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<\/a>Hella at the cat flap<\/p><\/div>\n
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For the first two weeks in our new home, I had a big coop of mesh and spruce slats around the porch, so Jack and Hella could go outside without escaping. I only have one entrance into my house and it would be very easy for them to escape while I am getting into the house with full grocery bags in my hands. And it\u2019s very nice to have the doors open around May\/June. After two weeks they were completely accustomed to their new surroundings so I could remove the coop again. I remember how happy I was seeing Hella running and sneaking through the grass, hunting for mice. Sorry for the mice, but Hella is queen of the jungle here. Jack seems happy too, but he doesn\u2019t have the urge to wander off and stays in or close to home.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I bought a scratching barrel so that they\u2019d have something to sharpen their nails on as well as a place to hide. It\u2019s kind of big and actually they rarely use it. But every now and then Hella sleeps inside it and she does use it for scratching. Not Jack, he prefers the hamper\u2026I don\u2019t have a litter box. They can go outside whenever they want to and there\u2019s a litter box on the porch for Jack. I\u2019ve had it inside occasionally, like at New Year\u2019s Eve. But what an instant mess; the litter gets spread around the entire house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n With two cats in a Tiny House, it gets messy pretty easily. All that fur! And since they sleep on the bed, the bed linen gets dirty quickly too. I always use a bedspread. It\u2019s mostly Jack\u2019s favorite spot, so warm and cozy. Hella likes to crawl into my wardrobe sometimes, which doesn\u2019t please me because of all the hair. But it\u2019s so cute to watch that I can\u2019t bear to chase her away. I\u2019m just a big softie ;)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hella in the wardrobe, Jack in the front<\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n Once you accept all the loose fur, having two cats in a Tiny House is actually fine. I\u2019m happy I\u2019m able to work from home now so I can keep the house warm during the day. When it\u2019s really cold outside and I\u2019m away all day, the house gets pretty cold despite the good insulation. Hella can take the cold with her insulating fat layer. But Jack doesn\u2019t have that, being 17 years old with a chronic bowel problem. So he has difficulty keeping himself warm. At night the wood stove doesn\u2019t burn and it can get chilly inside. Jack always crawls under my blankets and uses my body heat. Not good for my night\u2019s rest but hey, you need to be there for your buddy ;)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n The moment I get out of bed I get the heat going and Jack takes his place in front of the wood stove. If I happen to be out for the day, I leave a hot water bottle in bed and make sure Jack can lie next to it if he wants to, though I haven\u2019t seen him use it yet. I\u2019m sure there are other solutions as well, like cat baskets with a heating element in it or something, I have no idea!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Hella likes to lie on the couch these days, just staring out of the window or sitting on my lap. Jack comes for his TLC in the evening; we love to cuddle together. He crawls all the way up in<\/span> to my neck. Hella starts drooling if she\u2019s happy on my lap. Nice Hella, thanks for the wet spots on my pants! Sometimes when I come home, she\u2019s waiting for me and starts mewing loudly and violently rubbing the deck with her head. Sometimes she runs along with me for a bit. I\u2019ve always had cats and I wouldn\u2019t want to miss it \u2013 seeing your buddy so happy when you get home. It makes me so happy!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I think this might be Jack\u2019s last year and I\u2019m already dreading the goodbye. I\u2019ve had him ever since he was a little ball of fur of only 9 weeks old, the weakest in the nest. Back then I made a deal with him, that he was to become at least 16 years old. But I never thought he would actually make it with his bad condition. Look at him now, 17 years old! He\u2019s outliving them all. But there must come an end to everything, and I don\u2019t think I\u2019ll bring in a new cat when that happens. I feel Hella is a cat that prefers to be alone. Jack and Hella aren\u2019t close friends. Luckily, they are not enemies either, they just accept each other\u2019s presence. For now, thankfully, Jack is still here and I get to enjoy him every day. Although he can really be a grumpy old man every now and then: \u2018feed me now woman!\u2019 :)<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/a>\n<\/a>\n<\/a><\/a>\n<\/a>\n<\/a>\n<\/a>\n<\/a>\n