Missing the Furs

That's Furs as in animal friends, not coats or shawls. 

Glenn and I are traveling. The horses are covered always, since we have a barn manager and haven't actually had to go out ourselves and slog feed or manure for some months. But the dogs! The cats!

A good friend is coming to stay with them. She's an animal lover par excellence. 

The cats will be very unhappy, because when we're gone they're not allowed out the front door. Doesn't mean they won't try, though, and we'll have to make sure we emphasize how slippery and speedy Jackson can be. He's got that beaming-himself-out-the-door routine down. They can still go out onto the back deck - but it's not the same. No trees. No bushes to hide under. No mom or dad hovering near the door trying to coax them back in.

Jackson the potted cat.

The dogs probably won't be thrilled, either. Since Glenn has retired, the dogs have gotten used to daily trips in the truck. Doesn't matter where it goes, so long as it goes. They usually get to go for a walk at the other end. It takes two of us to manage them effectively, though, so Aunt Netto is going to have her hands full trying to control the canines. It's like herding....cats.

Happy Travelers (not shown - Niko)

We'll also miss the kitties furry bodies laying on us in bed and on the couch. And the two "puppies, too (couch only). It gets crowded on that couch - two dogs, two humans, and usually two cats. Niko would sit with us, I'm sure, but he's a little too big, and Jackson - Jackson was mostly feral, so he'll do an occasional drive-by, but he doesn't like confinement-by-hands at all. A lap is just too confining for him.

We've told them we're going. So far, no frowns. I'm sure that will start when we head out to the train station and the truck and dogs get left behind. Whaaaaaat? We'll talk to them from the road, and show them mental pictures of where we're at. They can help us decide if what we're seeing is someplace they might like to relocate with us.

Yes - you can talk to your animals from a distance. You may feel like 27 kinds of fool, but they hear you and feel you. So if you have to leave your animals, even for a few hours, check in and let them know you love them. You may just feel a spark of love coming back at you.