Yard work

Outside early morning inspecting the site of yesterday's dismantlings and excavations, the Chelsea Grays were drawn to the garden gate, lying dismembered across the lawn in a favorite spot of theirs near the English ivy. Each in turn took the high ground (Babe, above left) atop the curiously located structure to survey the scene and then retreat to lower ground (Tiny) for rest and relaxation.

He caught wind of something cats smell that we don't, coming in on a river breeze from the south. Tiny, on medium alert with eyes mostly closed, kept a well-turned ear tuned in to sound cues upwind beyond the yard.

When something stirred above the retaining wall behind the house, Baby pulled an about face while Tiny — pehaps unaware of whatever it was her brother had heard because of her location behind the sound barrier of the gate post — continued to maintain a low profile.

Back inside, Tiny was not amused by the thank-you card we'd made for Ellen of Grove Street featuring Wheatland Terrier Barkely the Bighearted blending in with his surroundings at Ellen's elegant ladies' luncheon Wednesday. Neither was Tiny amused outside after dark on her tether yesterday when she had another run-in with a member of the local skunk community. Fortunately we had on hand the ingredients for an antidote, the "Skunk odor remedy" we'd linked in our post "Whatever is once polluted by it, is for ever useless" last March. Forget about tomato juice or products with names like "Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover."  They don't work. Instead, try drenching your sweet little pussycat's muzzle, ruff and front legs with paper towels soaked in a mixture of baking soda, hydrogen peroxide and a little dishwashing liquid. The recipe calls for adding water, but we didn't bother. The straight sodium bicarbonate, H2O2 and Ultra Ivory Dish Liquid did the trick. It took a few hours for her silky fur to dry off and fluff back up, but the relief — for her smarting eyes and our nettled nose — was immediate.

Note: Hydrogen peroxide could damage the eyes. Tiny naturally closed hers while we were washing her face, but be sure to avoid wiping the eyes directly, instead daubing away from them upwards, downwards and sideways. Happy cat, happy mother of cats.

Update: "Tiny is just odorless," remarks Tuck this afternoon. "Amazing."

Update II: Elisson links with a soulful portrait of his blue-eyed beauty, Hakuna.

Update III: Lots more creaturely portraits at Modulator's Friday Ark #199.

Update IV: Carnival of the Cats #226 joins with the 53rd Edition of the Bad Kitty Cats Festival of Chaos! for an all-cats-all-the-time supershow.

Comments

[mog]

Gorgeous kitty pics as always. Thanks, I'll keep that recipe handy as I occasionally smell skunk in our neighborhood and the kitties do go outside. It's only a matter of time before they meet.