[Buffy the eggs layer]

I have always loved animals but being alergic to cats is what has always made them out of bounds for me. Living on a small holding means the cats have a safe warm place to sleep and dont need to live in the house. Having said that they do come in and sit in the kitchen with me every day. I'm a bit chesty as a result but not as bad as I can be.

Sallyintnorth, She is very much as you describe and toby is indeed a troublesome little chap. Yesterday afternoon I discovered him in the garage which means that he had be shut in there since the previous evening! He was dusty and cobweby but perfectly fine. He did of course need to come into the house for a treat or two to help with the shock

I'm not looking forward to discovering what he used as a toilet!
Lets just hope I see it before I step in it

Buffy

[SallyintNorth]

Oh, Buffy - please keep this thread going.  It's so lovely to hear your stories about Polly & Toby!

Funnily enough, one of the reasons I never had a cat until I was in my twenties was that I was allergic to them.  What I found when I did get a couple was that I fairly soon got  more-or-less desensitized to them.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Oh Sallyint,

  you need another cat! Or possibly two. Someone who loves animals so much and inspires great trust and loyalty from them shouldnt be without them.

But just for you, here is todays update.

 Polly has devoted as much time as she could spare to helping OH to read through a Health and Safety report in the sun room. She needed to have her head scratched a few times in order to help her concentrate but eventually had to leave him to it as she had a few mouse related issues to address.

Having dispatched some poor unfortunate creature in record time she returned to the doormat with her prize and mewed for Toby to attend his mouse catching lesson. Toby however, who had spent the morning practicing to be a chicken (just in case being a Kitten dosent work out) was busy rolling around in the dust bath and adorning himself with disgarded feathers

After Polly and I had spent some effort on mewing ( that was Polly) shouting and waving ( that was me) and pointing at the mouse ( that was both of us) we finally caught his attention and as Polly comenced her re enactment of the kill, I encouraged his trot down the drive.

Unfortunatly by the time he got to us Polly had got so carried away with her reconstruction that she had swallowed the mouse . Much to Tobys disapointment.

After her snack, Polly set about tiding herself up and Toby cherily followed her demonstration as if to show no hard feelings. Though the look in his eye seemed to suggest that he was regretting the detour that he made to examine a leaf on his way down the drive. It would seem that being a kitten is harder than it looks. Perhaps being a chicken might be easier after all

Buffy

[SallyintNorth]

Sorry it has taken me a while to thank you for that, Buffy.  I was laughing and smiling so much I couldn't see to type.    

You've missed your vocation, lady.  Keep writing, and when you've got a hundred pages, publish!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that installment and will be checking in regularly for my next dose of vicarious cat-watching. 

Bless you 

[doganjo]

I have always loved animals but being alergic to cats is what has always made them out of bounds for me. Living on a small holding means the cats have a safe warm place to sleep and dont need to live in the house. Having said that they do come in and sit in the kitchen with me every day. I'm a bit chesty as a result but not as bad as I can be.
Buffy

I have perennial rhinitis - started when we moved temporarily into a rented house where the previous incumbent had four!  My son in law says he thinks I am allergic to both dogs and cats - I take an anti histamine tablet every morning and now have no symptoms.  I have to take them the rest of my life - if I miss one I am sneezing and choked up by midday the following day.  Might be worth trying for a few days. I use citirezene

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks Doganjo,

  I have got some anti hysamine but I'm trying to see how much exposure I can cope with without it. I'm hoping that I can desensatise myself. So far I'm not doing bad.

Buffy

[Cinderhills]

I agree with Sally, you must document these antics and write a book.  It was brilliant!    If you haven't already you should read Deric Longden's novels on his cats.  They are so funny and written just how you wrote your little story.

[SallyintNorth]

Doreen Tovey's books are also great fun.  There's a donkey too. :donk:

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Thanks girls,


                   I'm glad that you enjoyed it.  I have always dreamed of being published and have a few chapters with a publisher at the moment. Though that one is a book on understanding chicken behaviour. The feedback has been positive so far. Not sure what happens next though. I think they want me to pay for it to be published which is unfortunatly out of the question.

                  I'm not sure what the audience would be for the story above as its really written for adults in the style of a childrens book and not all adults would enjoy that.

I thought it might work in a diary format and then I could write about the chickens too. Like the day that Bertie found a magic stone (it turned out to be a snail or the time that Dotty got a new hat and couldnt see where she was going, or the day that Edward lost his crow and everyone had to look for it. (turned out to be in his pocket)

If I ever do get round to it, you two can have a signed copy!


Buffy

[Cinderhills]

Oooh yes please!  I'll watch this space...

[SallyintNorth]

Yup, I'll book mine!  Any time you want a proof-reader, Buffy... count me in!

[ambriel]

Negatives aside, one advantage of having a collar is that it sends the message that this cat is probably not a stray, especially if the collar is relatively new and clean.

We have a 'mad cat woman' near us who tends to assume any cat without a collar is a stray and entices them into her house. We're still missing one of ours and I know that's where she is.

First opportunity I get (i.e. next time she pays us a visit) I'm going to put a shiny new collar on her (the cat, that is, not the woman).

[jaykay]

Oh how have I missed these cat stories  Buffy, you have such a winning style. The point is they'll appeal to children but also to the adults who have to read them to the kids - who'll get extra out of them - very important.

If you know the Shrek films, that's why they're so successful - they're straightforwardly funny to the kids whilst the adults are being amused by all the clever allusions and puns 

Definitely publish 

[doganjo]

A word of warning about collars.   Rio has a bad habit of losing his (I think he has had about 20 in his 12 years  )and rather than have him get lost or unable to break free, I buy the supposedly quick release ones, not the buckle type.  I'd rather lose collars than my cat.  However, this latest lovely red velvet job (on a ginger cat, nice!  ) seemed to have a nice strong clip, even though it was a quick release type.  It obviously was a bit too strong as the other day I went to the door to let the dogs out and a half strangled cat was sitting there - I had to run to get the scissors to cut it off as he was choking badly.  Don't know how long he'd been there but thank goodness he came home.  It had twisted round and was all roughened up so he must have been up a tree and got caught, or tangled in some bushes.  Needless to say he will have to take the chance of being classed a stray now.

[Buffy the eggs layer]

Oh Dear Doganjo,


   I do hope that he recovers. In not even sure how my cats would feel about collars but after your experiences I'm not even going to try.


Buffy