Happily Ever After
Life in The Rural Retreat with a beautiful wife, three cats, garden wildlife, a camera, a computer – and increasing amounts about running
Earlier posts can be found on Adventures of a Lone Bass Player, where this blog began life. Recent entries can be found here.
Cats In A Flap
by admin - 12:09 on 08 December 2013
Readers with memories that stretch back a few months may remember The Night of the Petrified Puss, when a Pandora startled or pursued by Mystery Moggy dived through the cat-flap with such forced that she knocked the already-cracked flap off its hinges and into two pieces. Since then the feline exit has been covered by a sheet of cardboard with a Sellotape hinge. We're champion DIY procrastinators in The Rural Retreat.
But winter is upon us and the Arctic draught past flapping cardboard had grown too much for Matchgirl to bear. A little internetery revealed that a replacement flap costs less than £8 – much less than a complete new unit. I'd warned her that the new flap wouldn't simply slot into place (or I'd have bought one ages ago) but would she listen...
The flap arrived and, after a brief chunter about how long its journey had taken, the DIY Queen was soon on her knees, surrounded by inquisitive cats, attempting to slot it into place. And failing, even after reluctantly reading the instructions.
An appropriate screwdriver was hunted down then used to take apart the whole cat door, as demanded by the instructions. Several years' filth was sponged off the interior while The Fearless Ones leapt back and forth through the enlarged gap; Maia sat and watched from a suspicious distance.
Before the unit was screwed back in place the door was reassembled and the flap tested – a wise decision, because the flap didn't seal properly. Conflicting polarity on the magnetic strip was diagnosed, so more disassembly and reassembly was carried out before the unit was put back in place. The living room immediately warmed by ten degrees.
Matchgirl was happy. I was happy because Matchgirl was happy. The Fearless Ones were happy because they had a new toy. But Maia remained enveloped in a small cloud of suspicious gloom and refused to make use of the rejuvenated pussycat portal; the only way get her through was to hold the flap open, which seems to defeat the object of having one.
Two days later, Maia's still suspicious and refusing to use the flap unaided. It could be a long winter.
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