48 Hours Later Than Planned...

... the cats have arrived!

We couldn't take them on Monday night, because we only had one cat carrier until I could borrow one.

Then it wasn't possible (for reasons I won't go into) to get them on Tuesday.

Then we arrived to get them last night... to be told that the male cat (the son), who "never went wandering" had... er... gone wandering! He was nowhere to be seen, and didn't come home when the owners were shaking the food box... so we left empty-handed, with the woman saying that she would phone us if he appeared later in the evening. But the phonecall never came.

I gave her a ring after work tonight, asking if the wanderer had returned yet... and was told that he was still AWOL! At this point, she said she was a little worried, because he wasn't in the habit of going wandering, and they'd been all over the fields looking for him. She feared that something bad had happened to him... but again, she would phone us if he appeared.

Just after 8pm, we decided that we would take a run out just in case.

Arrived there, and he still hadn't come home. The woman said now she was really sure that something had happened, and we were just arranging to take his sister (a black and white cat) who was also being re-homed, instead. His mother was in her cat carrier, and we were just about to put the other cat in, when the woman suddenly exclaimed "Gizmo!" - and there he was, sashaying up the road like the new gunslinger in town, tail aloft.

So, we had a choice... him, or his sister. And we decided (although secretly, both of us really liked the other cat... even though maybe being black and white, and with a similar name to Minnie, I don't know how I would have felt about having her around) to take Gizmo with his mother, because they really did seem close and cuddly, with a very strong bond.

Got them in the boot of the car, and took them home. Got them in, opened the carriers, and both made for the sofa! Barely 5 minutes after they arrived, they were both stretched out on MY seat on the sofa, washing each other and looking like they owned the place!

Now, Leia is asleep in her bed, after eating half her weight in biscuits... and Gizmo? Gizmo is lying across 2 seats of the sofa, farting contentedly, and smelling like a rhino that's been dead for 3 weeks! Typical male!

But please - PLEASE don't think that this means that I am over Minnie, or that she didn't mean anything to me... Minnie was my bubba, along with her mummy, Harriet, and I'll never, ever forget her - THEM - and I don't know if I'll ever love a mog like I loved them. It hurts every time I think of her, or look out the back door and see the spot where she was lying when I came home last Thursday afternoon and found her in such a bad way... and it'll hurt for a very long time to come.

I'll post photos of the 2 new arrivals soon.

Thursday 16th April

... was the day I had to make the hardest decision of my life - I had to make the decision to have my beautiful and funny and cute cat, Minnie, put to sleep.

On Wednesday morning she seemed fine... she had something to eat, she was limping a little on one front foot (but we put that down to the fact that she had been sleeping on the bench the day before, and we thought she must have landed badly when she jumped down), but she was more or less her usual self.

But when we came home Wednesday night, she didn't want to come in to eat or sleep... but again, it wasn't unusual for her to spend a bonny night outside.

Thursday morning, Viki went out the back for a cigarette before going to work, and Minnie was lying outside, under some scaffolding the neighbours have up at the back of my house. And she wouldn't come in to eat. Viki said she was really worried about Minnie, cause she didn't seem able to get up.

So, when I got up, I went to see if she would come in... but she just laid there, curled up, and was shivering a bit. And she seemed to be in a bit of pain. But I had to go to work.

Came home at lunchtime to check up on her, and there was no sign of her where I had left her. I thought she had got up and gone a wander.

But then I saw her... She had moved all of a few yards and was lying curled up in the grass where the sun was shining... and was clearly not well. She was unable to even lift her head, and when she tried to move, she was in great pain.

Went up to where she was, and I almost thought I was too late... her mouth was a little open, and she hardly seemed to breathing.

So I got my brother along to have a look... and he said she was in a really bad way.

Took her straight to the vet, and the vet examined her. Poor Minnie had no control or strength in her back legs... just couldn't stand or walk... could barely lift her head. The vet said that there was a number of things it could be:

Maybe she had a blood clot somewhere that was cutting off the blood supply to her back legs... because the pulse in her abdomen was barely there.

Maybe she had eaten or drank something toxic.

Maybe there was an electrolyte imbalance in her blood.

Maybe she had been struck by a car or something, but there didn't seem to be any injury or obvious trauma.

But without extensive tests, she didn't really know what was causing it... and Minnie was deteriorating before our eyes in the short time I was there. Within about half an hour, the vet said that she seemed to be having some kind of seizure, because her eyes were glazed and didn't respond to light stimulation.

So, rather than pump her full of painkillers to try to keep her going another night so they could do more tests, I chose to let her go. I couldn't stand the thought of my beloved baby spending a night alone in the vets, in pain and distress... maybe even dying alone... so I told them to end her suffering.

It was the hardest words I've ever had to say to tell her goodbye. I stroked her head, told her I was sorry, that I loved her so much, that Viki loved her, and that I would miss her forever. And somewhere in her pain, I think my baby heard me, because she purred.

But coming home without her was horrible. And the house is so empty...


Which is why I've taken the decision that I've taken.

Less than a week after her going, tomorrow I go and collect 2 cats that were on the Cats Protection Orkney website for rehoming. Leia and Gizmo are a mummy and her grown-up son who required rehomed together. Was along to visit them in their current home tonight, and they are so lovely. Gizmo is 2 and a half, and is described as a "bit of a mummy's boy" - and that was clear when we arrived and they were lying cuddled up together. Leia clearly still loves her "baby". Gizmo is ginger & white, and Leia is mostly white with tortoishell markings.

See their photos here.

This doesn't mean I've forgotten Minnie, or that I didn't love her... I loved her with all my heart... but my heart needs a cat to love.

R.I.P. Minnie... and I'll see you again someday... you and your mummy.

And there is now officially an embargo on April 16th for me... that day was also 2 years to the day since my father died.

R.I.P. My Sweet Baby...

Disappointed...

After work tonight I took a walk out past where the first "sighting" of Harriet had come from last week, and then on to where the second of today's phone calls came from.

I saw movement in the house from last week, so I chanced a knock on the door. Spoke to a nice woman who told me that the black & white cat at their house had been coming back and fore for about 8 months... so not Harriet.

Then on to the newest "sighting". The couple who phoned took me through to their back garden which overlooks a "quarry" (an overgrown sort of valley behind the houses), and there sitting in the bottom of this quarry was a cat which really looked like Harriet. I called, but it sat there and looked at me... no spark of recognition. They explained that it was hunting mice and wee voles in the undergrowth, so wasn't starving.

I did really hope it might have been her, until somehow or other the subject of its teeth came up. I explained that Harriet is missing at least one of her big teeth (canines? it's so long since I did biology, I forget), but they said "This one has got its full set". So it doesn't look like it's my baby either. And they are away tomorrow for a week.

I don't know. Maybe I should just accept the fact that she's gone.... That's 5 weeks. How long should I keep hoping? Maybe I should just resign myself to the fact that my beautiful, soppy cat is gone for good?

Two In One Day

Phonecalls with possible sightings of my cat, that is!

My beautiful, cuddly baby, Harriet, has been missing for just over 5 weeks now, and in that time, I've put up a couple of posters, posted her picture on the local Cats Protection website, had it reported on the local radio, and informed the police... and only really had one possible lead.

But today I've had 2 phonecalls saying they might have seen my cat.

The first one phoned about 11am, saying that the cat was there. So I got a taxi and dashed to check it out... but it wasn't her. The cat was smaller, and had more white about its nose than Harriet.

But my phone has just rung again. This time the possible sighting is not far away from the one a week or so ago, and both of the locations are not far away from my house (the other one this morning was possible, but I thought maybe a bit far away from "home" for it to be Harriet).

Looks like I've got a sort of area to concentrate my search though.

In case you are in Kirkwall reading this, especially in the Weyland / Carness area... please keep an eye open for a cat looking like this:

She could be wearing a red collar, and more than likely will be quite timid, so she probably won't come to you.

If you see her, please leave me a comment or something... or contact the police... or you can find my contact details on the lost & found pages of the Orkney Cats Protection website.

Please Pray...

and ask blessings and a safe return for my soppy cat, Harriet, who I've not seen for almost a week now.

I leave the bedroom window open all day, so she could be coming in when I'm not around, but I'm getting really worried... This is just not like her.

My brother has had a look around and he says (thank God) that there's no sign of her lying on the road anywhere, so hopefully she hasn't been run down.

Please, gods, bring her home to me... I don't know what I'd do without her...

Crazy Cat!

Last night, just before I went to bed, Harriet decided she wanted to go out and - thinking she would just go and pee, then come back in again - I let her out (besides which, I had to take something in off the clothes drier, and couldn't stop her getting out past me).

Opened the door and "Zoom" - she was offski! Cursed, swore, and decided I would get ready for bed and then try again to see if she would come in.

Back out half an hour later, and there was no sign of her... until I heard a vague tinkle, tinkle, tinkle coming from above me...

Looked up, and there was a black flash running across the roof(!) of the two-storey house next door to me! (between the 2 skylights you can see in this photo):

She had climbed up on the scaffolding that is next door, onto my (single-storey) roof, and then up onto their roof! Stupid animal!

Gave her a row and ordered her down (she did come, reluctantly... I was having visions of having to call out the fire brigade), but she wasn't about to come in.

So that's a first for the new house - She stayed out all night (without getting herself lost or run over) and was waiting on the back doorstep, starving, this morning.

And, while I was trying to persuade the cat in last night, I had a run-in with one of my least-favourite creatures (no, brother David, I didn't blot my Karma any more by planting my size 6's on another snail)... a moth.

Opened the back door, and a moth flew straight into the kitchen. Managed (at great personal risk of it attacking me... lol...) to trap it in a jug, with a plate over the top, and took it outside. Lifted the plate off... and it flew straight back in again!

Back inside... tried to wallop it a few times with a towel, but I missed, and then it settled on my plant, where I couldn't whack it. Got the jug / plate combo again, and this time managed to get it out without it coming back in again.

I HATE moths!

Defleated

Subtitled: How To Collar A Cat

It being summer, and the cats starting to wander a bit more among the cats down here, I decided to get flea collars for them... and bit the bullet last night (I've had them since Saturday), thinking I was going to get them on, coz my pair aren't the easiest to catch / handle if you're trying to do something vaguely medical to them! So, there I was, 2 wary cats, 2 flea collars (complete with name tags), and just me alone to try to collar them.

The job actually turned out to be quite easy... but the technique was different for each cat:

Harriet

Harriet is normally the worst one when you're trying to apply a collar (she's had ones before, and usually either gets away from you, hides, or backs out of the collar as you're trying to fix it). Tonight, I called her through to the bedroom, to her usual spot on the end of the bed, and she just laid there purring as I put it on. It was AFTER I'd put it on that the protestations and panic started... mainly because of the bell on it! I tried explaining that I couldn't take the bell off...

Lol... I've just remembered the fate of her last collar... It wasn't too slack, so I don't know how she managed it, but I found her in a panic one day - She'd got both her front paws through the collar, and managed to work it down her body until it was around the back of her front legs (she looked like Simon Cowell in his high-waisted trousers). I had to cut the bloody thing off!


Minnie

Lol... Minnie was dead easy... Just got a cat treat (one of those stick things gives you enough time), gave it to her to eat, and while she was scoffing it, fitted collar!


In both cases, it's the aftermath that is the problem... Then I have to deal with sulking moggies!

Still, it's a small price to pay for being flealess!

Incidentally, Harriet's collar is red and Minnie's is gold!

The Cat Sat On The Mat

Or, in my case, "The cat PEED on both the mats"!

When I posted the photos of the cats venturing outside on Wednesday, maybe you noticed a dark patch on the doormat at the back door... But in case you didn't, here it is helpfully circled for you...

Well, at this stage I'd figured that one of the cats had taken a pee on the mat... but I didn't know which one...

However, this morning, I was getting ready for work, when I noticed Harriet scraping at the doormat at the FRONT door, and immediately some alarm went off in my head! Went to have a look.... and there was a twin dark patch on the mat there, and a cat looking very sheepish, and the unmistakeable smell of cat pee!

Damn thing! I can only assume that it's something to do with territory and the new house, because both cats are so good, and just don't do things like that. And, as for the back door... the litter tray is just about 6 inches away from the mat! And it was cleaned out last night, so today's "accident" is nothing to do with that.

So I stuck the mat outside the back door, after spraying it with Febreze, and liberally dusting it with black pepper - beside the other one. And Harriet got a skelped erse and told she was a bad cat!

I hated hitting her, and afterwards she ran away every time I came past her. In fact, when I left for work, she was hiding under the table, looking very, very guilty and sorry for herself. Poor puss (but don't tell her I said that).

She's got to learn that's not acceptable though.

I guess I'm lucky in a way, because I've got 2 lovely new carpets, and at least she's not piddled on them... she's done it in about the best bits she could (bar just on the lino, where it could be mopped up).

I'm going to buy some kind of citrus-based something I can treat the mats with once they're all dried out though, before they go back down.

Damn cat!

Venturing Forth...

Harriet: That's right... You go ahead. I'll be out in a minute...

Harriet: Heh, sucker! This is far enough for me!

Minnie meets a local...

Harriet has a stare battle with another local (you can just see a white moggy up the far end of the planks)...

One Small Step For 2 Cats...

One Giant Leap For Catkind!

Both cats have been out today... wandering about at the back, sniffing around in corners, disappearing under sheds, meeting the local cat population (the phrase "Mexican Standoff" springs to mind... it was like watching an old western as the 2 honchos size each other up to see who's going to crack and draw their gun first), and generally exploring the area at the back of the house.

I've not seen Minnie so excited in a long time... I got cold, so came in and left them sniffing around, and Minnie kept coming running in, jumping up on the desk where I was pottering on the computer - her tail quivering - so she could "tell" me what she was seeing! It was like "Mummy... mummy... come and see...! There's this shed out there... I've been under it! And paving stones for me to roll on...! Come and watch me roll, mummy! Come on!" It was so funny!

And they came in no bother, and didn't head for the road this time!

My Brave Girl!

I was washing my windows last night, and had the back door open, when Harriet appeared... She peeped out the door, saw I was out there, and tentatively came out - and that was her... she spotted the steps up from my little paved area to the lane behind the house that goes down to the road - and she was away, heading straight towards (yep, you guessed it) the road!

Thankfully, her attention was diverted at the last minute by the gardens and other houses on the lane, and she had a sniff around in them instead... before coming around behind someone's shed (the area at the back of the house is hard to describe... there's kind of a communal triangular grass area with sheds and things, and then some folk have peedie gardens, and there are houses up the one side... and the backs of houses up the other), having her first al fresco pee for a couple of weeks, and coming back in for her tea!

She was really intent on exploring... no real fear at all - It was ME that was the nervous, gibbering wreck!

No sign of Minnie wanting out yet... which is really weird, because she's usually the one who loves to explore and is first to want out!

Good Grief...

Yes, it had started before I even went to work this morning!

I was rushing about getting ready... and I heard...

RumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleRumbleThudMeow!

Came round the corner, and there were 2 very guilty looking cats with expressions of "Oh boy, we're in trouble now... look cute..."

And they did look cute... and it worked - I didn't skelp their erses!

To Paraphrase A Simon & Garfunkel Song Title...

Tuesday Morning, 3am (Julie'll know the song I mean) was the time my 2 cats decided to start acting up!

I wasn't asleep... wasn't even really in bed... and Harriet decided to start by playing with a bit of plastic (the seal that you tear off a bottle before unscrewing the lid), and then went rampaging up and down the stairs like a heffalump, trying to get Minnie to chase her / be chased... but Minnie was too busy playing football with, not one, but 2 ping pong balls... and she had a couple of pom-pom things she was puttering around too.

Honestly, I need some sort of pawcuffs I can put them in at night before I go to bed!

Came home tonight, and the one pom-pom wasn't where I'd left it this morning, so the peedie buggers have been at it again while I was out!

Any idea where I can get a couple of those ASCOs you were talking about, Lou?

When You See A Ping-Pong Ball At 2am...

... just as you're getting ready to go to bed, whatever you do - don't drop it on the floor to see if the cat will putt it!

Did that last night / this morning, and Minnie looked at it suspiciously... then gave it a tap... and that was it - she was off, tearing around the living room and hallway like a thing possessed after this ball!

And every time she putted it somewhere like behind the ironing board, muggins had to come and get it for her... so I decided I couldn't beat her, so I might as well join the peedie buggerlugs - so I started throwing the ball up the stairs and she would belt hell-for-leather up after it, then rumble down again after it... eventually reaching the point where she was ¾ of the way up the stairs before the ball even left my hand.

After about 45 minutes, I thought she'd be knackered (and I know I was... lol), so I sneakily put the ball out of her reach and went to bed. However, at this point, I had a cat who was still in full-on kitten mode (she's 5 years old, for gawd's sake) - and who spent the next hour pestering her mother (who didn't like the ball, and who was trying to sleep at this stage), and bouncing up and down on my belly, rubbing her wet nose on me, and plaguing me for cuddles!

Never again! All ball games are now banned! (What do you mean, "Why were you in the sports shop buying more ping-pong balls today, then?" Err...)

No, Really.... Anyone Want A Cat?

Minnie is not normal, I swear!

Last night she kept going out of the living room, then running in at breakneck speed and pouncing on a carrier bag at the back of the sofa... and then this morning she kept ambushing her poor mother at the bottom of the stairs - I was in the loo, and I could see her hunching up, bum wiggling, ready to attack Harriet whenever she came round the corner!

Then, just before I left, they were both sat together in the sofa, Harriet washing Minnie's face... Minnie giving the odd lick to her mummy - when suddenly Harriet must have decided enough was enough, and she gave Minnie a clipe on the top of her head!

I don't imagine it's done any good at all calming the peedie buggerlugs down!

Anybody got any Valium? Either for me or the cat...

That Was The Week, That Was

Well, I think the last time I was here in any real way was Tuesday, so what's happened since? And why have I not been blogging?

Let's see... Wednesday was college, then work, and then I came home, had the last of my soup... which I took a photo of with my cameraphone, just so you could see how it looked...

Then I started to watch an old "Top Gear", which started at 9pm... I say "started" because I was asleep before it ended... and that was me until about 6am Thursday morning, when I awoke - still feeling like I could sleep for a month.

Arrived at work expecting Flunky to be back (he's been on holiday in Spain for the last week & a half or so... and he had been back, but was coughing, spluttering and leaking snot from every orifice... so the boss told him to go home again. He phoned in the afternoon to say he'd been signed off for a week with bronchitis! But he reckons he's going to be back before then.

Last night I sat down to watch TV, and was suddenly besieged by cats! Minnie took up residence on my chest (kind of like this photo... you can't see that's where she's lying, but it is),

and Harriet settled herself down on my pillow just above/behind my head - and it's amazing the heat a couple of moggies generate! And also how penned in and claustrophobic you feel when you can't move without a furry lump starting to purr or head-butting you til you give it a stroke! But instead of giving them a punt off, or telling them to go away, Muggins here just tries to lie still so as not to disturb the little darlings (easy to see who rules the roost in this house, isn't it?).

And then there was work today... then shopping... then a bit of telly... then I thought I'd come and blog quickly in case I don't make it back again this weekend. I'm working in the shop tomorrow (after our shopgirl saying she'd do Saturday's coz she needed the money... but she couldn't do last week, or the week before, and she can't do this week, and maybe she could do next week, but then not the week after... Well, I'm off November 10th for a something I help out at every year... but there's a chance she can't do that day either... and it seems if she's going out on a Saturday night, then she can't work that day! Grrrr... *breathe* I'm calm... I'm calm...

Well, guess I'll bugger off now. Catch you later, and have a good weekend all!