Small Acts of Kindness are Always Repaid, Especially in the RV Lifestyle

The phrase one good turn deserves another has always proved itself out in my life. Here’s one small example.

If this is the first time you read something written by me, you probably don’t know Paddy, our spoiled rotten cat. You also may not be aware that I am very claustrophobic. I share my phobia because it’s why my boys’ catio-playhouse took on a life of its own.

The original round enclosure allowed our boy to be outside without the risk of losing him. Paddy enjoyed being outdoors but he didn’t have much space.

Then one day Facebook or Google dropped an ad for the ITENT Cat Tent for Indoor and Outdoor Cat Enclosures onto my computer. It would give Paddy a lot more space and I had to have it. Because of MY phobia, I assumed my boy was feeling cramped in his playhouse.

The ITENT enclosure did not connect to the original playhouse, so I used clamps to connect the two. It worked fine until, one day, Paddy managed to move one of the zippers up far enough to crawl out of his enclosure.

I was returning to the motorhome from my morning walk and saw Paddy from a distance. He was sitting at the front door, but from my long range, it looked like he was still in his playpen. As I got closer, I realized that he was outside of it. Thankfully he didn’t run when I screeched, “Paddy, how did you get outside?”

I picked him up and tossed him into the RV before investigating how he made his great escape. When I figured out how he pulled it off, I started putting a tighter clamp on the zippers to ensure he couldn’t move them. Once he had a small taste of freedom, he became an escape artist and even figured out how to open the screen door of the motorhome.

One morning shortly after Paddy’s great escape, Tommy returned to the RV and asked, “Where’s the boy?” I told him that he was right there at the front door. When my husband said he didn’t see him, I searched the motorhome in earnest. He was nowhere to be found. I was freaking out! I walked around outside crying and calling his name, and I finally spotted him across from our campsite, close to the woods. I ran to get him and the little creep ran away after hissing at me.

Tommy and I chased that little twerp around the area as he hid under campers avoiding our reach. When I finally caught the little bugger, I wanted to wring his neck. I was NEVER so angry with that boy. 😡

So, I ask you, do you think Paddy deserved a three-story playpen replacement? Probably not. With no further ado, here is the new and improved version that will hopefully attach to the other half of his funhouse.

I like this playhouse because it folds down to nothing and is easy to assemble. It is big enough that I don’t have to feel guilty about not adding the extension when we are expecting rain or only staying in a campground for two nights. The complete setup is too much of a pain for short stays.

I set up his new contraption, and he doesn’t quite know what to make of it. He enjoyed sitting in his “egg,” as we call it, in his original playhouse and there didn’t seem to be a good place for it in the new one.

I decided to add on the tunnel and as I was zipping on the attachment, Tommy said, “I knew it. I knew you’d have to add all the other stuff.” He knows me too well. It added a little bit of space, and it was an excellent place for his egg. He’s a happy boy, and I’m a happy mom.

I was blessed to find a great new home for his playhouse. A family lost their little dog in the campground yesterday, and they all spent hours looking for the little guy. I do mean little. He’s the size of a kitten. I went to see if they’d found him this morning, and thankfully they had. All the kids went door to door through the campground and found him in someone’s trailer. Apparently, they’d taken him in to keep him safe. I find it odd that they weren’t searching the campgrounds for the rightful owner, but I digress.

I asked them if they would be interested in having Paddy’s old playhouse for their doggy, and they were thrilled. He can be outside with them and they don’t have to worry about him taking off again. Here’s a fun addition to the story. I was walking back to the motorhome after finishing my laps around the campground when Tommy called.

There are no trails here, and I have to make multiple trips around the campground to get in my daily 10,000 steps. My husband wanted to know if I’d made any friends on my walk. When I asked why he told me that he’d cooked and crumbled bacon and grated cheese for an omelet and discovered that we only had one egg.

I just happened to be close to the campsite of the folks I’d given Paddy’s playhouse to. I said with trepidation, “You have quite a clan to feed here, so I probably shouldn’t ask, but do you have a couple of eggs to spare?” The doggy daddy said, “I just bought an 18-pack. You can have as many as you like.”

This brings me to my takeaway from this story. No good deed goes unnoticed. You may not get your payback as quickly as we did, but sewing good seeds always reaps a harvest of blessings.

I’ve included the URLs for these products because I like them. They are not my affiliates, and I don’t receive a dime if you should decide to order one. Maybe that’s something I should look into in the future. 😸

Here are a couple more tales of Paddy and our RV lifestyle.