Outside of a dog . . .

 

Outside of a dog . . .

                              . . . a book is man’s best friend.

Our eldest grandson and his little family visited us on Sunday, unexpectedly. It was delightful to see them all. 

Callum's elder daughter, Melia, is almost two and a half years old, and a very competent little girl. In the morning before they set off from home, she announced that she wasn’t going to wear nappies any longer. Obviously, she judged that the time was right, though it wasn’t the most opportune time to relinquish them, but she didn’t go to the loo very many times while she was with us.

Her baby sister, Hailey, is four months old and she was happy to gaze around at her surroundings, and coo.

Melia is very used to dogs and our dogs were happy to have visitors, particularly those at nose level with sticky fingers. They had to be segregated periodically when food was being consumed.

Books and toys, drawing pads and colouring pencils were brought out to entertain. 

Gilbert, being a Literary Labrador showed an interest, using the books as a pillow after our visitors departed.

                             Our cats, too, have shown Literary Leanings.

      

                                                  The late Winston Ocicat enjoyed blogging.

                                                 He also enjoyed reading his Kindle in bed.

                                           Pats the Abyssinian enjoyed books from kittenhood.

                                                 Herschel Ocicat guards the bookshelves.

          Jellicoe Ocicat is studying ornithology amongst other subjects.

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside of a dog, it’s too dark to read.

Groucho Marx

 

The Entropy Gang’s June 2017 blog

The Entropy Gang’s June 2017 blog

Herschel: It’s nearly a year since we were granted the freedom of the GARDEN. One day I caught a squirrel but when I tried to take it indoors The MAID wouldn’t let me in. I don’t know why. I haven’t bothered catching anything since, apart from an occasional dragonfly, since my efforts are not really appreciated. The birds have stopped coming into the GARDEN now, anyway. What’s a cat to do?

Jellicoe: I’ve caught more than anyone – two wood pigeons, a rat, a field mouse and a blackbird that managed to escape. Lately I haven’t been concentrating on hunting. I found a way out of the GARDEN but the trouble was that I couldn’t find the way back in again and that made me unhappy. The MASTER has been all round the GARDEN making sure that none of us can escape again. Spoilsport!

Isambard: I don’t spend any time hunting. I’d rather watch the fish or curl up with the dogs. It’s been so hot lately that none of us have done anything but flop about. It’s cooler now, though so all the SERVANTS are happier.

Pats

Herschel: Pats, the little cat belonging to Susannah, died. We were sorry, even though she didn’t mix with us. She had lived with Susannah for a very long time.

Isambard: Susannah was very upset. Now she’s found another kitten, the same colour as Pats. She is nosy and very interested in finding out about everything. Lenny is scared of her but he’s getting used to her.

Lenny

Zula

Frankie with Zula

Frankie is very proud of and pleased with his little kitten

Jellicoe: Her name is Zula and she’s tiny. Bertie loves her. Bertie is a nice boy, gentle and warm. We like the other DOGS, too, but Bertie is our favourite.

Isambard: The MASTER and The MAID put in a special little door for us so that we can go in and out whenever we want to.

Herschel: We’re not allowed out at night, though, but that doesn’t bother us ‘cos we like to sleep with the DOGS and the SERVANTS.

Jellicoe: No, we’re not allowed out but Solomon got stuck outside the other night and cried to come in.

Solomon

Isambard: When Jellicoe escaped none of us were allowed out unless the SERVANTS were in the GARDEN with us. The SERVANTS locked our little door but Solomon didn’t realise and banged his head trying to open the flap.

Herschel: So then he didn’t want to use the special door and that’s why he got stuck outside ‘cos he wouldn’t come in when The MAID called him. Silly boy!

Jellicoe: He’s all right now, though. I was the first to use the special door. I’m always the first to try something new. Isambard was the last. He’s so cautious it’s painful.

Herschel: Little Zula isn’t allowed into the GARDEN yet. The SERVANTS are afraid the Red Kite will grab her so she won’t go out until she’s bigger.

Isambard: I don’t think the DOGS would allow that. The Red Kite is big but the DOGS are much bigger.

Jellicoe: Zula won’t be very big, anyway, not even as big as Lenny and Solomon, although they’re mostly fur, not like us Ocicats. We’re big and strong.

Herschel: Now we must get back to what we like doing best – snoozing, preferably with a dog or, failing that, on The MASTER and The MAID’S bed. We’ll be in touch. TTFN.

Cats!

Cats!

We have had a number of cats throughout the years, even, for a brief period, breeding them. Our Burmese were recommended  by our vets, to people seeking kittens, for their friendly dispositions and apparent immunity to alarm. We had four children and they and their friends were instrumental in ensuring that our kittens grew up used to the hustle and bustle of a busy home and loving the attention they were given.

Recently I read Eleanor Farjeon’s poem ‘Cats Sleep Anywhere’ to Frankie. It’s a poem many of us will have learnt at school (and then forgotten apart from the first couple of lines!)

Cats Sleep Anywhere

Cats sleep anywhere, any table, any chair.

Top of piano, window-ledge, in the middle, on the edge.

Open drawer, empty shoe, anybody’s lap will do.

Fitted in a cardboard box, in the cupboard with your frocks.

Anywhere! They don’t care! Cats sleep anywhere.

Eleanor Farjeon 1881-1965

This was the cover of my copy of the poem.

Here is a small selection from the thousands of photos we have of our many cats. Many of them are pictured with our dogs. All our cats have loved our dogs. Some of them enjoyed blogging. Some were quite literary. Some enjoyed watching educational programmes on the television . . . or rugby.

Jellicoe,  our 4-year-old  Classic Ocicat . Classics are now known as Aztecs!

Susannah's  one-year-old Somali, Solomon

Marnie with the late Pansy, one of our blue Burmese, about fourteen years ago.

Jellicoe pretending to be a lap cushion!

The late Monty Ocicat with a young Jenna. Monty died when he was three of congestive heart failure

Susannah's Abyssinian, Pats, as a kitten. She is now ten years old.

Jenna with Winston Ocicat, who died unexpectedly when he was six years old.

Susannah providing a perch for Winston

Monty with the late, great Frodo, my velcro dog

Monty loved watching television . . .

. . . and he would not move to allow a dog into a dog bed.  Here it's Jenna trying to get comfortable.

Young Frodo with elderly blue Burmese, Pansy (top) and Singleton.  

If the cats have a squabble, as cats frequently will, they sometimes seek solace. Here it is  Cariadd, our first Dalmatian, doing the honours. There are six Burmese cats sitting on her. To her right are the hindquarters of Biddy, our first Jack Russell.

Christmas Winston!

Winston appreciating my Kindle

Clown, Magic and Angus, all Burmese. Clown and Angus were brothers.

Alicat, our first Burmese, with Bethan, thirty-three years ago

The cats liked sitting and sleeping on the aquarium cover. It was warm and there was always a slight chance that they might catch a snack! Here are, from left to right, Magic, Angus, Pansy, Alicat(behind Pansy), Sweet Pea, Clown and Singleton

Monty studying a spotted cousin . . .

 . . . and here listening to Jim Al-Khalili

Monty and Winston

Winston the blogger

Jellicoe and Isambard sharing Bertie's bed

Herschel and Bertie

  

The Twenty-First Blog of Augustus Lazarus Cooke (Gus)

The Twenty-First Blog of Augustus Lazarus Cooke (Gus)

Hello everyone!

I see it has been more than a year since I last blogged and such a lot has happened in that time. Susannah and Frankie have settled in nicely and it’s good to have them here with us – more people to make a fuss of us J

The Humans tried to introduce Pats to the other cats but it didn’t work – Herschel and Isambard were fine but Jellicoe bullied her, the naughty boy. Us dogs like her well enough but I don’t think she’s all that keen on us – she likes a quiet life. Then Susannah brought in two Somali kittens and they really like the other cats and us. They’re brothers and they’re called Leonard and Solomon. (Editor’s note: Somalis are semi-long-haired Abyssinians. Leonard looks like a little lion and Solomon is like an Arctic fox) They spend a lot of time downstairs with everyone.

Leonard and Solomon

Leonard

Solomon

Soon after that Frodo had to leave us and we were all really sad. It felt strange not to have him around and we all still miss him. He was my hero.

 

A little while later some people came to sort out the garden and make it safe for Frankie to play in. Now there’s a fence all round the pond so he can’t fall in it. 

Today some other people are in the garden putting up a cat fence so that the cats can enjoy going outside like we do. They won’t be able to get out of the garden and other cats won’t be able to get in.

Lolly came to stay with us while Bethan and Robert went on holiday. It’s nice having her here to play with and she really likes going out for runs with us. She had been here a few days when something unexpected happened. On her birthday Susannah stayed at home with us while Mr and Mrs H went out all day. I was a bit unhappy ‘cos I don’t like them going out without me. I was really pleased when they came back – we all were – but we were surprised to see Mrs H carrying a little chocolate puppy.

She’s called Roxy and Jenna and Bertie and I thought she was just going to stay with us for a little while like Lolly. 

Lolly started playing with her but Roxy was a bit cheeky and Lolly had to tell her off. She screamed so loudly but there was nothing wrong with her. Then Bethan and Robert came back to collect Lolly. She was very happy to see them but we were sorry to see her go.

We expected that soon Roxy’s holiday would be over and she would be going home but she’s still here so I think she’s here for good. I had to reprimand her the other day ‘cos she got in my personal space. I wish the cats would tell her off ‘cos she chases them when she has the chance but they’ve never scratched or bitten anyone so I s’pose they never will. None of us have played with Roxy yet but we all like to sniff her when she’s asleep ‘cos really we’re very interested.

These days Mr H takes us out in the morning. He goes slowly on his bike and we run alongside. Mrs H walks us in the evening. We’re all pretty tired by the time we go to bed but it’s a good sort of tired.

What else is happening? Bethan’s coming home one day next week so that we can all see Lolly, especially Roxy. She’s going to have a baby soon – Bethan, that is, not Roxy (Editor’s note: in August) and Marnie is getting married soon (Editor’s note: in August)

I don’t think there’s anything else to report. Maybe things will be a little quieter round here for a while.

Be good.

Hwyl fawr am nawr! (That’s Welsh for ‘Goodbye for now!’)