Curiosity
and the Cats – and Lolly.
I think it is generally accepted that cats are curious and our
Ocicats are certainly no exception. In addition, they are very attached to us,
following us around the house. When we go to bed at night they all come up with
us, choosing their spots on the bed, between the dogs. Somehow, Barry and I
manage to carve out space for ourselves and some while thereafter the cats move
on to our legs. They are heavy! Lenny the Somali, who is actually one of
Susannah’s cats, comes to bed later and sleeps next to my head. He used to try sleeping
on it but I dissuaded him from that.
Lenny is a very vocal cat and it is possible, even obligatory,
to have lengthy conversations with him. He greets everyone, two-legged and
four-legged, with enthusiasm. For a fairly small cat he has a loud and insistent
voice.
Lenny speaks!
We have two wooden buildings at the end of our garden. One
houses the endless swimming pool and the other is a gymnasium. One morning
recently, Barry stepped into the garden to be met by Lenny, vociferously
miauing and running back and forth in the direction of the gym. Barry chatted to him but Lenny was insistent
that Barry should follow him. Naturally, one cannot disobey a cat and so he
followed him. On opening the door he was met by Herschel and Jellicoe, who had
slipped in behind him a few hours earlier and found themselves shut in. It was
remarkable how persistent Lenny was. Clearly, he did not want his friends to
remain trapped.
The next day Barry went to the swimming pool and when he
opened the door Jellicoe shot out like a bolt from an arrow, desperate to
relieve himself. When Barry had gone to check the water temperature the
previous evening Jellicoe had followed him in, unnoticed, and had been locked
in all night. We don’t allow our cats to stay outside at night and usually
count them before we go to bed, leaving fresh chicken in the kitchen for their
supper. Somehow, we had neglected to do this so poor Jellicoe was not only
imprisoned but left to starve. Such cruel humans! He has been unusually
attentive and lap-seeking since then.
In mitigation, we had been hosting Lolly the Labrador while
her humans went on holiday, and had needed to ensure she went upstairs before
the cats were fed. There were two reasons for this. The first is that Lolly is
very good but not used to cats. She knows she must not chase them but sometimes
the temptation proves too much. Our Ocicats treat her with disdain so she soon
abandons her pursuit of them, although to be extra sure of safety they frequently
take to altitude. The exception to this is Isambard, the most nervous and timid
of our cats, who nonetheless does his utmost to make friends with her. Foolish
Lenny and his brother Solomon run away and so Lolly is encouraged to give
chase. Feisty Zula the Abyssinian, the smallest of them all, hisses loudly and
wise Lolly keeps her distance from her. The second reason concerns the gate – a
baby gate! – into the kitchen to prevent our dogs thieving the cats’ succulent raw
chicken wings. It presents no obstacle to Lolly who is very athletic and leaps
over with ease. She is not a greedy dog – for a Labrador! - but chicken is
alluring and it is amazing how quickly a dog can siphon up food.
Frankie loves the dogs and enjoyed having an extra dog for a couple of weeks. Here they all are in Simons Wood, left to right : Gus, Jenna, Frankie, Bertie, Lolly, Roxy
Lolly has returned home now and life has returned to normal,
or as normal as it ever is in our house. It is also a little quieter, because
Lolly, being a London dog, is very protective of Bethan and her children and
transfers that care to us when on holiday with us. She has a loud, penetrating
bark and encourages the rest to join in. Five barking dogs are a great
deterrent to potential intruders and much more effective than any doorbell.
Sadly, Lolly was getting used to the cats again and they were
sleeping next to her, but next time she comes to stay we shall have to
reinforce the lessons learnt this time – and last time – and the time before.
Lolly is very intelligent but there are some things she pretends - or prefers - not to understand.
