Queen Eva has had other milestones over those first two years. That first fall, after her shots I did start taking her out with the rest of the cats. She took to the harness with no trouble, but I still wasn't ready to have her running loose in the yard. So, since she wasn't using it in the house any more, I brought her Castle down to the yard, and every time I took the cats out, I set up her Castle, and she played in that, while we were all out side. And she was perfectly happy with that.
I took her in and out via a carrier. I put her harness on, she got in the carrier and I carried her out, opened the carrier door facing the Castle so she went from the carrier to the Castle.. When it was time to go in, I put her back in the carrier and carried her in.
The first time I let her out of the Castle was at the end of an outing in late November. It was cold then, and after a quick run (at headlong speed) around the yard, she came inside willingly with the other cats.
Mazy, it seemed, wanted to see what it felt like to be Queen Eva
During the winter I took them out, because there wasn't any where for her to go, but the shoveled paths.
In the Spring, I let her come out without the Castle. However, in order to prevent any kind of door dashing behavior, I continued to take her out in her carrier. I put her harness on, she walked into the carrier, then I took the carrier out to the yard, opened it and let her out. I also continued to bring her in, the same way. I wasn't quite ready for her to associate that door with the outside yard.
After a couple of weeks, one day, when it was time to go in, instead of getting in the carrier, she ran inside with the other cats. So I stopped using the carrier to bring her in, but continued to use it to bring her out. Then, one day while they were all outside, they were startled, and all ran for the door. I followed them in and shut the door, and waited for the noise that had scared them to abate, then I opened the door again, and that was the first time she walked through the door to go outside.
The next time we went out, when I got the carrier down, instead of getting in it, she went over to the door and stretched herself up against it. That was how I knew she no longer needed to be taken out in the carrier, she told me she could be trusted, and she was. I was so proud of her!
One of my favorite memories is of the day she discovered the Big Cat litter boxes. She was so tiny, and the first few days after her integration I still had a litter box in her Castle, even though she wasn't being shut in the Castle any more, she was still using the litter box in it.
Then, on the third day I watched her discover the stairs. She plopped down them one at a time as I watched carefully from the top. Once she got down them she began to explore. Then she discovered the litter boxes! Such EXCITEMENT! Brrrmph! mrrrpmph! She called to me. I hurried down the stairs and she ran up to me stretching herself up on my legs brruping a mile a minute. Then she ran back over to the litter boxes, turning to look back to make sure I was watching. More brrups and mrrmphs as she jumped up onto the platform and walked through all of the litter boxes. I could tell just what she was saying. "Look Mom! Hey mom, lookit, LOOKIT Mom, there's a BATHROOM down here, LOOK, a BATHROOM!" Goodness was she excited. And from that moment on she never used her baby potty upstairs again, so I put it away.
First time on my lap
First Sunbeam. She was nine weeks old, it was her fourth day after integration, 11th day forever home
Queen Eva is a dedicated Burrower. She has actual daily Burrow routines, in addition to her many random Burrowing antics.
A Burrower is Born:
Queen Eva's first documented Burrow, August 24 2010
I thank Ootay :angel: daily for sending her to us, she is so special and I just love her so much.