Cats
Felix and the onion
Saturday 31 December, 2005
Felix has a new toy (actually, had) - it was an onion. We've bought him loads of toys but yesterday, he had a happy time playing with an onion on the kitchen floor. Unfortunately, Dan used it for soup.
Strange bedfellows
Monday 26 December, 2005
I was reflecting today on how the winter sun makes strange bedfellows. The search for warmth has lead to Felix and Cassius sharing the sheepskin pads on the windowsill. Cassius is remarkably tolerant of Felix - in fact, I think he quite likes him. The photo says it all!
Both now sleep on our bed, Felix at the top and Cass at the bottom. Felix sleeps on my pillow, above my head. It's great just now - like sleeping in a fur hat - but it might be too much come the summer.
Strange little cat
Thursday 24 November, 2005
Felix is now well settled. He seems to have got the hang of the cat flap, which is good. He's an odd wee creature, though. Or maybe it's just our lack of experience with cats that makes him seem so.
Although he's six, he seems very kittenish. Everything is new and exciting and generates lots of snuffly sniffs. He tears about the house, treating no-one with any respect. However, he and Cass both sleep with us and share a sofa. Copper tolerates him but whacked him tonight when he got too familiar (he was trying to play with her tail, the cheek of it!).
Felix
Monday 14 November, 2005
We have a new addition to our family. After losing Homer a few weeks ago, I had a wee trip to the local cat shelter last week, to hand in a donation. There were lots of lovely cats and kittens, but one in particular caught my eye. So he moved in on Saturday.
His name is Felix. He's a six(ish) year old black (mainly) ex-tom cat. His previous mum and dad split up, and his mum couldn't keep him in her new house.
Homer
Monday 17 October, 2005
Sad news. We had to have Homer put to sleep this morning. He had been diagnosed with chronic kidney failure some weeks ago and had been on medication to alleviate the symptoms. However, it became clear this morning that he was failing fast. Our vet came to the house and it was all very peaceful at the end.
We've had nearly two good years together. Homer went from living under the bed to being first to greet us on Friday when we returned from a few days holiday. He had his place in the sun and by the fire; he was never cold or hungry and knew only kind words and gentle hands. He was content, I think.
Poor Homer
Monday 29 August, 2005
We've had a bit of a scare with Homer this weekend. For those who don't know Homer's background, we rehomed him from the Cat Protection League in December 2003. He was very depressed in the shelter, had been a stray a long time and was very nervous of people. He was "10 plus" years old then and shortly after we got hime, he was diagnosed with FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus). He's come on great since then - he used to live under the bed in the guest room, but now he's comparatively sociable and will sit on the sofa with you and get a stroke.
Poorly Cassius
Thursday 24 March, 2005
We've had a bit of a scare with Cassius this week.
On Saturday, we noticed that he was straining to pee and couldn't. We called our vet's emergency service and were told to bring him in right away. It turns out he had crystals in his urine that had irritated his bladder, causing it to block completely. Without treatment, he would have been dead in 48 hours. The build up of waste in his body woudl have caused heart failure (given he has a dicky ticker anyway).
However, after four nights in hospital, an X-ray and ultrasound and some other less pleasant treatments, King Cass is now home again. He's lost a bit of weight, has a special diet and some medication to take but he looks fine. He couldn't wait to get outside - we think he was a bit stir crazy!
Curiousity makes the cat
Tuesday 16 November, 2004
Now the nights have drawn in, and there's less to do in and around the smallholding, it's time to turn our focus back to this site a little. We've loads of gallery images to add, and we're trying loads of new recipes, so these will feature soon.
This entry is about Cas though, as nosy a cat as you could ever meet. Leave anything open and he's into it - cardboard box, garage door, coal bunker, greenhouse, anything.
Homer
Tuesday 19 October, 2004
We've had some bad news about Homer. He's had a viral pneumonia for about a week and has been attendoing the vet every second day. Because she was concerned that he wasn't getting better as quickly as might be expected, the vet has tested him for Feline Leukemia Virus (FLeV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Unfortunately, Homer has tested positive for FIV.
On the bright side, he's recovered from his pneumonia, is eating well and looks great. He also tested negative for FLeV. He goes back to the vet on 30th October for a check up and, hopefully, his boosters and a vaccination against FLeV.
Cassius' Story
Monday 16 August, 2004
Homer's had quite a lot of coverage on the site and Copper has her spot, but Cassius only gets a passing mention. But, in fact, if it wasn't for Cass, we wouldn't have either Homer or Copper.
When Dan and I moved here, we both wanted a dog. We were dog lovers. So we got Tess. Then we got Meg. Cats didn't really feature and Dan professed to not being a cat lover. Ha!
Although I had never owned a cat, my Gran always had a cat and I've always liked them, although Gran used to embarass me by talking to any cat we met out in a "silly" voice. (Which is exactly what I do now).When I worked on the farm, the cats always became my "pets".
