Scratching pole

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 20:04:18 +0200

hans@social.woefdram.nl

Oh, look who's finally discovered her scratching pole!

I tricked her into getting her paws on it by sending the laser light there, she loves chasing that. Took a few days and several attempts, but she finally decided she can also do it without the laser light.

We're halfway there, now she needs to learn not to use my furniture for that anymore...

#CatsOfMastodon

cats

show all 16 comments

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 21:48:08 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

Between our cat and two dogs, it's pretty easy to tell we're living with things that chew and claw. Small price to pay. And pardon the pun, the difference between patina and petina.

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 22:06:29 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

I'm not too attached to my furniture, the couch in the living room is up for replacement anyway. A few scratchmarks here and there aren't the end of the world. As you say, it's a small price to pay.

I'd rather have torn up furniture and cats, than pristine stuff and no cats.

Love the pun btw 😂

Fri, 19 Jul 2024 23:23:10 +0200

Kenny Chaffin

kennychaffin@diasp.org

" the difference between patina and petina."

LOL!!!!

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 01:24:07 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

Our little cat, Isis, chased a bear off our back deck last summer. A few days ago, the neighbors' young Labrador dog got loose and ran over to visit our young Australian Shepherd at the fence. Isis chased it all the way back across the street and into its own yard. Never underestimate the Power of Cat.

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 10:39:37 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

Wow. We used to have a cat that chased away dogs, even attacking them if they didn't run fast enough.

But a bear..?? 😳

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 16:15:10 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

I was on the couch with my laptop and a clear view of the deck through the sliding door. First I saw Isis with her tail straight up and yowling. Then the head of the bear coming up the stairs. I ran to the door, grabbed a half empty watering can and hurled it at the bear. It turned around and started to go back down the stairs with Isis in hot pursuit. Yup, we've got a guard cat. And two guard dogs. Ha. Compared to last year, we've only had a few bear visits. Last year, 14 separate incidents with 3 or 4 different black bears. It was so dry that the saskatoon bushes (Amelanchier alnifolia) had next to no fruit. Major food resource for the bears in early summer. This year the trees were heavily loaded with berries thanks to spring rains (versus drought). Less reason for bears to come around and into the yard. Just below us on the mountainside is one of two watering holes in our neighborhood. That's the main reason for bears in the vicinity.

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 16:18:32 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

We also get the occasional mountain lion but that's a rare thing. Good to have dogs doing their job. Just about every neighbor has one or more dogs. It's our alarm system. Ha.

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 16:47:48 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

I saw several bears when I was on Victoria Island, but that was at a safe distance. Impressive animals, but I'd rather not get too close.

Had to carry pepperspray when we hiked in the Jasper area, glad I never had to use it 👍

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 17:28:34 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

I did forestry fieldwork for almost 20 years. I felt safest when working with my bear dog, Luna, a Lab x Golden Retriever. She stopped one black bear from running me over. Otherwise, I carried two cans of bear spray. One in my cruise vest that held all my gear and another in a chest pack in case I ever had to drop my vest and go up a tree. That never happened. Black bears were par for the course. Grizzly encounters quite another matter. I was face to face with one on its hindquarters less than 10 m away. Glad to hear you've visited BC and Alberta. I spent the first half of my life in northern BC. My sons were born in McBride just west of Jasper in BC. We now live in Penticton and the Okanagan Valley just an hour's drive north of the US border. Hotter, drier, and much shorter winters.

Sat, 20 Jul 2024 18:22:56 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

I loved BC and Alberta, and I'm sure I'm going to visit again.

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 01:21:26 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

About half an hour after my last comment, there was a bit of an edge to Nikki's barking outside. Yup. A bear I recognize was coming halfway up our driveway and into the yard. It sauntered off as it's way too hot to be running.

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 01:22:52 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

PS If you come to BC again, be sure to visit the Okanagan. Best part of the province I think.

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 10:43:36 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

Will remember that. Not sure when that's going to be, there are so many parts of the world I still want to see.

Rainforest is one, a trip to Machu Picchu is high on my wish list. And Africa, I really want to see the big family members of my own furry friends, and elephants. And India, that should be a real culture shock.

So much too see, so little time and money 🙄

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 12:42:14 +0200

Kenny Chaffin

kennychaffin@diasp.org

@Hans van Zijst that's why we have the Interwebz!!!

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 13:17:03 +0200

Hans van Zijst

hans@social.woefdram.nl

@Kenny Chaffin Looking at pictures and reading other peoples' experiences doesn't satisfy the real curiosity. It stirs it though 😉

Sun, 21 Jul 2024 17:10:46 +0200

Peter Lindelauf

peter_lindelauf@diasp.org

Rainforest, @Hans van Zijst? I was born in the coastal rain forest in Prince Rupert up near Alaska. I've been trying to stay out of that much rain ever since. Ha. One thing I love about my home province is that it has everything from rainforest to desert to grassland to tundra to alpine. We live in Ponderosa forest and grassland.

Just south of us is a so-called Pocket Desert. It's a remnant of the Great Sonoran Desert that used to run from Mexico up to the Yukon, post-glaciation. Yup, we've got cacti in BC. All the way up to the Yukon. And ancient cedars. I've let my passport lapse as I could spend the rest of my life in BC quite happily. And setting foot in the Excited States again is feeling a bit unlikely at the moment. My mom and dad (English and Dutch) emigrated to Canada because the passage to Australia was too expensive. Sure glad they did.