Cat's: Two-of-Them-Style

Sailor Heaven

  • Likes:
    • Ball on a track toy
    • Being pet
    • Getting puffy for no reason
    • Social grooming
  • Dislikes:
    • Sudden movements
    • Lemons (scent)
    • Music

Cowboy Central

October 3rd 2022

Last night Cowboy trapped himself in this little gap between the wall and our washing machine. It's lucky it happened while we were still awake, because otherwise we might not have found him until the next day!

Our washing machine and dryer are in the closet right outside our bedroom door, which also has one of the cats' two litter boxes in it. They're stacked on top of one another (the washer and dryer, not the litter), and the washer isn't directly against a corner, it's got a slight gap that is just barely big enough for me to thread my body through and try to pull him up and out.

The problem is that it's still a very small space, and even though Cowboy is a big guy, he was scared and didn't know what I was doing, so he kept shying awa from my hands, and I can't reach all the way down to the bottom of that crevice, and I think he was tired by that point, so it was hard to get him to sit up enough that I could try to get a hold on him to pull him up without hurting him.

So here is the situation:

Pixel art diagram of where Cowboy was stuck between the washer/dryer and the wall. It shows the washer and dryer with a cat drawn where Cowboy was stuck, to the right of the washer inside a closet with little space between the wall and the washer. There is emphasis put on how small the gap is that Cowboy slid through

The red shape is the gap that Cowboy must have slid through and fallen down into, like so:

Pixel art driagram of where Cowboy was stuck with a new drawing of a cat silhouette showing that Cowboy was stuck behind the washer and dryer between them and the wall.

It's lucky that I can fit my arms into that gap at all, but even shoving myself as far as I can into the doesn't let me reach far enough to grab him if he's crouched, which he was since he was tired.

Pixel brush drawing of my arms raised above my head showing my wingspan

Trying to shove the front of my body into this tiny gap felt like a caving rescue mission. The problem was that even if I could get my arms in, actually grabbing him was another problem, and then more than that, there was the issue of lifting him out.

I needed to bend my arms to hold him securely, but bending my arms meant I couldn't pull them out of the crevice once they were in, and I was worried about hurting him as I was hauling him back out. I got hold of him a few times but had to let go as I tried to pull back because The angle would mean I couldn't get a good grip, I would have to pull him by the arms, or back of the neck, and neither of those were viable options...

I don't even really remember how I pulled him out, but it was at least a little more secure, although I still felt bad for how unceremoniously I had to pull him out, but it was necessary or else there was no way of getting him that we could think of while so sleep-addled and concerned about getting him out ASAP. He was worked up and yelling when I was lifting him out, but I got him out without hurting him, thankfully, even though he yelled a few times while I was in the middle of hauling him out of the crevice.

Actually it hurt me more than him. I ended up with bruises and scrapes on my arms, which Mister Cowboy doesn't even know about. We pet him for a while and hung out with him after The Rescue, and we've added a box in that crevice so if someone ends up down there they have something to stand on to help them get out, and/or something to make it easier to grab them, and also (something you can see in the illustration above) a little anti-slide mat that we keep on top of the washer so when they jump up they have something for their little claws to grip.

Sepbember 28th 2022

6:51 PM

The wind is starting to pick up outside! It's been raining all day today, but it's definitely windier now.

Gave Cowboy and Sailor anxiety medication from the vets earlier today (mixed with their cat treat gogurt (not actual gogurt)). Cowboy is still conked out and totally relaxed on the bed, and Sailor is starting to perk up again and get nervous cause she didn't eat all of hers :T

I'll upload a pic of Cowboy sleeping in a sec. [updates to come!!]

Sepbember 28th 2022

7:12 PM

PHoto of a black cat taken from above. It's a close up. He's sleeping on his side, and his mouth is open slightly to reveal his tongue. Photo of a black cat taken from above. He's sleeping on his side on a floral duvet cover. He looks very relaxed Photo of a black cat taken from head on as he sits on a duvet cover. He looks sleepy and his eyelids are drooping shut...

September 25th 2022

Digital drawing of a lavender cat toy shaped like a star with googly eyes and stuffing coming out of the bottom

Woke up and opened the bedroom door to find someone (Sailor?) had eviscerated Cowboy's star toy.

The look Cowboy gave when we tried throwing it away was so pathetic that we gave it back to him after pulling out the stuffing.

Pixel brush drawing of he same lavender stuffed star toy looking deflated

September 15th 2022

  • Cowboy
    • Cowboy took a nap on the bed as usual (on his back, looking like roadkill).
    • Compared the smell of his food to the smell of the mysterious package that arrived in the mail (containing cat food bag)
  • Sailor
    • Sat her paws on my leg and "snuggled" (sat next to me with her paws on my leg)
    • She stole my spot when I got off the couch