I overheard the humans talking about me recently. Something about me moving all the way from one end of Germany to the other end! I don't mind so much, because I know Duni will be there waiting for me. I know she loves me just as much as my mommy does! And there's a nice terrace to sunbathe on, lots of room to play, and a nice garden too! So, what's the hitch? Well, looks like I'm going to have to share my new home with another cat! I asked Duni to send my some photos, so that I could see what my future roomie looks like. His name is Sammy. He's a mancat. Personally, I prefer active, sporty types... Sammy, lazing about... Sammy, drinking water straight from the tap So, what do you think? Are we going to be friends? Happy Sunday!

Getting ready for little kitty

First of all, I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for leaving such kind and uplifting comments in regard to my mom's current situation. I am so thankful for having such awesome blogging friends.

Well, we're just about ready to leave. We had to organize a new set of wheels double quick, because we didn't want to risk driving all that way with less than satisfactory wheels.

I still need to clear some space for my mom's cat. She'll be kept in a separate room the first week. I've arranged everything she needs in there. We think it's best if she gets used to her new surroundings first before meeting her big brofur Sammy. I think Sammy will be fine about it, but not so sure about Sumi - yes, that's her name. Sammy and Sumi. She's about 4 years old, but she's tiny. Also, she is on medication because of a kidney dysfunction. She doesn't like to be held, but she does like to have her fur brushed. She is very, very shy.

Sumi has also got a new cat basket and litter box, but we'll take her old toys and blankets. I really do hope Sammy and Sumi will get along.

And in case you think I've forgotten about crafting it forward - don't worry, I will announce who the winner before I leave...

Happy Easter

Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday!

Pretty kitties

Now this simple tote was one of the first bags I have ever made. I've had that cat panel for ages, and it was originally destined to become a cushion cover, however I changed my mind: with everyone - myself included - leaning on it, I wouldn't be able to see much of those cute kitties, would I? I'm rather partial to fabrics featuring cats ☺, and I have another bag I will show case here as soon as I have made proper photos - made from an interesting gobelin fabric with a whole bunch of lovely cats! Today being the last school day of this year, I can already hear a few moms sighing relief from the daily school runs! Everything is slowing down here, and I also look forward to a much needed break!