Throwing Money into the Fire
Firstly, I knew you all where going to give me grief about the kitten. I should have placed a bet. LOL - That is the best part about friendships -even on the net- you can speak your peace with a smile.
In my own defense the cat must stay outdoors. When Gracie plays with the kitten for say 15 minutes or so her eyes turn red and begin to swell. Inside we go and have to wash her face and hands, put in some itchy eye drop stuff and then blow the nose for a while. If the kitten came inside full time I would have serious problems with Gracie.
When Gracie was younger, between 18 months and 3 years, periodically she would need to be rushed to the ER because she could not breath. She has never been diagnosed with asthma and hasn't had an episode in a couple of years but seeing her struggling for every breathe makes me super cautious now. I can still see the heaving of her tiny chest trying to draw in air and hear the aweful rasp of air trying to be pulled into her lungs. If you have never seen such an attack be thankful. It is one of the most frightening experiences to face with a child.
Secondly, the kitten is eating the canned food because it really wasn't ready for kibble. This kitten is tiny and I don't think yet weaned when found. The kitten still tries to suckle when it is held. It sucks at Steven's neck and the kids arms so we got good Friskies canned food and add a little extra liquid (milk) and warm it in the microwave for a few seconds. If we offer dry food the kitten just licks at it and can't eat it.
So that you can get an idea of its size the dish the kitten is eating from is my antique Johnson Brothers saucer and dessert bowl. The dessert bowl is about half the size of a common dessert bowl available today. The food on the dish is about 1 tablespoon. We feed the kitten 3 times a day and extra saucers of warm milk.Thirdly, the kitten is too young to be fixed but Steven has checked into it. We just have to wait awhile yet. Oh and Steven did go out and get some kitty things and snacks, too. But the kitty can't chew the snacks. It just licks them. I am not being mean to the kitten. It is being spoiled. I am just being nicer to Gracie. It is for her own good to stay outside otherwise I would have to make all the kids cry and take it to the humane society or the animal shelter. See? We are doing right by this kitten. What else am I supposed to do in this situaton? Moving along this morning -
Wow! She is a teeny little thing, isn't she? I can certainly understand your reasoning for having her live in the barn now - human babies must come first! At least she'll have the shelter she needs and her built in fur coat will help to keep her warm.
The fireplace looks great but one thing you might want to keep an eye on. We actually have two fireplaces and a furnace going to our chimney and last year, we had a cap put on which looked (we've since removed it) very similar to yours. However, when we lit the upstairs fireplace, the smoke bounced off the cap and back down into the downstairs fireplace, smoking out the lower level. Just letting you know you might want to watch it when you first use it!
Angie, if Gracie has an allergy to cats, by all means keep her outside. But do provide a warm place for her to sleep. She is so tiny, poor baby shouldn't have been taken from her mom so soon.
I think your fireplace and mantel look good now. If you do change it, take some more photos and show us.
Sorry, kid. I was among the grief-givers. Of course I should have known there was a catch. You're aces.
Oh the progress that you will make,
As a fixer, you "shake and bake."*
(*Great move by a pro basketball player.)
I'm not a cat person either. And just like you and Gracie, my husband needs that air that is so precious, so I'm with you on keeping the little cutie outside. That and my little girl is terrified of cats & dogs. So if a little kitten like that showed up on my front porch, I would have had to find it a different home. So you're doing more then being nice :)
As for the fireplace. It's beautiful. I so wish I had a lovely house and a fireplace.
Happy Thursday!
Yea- there is just something about a man with tool belt!!
By the way- the pictures of the kitten- you could make greeting cards or a calender out of those photo's -they are darling-Good for you being "kinder to gracie"-I have the same reaction to cats and hay and stuff- it's horrible-
We have the same kitty reaction here which is why we let our oldest volunteer at the SPCA instead of bringing the animals home. Too many allergies & animals in this house already!
Let us know how the gigilo turns out;-)
Well, if you are warming her stinky cat food in the microwave you are not nearly as hard-hearted as CERTAIN PEOPLE implied you were yesterday. (kidding, you guys. I know you're all Angie fans.) Gracie's health definitely comes first. Personally, I'm ok with the concept of a barn cat as long as she has shelter from the elements and a warm cozy little bed.
As far as the fireplace - I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it. I also have an ugly fireplace. May I copy you?
I just have a dumb old gas fireplace... oh well. As for the kitten, it would be hard to look at something that cute and not say "you're HOME!"
Oh, well! You didn't say you were letting her eat off the good china. That makes everything okay...
You did get the business and I was one of the first in line.:-) But clearly, you're doing more than right by the cat. We just need to see the picture of the cat house or bed you will be providing and then you are completely off the hook. She IS tiny!
And sorry about your daughter's asthma- that is a real drag and I don't blame you for doing everything you can to control it.
The insert will be clean and cozy. A new mantel? Yum- what fun figuring out that design! Playing with big pieces of really nice wood is fun.
Like a kid at Christmas!! Isn't redecorating fun? Esp when someone else does the work for you!!!! ;0) Can't wait for the redo pics!
Well well well.. Now I'll forgive you. :) I knew you weren't a bad person anyway, LOL
Poor Gracie! that must be hard on you too.
I hope the handyman is a hunk, because as much as I enjoy looking at picts of your fireplace chimney, a hunk would make for better viewing. ;)
Angie, thank you for sharing your story on my site about the guy that likes your daughter, despite the age difference. These are the things we worry about (among other things), and it helps to know someone else out there can identify with how we feel! The rules you and your husband have set in place are good ones. We seem to think alike where child raising is concerned. I'm pretty conservative for the most part.
Well, I hope it works out for your daughter, and if not, I have a blowtorch handy, just let me know where to find him! ;)
That certainly brought an about face to the kitty lovers.