Cats
I am sixteen, going on seventeen
Thursday 30 March, 2006
Now, get that song out of your head! No, not me (unfortunately) but Copper Cat who will be 17 on Saturday. She's pretty good value - enjoys her evening computing and grooming sessions - Dan keeps her brush on his desk. She's pretty fat and not so good at doing her own grooming now, but she's really perky and very, very vocal and purry.
Although she's a big cat (and I don't just mean fat). she has wee, tiny paws and she walks very quickly, with very small steps, like a lady in high heels. For some reason, she reminds me of Hyacinth Bucket or Margaret Thatcher. Dan, unfortunately, can't see it.
Felix the Fearless and the Tamworth Two
Monday 27 March, 2006
After the pigs arrived yesterday, they were greeted in various ways by our other animals. Tess and Meg trembled from head to paw, the chooks followed the little rooters looking for worms and bugs (although Henry was too wimpy to go through the fence into the pig pen, unlike his wives) - but the star of the show was:
tah rah!! Felix the Fearless, who slipped into the pen and approached the pigs for a good sniff. It was apparent that the pigs were much more anxious about him that he was about them. Maybe they recognised him as a predator, even though a good gust of wind would blow him away. Having pushed them around a bit, Felix retired to a block of stone to keep an eye on them.
Felix and the painter 2
Friday 24 March, 2006
Felix nearly caused the painter to have a heart attack. Mackie was filling the kettle and gazing at the river when Felix jumped from the table on to his head. I really meant to warn him about that...
Felix, the pear and the painter
Monday 13 March, 2006
Felix's ability to find fun in almost anything astounds me. Pushing a pen around on the desk, chasing feet and hands under the duvet, chasing the PC cursor - all great fun for Felix. But a pear? Our fruit dish is on the kitchen table. So, quite often, is Felix. A pear must have fallen off the dish just to be a toy for Felix to play with. He spins it round with his paws, drags it around by the stalk and rolls it onto the floor, so that Tess can run away with it (it's covered in teeth marks).
Better than that, we've got the painter in painting the hall and living room. Poor guy, he must be harassed to death by Felix and the dogs. Because it's the hall, the door handles are off every room, so I can't shut them in anywhere. Well, you just KNOW someone's going to get covered in white paint and, of course, it's Felix. As well as his natty white collar (caused, if you remember by a flea collar or a too-tight collar, before we got him), he now has an attractive dusting of white down one side of his face, neck and one shoulder.
Good news about Felix
Sunday 5 March, 2006
Members of the Felix fan club will be glad to know that he has tested negative for both Feline Leukemia Virus and FIV. He will be vaccinated against FLeV next week.
The antibiotics and eyedrops seem to be helping and his snuffle is much reduced. He has another 11 days course of antibiotics, to complete.
Today he's been gardening, both in and out of the greenhouse, and stalking the Brown Leghorn. He was flat out on his sheepskin on the windowsill, in the sun this afternoon.
It's a hard life being a media star!
A tale of two poorly pussycats
Thursday 23 February, 2006
Dan took Cassius for his annual check and booster last Tuesday (Valentine's Day - don't say I don't know how to spoil a bloke!). When he came home without him, I was a little concerned. Cass has been sneezing for a couple of weeks - dry sneezing, not snotty ones like Felix. He had a sneezing fit at the vet's and burst a blood vessel in his nose, poor boy.
Anyway, the vet had a look and thought he had something stuck up his nose (more like something that would happen to Felix, really). It turned out that he had a rotten tooth that was making his eye and nose run. We had noticed the runny eye and nose, but were just bathing them wth salt water; we had been told previously that he had very deepset eyes that might be prone to mattering. The offending tooth was broken when we got him but it wasn't extracted because it wasn't giving any problems at the time and, being a canine, woudl have had a really deep root.
Further adventures of Felix the Cat
Tuesday 7 February, 2006
Felix has been up the chimney again. Fortunatley, he "swept" it so well last time that he wasn't half as dirty this time. We've closed the wee flap, so he can't try that one anymore.
He also seemed to have been paddling somewhere - he came rushing in, from outside, we think, because he was cold, wet to the ankles (or the cat equivalent of ankles). Our first thought was that he had fallen down the toilet - he's quite interested in the toilet - but investigation confirmed that all toilet seats were down. It wasn't wet underfoot outside, so the best we can come up with is that he has somehow fallen into the birds' water dish. With Felix, nothing is impossible.
Felix and his friend
Monday 30 January, 2006
Shortly after Felix moved in, he was introduced to the three horses in the field across the track. I don't THINK he had seen horse before but, in typical Felix style, he was quite relaxed, touching noses with them as I held him.
Well, what did we start? Felix has an obsession for horses. Twice recently, we've found him way up the field, but yesterday he outdid himself. The photo really doesn't do him justice. He was rubbing round their legs, especially the horse in the photo, but the other two weren't excluded. At one point, he had his paws up the horse's front leg and looked like he was licking it, in the same way as he stretches up us and licks our ears or noses. The horse seemed quite relaxed about it all.
The new adventures of Felix the Cat
Wednesday 25 January, 2006
Felix has decided it would be great to have some adventures. I don't know how much access he had to the great outdoors before we got him, but he always seemed a bit overwhelmed by "outside", didn't seem awfully confident walking along fences and stuff - things that Cass seems to do without thinking. And he just tears around the garden at 100 miles an hour, which is quite entertaining.
Anyway, Felix has been practising his adventure skills.
Yesterday, I looked out the bedroom window and noticed a wee black shape moving up the field, followed by the three horses. Felix seems to be fascinated by the horses and they're quite interested in him. I shouted on him and he came tearing back, meoiwing loudly.
The Cat's Dish
Wednesday 11 January, 2006
Felix and his friends (I use the term loosely), Cassius and Copper, are featuring as "Cats of the Week" on a new weblog called "The Cat's Dish"
