I've written before about how we love our house with it's nice-sized
cat-proof back yard. Apparently Ranger decided we getting to settled-in,
so he started occasionally climbing our supposedly cat-proof fence and
sitting on the front porch.

That led us to decide we had to properly cat-proof the yard, with mesh
netting and standoffs and all that nonsense. We were figuring that since
Ranger wasn't getting out too often we could wait another month or so,
until it would fit in the budget.

Friday evening Sammy decided it was time to do the cat-proofing work
NOW. That was when my chicken-hearted big orange boy decided that he
wanted to sit on the front porch too. He is such a chicken that if he
was to be confronted by something dangerous he would be inclined to
panic and run deeper into danger.

So, Saturday Nancy and I drove into Des Moines and spent money we really
needed for other things, and bought lumber, plastic screen, PVC pipe,
drill bits, etc. Saturday afternoon and most of Sunday were spent
cutting, drilling, tieing, and otherwise erecting a cat-proof barrier on
our wooden privacy fence.

The kitties have had several hours in the back yard now, and not a
single kitty has left the back yard. It might be that they're taking
pity on me (I'm home sick today with the flu), or perhaps Nancy and I
finally hit on the solution that's really going to work.

I suspect it's really that the fence is working; now, every time I go
near the front door Ranger tries into position to dash out the door when
it opens. He hasn't caught on yet that I almost never open the door; I
just open the primary door and leave the screen door closed.

Dan