Missing kitten...

This Easter has been properly tinged with sadness for us here at Mount Pleasant.

On the bright sunny morning of Saturday March 30th our kitten, DJ, went outside for a sniff about as he does each morning and never came back.

We have spent the past week phoning vets and the Cat's Protection League, leaving posters at local shops and on community pinboards, putting leaflets through letterboxes and knocking on doors asking people to check their sheds and garages and keep an eye out. I have posted pictures on facebook and twitter which have been shared extensively (thank you everyone) but so far have had no response.

Every morning for the past week I have woken up thinking that this is the day he will come home, and every evening I have gone to bed thinking 'tomorrow...'  I have even dreamt of him - seen him in the distance and called his name and he comes trotting up, tail all a-quiver and jumps up to my shoulder for a hug with a little squeaky miaow...

In ten short weeks he has firmly embedded himself within our family and into my heart (you can read about how DJ came into our life here). The last 7 days of not knowing have been torture.

DJ, wherever you are, we hope you are safe and happy. We would love you to come home xx

****UPDATE****

8th April 2013

10 hours after publishing this blog post, a friend got in touch with me via facebook to say a friend of hers had spotted a kitten identical to DJ that afternoon. We've studied the pictures and are convinced it is him! He is in another town 12 miles from home but, coincidentally 50 yards from our bike shop so we can only assume he managed to hitch a ride in the van somehow! 

Today I will mostly be walking around the area shaking a tub of kitty crunchies and hopefully tonight our little bundle of fur and claws will be back where he belongs - snuggled around my neck :-)

Meet DJ - the newest member of our family

You may remember I lost my beloved kitty (and friend) last year. I still miss her like crazy but 18 years in another creature's company is a long time...

We talked about getting another cat but neither of us were in a hurry. We talked about what kind of cat we would like - I was certain I didn't want a long haired cat (all that extra grooming/matted fur and uber fur balls etc - no thanks). We both really liked the idea of a tabby cat. We talked about how nice it would be to have a female and maybe let her have some kittens (which we would keep or re home with family) so that the Little Man could witness the wonder of birth. Although we both knew that there were plenty of cats out there needing homes already and adding more kitten to the pool was not the most responsible thing we could do.

Most of all we were adamant that we were not 'replacing' Ron but adding to our family and as such we would all go to the rescue centre/Cats Protection League together to choose...

Well that's what we intended to do. However fate decided differently.

On the morning of January 14th a friend posted on Facebook that she had found 2 tiny kittens in a bag abandoned on the side of the road. She couldn't keep them herself so put out an appeal for someone who could home and care for them. Well I couldn't just ignore it. 6 hours later (after kittens had been checked over by vet and vet had approved of new carers) one teeny, tiny, extremely vocal bundle of fur was riding home in a borrowed cat box...

Meet DJ

Isn't he adorable?

The vet said both kittens were malnourished and needed a lot of care as they were, technically, too young to be away from their mother (she guessed at around 7 weeks) but their overall health was good. Our kitten has a crooked tail where it had been broken at some point in his short life, but it doesn't seem to bother him.  What they both needed more than anything else was warmth, love and to feel safe again.

 He didn't waste any time making himself at home...

I love his unusual fur - at first glance he is a black and white moggy but a closer look at his fur shows that there is a good peppering of lighter brown fur and longer white hairs in his coat (what did I say about NOT wanting a long haired cat . . .? ) It makes him look a bit dusty - hence the name Dusty Jake or DJ for short.

He is very playful - as you would expect with a kitten at this age - and is still learning to control his claws! 

He has developed a habit of running up my legs and back to perch on my shoulder. It's very cute but also very painful so we are trying to curb that one (any suggestions on kitten training gratefully received!)  He has virtually destroyed this old waste paper basket. The day we got him, Little Man gave up his Gruffalo toy to keep DJ company so he didn't miss his kitten sibling.  Gruffalo is the perfect size for kitten to practise his pouncing and clawing techniques. Needless to say poor Gruffalo may have preferred a life of calm quiet oblivion in the bottom of the toy box! (as for me, well the scratches on my hands/arms/legs/belly/back/face will heal. In time . . .)

He has become my little buddy - I think he thinks I'm his mummy - and follows me around everywhere. His favourite place to be is perched on my shoulder or draped around my neck. That will be interesting once he grows into his (huge) paws!  He has also developed a fascination with my sewing machine! He is also happy to pose for photographs and has already modelled for one of my tutorials.

Gazing wistfully outside - I can't wait until the weather warms up a bit and we can spend some time in the garden.

After a less than brilliant start to life, DJ has well and truly settled in to life on Mount Pleasant. 

And we are more than happy to have him here. 

If you can give a cat a loving home please contact your local Cat's Protection League or vet who can give you details of animal shelters/rescue centres who are desperately looking for homes for abandoned animals.

And if you find yourself in a position with an animal you can no longer care for/provide a home for please PLEASE contact your vet or animal shelter to re-home them. There is no excuse for simply abandoning an animal - young or old.  DJ and his sibling were fortunate to be found when they were, having spent the coldest night of the year outside they were lucky to be alive. I expect there are hundreds more who aren't so lucky.

#CreativeBudget - DIY cosy rug

I have had a little break from the Abakhan Creative Budget challenge for a few months but this month it's back and I have a lovely little how-to for your home.



As ever I had a budget of £15 to spend - here is what I got*





1m Organic Cotton Hopsack drill in 'natural'
1m 'Lambskin' fur fabric in ecru
5m Beresfords double face satin ribbon 50mm in khaki

*now admittedly I ordered these items during the sale and they came in at £14.74 - at current website prices this little bundle will cost you £18.20 - still a bit of a bargain, I think you'll agree!

and this is what I did with it...



DIY Mitred Corner rug with ribbon trim.

Take your metre of cotton drill, fold it half width ways and cut into two pieces measuring approx 1m x 75cm. Put one piece aside - this will be the backing for your rug.



Cut the other piece into 4 strips -  two measuring 100cm x 15cm and two measuring 75cm x 15cm. These will form the 'frame' of your rug.




Cut 4 lengths of ribbon - two 100cm long and two 75cm long. Position these centrally along the 'frame' pieces.
I did this by folding a 5cm 'hem' along the long edge of my drill fabric and ironing the crease in. You can then align one edge of the ribbon to this crease and it will be perfectly central all the way along!








Pin the ribbon in place before machine stitching using a small zig zag stitch. Satin ribbon can be quite slippy so don't rush it and take care that it doesn't slide out of position.








To create the mitred corners take one longer and one shorter piece and pin them together at one end, right sides facing, ensuring that the ribbon trim on both pieces is aligned.  Measure in 15cm from bottom corner and draw a diagonal line from this point up to the top corner. Machine stitch along this line.






Trim off the excess fabric and press the seam open (make sure you place a tea towel or an off cut of fabric over the ribbon ends when you iron as the hot iron will melt the ribbon!)

Repeat with the other long and short piece and join the two pieces together to finish off your frame












Now you need to measure the long and short inside edge of your frame. Add 5cm  to these measurements (to allow for the frame not being totally 'square' ) and cut out your centre panel in the lambswool fleece fabric.  Place the frame and the fleece face down on your table and, starting from the centre of one short side begin pinning the two pieces, right sides together.

Once you have pinned all the way around, hold the mat up and check the centre panel is 'square' and the mat is not distorted. Then, using long stitches, tack the pieces together, removing the pins as you go. Now you can turn the mat over and place it on the floor to double check it will lie correctly before you machine stitch (tacking stitches are much easier to undo than machine ones. Trust me!)





When you are happy that your central panel is positioned correctly trim away the excess fleece fabric and machine stitch it in place - I found it easier to treat each side as a separate seam rather than try and go all the way round in one go as the corners were quite bulky.




 Finally take the other piece of the hopsack drill fabric. Pin it to your mat, right sides together and, leaving a gap for turning, stitch all the way around. Trim the seams, press them open and turn. Slip stitch the opening together. Give your mat an iron (on the back - your ribbon and fleece will both melt if they come into contact with a hot iron!!!) , lay it on the floor and stand back to admire your handiwork!

I am really pleased with the result! Yes it's a little wonky but that gives it character. Now I have mastered the 'mitred corner' I will definitely be making more of these floor mats for other rooms as it lends itself to being altered in a number of ways. I used the thick hopsack twill fabric because I wanted a sturdy rug that would stand up to a bit of use (and abuse) but you could use any pretty fabric if your mat is going into a low traffic area like your bedside (imagine sinking your feet into that cosy fleece every morning!). You could use fabric strips instead of ribbon for the trim or use towel for the centre panel and you have a bathmat.

You'll have noticed that our new kitten (more about him in another post) has taken rather a shine to the fleece centre and as I used only a tiny bit of the metre of fabric I ordered I have an idea of how to make use of the rest.  Stay tuned - I will blog that project at a later date...




ps -  apologies for the bad photographs. This project was done during the Snow Week and the natural light I usually take advantage of via our conservatory was all blocked out by about 10" of snow on the roof!

pps - if you would like to see more fab Creative Budget projects, Abakhan have just set up a board on Pinterest showcasing them all! You can follow it here