Cat houses for outdoor cats: the three I chose for my babies.

The time has come: the babies need new cat houses. Currently, there are 28 cats at Cat Cottage. Their names are: Tommaso, Sebastiano, Oliver, Lilli, Alice, Maurizio, Filippo, Arianna, Valentino, Vittorio, Giorgio, Paolina, Margherita, Elettra, Alberto, Greta, Pepita, Conni, Fosco, Fulvio, Minni, Gigi, Linus, Regina, Miuccio, Titti, Rebecca, Rodolfo. Yes, I remember them all, and yes, they all know their names. Some of them are strictly indoor cats, while the others are almost entirely outdoor. The choice of whether to make them live inside or outside depends on their personality and health issues. Some of the cats have a somewhat feral attitude; they hate being confined, and they couldn't care less about the comforts of a sofa or a bed. They have stayed here because where I live is the safest place for an outdoor cat. No roads, no predators, and we all love them. Some of the members of the garden gang. They usually dine under the patio where they have their beds. But on this day, we had a heavy rainstorm, and the floor was flooded. The perks of country life! Oliver reading in the garden. I have a patio where the garden gang, as I call the outdoor kitties, resides. I turned the Ikea Ivar shelves into…

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Spay, neuter, love.

Days are beginning to get longer, which means spring is close! I'm a summer girl. I need long sunny days and afternoons spent in the garden or at the beach. I wait all winter for signs of spring. I have a countdown app on my phone that indicates how many days are left until the end of winter. That end never comes soon enough. At the same time, spring is also the season I fear the most. Spring is kitten season! Every year around May or June I get the 'gift' of a new unwanted and very pregnant mama cat, or unwanted kittens. I always search for new families for them, but it is becoming more difficult as time goes by. If you follow me on social media, you may have seen pictures of this kitten. Her name is Margherita and she was dumped here a few months ago. She has a cleft lip and a few balance issues which are improving with time. Due to her cleft lip, her nose has a funny flower shape and she snores a lot. She was quite shy and scared but now she's a force of nature: she plays continuously, eats like a cow and loooovvves to cuddle. Her coat was matted and…

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