When we put Chibi in the back yard (Zone 2), we had some difficulty determining where the various cats (Inari, Jita, and Pepper) were. So it seemed that it would help if we had markers for each of them.
We found a place on Etsy that would manufacture brass name plates for us, UnbanDecor (you can reach them at mtaukeer012@gmail.com) and had them make up 5 name plates, for about $100 apiece:
Pepper, Inari, Neko Jita, Chibi, and Sasha.
(Neko Jita is Jita's full and proper name; Sasha is still alive, but at 17, it is expected she will need a name plate within a couple of years.)
These are hand-cast brass name plates. The hole on each end is perfect for a #8 screw.
We used the photos from the blog to locate the various cats and then marked on the house foundation wall where each name plate should go.
Mounting the name plates was planned to be easy. A hole would be drilled into the concrete foundation for the two screws for each name plate. A plastic anchor would be inserted into the hole, and then a #8 round-head stainless steel screw would be put thru the hole and into the plastic anchor. In addition, we would put "liquid nails", an industrial indoor-outdoor adhesive, on the back of the name plate.
The problem was drilling the hole. The foundation is covered with a thin layer (maybe 1/4 inch) of mortar (parging). I got a special drill bit specifically for drilling into concrete. It went thru the parge easily, but would not, could not, make much of a dent into the foundation. (I guess this is good -- we have a really strong, solid foundation.)
As a result, the liquid nails is the main thing holding the name plates in place.
From the left, the name plates are for Inari
Pepper
Jita
and Chibi
We will go back another day and clean off our marks and possibly seal around each name plate with mortar, but we will give it some time for the liquid nails to dry properly.
