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-Third Blog of Augustus Lazarus Cooke (Gus)

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

Hello everyone!

It’s very busy in our house. There are so many rings at the door that us dogs have given up barking. Mrs H says that’s just as well or we would be ho(a)rse. I don’t understand that – we’re dogs and we couldn’t be horses if we tried.

Roxy saw her first horse the other day. She followed him, trying to sniff his bottom. Mrs H was worried about his hooves but they looked all right to me.

Roxy’s mum and dad had a new litter of puppies. Mr and Mrs H thought about having one of Roxy’s sisters but decided against it as they say they’ve got enough on their hands. I’ve just looked at their hands and I don’t know what they’re talking about. Mr H hasn’t got anything on his hands and there are only a couple of rings on Mrs H’s. Humans do say some funny things sometimes.

Bruno (left) and Bella 

Anyway, Gillian and Marnie have got a sister and brother of Roxy’s. They’re called Bella and Bruno. The first time we saw them they were really small and we couldn’t have a good look at them. 

Left to right: Foxy, Jenna, Bertie, Bella, Isla (human),Bruno, Gus

The next time they came we all went into Simons Wood together – it was fun. Since then Foxy died very suddenly. We were all very sad about that. She was Bertie and Buster’s aunt and lived with Gillian and Buster (Bertie’s brother) in Dorset. It’s a good thing Gillian has Bella otherwise Buster would be very lonely. I loved Foxy. I used to lie next to her and lick her for hours. Mrs H says she was the prettiest little puppy she’s ever seen. Course, I didn’t know her then. I’m only seven and she was eleven, the same age as Jenna.

Foxy 

Dominie with Foxy 

Roxy loves seeing the puppies. Last time, we all played in the garden ‘cos we didn’t have time to go to the woods. Mrs H took us out in the morning before Gillian and Marnie came and then all the humans went to Frankie’s birthday party. He was only little when he and Susannah came to live with us. He’s four now and quite grown up. 

He likes taking photos with Mrs H’s iPad and the other day he used her camera. 

He needs some more practice, I think.

The cats had their fourth birthday, too, but they didn’t have a party. They were terrified of us dogs when they first came here but now they love to snuggle up with us.

Left to right: Jellicoe, Isambard, Bertie

Top to bottom: Herschel, Bertie, Jellicoe, Isambard, Jenna

Christmas is coming. I’m still not sure what that is but the house is filling up with strange parcels and Frankie is getting very excited. He had to dress up as a sheep the other day for something called 'The Nurtivitee'. 

The cats liked his costume!

I don’t think there’s anything else to report. 

Be good.

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

 Earlier today I made a mess. I didn't mean to but the ball was so nice and chewy.

I think the humans found it quite funny. They took lots of photos, anyway. I felt a bit silly, though, so later on I climbed onto Herschel. I like Herschel.

 Herschel likes me, too, now that I don't (usually) chase him.

I like cuddling with him . . .

. . . but sometimes my head's too heavy for him, even though I'm not very big.

Bertie is Herschel's favourite dog.

He's very gentle.

Is this an egg?

Is this an egg?

Did I lay it> 

I wonder what it will hatch into?

Only joking - I know it's not an egg.

Honestly, you humans are silly sometimes.

A Pinch and a Punch for the First of the Month

Now that it is October it can no longer be denied that Autumn is well under way and Winter will soon be upon us. October is often a very pleasant month but today is wet and grey.

Frankie and his mother, Susannah, are on holiday, narrowly avoiding Hurricane Matthew. 

A blurry photo taken with my phone of a fast-moving Frankie 

 'Follow Mummy, Frankie.'

You're never too young to learn the rules of queueing.

Susannah was anticipating a twelve-hour flight from Gatwick with some trepidation but her fears were unfounded and Frankie behaved impeccably. There is still the return journey, of course . . .

The birds have not returned to the garden, sadly. Maybe when it is cold and wet and the cats don’t wish to go out they will come back to feed.

Life continues on a smaller scale.

This little creature is a Hairy Shield bug, (Dolycoris baccarum) so called because it is covered in short hairs. It is about 11mm long and widespread, though becoming rarer in the north of the country.

There have been many Red Admirals (Vanessa atalanta) in the garden. This one, appropriately, is feeding on a buddleja, a plant often referred to as the butterfly bush.

Meanwhile, the cats continue to enjoy and explore the garden. 

Isambard

Jellicoe

Herschel

Lenny

Solomon

They go out first thing in the morning and often stay out until dusk or even, in the case of Susannah’s cats, dark!

There have been no more squirrel casualties though the dragonflies, mainly Southern Hawkers, (Aeshna cyanea) do not learn from experience. 

Southern Hawker female laying eggs

They are large, busy predators, hunting insects and catching them mid-air. They can hover and also fly backwards but they cannot escape the claws of cats!

One benefit of the shortening and cooling days is the excuse to have a fire. Today is cold, tomorrow may be warm – the weather is capricious.

I am linking with Eileen's 'Saturday Critters' and Misty's 'Camera-Critters'