[Chris H]

In process of buying house and Croft on Lewis. Booked to start Harris weaving course in Spring (already a weaver) keen to keep more poultry and sheep, and generally take time to look at the sky and smell the muck!!

Any ideas on moving 5 cats from West Wales as they all hate the car, have tried Bach rescue rem, considering just about anything other than a mallett!
Also anyone know poultry suppliers on Lewis? looking for Geese and laying ducks? and any help anyone can offer up.

[Cinderhills]

Hi and welcome from North Yorkshire.    As for the cats, I had two sent over from the U.S. from when I lived there and they had nothing for the journey.  The guy who drove them from Heathrow to here said one of them slept and one of them cried all the way!  However when they arrived it was like nothing had happened so as much as they might hate it they will get over it!

[Rosemary]

Hi and welcome from Carnoustie 

Sounds like a great adventure you're embarking on 

When we moved here - only an hour an a half by car, one cat slept but the other two kept up a horrendous duet - one pathetic, one angry. You could try Feliway - it's a chemical copy of the pheromone happy cats secrete. You get a spray but you might also get a plug-in for the car cigarette lighter, not sure.

Or maybe your vet would give a mild sedative? 

[SallyintNorth]

Hello and congratulations.

This won't help with 5 cats but I just wanted to share the story!

My cat Jacob used to yowl without ceasing in a cat box in the car, but allowed to be loose in a car we had (a Volvo, it was) where there was a good flat wide arm rest next to the driver, he would sit on that and watch out the front window, occasionally placing a paw on the driver's arm, completely comfortable for any length of journey.  Another vehicle that was acceptable had a wide shelf above the glove box, on which he could lie and occasionally touch the driver's hand on the gearstick.  Subsequent cars had none of these cat-friendly places, and the yowling resumed, whether loose or boxed, whether box facing forwards or sideways, on front seat or back.

As others have said, once you arrived at your destination he seemed fine, however much he'd yowled en route.  With 5, even if you had all the cat-friendly places there could be, the loose-running would hardly be an option, so it's put up with the noise or use drugs. 

But blow the rescue remedy for them - they'll be fine, you've got to drive.  Ear plugs and rescue remedy for you would be my prescription! 

[Bionic]

When my cat is in his crate in the car he makes the most awful noise. I just turn up the radio to try to drown him out.
Once we get to the other end he is absolutely fine and we are best friends again.
Sally

[Chris H]

Love the idea of taking the rescue rem myself and turning the radio on full! I needed reminding that they will be fine the next day, what with a new home to explore.
Moving house is a stressful time, let alone a whole new life style awaiting me.....................and my family, husband, pugs, chickens, cats, staffie and terrier ...............did I mention the budgie!

I know a bit about textiles if I can offer any help to other members?

[Fleecewife]

< I know a bit about textiles if I can offer any help to other members? >>

Oh definitely Chris    I see you have already posted in the crafts section.  There is a small group of us there who will be delighted to get your input.  What is your experience to date?

On the cat moving front, ours are always well caged now.  Many years ago before we had such a thing as a cat cage, we were given a kitten the night before a move from Scotland to Yorkshire.  All went well until Jedburgh (in those days the main road went right through the town) when his little bowels finally gave up  .  The rest of the journey was made with all windows wide open.
You would think we would have learned but on another move, this time from Anglesey back up to Scotland, we had two queens and their new litters of kittens sleeping contentedly on the back seat with the children.  All was well until the Barnton roundabout ( a double one) in Edinburgh, when one of the cats went berserk, jumped on the steering wheel and tried to claw OHs face off - not a good moment.  The remainder of that journey was made with the cat wrapped in a coat and pinned down on my knee 
For a long journey I would get sedation from the vet.......and hope it lasts the trip 

[Chris H]

The vet has suggested a pill for each cat, only thing is they are getting a bit old and the trip is around 15 hours I am sure we will find a way.....................at least the dogs who will be going first travel OK (fingers crossed).

As to textiles.................I trained as a weaver some 30 years ago, and have taught spinning, dyeing, weaving, embroidery, patchwork and quilting as well as machine embroidery and fabric painting and printing!
I do write for textile magazines and up till last year taught C&G textiles..........

Plan to escape to weave Harris tweed, and develop my own fleeces from native sheep to weave fabric. That and grow some of my own veg and potter!!
Husband works with antlers, so workshop needs building asap.

[Fleecewife]

Oh this is great - you are just what we need    We will make use of your knowledge shamelessly 

In return I may be able to help with primitive sheep and fleece info, and growing veggies in awful places.

I'm glad you have joined us 

[Chris H]

Wonderful, will be looking for Hebridean ewes for the croft. Also looking for Bororay?
Maybe you will have some ewe lambs in the spring? I have worked with sheep, and for my sins used to judge  fleece for the RBST.........................love to weave Hebridean, such a lovely depth of colour :)so excited to have found you all

[Fleecewife]

We are just about to put the tups in with our very depleted flock, so will have lambs available at weaning in August.  There are also a few flocks on Lewis it's only fair to say    If you look at our website you will see that we do try to breed a wide variety of shades of black 
Boreray are a bit like hens teeth - not easy to find.  There are some at Palacerigg Country Park near Glasgow and a few others dotted around, and Julie Suffolk of the Soay and Boreray Sheep Soc and I are working together to get more up here - they can rest at my place for the 2 week standstill before making the second half of their journey north.  So if you want to do that, do let me know.  They are SO cute 

[Chris H]

Great news, August sounds fine for the Hebridean, I have to say that we do not eat meat, so they will be loved for the fleece alone, and we can all get old together! I have woven some Boreray, the fleece is so interesting and I have had a 'thing' about the Isles of St Kilda for years. So yes please to keeping up with you for some next year.
I have a plan to weave the three fleeces from St Kilda together, so i suppose that means at least one Soay, maybe a wee castrated ram lamb? Think how lovely the fabric would be.....

I am soooooo pleased to have found you all.............I am sure the forum will keep me company this winter on Lewis, as i will be alone, as my husband will still be in Wales selling the house

[Lesley Silvester]

   Hi and welcome from sunny Shropshire.  I was a weaver on Isle of Arran for 11 years and my ex-OH was a spinner.  We used the local milk sheep as they produce a soft fleece with a reasonable length staple and come in a variety of shades of grey or brown as well as white.  We didn't dye our fleeces but specialised in natural colours.

[Chris H]

Hi mad Goatwoman! I lived on Arran for a time, where abouts were you?

[little blue]

hello and welcome