Jan. 1, 2019 – Happy New Year! – Doing nothing but hanging out.
Jan. 24-27, 2019 – Flood & Ice – Video – From the 19-20, we received over a foot of snow. Max was happy as I swept the ground clear under his new pole barn structure. From the 23-24, it rained for 24 hours! Max’s enclosure which was full of snow was now under 3.5 inches of water and ice. Max refused to come inside. He didn’t want to get his feet wet. I had to carry him. I know what you are thinking…Max sleeps in the snow, walks in the snow and doesn’t want to get his feet wet? Yep, that’s right. He doesn’t like his feet to get “soaked.” Once inside I laid down a warm rug and Max settled down & began to clean his wet paws & body. After the rain came colder weather which created tons of ice with some water underneath it. Thankfully the water under his pole barn receded leaving a thin sheet of ice. I cleared a lot of it away and Max is back to being very HAPPY with a dry covered area. The pole barn was the best money I ever spent for him!
Feb. 3-4, 2019 – Chores! – It’s never ending. Time to clear the snow from around Max’s enclosure. This will allow the sun to work it’s magic on melting the ice underneath so I can chop and clear it. If I can keep it clear from his area, then there will be less of a chance for additional flooding.
Feb. 10, 2019 – February Thaw – Snow and ice is melting.
April 15, 2019 – Spring Cleaning – It was time to remove the old straw from Max’s corner nook. He is a funny cat, trying to fit himself inside my working basket! You will also notice that Max is losing his winter fur. It starts in late February, early March.
April 29, 2019 – Fencing Protection – I constantly need to be on my toes when it comes to Max marking his territory. If I’m not then his fencing will rust and need replacement. As you can see, removing a panel and replacing it would be a chore. To prevent this, I sand down the rusted areas, treat with a primer and rust preventative paint and cover with a sheet of plexiglass. He can see through the plexi and continue to mark all he wants. It has his scent on it and ultimately protects the fencing.
May 4 & 11, 2019 – Happy 8th Birthday! – I went out for our visit and notice Max had tipped over his bench. He must have been playing hard! Max received turkey breast steaks for his dinner and I brought out the old beaver toy for him to continue destroying. He was in an “odd” mood. He was playful but possessive of his toy and birthday meal. So, when his new toys (fuzzy balls) and treats came in the mail the following week from a friend, Marty, we celebrated again on the 11th with more balloons and fun! OMG, he was so funny. The photo here with the balloons was when he got his foot wrapped around the string, and he got scared running. The balloons were chasing him! There’s a Happy Birthday video on YouTube.
May 13, 2019 – Enclosure Upgrades – I installed bamboo fencing to give one end a cozy feeling. Of course I had to add Plexiglass behind it to protect the metal panels from rusting when he marks his territory. So, not a cheap improvement. I found a fake boulder online and purchased it. Max loves to hide behind it as if I can’t see him!
May 18, 2019 – Cinnamon Enrichment – I heard that the scent of cinnamon could be an enrichment to cats. I thought I would give it a try. However, I did read that it could be harmful if too much cinnamon is breathed in. I gave only a dusting to Max’s purple fuzzy ball. Wow, he loved it and it mellowed him out after the craziness. A Cinnamon Enrichment video is on our channel.
May 29, 2019 – More Bamboo – I added more bamboo fencing because it does give his area a cozy feel. 
June 8-9, 2019 – Max Spots and Home improvements – Since we had the pole barn, there was no further need for the wire roofing. I needed to figure out how to attach the side wire to the barn beams to prevent him from going over the fence. I really don’t think he would have tried but why leave anything to chance. He can be a curious feline at times and that would be my luck…uh-oh Max got out! He likes to hang around me when I work inside his enclosure. I’m not sure if it’s to be close because he loves me or that he is supervising my work! “Max spots” can be anywhere.
June 17, 2019 – Plants & More – People keep telling me that Max’s enclosure is bare and that I need to add plants or trees. Do you know how much good plants cost? Do you know what happens when Max pees on grass? Well, the same for plants. I planted two Clematis plants outside his enclosure which will look nice once they get going. (One plant died by the fall) They were $30 each. I got a couple catnip plants for him. He loves catnip. As you can see by the photos the plants didn’t have a chance. (Although they did last for a couple weeks.) AND yet another fencing panel has been christened by him.
June 22-24, 2019 – Corner Cubby – Remember the flooding and ice at the beginning of the year? I thought it would be nice if I created a dry space for Max to cozy up under the pole barn. Currently, there is a pallet and a tarp. I decided to create a corner cubby using fence panels. They arrived during a rain storm and the boxes were soaked. So, I unpacked to air dry. By the time I needed to use them some were warped and/or mildew. I wasn’t too concerned with the mildew because I had no doubt that Max would pee on them, so they were going to get “weathered.” You might want to check out the Corner Cubby video to watch Max make this tremendous leap from ground to top of fence over to the corner cubby’s top shelf.
August 31-Sept 7, 2019 – Death of a Soccer Ball – That Max! He is rough on his toys no matter how they are tough. He slowly killed his green soccer ball which was sent to him by good friend, Jeffrey. That’s okay because Jeff did send us more than one!
Sept 29 & Oct 13, 2019 – Pumpkins Pumpkins! – Since Max demolished his little pumpkin last year, I thought I would get him a great pumpkin. I think it was a bit too big and heavy because he couldn’t bat it around or even get his legs around it, but it was another form of enrichment. He needs stuff to keep his mind occupied although sleep is Max’s number one priority. Canned pumpkin is good fiber for cats when they are sick. No, Max wasn’t sick but I thought I would give him a little treat. Yep, he liked it. I didn’t give him the whole can, just a third. The rest went to the wild animals and stray cats in our back area.
Oct 31, 2019 – Happy Halloween! – I got a lot of flack on this video on YouTube. I guess one cannot dress up their lynx, but its okay for domestic dogs and cats?
Nov. 4-17, 2019 – The Cat Walk & Dead Tree – Once again, I made an improvement in Max’s enclosure because of the flooding and ice earlier in the year. Since the boy doesn’t like soaked feet, I decided to build him a raised walkway. Simple…add shelving brackets and rough sawn wood. Of course, I had to put a couple braces in the ground because of the board’s and Max’s weight. On the ramp, I added wood slats to help steady Max decent. One board that connects to his other enclosure is removable for the summer. Max loves it. I see him on it all the time!
Also, some suggested that Max needed something to scratch on…as if a dozen shelves weren’t enough. A tree had fallen at the edge of our property and I thought it would make a nice addition to his enclosure. I cut most of the branches off and slimmed it down to two pieces. It was heavy! I used mom’s garden car to haul it and managed to get it in place by myself. Where do I get these ideas? I balanced a portion of it on the boulder. It gives Max something to walk on, scratch on and pee on and he can hide behind it, too. However, I have to say that trying to mow around a dead tree, fake boulder and raised shelving is a pain in the rump! I guess whatever makes Max happy!
Max Canada Lynx 