[oor wullie]

Womble there is a gap in the market that you could fill supplying these cats.

After our cat disappeared in suspicious circumstances we searched hard for the most savage feline beast we could find that would be willing to go nose to nose with the rats.  Eventually the cat rescue place supplied a cat that had torn up its previous owners house and spat at anyone who went near it.  My wife had to hide our young child when she went to collect it as they thought it too risky to let the cat go to a home with children. 
Said "monster" now lives peacefully in our shed, enjoys human company and thinks he is achieving something useful when he takes an already dead mouse out of a mousetrap.  He wouldn't say boo to a teddy bear never mind a rat.

If you start a business "Wombles untameable, rat hunting, cats" then I might be your first customer.

[Womble]

Alright Wullie, the next one that turns up here is yours!


If this winter is anything to go by, I'm expecting another delivery in a couple of weeks time!!

[doganjo]

Where are they all coming from?

[Womble]

Well @doganjo , our postman says that there's a farm a couple of miles away from here as the crow flies which has at least 30 cats kicking about. My guess is that these boys have been kicked out of the colony, and have been living wild. Then, once the snow and ice took hold, hunger has forced them to seek refuge in our barn.

It's not a great situation, but I reckon we could end up with quite a few in time. The trouble is, the CPL etc won't take on feral cats, and neither will they put down a healthy animal (fair enough). That means that if one decides to move in with you, you're kinda stuck with it!!

[Steph Hen]

Cpl has their own rules, but I think you can trap and hand over cats to vets or rspca instead.

[Womble]

Hi Steph Hen, I didn't confess to this originally, but I nearly landed myself in quite a sticky situation here with the SSPCA. When Merlin first turned up, I spoke to the CPL about trapping, and they told me that whilst they were willing to help, they wouldn't be able to do anything for at least a couple of months. So, because we were genuinely worried that he was going to injure our pet cats, and because he was spraying all over our incredibly precious hay supplies, I decided we didn't have that long to wait. I therefore welded up my own trap, which is of course a triumph of both luck and over-engineering.

Once I had him caught, I then decided also to call the SSPCA to see if they might be able to help with veterinary treatment. However, the lady on the phone got really angry at me for having "trapped a wild animal that was peacefully going about its business, and should have been left alone". (I was honestly made to feel that I might have been prosecuted if I had told them who I was!).

Anyway, Merlin update of the day:  Mrs Womble spent over an hour last night hand feeding him pieces of mackerel and encouraging him to come out of his shell by chasing bits of string and peacock feathers. She even managed to give him a little tickle without losing a hand. Frankly I'm amazed, but also really proud of how patient she's been, and pleased that it's starting to pay off  .

[Womble]

Remember this guy?



No, I can't quite believe it either!









Can I have a round of applause for Mrs Womble please? I know she's been working hard with Merlin, but to say I'm stunned is a serious understatement.

[SallyintNorth]

Fantastic     

[Louise Gaunt]

Cats will do anything for Dreamies! Well done Mrs Womble! Does he still catch mice in the barns or has he become a total house cat?

[Rupert the bear]

Well done Mrs Womble

[Anke]

It just proves that the way to any man's heart is through his stomach.... he is a stunner though!

[Ghdp]

Respect Mrs  (and Mr) W. Beautiful cat

[Steph Hen]

Well done     still think he's a great looking cat.

I have very little time for these animal charities.