Starting My Enclosure

xocats

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I can hardly wait to have you back regularly Jenn...
You kitties sound like they are doing great.

Thanks for the update.
 

katachtig

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That enclosure sounds like kitty heaven. I'm so glad that Jimmy adjusted so quickly.
 

tru

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Welcome Back Jenn!!


I've really missed reading about you and your crew and also look forward to updates and pics.
 

eilcon

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Hey Jenn!
Welcome back!

It's great to hear that you've settled in and how much the crew loves the enclosure. It sounds like kitty paradise. I'm especially glad to know that Jimmy is loving life and is a happy boy. I love that big guy!
Thanks for the update. Take care for now.
 
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jcribbs

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can't wait to be back regular either. got lots of pics to share real soon.

love you all!
 
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jcribbs

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Ok.........got some new pics to share.....it's inside and outside pics of Kitty life here in the Cribbs house.


This is the outside of the enclosure as it is now. We have things leaning on the side to block air flow as it is winter and I don't want them cold. I have one side completely open so they can look out. It's not fancy but it works and they love it.


This is how we have the inside right now for the winter and ice stuff. I put plastic up and boards to block off and area 10x10 so they can be snug as a bug in a rug.


They love it.


This is just a little covered are they can lay on if they want to. Star likes this area.


And when they enter the kitty door leading into the house they have other kitty stuff to do.

This is a kitty shelf I made them for the living room. They love it.




They have two eating and drinking areas....






TO BE CONTINUED...........
 
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jcribbs

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They have a kitchen lounge which they really use a lot.....


They have their own special corner.....



And they have a hidy hole I made them under the tv... This is Jimmy's favorite spot. Star kindly gave it to him.....


Star prefers this spot now. However, she gladly shares it with whoever needs it at the time...



This is one of their favorite spots... They watch the dreaded dogs from here...


And I don't know about the rest of you, but do your cats feel the need to use the restroom if you go....... I just don't get it. Or do they want to sit in your lap.... If I go to the restroom, they follow me. Two jump in the litter box and at least one needs to be held....


But sometimes they just lounge... This is their room.....hehe....


They own the house.......

Here is tink and Toe...... They are in lub....


And that's life today for Cribbs cats........

Jenn and the gang.
 
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jcribbs

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How many........yikes......

Lets see now...... I think I'll list their names... that's the easiest way.... Before you freak out..... they are all fixed but the two youngest... I started out just feeding stray/ferals when we lived in town and this is where we ended up... We moved them with us because we couldn't leave them. We love them all. We can pet all of them but a couple ... Jimmy and Star are still feral. I can pet Star but not Jimmy..

I might add, nearly all of them are still terrified of other people. The only ones that dont' become invisible if people come over are Kissy, Toe, Yellow and Socks. The two youngest also stay around for now. Snoopy and Tulip. but I expect they will develop the mannerisms of the others as they grow. It would be impossible to adopt any of them out as they are wild and afraid of other people and we would not do that anyway. We love them. They will live their lives out with us in peace and safety and with love. And that's the way we want it. It's what my husband and I feel we were meant to do.. We never planned it but it's how things are and we would not change it for anything. The cats trust us and lay on us and love us. I have said it before and I will say it again....there is nothing like a feral cat meowing at you when they want something. People think we are nuts but this is OUR LIFE.

Boys
Jimmy
Felix
Festus
Yellow
Toe
Hank
JJ

Adult Girls
Cow
Mama
Kissy
Turtle
Star
Socks
Cleo

Young Ones
Honey
Minny Pearl aka Princess
Pebbles
Flower
Tulip
Snoopy
Angie
Dovey
Tink
Cookie......

I guess that's it... And I might add......we are done.

A friend of my husbands brought his little son over too see all the kitties and none would come out. It was like we had no cats. The child was very disappointed....hehe..... But they become invisible at times.

We don't have a lot of luxeries for ourselves but what we have is enough and we are content with that..... We don't live beyond our means. What we have is paid for and we are proud of it. We take care of our own.

Jenn and the gang
 
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jcribbs

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Here's a few more pics..... These were all taken today.

This is in the enclosure. They are just piddling around playing and looking and getting fresh air. We have the ground work started for enlarging the enclosure but we just haven't done it yet. Husband is thinking about using sucker rod to make it permanent so we never have to replace anything. I have been looking at 110v welders to put a frame together.


We have the top of the winter-proofed area covered with a tarp to keep wind, rain, ice and snow out.. What we have discussed is to eventually make a permanent outdoor room that is 10x10 with a cat door with the from portion on hinges to open or close depending on weather. Husband is also thinking of running electricity to it and putting a ceiling fan in the closed in area for them. Nothing is definate yet concerning that. The sucker rod is definate however. It's hard to dig post holes in solid rock...


This is Honey Suckle... And she is pure sugar... A very sweet little girl with a wonderful wonderful soft silky hair coat.


This is Felix. He was a cat that took me 8 months or so to touch at the place we rented while we were working on this place. He had an infected foot that I couldn't do anything about. I finally managed to gain his trust. He had a pad that had been ripped off by an animal. He is a good boy. He started finally coming inside through the cat door last week. He has remained outdoors the entire four months we have lived here. Then a few days ago, boom......he was in here for some loving.. hehe


This is fat Jimmy. I still cant touch him. He stay in/out depending on his own whim. He hates bad weather so he comes in. He will sleep in the room with us now. We adopted him from a woman on this site. He has come a long way. He is laying down in the enclosure under the cat ramp leading to the kitty door. It is one of his nap spots. He is fat and sassy and I have high hopes that Jimmy will come to me one day. He gets close but does not approach me. March 19th.. we will have had him a year. I had to lay down in the hay and get under the ramp to get this picture. I woke Jimmy up. He is used to flashing lights in his eyes by now. I've taken a lot of pictures of him. He just lays there and takes it. By the way Eileen, I was about a foot from him when I took this picture. He lets me get close to him now but I still dont' touch him. I have a plan for that however. I will tell you about it if it works out.


This is Festus..... He has not ventured through the cat door yet. But he will one day. We have had him in the house but he runs back out the cat door into the enclosure. He is inside a tent inside the closed in area of the enclosure. There are three beds make of plywood and stuffed with hay inside the winterproofed area plus a kitty tent which is what you see here. Sometimes three cats snuggle in this tent. It is up high on top of the houses and warm. What you actually see in this picture is Festus lookng at me take the picture. but the black back is Cleo. They are in there together snuggling. She likes him.


And that's all I guess. This is a lot of uploading but this is what we have been up to since being off line. I'm trying to catch up......

Later,
Jenn
 
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jcribbs

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Here's my latest picture. I drew this while off line... It's not realistic but I enjoyed doing it. I have also decided to try my hand at stained glass. I am thinking of next payday getting the stuff for it. I've been reading about it.

Hope someone enjoys this. I haven't named it yet. It will come to me.



Jenn and the gang
 
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jcribbs

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Thank you KittyLover4Ever. We do our best and I might add, you sure got some pretty babies!!!


Jenn
 
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jcribbs

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Here is a couple more kitty pics from today...... This was picture day obviously.......hehe

This poor cow kitty. She is unable to ween her babies. She never gets a moments peace. She is a small cat and they are nearly as big as her.


Relaxing after a good meal......


This is Dovey being a box kitty...


and this is The Yellow Man and Cleo aka Pattie Cake Kitty. I have had them a long time. Yellow is pretty old. He wandered on our doorstep many years ago with a broken leg that had healed crooked. He is a great cat. Him and Cleo sleep with us every night and have for years. Cleo, even when the bed is made, roots up under it like a dog, settles in and snoozes. She is a big bump under the covers. My daughter was over last week and actually saw Cleo for the first time and I have had her for years. She is a very private cat who ONLY like hubby and me. Amy thought we were just making her up that she really didn't exist... hehe Cleo loves her yellow man.
 

kittylover4ever

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All of your babies are just beautiful! Truly they are! Did you literally draw those pics above freehand??????????
 

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Wow, bless you and your Husband for all you're doing for those sweet babies.
They are all so beautiful, but there is just something about Yellow Man that makes me want to hug him, he looks like such a sweet little man.


You're drawings are just amazing, I would love to be able to draw like that.
Unfortunaly I can't even draw stick people
 
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jcribbs

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Yellow Man get lots of hugs. He is my husband primary cat. When hubby goes to bed, he calls Yellow and Yellow runs to go to bed... He is more like a dog than a cat. The enclosure was basically for him and Jimmy and JJ the three legged cat. Yellow, when he is out leaves for 6 weeks. Last time he did it, we never let him out again. So he loves the enclosure.

As far as the paintings.... These three I drew on the computer free hand with a paint program . I also paint oils. I love to paint. My family has oils hanging in their house that I have done. I have a few paints and a few canvases but no paint room. I prefer oils to the quick dry varity because I like to blend. But I feel anyone can paint. It is just a feeling inside you that you express. My best oils are done rapidly.. before I have time to think about them. I have one other I drew on the computer. I'll attach it to this.

These 4 are the only computer drawings I have done. The others are all canvas. This is called Purple Water.



None of my paintings are exactly reality. They all have a touch of something a little surreal.

Thanks for the compliments.
Jenn

p.s. The first one [the blue waterfall one] took approx 4 months to do. I wa off line a while and kept working on it. The landscape with this message I did in approx 14 days. Couple weeks. The others were rapid. I love "What's out There"..... It is my favorite.
 
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