The holidays always tend to set us—or is it just me?—back, so now it’s time to catch up a bit. :bumpy:

As promised in a long-ago Happy Sunday post, today I’ll share with you all about moving The Kittehs into the New House. You’d think I’d tell you about actually moving into the New House first, since I did so over a month ago, but I’ve always got my priorities, & The Kittehs are #1. 

And, yes, you have to suffer through all the furry details because…well, because Mistress Heidi rules The Dungeon with a steel-tipped whip, & that’s just the way she wants it. 

So would you be surprised to hear that we made The Move on Friday the 13th?   I’m sure if I’d realized that was the date…or maybe if I were a different, more superstitious person…I’d have held off a day or two, but when the friends who offered to help us move called & asked if we wanted to load up the recliners & such, I jumped at the chance. We’d already put it off so many times—mostly thanks to the weather—I was afraid if we didn’t get it done, we’d never get moved. After all, we were already going on five months since the closing. 

And it all went surprisingly well. We (well, they) loaded up the recliners & the desks from my office & a bunch of other stuff, & we brought it to the New House. Then we headed back for a second load. As we were getting ready to leave the old house again, one of our friends suggested we take at least a couple of The Kittehs with us. Probably because I already had all the carriers in the kitchen with the doors open & curious, fearless Miss Pippa kept walking into them of her own volition. It was so easy to just close the door behind her & wrap Nicholas up in a blanket to carry like a babe that I couldn’t pass it up.

I was hesitant at first, nervous about separating them, but in the end, that’s what we did. And while “the movers” unloaded everything into the basement, I brought my oldest & my youngest into the house to begin getting used to the new space. Nicholas didn’t really care; he’s mostly blind & is only really happy when he’s being held, so he didn’t particularly care about his surroundings. I will add, though, that we’d found some nice boards to block off the kitchen from the rest of the house. It’s the only room that isn’t carpeted, so if he needed to be alone at all, I put him in there with food & a litter pan & less chance of damage if he has an accident. It also cuts down on the chances of him getting lost or stuck in a corner, as has been happening more often lately. Pippa was nervous, but not freaked out. And though I hated to do it, I had to leave them while we went back to the old house for the rest of the brood.

We made the trip as quickly as possible—though we did stop to order a pizza on the way. I mean, we’d been all day at this stuff, without so much as a stick of gum, so we were HUNGRY! Then we loaded a few more major items into the jeep before going kitty wrangling. One by one, I had to track down The Kittehs & finagle them into their carriers. It wasn’t easy, but it wasn’t awful, either. (In other words, no blood loss. ) One by one, we piled the carriers in the car, picked up our pizza, & hauled rear end back to the New House. Of course, The Kittehs cried the entire way, but as least they took turns so it wasn’t of the ear-splitting variety.

We brought all of the carriers, filled with unhappy felines, into the house as quickly as possible; nothing got opened & no one got released until I was sure they were all inside & all the doors were closed tight & locked, just to be safe. Then one by one, I opened the carrier doors & let The Kittehs come out at their own speed. A couple of them darted out…& disappeared to the nearest tight, dark space they thought would protect them. A couple of the others were a bit slower & more cautious.

I’ll speed ahead now, saying simply that Madame Mommy Dearest & I sat down to enjoy our pizza while The Kittehs explored their new surrounds. And by “explored” I mean that they either slinked around or darted around or stayed hidden. They were all kinds of nervous. We watched to make sure they were okay, reassuring them as much as possible, but otherwise just let them go, let them learn the new lay of the land at their own pace.

This was at 7p.m. I know because I’d looked at the clock when I first walked in the door. For the rest of the night, MMD & I (holding Nicholas, of course) basically sat quietly watching TV rather than moving around unpacking or anything like that. We decided calm & quiet were the best things for The Kittehs while they adjusted.

And you know how nervous I was about them, right? Of all the concerns I had about The Move…of all problems I thought might crop up, my very biggest fear was that The Kittehs would not handle it well. I really was worried that once we got here, they’d simply be petrified & hide for days or weeks; that they would jump at every tiny noise or that it would in some way alter their personalities. I was really, really worried!

Anybody want to guess what happened? How long it took them to feel at home here in the New House?

Five hours. That’s it—five bloody hours. 

They got here at 7p.m., as I said, slinked & explored for a while, & then one by one just seemed to straighten up & start strutting around like they’d lived here their whole lives. I looked at the clock when the very last one lost his last vestiges of anxiety—it was almost midnight exactly.

I literally cleared my calendar for two full weeks after Move-In Day so that I could be here ‘round the clock, stay with The Kittehs to care for them, comfort them, help them adapt in any way possible. Now, granted, my calendar isn’t usually all that full to begin with, but I had avoided or changed a few things with The Kittehs in mind. But they never needed it. They didn’t even need me. Just food & litter pans & all the great stuff I’d set up before they got here, like beds & climbers & window seats.

And can I just tell you that the LOVE it here? They absolutely love the New House! They love the windows with their nice, wide ledges…the bedrooms & closets…the carpeting (which they had none of at the old house)…the counters & the basement… Oh, my goodness, do they love the basement! So much space! So many nooks to explore! And The Library…did I mention that the New House has an actual LIBRARY? 

Okay, so the previous owners probably used the room as a walk-in closet or extra storage, but look at this thing & tell me a Book Lover’s first thought wouldn’t be “Library!” It certainly was mine. The minute I saw it, I just about plotzed…& I pretty much knew this was the house I’d been looking for. :sexyhelper:

Also in the basement, Mr. Handyman built fabulous window seats into all five of the windows & I put nice, tall cat trees in front of them so The Kittehs can climb right up & enjoy the views any time they like. They even sleep up there half the time.

So all my worries were for naught. Not only did The Kittehs handle The Move & adapt to their new home in record time, but they’re so happy here I almost think they’re wondering why the heck we haven’t lived here forever.

Comments

12 Comments  •  Comments Feed

1. 

   Donna A says:

   Very cool. I wish you all much happiness in your new digs and am really jealous of your library.

   On January 7, 2016 at 10:23 am

   • 

     Heidi says:

     Thank you, Donna! :ticktock: The Library is amazing, if I do say so myself. You have no idea how shocked we were when we opened the door & discovered it on our first walk-thru…it was like this house was built just for me & we just had to wait for the right time to snap it up. :yay:

     I’ve been hauling boxes of books in there & stacking them, but I can’t wait to truly unpack & reorganize. I’ll likely keep my books in boxes for added protection, but I definitely want to figure out a system & make it look awesome in there. :snowman:

     On January 7, 2016 at 12:14 pm

2. 

   LeeAnn says:

   Seems like they handled their moving better than you, but isn’t that always the case?. LOL Also yes that room is def made for a library. Obviously if the previous owners used it for a closet they can’t read. Harsh judgment ? yes but hey I don’t care, they don’t know me and can’t find me. *sticks tongue out at previous owners, in a teasing way of course*

   On January 7, 2016 at 12:56 pm

   • 

     Heidi says:

     LOL You are so right, LeeAnn—reading clearly wasn’t a priority for them if they used that room for clothes instead of books. :happywinter:

     And I certainly never expected The Kittehs to handle the move better than I did; I spent 6mos worrying about them, then they go & make me feel like an idiot. :ouch:

     On January 8, 2016 at 12:29 am

3. 

   Mary Kirkland says:

   That’s really good to hear.

   On January 7, 2016 at 1:17 pm

   • 

     Heidi says:

     Thanks, Mary! It was a huge relieve, let me tell you. :yay:

     On January 8, 2016 at 12:29 am

4. 

   Brooke C says:

   I’m glad to hear that they adjusted so well! I can just hear them thinking “silly human, why did you make up live in that other place when we could have lived in this amazing house all along!”
   And I’m also very jealous of your library. That’s right near the top of my list for my dream house :sexyhelper:

   On January 7, 2016 at 3:19 pm

   • 

     Heidi says:

     I think that’s *exactly* what they’ve been saying. :dancindeer:

     And if I ever built my own library, it would be a lot more like the one from Beauty & the Beast. But you know what—this one will do nicely. :elfwink:

     On January 8, 2016 at 12:31 am

5. 

   Hollie says:

   I’m so happy everything went so smoothly for you and the kittehs!! I am so pea green with envy over that library! PEA GREEN!!!!
   hahahahaha
   You know I’m happy for you! :yay:

   On January 7, 2016 at 4:45 pm

   • 

     Heidi says:

     Thank you, Hollie! :winter:

     Hey, it’s not like I had the Library commissioned or anything, it was just there…waiting for me, like some kind of bibliographic miracle I was more than happy to jump on the minute I saw it. :dancindeer:

     On January 8, 2016 at 12:33 am

6. 

   Dee says:

   I love the library! I am glad the kids are acclimating.

   On January 7, 2016 at 6:43 pm

   • 

     Heidi says:

     Me, too, Dee! :elfwink:

     And they’ve acclimated so well, I sometimes think they’re more comfortable here & know this place better than I do. :santalol: But since they were my biggest concern during the entire transition, I can only be delighted over that. :yay:

     On January 8, 2016 at 12:35 am