Funny/Ironic you should mention the window screens, because that is
exactly what prompted me to write this post.

The night before last, I got up at around 4 am to to let Biffy Birman
into the extension because it is slightly cooler in there. I had to
bring him indoors from his pen, because the silly old Fa*t started
tunneling out of it underneath the bars. I felt it was better to bring
him indoors, than take my chances on him not getting all of the way
out. I thought he would be far safer indoors! Just goes to show how
wrong you can be...

Thinking that he was as safe as he could be anywhere, I let him
through the door, then bleary eyed Sheelagh went back to bed again.
At 8am, I got the alarm call from my son, Luke, to say that everything
had been knocked off the window ledge, & also that Biffy was missing
too...
<headless chicken act, Arghhhh#@?!!>

I went flying around the block to see if I could find him, but there
was nothing. I tried once more and included the meadow for good
measure because that is where we take him when he is on reins, with
the other cats.. but No Biffy to be found anywhere.
I packed the kids off to school, then decided to have a mini cup of
Tea break ..

(us Brit's tut tut!!)

I figured if he had been gone 4 hours, another 10 minutes wasn't going
to make too much difference..Whilst drinking my cuppa, I called him
from the patio doors, for the sheer hell of it, in the non existent
hope that he might hear me....& blow me if he didn't start shouting
back @ me;o) It was more than music to my ears, Lol....

I could hear him, but not quite place him, so I decided to go outside
in the garden to see if I could hear better, & there he was..All 15lb
of him trying to do a balancing act on the top of the dividing
fence(Shhhhhh! He might hear, me, & I don't want to hurt his feelings,
but he did look rather like a hippo doing Ballet on the fence,
ROFLOL)....
This is my ultimate fear. I have been ever so lucky until now, by
constantly saying "shut that door, before the cats get out"... even
next door's parrot can say it now. I just feel that I had a very
narrow lucky escape yesterday, & the very thought of loosing one of
them is enough to make me break out in a cold sweat!!?.....

We have central heating for the winter & they all live on radiator
beds during the winter, so I was thinking that possibly a mobile air
conditioner might be the answer to our problem. I can't say that I'm
not worride about the electric bill, because I am. However, if it
makes every ones life easier then it has to be worth it. Since I gave
up smoking, it is amazing what I can afford to do these days...I can't
figure out why  the hell I started in the 1st place really....(still
we all do silly things, don't we?)

I have Big fat Ragdolly's too Joe, as well as Big Birmans and other
chunky cats who all seem to be flagging in the hot weather, & I am all
too aware that it is simply going to get worse, not better until @
least October time.....

I have looked around for screens Wendy, but I must be looking in the
wrong places, because I can't find any around that will make them to
size, to allow us to be able to open the windows when they are
indoors, & it is like living in an oven. I let the kids open their
upstairs, but not any of the ones downstairs apart from the huge patio
one in the living room because that one does have screen cut to size &
flush with the window. I couldn't bare the thought of loosing any of
them, aside from the fact that none of them are really road savvy &
would either be stolen, run over, or hurt like the others have been

Oh Mary, I really do feel for you too. It must be a cracking type of
heat that you must endure? I was brought up in Africa, but it doesn't
mean that I love the heat!!!
I prefer a cold frosty morning any day.....!!

All ideas & 2cents worth appreciated v. much indeed.
Thanks,
S;o)

TuTu doesn't like air conditioning, but she will stretch out in front of
the box fan which I use  as an alternative.  I just had a new A/C
installed.  My old one was 23 years old and I felt it was time.  It cost
double what the one did 23 years ago.   MLB

On May 24, 7:38 am, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER>
wrote:

Here too. Last year, at this same time, our A/C went out, and the
outside temp was around 97 F.
We *had* to get a window unit, just to survive until a new heat pump
unit could be installed.
The cats were very lethargic, and stayed on the tile floor most of the
time...stretched out
very l-o-o-o-o-ng. I think that's a good indicator whether a cat is
uncomfortabley hot. They seem to stretch
out as long as they can. And yes, the cats do take advantage of fans.
I can't imagine not having A/C.

Sherry

On 24 May, 13:38, "MaryL" <stanco...@yahoo.comTAKE-OUT-THE-LITTER>
wrote:

Wow...!!
I must  say that you have a very beautiful home & garden too.

Our house is a typical English detached house with double garage.
Nothing great about it at all, however, we are in the throes of
digging the back garden up, landscaping it & putting new pens up for
the cats out the back too. I look forward to being able to having a
proper garden again, with fragrant flowers & the "I want to be here,
factor".I'm afraid that I am famous in the village for carrying my
trowel & shears around when I take the cats for a walk. That way, if I
see something I like the look of, I either take a cutting or a root,
to be potted until we get to the stage where we can plant them out
there.

Here are few photos that I already had of the house as we started the
whole project. We had to have over 40 conifers removed(by law, they
can not exceed 2 meters, & these were over 40' high!!)
Then we had the extension fitted, & we also started putting a fence
around 3/4 of the garden(we have a wall on the 4th side), & building
raised flower beds, laying fresh turf & then putting the new pens up
for the cats- this was all last summer

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheelaghmadden/OurHomeTheStartOfTheGarden

We still have a long way to go,  & It is my belief that we must be
able to find someone who is willing to make the screens for our
windows, even if they are spring loaded mosquito netting to keep them
indoors. It is something that has not available here because there has
never been the need. Nevertheless, it is time that we did all start
thinking about it, because the mosquitoes have arrived, the same as we
need air conditioning now, that we never had the need of before now
too!
S;o)

A/C is still a very new thing over here in the UK. I don't mean that
there isn't any; I mean that I don't know any person who actually has
A/C fitted in their house. The only places that I can think of that
does have it, are shops and shopping centers ect.(Mall's?)......

As a child, we had it fitted in Africa, so I can remember what a
difference it made, but I don't think I have even actually ever seen
it for sale anywhere, other than the mobile A/C units. You can pick
one of those up @ a DIY store. I would have to google to find out
where the nearest unit fitters are, & what the price difference would
be too. If it is only a matter of a bit more money, then I would opt
for that, but if it was far too pricey, then I would settle for the
mobile one, that can be moved if there was a need to, out of the
living room....

And I would have screens put in upstairs once I can find out where the
heck I can get some made up from someone who knows how to make them to
size. Having said that, we have just had UPVC windows fitted all over
the house! Would this be a problem if we do find someone who could
make them for me? I was wondering how I could fix them in so that they
are secure? Idea's all welcomed, because I have been pondering for
about 4 months on this one & have no real answers yet..
I have even wondered whether it might be an idea to try alt.DIY to see
if someone there could answer this question? I am trying here first,
because we all have cats, so who better to know if this problem could
be skirted around?

I wish we had a basement Lis. Unfortunately, over here that is a very
rare thing to have  in the UK actually. Most of the houses over here
are simple 2 story houses. The only places that might have basements
are in places like London, Manchester & the like of those cities, when
the Victorians had the cooks, butler ect, to tend their houses for
them & had several storys to their homes back then. These days, they
have all been split up, & people have made the story's into flats, so
they are all parted now by the vast majority. I have thought about
having laminated flooring put down in the living room, so that it is
slightly cooler for them to flop down on. I just wondered if it is
cold in the winter though?. If it is better than carpet, I would most
definately consider clearing the old carpet out  &doing it, because as
soon as the new pens arrive, then I am ripping the living room out &
starting all over again...

Thanks for all of your comments. There is nothing like testimonials to
sell an idea when you know that the person advising you is going on
experience because they have been through it too.
S;o)

 Thanks, I thought the same thing too. Unfortunately, the A/C market
over here is a very untapped market as yet. I don't know one single
person that has A/C yet. (so for all you budding A/C fitter's, It time
to come to the UK & tap into that market right now, seriously!!)
I agree with you. I did a test one day in town, without telling Paul
that I was doing it. I pushed him around in the wheelchair & he was
most definately a huge help to him..When we got into A/C area's he was
fine, but the moment we left them, his shortness of breath started
almost simultaneously.. so that answers that question. Thank you
Celeste

The cats are all nodding too by the way, LOL;o)
It is far too hot to endure yet another summer of misery. I think I
might go off for a little google to see if I can find out the
difference between a static unit, or a mobile one, and the benefits
and pros & cons ect.. but most of all, whether we can get someone to
fit it for us

Poor old Puddings. I understand how they must feel. Most of our cats
are long haired/coated, &you can see that they are miserable in the
heat. They all flop down on the kitchen floor, which is the coolest
place in the house, on the cushion flooring in there, & drink gallons
in really hot/humid weather to make up for the loss of internal
fluids!! Poor Puss cats, they need pampering, honestly, they
Doooo!!     >"o"<
S;o)

Same here. Ours simply wilt & flop where they can.

I have been looking @ the cost of air conditioning & the argument of
buy portable, or buy fixed unit, that you either put into the wall, or
fit onto the wall if you wish to.
I was worride that the running was going to be our major problem,
however, having looked @ the prices, I now understand why people seem
to opt for the portable option!!!
An indoor one to fit onto the wall with no need to bash your wall out
costs around ?1300 ($2600)!!! A portable one is more in the region of
?250-?800($500-1600)..
I don't know about the rest of you, but I think that is rather a lot
of money..?!!
It seems that the best ones are the fitted ones, but you can get away
with using a portable one, which we could alternate between the living
room & the bedroom that we have just built for Paul downstairs ( the
extension)...
I know that it is going to cost money to run it, & I sympathise with
Cheryl & her fuel bill hyke too. We have been through the same thing
in the last 12 months too. We are used to paying heavily in the winter
for heat, so I suppose we are going to have to get used to the same
cost in the summer months as well.

Years ago, most people in the UK used to have coal fires, & in the
summer months, you would start a stock pile of coal in for the winter
months in case you had a short week for instance, so I see this as
fairly the same. just another bill that we will get used to in time..
Think how much Paul will love me, & also the pussy cats too...?
It has to be worth it ,LOL!!
S;o)

Of course not,Lol...

By the way, Paul thoroughly agree's with you though!

I have a feeling that you could be right about this. We do have
oscillating fans over here, & also overhead fans that you fit into the
light fittings should you prefer that option, but to be perfectly
honest, after going into other people's homes who do have them,
crossed with the memory of air conditioning, I would rather stick to
the air conditioning for "Everyone's sake".

I also think that you are right about having fans upstairs to shift
the stale air out, & putting the cats out @ night so that we can keep
the windows and doors open. They won't like it, but they will get used
to it...
(some of us like to sleep on the bed you see!!;o)
S;o)
Thanks for that