Francesca has procured a pet! It is a sweet kitten, who has been christened Gustav, after one of Francesca’s favorite artists (that is him, Klimt, holding his own cat).
Francesca was loathe to get a pet, because she travels so much. But she was recently talking with some new neighbors and worked out that whenever Francesca is away, Gustav will live with them. They are happy because their little daughter loves Gustav but they do not have to pay for veterinary care or food or litter; Francesca is happy because she does not have to worry about what will become of Gustav; and Gustav is happy because now he has two homes, in close proximity to each other, in which to play.
(Francesca would like to note that Gustav did not come from a breeder. He is the love child of Francesca’s friend’s friend’s pet cat and a street cat of unknown origins.)
Anyhow, on a separate matter (which will soon become connected to Gustav), Francesca often gets news in her inbox which has little to do with plus-size fashions. Usually it is emails about weight-loss programs (natch), or about clothes that are available up to size 12 but were worn by some famous person at some famous red carpet. But sometimes it is completely unrelated to fashion. Normally, Francesca deletes these.
However, she recently received an email that she found interesting in a strange sort of way. It was an advertisement for the Ice-Qube, a box (available in different sizes/levels) full of goodies to be used in case of emergency. The smallest contains items that might come in handy if, for example, your car breaks down in the rain (flashlight, poncho, blanket, etc) and the largest will equip a family of four to spend 3 days in their bomb shelter.
Francesca has friends in war zones who do, in fact, have bomb shelters, so she was intrigued by this. (Also, she has lived through two house fires — not started by herself — so she knows how handy it is to have a box with one’s important documents, a toothbrush, an energy drink, etc.)
But the cutest? Emergency kits for cats and dogs! Disposable litter box, cat leash, animal first-aid kits, etc. Who thinks of this?
Anyhow, while we are on the topic, Francesca wishes to remind you to:
1- Check your fire alarms!
2- Create an emergency exit plan with your family (everyone should know all the ways to exit every room, and know where the meeting place is outside)
3- Make a folder with copies of your important documents, and keep one by the front door and one by the back door.
Congratulations on your new kitty! It sounds like a wonderful win-win-win situation. And thanks for the Ice-Qube tip. I have recently been thinking that I need to organize an emergency kit in case of fire or other unexpected evacuation situation.
Comment by Cat — August 12, 2009 @ 1:01 pm
Congrats on the kitteh!
I am the proud caretaker of an 8-month old Egyptian Mau. I’ve had many, many stray cats in my life and they have all of them been wonderful. When my beloved cat died last year after 18 beautiful years (she found me when I was 6. I was playing outside and I heard some pitiful mewing in the bushes. I called to her and she came flying out of the bushes and landed in my arms) I really spent a long time deciding where I would get a new cat. I’m a fan of adopting, of course, but I had also heard of a breeder that lived near me that had Egyptian Maus–a very rare, truly wonderful breed. I went and visited this lady’s house and all of her cats were part of the family. There was no dark, dank room somewhere that housed miserable breeding pairs. She took me all over the house and I had never seen such a happy, healthy group of friendly cats. I decided to purchase a kitten from her (at a really reasonable price, too).
I honestly struggled with this decision for awhile because I know there are thousands of cats who need loving homes, but the kitten I received has been an absolute joy and I’ve never known such an affectionate, playful cat. I’m sure I will adopt again in the future, but I just wanted to say that not ALL breeders are bad. And that it shouldn’t be automatically assumed to be a negative thing to get a cat from a breeder if it is an educated choice.
Ok, /end soapbox. :)
Comment by teteatete — August 12, 2009 @ 2:07 pm
Oh oh oh! I have more!
1. Have a plan ahead of tie for gathering your family/friends/whoever in case of area-wide evacuations and do not assume you can go via cell phone;
2. Know where your child’s school tells children to relocate to in case of a building evacuation or offsite evacuation
3. Have a general family plan for area-wide evacuations, as in where you will go and what available routes/services are available.
4. Keep a evacuation kit in your car.
Kiss your kitty on the head for me. Oh, wait, they hate that.
Comment by Lisa — August 12, 2009 @ 6:13 pm
Gustav sounds like a lucky kitty! Give him a chinscratch from his Auntie Twistie.
BTW, I have an arrangement with one of my neighbors for cat sitting duties. Whenever they go out of town, I look after their cat. For some reason, they think they need to reward me (really, playing with an adorable kitty? I should be paying them…but I’m not going to tell them that!) so they have been known to leave offerings of excellent quality coffee beans, yum.
Oddly enough, I know a woman who was rescued from her burning home a few years back by her pet: a most heroic Rottweiler named Highway. I’m not really a dog person, but Highway will always be my friend for saving one of my favorite people.
Comment by Twistie — August 12, 2009 @ 7:49 pm
In your pet emergency kit, do not forget to include a copy of vaccination records. In the event that your pet needs emergency boarding either at a kennel or a designated emergency animal shelter, you will need those. Also include a couple of pictures of your pet, and one of you and your pet.
And don’t forget to have some bottled water on hand (a gallon per person per day for three days, plus extra for your pet). This is helpful not only for big emergencies, but for water main breaks (which happen all too often, and can leave you under boil-water restrictions for a day or more).
Comment by Elizabeth — August 12, 2009 @ 10:13 pm
Please don’t forget to spay or neuter your cat!
Comment by Gauss — August 14, 2009 @ 9:25 am
excellent randomness post! mazel tov on your new addition. we are also in the market for a new kitty friend — fyi to all new yorkers, the bide-a-wee shelter in kips bay is great at matching cats with families. for instance, if you have kids, they’ll only show you cats who do well with children.
Comment by marjorie — August 15, 2009 @ 12:09 pm