Genny

When we moved to Costa Rica from Canada, we brought our then 12 year old cat, Genny, with us. There was no question of not bringing her. When we take on the responsibility of a pet, it's for the life of the animal. We had her shipped professionally, using World Pet Travel. She travelled from Cloverdale, B.C., to Vancouver, B.C., where she overnighted. The next day, she took her first plane trip, travelling to Houston, Texas, where she overnighted again. The following day saw her arrive in Costa Rica, where she was met and delivered to her vet, Hospital Veterinarios Asociados in Santa Ana, for a week of boarding. World Pet Travel professional handlers dealt with Genny at every stop.

We picked her up a week later and we all spent a month at Finca Huetares in Atenas while looking for a more permanent place to live. When we found our current house, she settled in right away and even acquired some animal friends ... Barney the cat and Scruffy the dog.

We knew before coming to Costa Rica that Genny had renal disease, so she was on special renal diet food and we tried to keep her weight down. She had regular exams here, including blood work, x-rays and ultrasound on her kidneys.

On September 5, 2013, the disease finally took its toll. Genny's two years in Costa Rica were great for her. Because of the year 'round good weather, she was able to spend a lot of time outside and developed great lizard catching skills. She was more active then when we lived in British Columbia.

She loved walking up the hill to our mango and banana trees. She became adept at slipping through the front gate to explore forbidden territory. She took long, luxurious naps outside in the deep grass under the pergola covered with passion fruit vines.

We miss her a lot but we know she lived a long, happy life with us. Consider what her probable fate would have been if my husband, Lance, had not heard her mewing in our backyard 14 years ago. It appeared that she was tossed there and she was a very tiny kitten.

Genny - 2013

So, if you are considering moving to Costa Rica, please make every effort to bring your pets with you. We know one couple who arrived with their seven cats! If they can do it, so can you!

Barney and Scruffy - "Can Genny come out and play?"

 

 

Posted with Blogsy

Guard Dogs Out of Control

The three guard dogs here at Finca Huetares have become rather destructive since our arrival. First they stole my shoes - the right ones of two pairs. Magda found the sandal, but the blue shoe has never been found.

Then they moved on to bigger things. They stole the seat cushion from one of the wicker chairs in front of our cabina and tour it literally to shreds and left the mess at our front door. The next day it was the little mat in front of our door.

Now I leave nothing outside at night. No doubt ticked off that I've ruined their fun, they stole the newspapers left on top of an outdoor table and tore them to pulp (ha! get it?). A garbage pail was next.

The are penned during the day and let loose at night. They hang around our cabina, sleeping on the veranda. One is named Rex but we don't know the names of the other two. One is a Rotweiler and the other two are about the same size. They are really friendly - to us.

Unfortunately, they discovered Genny lives inside. She was foolishly ogling them through the California windows (screened), hissing and growling, and the dogs went crazy. Flung themselves at all the windows (3 of them) and, since they are so big, they can look right in. We closed the glass slats and drapes.

The noise was something else, all that barking and slamming. Genny went and hid in her storm cupboard. They eventually gave up but now we are extra careful before letting her outside. We go and check the pens to make sure they are really contained.

Learning About Costa Rica

Haven't been able to post for a few days. My computer seems to be gradually packing it in - the "e" and "y" keys are no longer working. I'm using my husband's Mac tonight.

Also, we had to move out of the house we were renting for a month because the internet service just would not work up there on the hill. We have taken a cabina down the hill at the same resort, Finca Huetares, where we have no internet problems. Although the cabina is smaller than the house, it is also much closer to the pools! So we are here for another 3 weeks while we look for a home for a longer period of time. We are also trying to decide if we want to stay in the Atenas area.

Finca Huetares is a lovely resort - we highly recommend it. We have the place almost to ourselves because it is the off season here. Magda Corrales Murphy owns it (I think) and she is amazing - non-stop from 4:00 am to 9:00 at night. This is also a fruit farm (mangoes, limes, pineapples, probably others) and there are also beautiful chickens who lay organic eggs. They have a large area to run around in and they cluck away happily, roll in the dust, live a good chicken life as chickens should. Don't buy battery eggs, please!

It is so absolutely gorgeous here, the town itself has good amenities. But it is a rural area and one really needs a car which is not on our list at the moment. We want to check out the Alajuela area soon.

This morning, we heard a tremendous crash on our roof. Ran out, and saw the biggest iguana we've ever seen (not that we've seen many) leaping off our roof and running for the pool deck. He must have leapt from the second story roof. All three of us nearly had heart stoppage from the noise because of the tin roof.

Yesterday was tiny lizards in the kitchen day, or maybe they are salamanders? We had two around the kitchen sink. Harmless but gave me a start when I picked up the pot scrubber.

The last several days in Atenas have been very hot and humid. Apparently, this is not the normal state of affairs. It cools down nicely at night and I'm sitting outside on our little patio writing this. The sun went down around 6:15 pm - it does get dark fast. I tried out the pool down the hill for a change - the one I usually use was being cleaned. Because of the temperatures, I'm in the pool about three times a day and it does help. We have a ceiling fan and a fan for the bedroom so we get along and usually need the blanket at night.

Genny is coping well - she is smart enough to just lie around during the day, which is normal for her come to think about it. She has tried venturing out but there is too much activity and noise for her so she just sits in the doorway. I have use of the laundry room but waited too long today to do our wash and had to bring it in early when a storm threatened. It will never dry overnight so will hang it out again tomorrow. You have to do your laundry first thing in the morning here - because at this time of year it can rain every afternoon for a few hours.

We watched a storm sweep across the valley around noon - lots of thunder and lightening, black skies - but we only got a few drops.

We have met a Canadian couple from the Maritimes who now call Atenas home. They are staying at the cottage at the very top of the hill but leave tomorrow. They have been here for quite some time and love it.

I have photos to post but will have to do that from my own computer so will get on with it tomorrow.

So far, there is nothing about Costa Rica that we do not like. Oh, did I mention the enormous toads that hop around at night?

We Found a Home in Atenas

Next Tuesday, we will be moving lock, stock and kitty to Atenas. We are renting a cabina for a month at Finca Huetares.

We'll decide which cabina we want when we get there. Finca Huetares has two very important features for us: high speed internet and kitty friendly. Each cabina is fully furnished, with bedroom, kitchen, living room, etc. And we have access to the restaurant and pools. Genny can go for a stroll outside, under close supervision, but she won't have a fenced yard. There is also a cottage available later on that is separate from the rest of the resort, has a fenced yard and might be good for us. It is currently booked but we can have a look at it once there.

It will be so nice to relax, unpack, and stay put for a while in the area we want to live in.

Today we again went into downtown San Jose to stroll around. Lance is becoming really proficient in giving the taxi driver our destination in Spanish and figuring out the fare. His head burnt rather badly yesterday so we got him a baseball cap today. With the sun straight overhead, we have to be really careful. I'm looking for a straw hat for me too.

Tomorrow we are meeting Genny's fairy godmother - the lovely Becky who has been visiting Genny in Santa Ana, playing with her and bringing her catnip mice.

It rains every afternoon at this time of year and what a pleasure it is to be sitting on the covered verandas while the rain falls on the tropical trees. Yesterday, we had a real downpour and the sound of the rain beating on the tin roofs makes one want to have a little siesta. Tonight for dinner we are going back to the soda we found yesterday. Since the Canucks game starts at 6:00 pm, we'll need to go eat at 5:00 pm.

By the way, a litre of Smirnoff vodka costs about $11 Cdn. here! See how much tax your Canadian government is mainlining out of the lot of you?