There has been a lot of concern in comments and emails about my cats living in my mother’s garage while Miranda is in the shop. I don’t know if I should be happy about the amount of concern my readers have for my babies or be insulted that anyone would think I am capable of putting them in any sort of danger.

In the last 37 years, my mother has had cats for all but at most a month. She loves cats and understands them. She has an outdoor cat to reduce the amount of dander in the house because her partner is severely allergic. Moreover, they have nice furniture and Tabitha has claws. So two cats living full time in the house is simply out of the question.

The garage is very cool and there is a window that has been left open. We set up a perch by it. So the cats can look out and see the birds and other critters in the yard while getting fresh air.

To make sure that they have plenty of light and a day/night cycle, my mother installed a lamp on a timer. She also made toys for them and set up plenty of cubbies for hiding at different heights.

With all three of us making a concerted effort to go into the garage at least six times total per day, they have had plenty of human interaction for the last two weeks and would have been fine for another one. But now that we know that the repairs could take longer and that we would be working on my truck, my mother hatched a plan to give the cats and I more together time while opening up their world a tad.

So before starting on the truck projects this morning, my mother and I completed a project that she had been meaning to do for the last 10 years. It’ll benefit the cats and then she will still be able to use the item when she works in the garage. We made a giant screen for the garage door:

So now, they can watch people pass by on the street, get even more fresh air, and I can chat with them when I’m working on the truck. Hanging out in the garage with them is going to be so much more pleasant now, too.

Next up, progress on the truck!