I’m a lurker since March. I’ve learned so much from you all and am grateful. I am prepped now very well for an extended time if need be. Anyway, yesterday I was doing some routine cleaning and I noticed an odd smell coming from around some of my preps. In a large room in my house I have stored 12 five gallon buckets (one years’s worth of long term preps for my husband and myself and possibly others). The buckets are arranged to support a mattress and box springs and it’s all decorated nicely and looks like a lovely bed. I investigated the smell. At first I was very concerned. I wondered if something in my buckets had spoiled, but that couldn’t be. Only non-perishables are in them and we followed very good instructions received from threads here, so what was going on? I couldn’t see well under there so I got a flash light and lifted all the covers and went in. And then I found it. IT was a dead bird! One of my cats apparently brought it in and hid it there for “later.” Afterall this is where the preps are stored. I got it out “just in time” before it got really bad. I had to laugh at the irony……a dead bird amongst my preps for BF. Do any you have similar stories to share? I feel in the midst of such a sobering subject, sometimes we just have to laugh at ourselves. If this needs to go somewhere else instead of a new thread, please move it. Since I’ve never posted before, I am not certain how it all works. Thank you.
You may want to put a Bell on that cat, the last thing you need is him catching a bird, eating it and bringing the flu back to you (yes the flu has been found in cats for all you newbes out there)…..your totally right though, it is ironic to say the least. I would have laughed my a** off…..Love the idea of the pail/support for the mattress!
Good thing you can laugh… I would be so creeped out! LOL! But THANKS for sharing that bed support idea… pure genius! I feel a platform bed coming on…
I reckon that cat is very intuitive but uninformed…
smart cat- he/she is storing up preps also. - I think they “know”.
The cat will have to go when things get really going; I realize that with sadnes. We have three and can only keep the old one who has no claws. Cats that are used to going in and out on a whim do not adjust well to having to stay indoors. For everyone’s sanity I know a barn that has several feral cats. All (even the ones already there) have been neutered and have shots for what its worth. There is a pond nearby and field mice and birds. So when it’s time, that will be their new home.
Other “weird” things ……since we started “prepping” it seems that our whole lives have changed. There seems to be a certain level of detachment occuring. We are not afraid as much as we are resigned to big changes that seem inevitable. Life is good, though. It’s a beautiful hot summer, the grass is mowed, the house is clean and the prepping is pretty much done! And BTW, there are 5 gallon buckets hidden all over.
On the weird story side- I have a cat with a tail that glows in the dark. I was trying to mix some glow in the dark paint in an aquarium. The idea was to let it”charge” in the greenhouse. Then I could pump it to a “panel” inside in the evening. I was just having fun trying to get an aux. light. Anyway, Issac N. is a big fluffy tailed cat. He got his tell in the paint. So for a few days we had this glowing thing moving around the yard at night.
There’s a squirrel in my yard recently who seems to have had a stroke or something. One side of his body seems weak, and he staggers when he walks. When I came home the other day and walked under the tree, he fell out! And then scrambled away. My neighbor had him in her yard last week, but it’s surprising a falcon or cat hasn’t caught him. Hope whatever is wrong isn’t contagious!
DennisC - Great story! Thanks. And anyone who would name their cat Isaac Newton deserves respect!
Feather Pillow - I am allergic to cats, but my thoughts have been that I’ll want to get one or 2 before tshtf. If things get bad, people die and garbage piles up, the rodent problem could be horrendous. Do cats that have always stayed indoors mice as well as outdoor cats? Are indoor cats happy? Are there breeds that do better as indoor cats? Probably should’ve started a new thread for these questions (that I didn’t have before I read this thread!). Any opinions?
Jane, Beware of that squirrel. It could have rabies, with the neurological symptoms he is exhibiting. There is a lot of rabies in wildlife in my area now.
Indoor cats are quite happy. I have 2. I suspect they mice as well as the outdoor variety, judging from the chaos we had when a squirrel got in the house.
By the way I have another cat named Albert E. I play with him with a laser pointer. He loves it.
You may want to try a Turkish Van if you have allergies. They are unique in that they love to play in water. That means you can bath them often and to keep the allergies down.
I am told that the cats with 6 toes are the best mousers. And the kittens that have an outdoor cat as a mom seem to make good ones. But Isaac is just standard black cat with white paws. He does a good job. He has even gotten a bat or two. Indoor cats seem happy. Just go down to the SPCA or whatever you have there and ask. Or just put up a sign at the local feed store- kitten wanted. Cats that were raised in barns are good for mice.
Hello fellow cat-lovers, I couldn’t resist this thread!
Lisa in Southern Maine – at 18:21- indoor cats can be quite happy, they can also live to be quite old, 20–25 years. I lost 2 indoor-only cats recently that both lived to age 20. (I have a new kitten now). There are a couple of breeds of cats that have extra short fur, one type is so short it looks bald. They are very unusual-looking, but I’ve heard that people with allergies seem to have no problem with these types of cats. One is called a Devon Rex and the other is a Sphynx. Some people go crazy and buy them little clothes to wear like dolls. Needless to say, this type of cat would be strictly indoors-only.
Melanie - what kind do you have?
DennisC - Laser-chase seems like an appropriate game for a cat named Albert E. Thanks for the breed name. I’ll look up info. on them. Do cats hold their own with dogs? My dogs have never hunted the neighborhood cats, so I think they’d be fine with another addition to the household. But the cat would need to put them in their place eventually…
Be best cat I had to “hold their own” against dogs was a manx. They jump very high and like to get way up high in rooms. Mine would jump down on dogs, ride their backs and run them out of the yard. But if you get one, be sure to get a kitten since they don’t like to “relocate” and dominate their space. (they are the tail-less kind of cats).
Most cats will do OK with dogs if you interoduce them while they are kittens. Adult cats don’t do that very well.
Lisa in Southern Maine – at 18:48
We live on a farm with 22(?) cats and 4 dogs. Most of the cats live and hunt outside, though two live inside to take care of the mice that make it past our outdoor sentries (and yes, all neutered and have all of their shots). Cats hold their own with dogs since they live in a three D world, dogs only live in a 2 D world. Cats go up … curtains, furniture, my leg, etc, most dogs can’t get above floor level though some of mine have tried to fly once or twice.
My dogs will chase our cats IF the cat will run, but ignore cats that just lay there and ignore them. If the cat wants to play, the dogs will chase. If the cat doesn’t want to play, and the dogs chase, they come back rubbing their noses after the cat corrects them.
When we moved into this farmhouse, we had a terrible problem with mice. The mice ate all of the labels off cans, etc. Imagine your preps with no labels, giving you mystery meals every day. The cats took care of the problem (though my Shepherd was also a great mouser in his day).
DennisC - I will get a kitten then. I hope for one that won’t use the dogs as horses…unless the situation call for it!
Strider - 22? And mystery meals? Your life is an adventure! Glad to hear about the cat’s correcting the dogs. I think that’ll be necessary in this house, especially with sir seymour the stupid, sweetest dog known to mankind but incredibly, abnormally dense!
We have dog door fixed in a window to let our 3 cats in and out. At first bought a cat window, but the one cat named “Big” was just too bid. In and out, in and out they go. Only the one has brought any “preps” inside. I do believe that they all know something is up. They watch us in our food storage tasks and are very interested. We also just put a privi=acy fence around the yard as we live in town. No problem for them, except for Big…..too big and lazy to jump that high.
How bad will the mortality rate be for such animals, I wonder. That’s shy we’ve planned to give them up. Just too dangerous once this thing gets started.
Some very funny stories and good comments, BTW.
I Like the buckets under the bed trick. Very cool.
Well Michael Levitt (sp) did say that everyone should put a can of tuna under the bed. that comment was so funny at the time, but it did give me a good idea. The bed is a little higher than a normal bed, but very sturdy. If someone came in the house actually looking for food I’m sure it would be found. But if just a normal person came in, he/she would never guess.
Knowall at 18:46 - I missed your post somehow. I’m so glad I just went back a did a quick scan. I had no idea a cat could live that long! When I was little, we had outdoor cats. One once took on the huge german shepard up the road (successfully). I swear that dog never threatened us after our cat lost his temper that one time. Another cat took on a large racoon that had been lurking around the house. He survived a claw-hole that completely penetrated his skull. They were incredible animals. Great hunters, fierce and protective. Fighters, but they’d lick tears gently off a small child’s face, and stay with that child until she was feeling better. I’ve missed having a cat! I would certainly get a funny-looking one in order to be able to live with one again! Thanks so much. You must miss yours a lot, after spending 20 years together!
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