How many Mudcats have cats!?

Subject: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:40 PM

This is a bit of a silly thread but I was just wondering how many Mudcats have felines! Let me start you off with 22 little horrors at rthe last count!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:44 PM

I wasn't joking!!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Lepus Rex
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:44 PM

I've got two cats of my own, three if you count the one my ex-girlfriend has. (Joint-custody type thing...) Lemmy, Eddie, and Gollum.

---Lepus Rex

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:52 PM

I have one, a calico named Boo! She's the cutest kitty cat in the world, NOT Nermal! She was a stray that started pestering me and my Dad when we were roofing a shed we built back in '96, after Hurricane Fran trashed our aluminum one. Now 4 years later she's living the good life, eats more times a day than she should, weighs 17 pounds, and looooooves to be hugged! (yeah right!)

--Matt

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:53 PM

Thanks Lepus. I wasn't sure if anyone would answer! Ours are Weatherwax (Waxy), Grebo, Needsa, Noway, Samantha, Koshka, Nadia, Gromit, Scrap, Cattoo, Boycat, Paws and 10 kittens who haven't got names cos they need their own humans!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 08:54 PM

Mbo, your mouser sounds soooo cute!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:00 PM

Hee hee! If you go to my digital collage on my art page, art page, here you can see Boo sitting on the shelf on the left hand side.

--Matt

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:05 PM

Here's Joshua, youngest in the family.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:08 PM

Uh, Mbo, is that Brother Cadfael on the floor in your collage??

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Margaret V
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:13 PM

Mbo, your Boo looks and sounds like my Madeline, a calico who has extra toes, is nasty to all intruders (read: friends), likes to eat photographs and certain paperbacks (I often call her BADeline), and must eat four small snacks a day or else she'll just puke if you try to give it to her all at once (entirely non-self-regulating). She must weigh about 14 pounds. . . Margaret

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:14 PM

Yep, Dubblell! Cadfael on the floor, me on the chair with the guitar, Jeff Lynne (of ELO) in the middle, J.R.R. Tolkien by the fire, Boo on the shelf, and Dougie MacLean in the mirror.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: death by whisky
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:19 PM

2. Dont ask me about breeds,they're cats ,live outside and earn their keep.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: rangeroger
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:51 PM

One, Shredder, by name and temperment.

Just after I had moved into my house in Oct.'95, I was working in the garage on a cold and rainy day. Two little girls came up with a soaked bedraggled ball of fur and asked if it was my kitten. I said no it isn't and they said it was on my front porch.So he ended up staying and bonding with me through the winter.

Got his name from flaying the skin off my hands while "playing" and from what he would do to the newspapers as I finished reading them.
Now weighs about 14 pounds and hates it when I put him in jail twice a year while I go off to my music festival.

rr

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 09:58 PM

Well, Joe Offer has no cats. However, at any given time, I can find at least five semi-feral cats in my yard or on my roof. I live in a duplex, and the guy next door feeds all the cats in the neighborhood. I like cats just fine, but having so many around makes me a little nervous. Besides, some of them don't look too healthy, and they're constantly killing birds and snakes and lizards and other little things. Sometimes I think I need a coyote to balance things out a bit.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: celticblues5
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 10:18 PM

One grey & white shorthair, Guess (you can imagine who named her - name-brand-crazed children). Her father, a grey & white longhair, Tiger, just died a few months ago - at about 15 years & a pound-plus for each year. One temporary cat-in-residence: mush-faced, long-grey-haired Suzanne, who might weigh 3 pounds, fully clothed.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:03 PM

Thanks to everyone who's answered so far. Keep it up!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:04 PM

Two cats live in this house.

One is a large black one named "Bones" - because most of his were broken when he was hit by a car (before I got him!) Some kind-hearted person found him on the road and got him to an even kinder-hearted veterinarian, who treated him for months, knowing nobody was ever going to pay the bills. When he was almost better (after 2 months in more-or-less a body cast) I somehow ended up with him.

The other is an even larger (close to twenty pounds!) orange tabby that happened along to the same vet clinic while Bones was still in their care. He was also hit by a car, but not hurt badly. The clinic named him "Pumpkin", but I refused to live with a cat named Pumpkin, so we settled on "Jack" - as in "O-Lantern".

They've been ruling the house for the last six years. Being orange and black, they're all I need for Halloween decorations. And they make the dogs behave while I'm gone - even the 120 pound Lab/Dane.

Someone once said cats own the houses; the people just make the mortgage payments.

campfire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: balladeer
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:09 PM

Two middle-aged dears, brother and sister, devoted to each other and very loving toward the rest of our family. They were raised by a lady in a wheelchair who died five years ago, at which point I was persuaded to abandon my 'no pets' philosophy. I regret only mildly that everything I own and breathe is now filled with fur. They get quite annoyed if I stay on my feet too long, as they are used to having a lap available at all times.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:11 PM

Yeah, that's the problem with cats. You don't own them, they own you :-)) !

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:13 PM

I guess I don't see that as a problem. :-) It would be nice if they'd do the dishes once in a while, though.

campfire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:19 PM

Yeah,right,campfire! Chance'd be a fine thing! I could do with getteing 'em to clean their own cat boxes!!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:24 PM

You know, they sell a "self-cleaning cat box". Costs about $100 and it rotates a few minutes after the cat leaves, leaving the clumps in a basket. You still have to empty the basket, tho. Not worth my hundred bucks.

campfire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:28 PM

Isn't that the same as £50?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:32 PM

I honestly don't know the exchange rate.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:33 PM

Oh, sorry!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: DougR
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:38 PM

I had two: Sam, age 18 and Sheba, 19. They, like me, were getting older, and both contracted something, I know not what, so I had, within a three months time interval, have them put to sleep. I loved them dearly, but I decided that I will not have another pet. Too hard when you lose them. I lost a wife, and two wonderful companions within a twelve month period. Too much.

DougR

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:41 PM

I'm sorry about that Doug.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:41 PM

I'm so sorry, DougR. I've had many cats (and dogs) through the years, and each time, saying "goodbye" is certainly no easier.

campfire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:43 PM

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:46 PM

I don't know why that last thing came in! ie the blank message from me!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: MAG (inactive)
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:54 PM

Current residents: Mama Cat, Pussy Willow Gremlin, and Junior (because she looks like her mother, or did until she got enormous. Now I just call her Animal.)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bernard
Date: 12 Aug 00 - 11:55 PM

The house I'm allowed to live in belongs to a 14 month old tortoishell called Moggins. She lets me live here in exchange for food - quite a civilized arrangement.

She's never lived anywhere else - her mother was one of my daughter's cats, but they all moved out last November.

My baby deserted me! And she's only 23! Still, I'm going to be a grandad in March...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 12:01 AM

Good bye never gets easier, no matter how many legs they have or don't have. I will not stop having friends or pets just because they die. We currently have 4--Amos Moses (M'Bro)all black, well he used to be, grey now and just a little sloooow. Gretchen the Spook Cat from Hell with xtra toes, a tuxedo and an ATTITUDE! Yentl, because she is such a yentl, and Millie, the paranoid schizo that lives upstairs in her own bedroom. Yentl is a mackeral tabby, and Millie is a Holstien Cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 12:02 AM

Ha ha! We always say that, Fiyuhcat! "Who's turn is it to clean the cat box?" and the response is "It's Boo's turn!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: ol'troll
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 12:10 AM

We have two.Smokey,a football-shaped grey is partial to my Wife.(He will have nothing to do with me except at mealtime). Orry, a yellow Manx, is mine;at least mine is the lap he can most often be found on and I am the one he bites (yes, BITES) the least.He doesn't like to be messed with. I'm the only one who dares try to pet him if he hasn't indicated-via head butts-that he wants attention. Both are quite vocal and will not use the cat door if there is a human around to open the regular one.

They both sleep on the foot of the bed. Wife and I sort of scrunch together in the middle.

troll

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: campfire
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 12:19 AM

ol'troll, you're lucky they sleep at the foot! Bones insists on being between my ankles - no matter what position I'm in. And Jack sprawls in the middle (top-to-bottom-wise) of the other side of the bed.

Of course the foot of the other side is taken up by the elderly Bassett hound that started living with us a year ago. Fortunately, the Lab/Dane prefers to sleep in the living room, but if he's feeling lonely, he's in there, too. He's about the same size as my ex-husband, but I think he takes up more room.

Anybody wonder why I'm on the computer instead of in bed? ;-) THERE'S NO ROOM!!!!

campfire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 12:30 AM

OOOOOhhhh, OOOOh LOL!! kat sent me this cartoon last week:
dark bedroom with 2 two leggeds and (1? only 1?) cat on the bed, caption said---"It's 3AM, you may pet me now". I told her didn't remind me of anybody I know, there were not enough critters on the bed........What are we, Saps, or what? My bed usually contains 2 corgis, 2 or 3 cats, 1 husband sometimes, and, if there is room, me........

kat/katlaughing has at least 4, Wincing Devil has Sphinxes, LOTS of us are owned by cats. Thank Gods it is not catFISH---I draw the line at fish in my bed.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 02:08 AM

bIt more than that, Sorcha, let's see there's...in order of age, Heyokah-my Siamese male loves only ME; Kelpie - solid tube of black shot through with brilliant gold who will bite if you look at her wrong..she's like a small tank...solid; The Beige Brothers: Charlee and Kazell, who are, well...beige and identical except the rings on their tails start out opposite in colours; Ms. Lovee, a snowshoe Siamese, whose picture may be seen by clicking here; and, then there is baby Trystan, who is sitting on my lap telling me to stop typing and go to bed. He is on my head in my photo on the Mudcat Resources page, but he is a LOT bigger now! More later, as I really AM being sent to bed!**BG**

kat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:07 AM

We're not allowed to keep cats in our building but some tenants have crabs (hyuck, hyuck).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Auxiris
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 04:40 AM

our household is owned by two felines, Astor who is a 5 year old red tabby and Bauxita la gata y Velcro, who is just over a year old and ginger and white.

cheers,

Aux

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Amergin
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 04:43 AM

I got five cats (at least I remember five, may have lost count)....and that's not including the four dogs and three birds...

Amergin

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: bill\sables
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 05:14 AM

When my dog died the children bought my wife, Lorna, two kittens they are about 3 months old now and get into everything they shouldn't. They are called Phoebie and Jasper butI just call them The Kittens From HELL

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Quincy
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 06:30 AM

I've one big fat white and black cat called Jessie.....he lies on his back in the garden and talks to the birds!
The scary thing is...they talk back to him! They're probably telling him off but he's too busy rolling over and over.

He's lovely, although waking up with his nose in my ear isn't the most pleasant of feelings!
Wouldn't be without him though.

best wishes, Yvonne

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 08:57 AM

I had two until last month, when one, the originator of the Cat Farts thread, went to the litter tray in the sky with FiV. SO doesn't know it yet, but I'm getting another one for my birthday next month......

Still have my Shadow, 40,000 fleas and at least 3 'visitors'. The little area we live in has about 10 cats that frequent the roof of the shed next door, and two that have ruined my roses by sleeping on them....

LTS

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Naemanson
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 09:17 AM

My white cat came to me through the good offices of my SO who found her, a bedraggled, fleabitten and very sick kitten, under her car in the church parking lot. She took her to the vets and then brought her home. The SO named her Unity but since then the cat has accumulated a series of names including Ratbrat, White Cat, Destructo the White Tornado, and SSSSSS! (That's a hiss) I don't think she's ever heard the name Unity except at the vet's. Her most common name is White Cat.

When my SO decided last February that it was time to go off with someone else she left the White Cat behind. The Ratbrat was my buddy through some pretty tough months. Now that I'm back in that same boat I am depending on her again. And she's coming through with flying colors.

She is full of energy and runs through the house when I get home, racing from room to room. She loves to play with string and toys but only tolerates being petted by me. She will not sit with or on anyone but she stays in the room with you because she doesn't like to be left alone.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bud Savoie
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 09:32 AM

For the first time in nearly 30 years, we don't have a cat in the house. However, we have three cats and two kittens in the barn keeping the vermin at bay. I lost three cats to cars last year. You can't keep barn cats penned up or they won't be able to do their job. I just wish people would drive more sensibly.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 10:20 AM

I agree, Bud. When I came back from warwick Festival, I discovered that one of our black & white moggies, Tash, had been squidged. I cried quite a bit, even to the extent of playing Stephen Gately's version of Bright Eyes, even though that was about bunnies!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Morticia
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 01:19 PM

I am owned by two at the moment......Puddy, and her son Pie......Puddy is tortoishell and getting up there in cat years....eccentric and crotchety ( I swear she'd wear purple if she could) and Pie is a huge ginger thug who requires an inordinate amount of both food and attention at all times of the day and night.
We are thinking very seriously about acquiring a kitten as we aren't too sure we'll have Puddy much longer and don't want Pie to be lonely.......so if anyone in the Hampshire/Surrey area knows of any kittens, please let me know.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 01:23 PM

If anyone in the Doncaster, South Yorkshire wants mini mousers, we have FIVE looking for homes in the next week or so and another five which will be hoo-ming hunting in about 6 weeks

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Diva
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:39 PM

I have a lovely grey and white cat called Molly. I had to go to Dublin to get her as she was living with Nynia who,having named her Major found she was really Majorette when she produced a litter. Oh well. She's been here a week now and is settling in just fine. As I type she is shredding paper that was placed beneath the litter tray. Well a girl's got to have a hobby.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Seamus Kennedy
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:43 PM

Cat, the other white meat! All the best. Seamus

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SINSULL
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 03:58 PM

Homey Darlin', rescued from the garden as a tiny kitten, weighs in a 27#. He is a huge cat but a lamb. People who see him for the first time are terrified and usually ask "Does he bite?" He has huge eyes which either frighten or annoy people - he stares and an abnormally long tail. He suffers from depression and at times has to be hand fed. The vet asks "How do you put up with him?" He's my baby.

Ed the Runt. Small but feisty and fat. He is a tuxedo cat who looks like the day after a raucous wedding. His tuxedo is askew. He refuses to use the catbox and occasionally pees on guests if he doesn't like them.

Lizzie, atiny white kitten with two egg shaped black spots who was rescued from La Guardia airport on a rainy night when she ran under a cab. The driver wasn't sure what he had seen, pulled her out from under the car, and brought her to me at work. She is "dumber than a doorknob", has been rescued by the super several times when she accidentally closes the window behind her and gets stuck between the screen and the window.She was completely silent for two months until one day I heard her screaming and came on the run expecting the worse. She was sitting under a dresser, facing the corner of the room and crying. No reason. She amuses herself that way.

I am down from six. Old age and cancer took three over the past two years. My vet knows to call me with adult cats. Thay live out their last years in luxury, spoiled and cherished. I should be so lucky.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 06:06 PM

Sounds like the Mudcat is a veritable cat paradise! I share my flat with Fluff (or Fussel, in German) - black, with a white belly and some white tips - paws, nose, tail - and a huge ego. He came to me as a 7-week-old kitten because someone else was allergic to cats. Luckily, he can go on the prowl without much danger of him turning into 'Nobody's Moggy'. I only hope he never goes too near the motorway ... (which is a good way off). I'm trying to get him to pose for a photo of both of us for the Mudcat collection.
Up till 3 1/2 years ago I had Puss, a huge tabby who developed diabetes when he was eight. Between us, we kept him alive for five and a half years. He was a great fighter (and I don't mean other cats!), and very independent - not the cuddly sort at all. He'll always be 'my' cat.
Lovely non-musical thread. Thanks for starting it, Firecat!- Susanne

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 07:09 PM

Hotspur, the First Cat of the family, is 7 years old, a white and tawny tabby. He prowls around the yard but never leaves it. He deposits the occasional mole in the driveway, just for us.
Ophelia the Permanent Kitten, a diminutive black long-haired sweetie came 2 years ago to replace George the Invisible Cat who disappeared at a time a fisher-cat (not a cat- more like a giant weasel) had been seen in our woods. My kids don't want to risk the same fate with Ophie, so she's an indoors cat- but she sits in the window and wishes, sometimes.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sorcha
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 07:21 PM

Sinsull, sounds like your Honey could have some Maine CoonCat blood in him, and perhaps your Lizzie and my Millie are soul sisters----she does weird things like that. And Seamus, I actually did eat some cat meat once--puma/cougar/panther, what ever you call it. Wasn't bad.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Helen
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 07:33 PM

We have 2 feline overseers here. One is mine, well, I am her foster-human, and the other is my hubby's. After nearly a year of married life our 2 cats are finally able to be in the same room together and sometimes on the same couch as long as there is a lap under each of them.

Mine is a blimpy ginger short-hair female, about 12 years old and his is a tabby shorthair female, very tiny for her 14 years.

I decided years ago that any boyfriend/partner I had would have to be a cat person or it just wasn't going to work out. Hubby is totally devoted to his cats, past and present, so I've done good.

Helen

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: bet
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 08:19 PM

I have one fierce, bird catching cat. She's very snuggly at night but in the day watch out birds. I've scolled, squirted water and kept her inside and she still brings me one now and again. Yesterday she managed to catch up with a humming bird. I HATE THAT! but love her. bet

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: jeffp
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 08:43 PM

Bibi, a ~2-year-old gray tabby, very loving on her own terms, but also a classic b*tch, also on her own terms.

Rua, Bibi's brother, orange tabby, slightly chubby. He seems to think he's a dog. He answers to door to see who's there and loves his belly rubs.

Also 2 kittens, as yet unnamed, belonging to my daughter.

It's a fun house.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Malcolm Douglas
Date: 13 Aug 00 - 08:44 PM

Just the one cat, now, Emer, who's 8, and has only one fang, which she still manages to assassinate small creatures with.  Oscar the Cat (a year younger) finally picked a fight he couldn't win -with a car- and died a few weeks ago on the street where he was born.  He was well-known round here as friendly but dangerous (the vet certainly never took any chances!), and is much missed.  He hated violins, but nobody's perfect.

Malcolm

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:07 AM

It's alright Susanne. Glad you like it, and I honestly didn't realise so many Mudcats had cats!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: jeffp
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:16 AM

I forgot to mention the spirit of Bob, who died suddenly from a congenital heart ailment in the spring, but seems to live on in Rua and Bibi. They've both taken on aspects of his personality.

jeffp

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:21 AM

Yeah, i can relate to that to that jeffp. Since Tash was deaded by a car, Scrap and cattoo have been acting like him, and Boycat decided to "help" by jumping up on the side. To date, he's smashed three plates, a Pyrex bowl and a cup!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Llanfair
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:05 AM

Polly, the tabby, who lives up the garden with the chickens,mostly. Bramble, the pet-shop cat, black, sickly, demanding, with very dubious mental health. Both are 11 years old, and the parents of Towser, a fat tortoiseshell(sp?)who just eats and sleeps. They all have alarm clocks set at 8am and 3pm when food is demanded. Bramble has just demanded food at 12 noon, so I suspect Jim has been slipping him the odd snack whilst I was away.
The dogs chase any cat that moves too fast, so they all walk REALLY slowly in the house.
Bron.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:11 AM

Thanks Llanfair! Our cats have more or less established that THEY are the boss aa far as the dog next door is concerned!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:46 AM

Everyone in my family has at least one feline sharing their abode. Sometimes it feels as if cats own you, but they really just allow you to share a place...as long as you pay the rent or the mortgate. Unlike dogs, they are not out to please anyone but themselves, and living with you is something they choose to do, or not.

I have one feline roommate at the moment. Grania is a combo Egyptian Mau and Domestic Shorthair. She is 3 1/2 years old and fairly large. Besides her own food and treats, she loves certain types of fruit...nectarines, pears, apples...and bananas are her favorite. She's very loving to me, but is extremely shy of other humans and animals. Grania seems to have definite interior decoration tastes. Usually in the middle of the night, she begins to jump up, trying to grab posters and pictures off the wall. Believe me, the sound of her claws scraping down the walls at 3:00 AM is NOT a pleasant way to be roused from sleep. Guess she could tell you about some pretty peculiar traits of mine too...

I live in the country, and across the road are several of what look like 6-month old kittens. They are all adorable, but for the most part, they won't come near you. One of the nearby neighbors feeds them. I'd love to take in one or two, but I doubt that Grania would approve.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Shanti
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:51 AM

OOPS!!! That last "GUEST" entry was mine...forgot to put my name in the "from" box.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Kim C
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:56 AM

I have one kitty, Thumper, who is now 10 years old, and poor thing, nobody loves him, and he never gets anything to eat. NOT! The only way to describe him is, he's taupe. Not brown, not gray, but taupe. Like most kitties he likes to eat and sleep. He graciously tolerates our two medium-to-large dogs and sometimes actually plays with them.

We used to have Buddy, who was a stray that never left. He was a mighty hunter and used to bring us all sorts of surprises. (Thumper, I must say, is a housecat and has always been.) He had been somebody's pet, because he was neutered, and knew how to find all the soft comfy places in the house. Buddy lived with us for about 7 years. Unbeknownst to us, he had a heart condition, which led to a kitty heart attack/stroke, and we had to put him down two years ago. He was a great kitty and we still miss him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Nynia at work.
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:01 AM

I've a lovely long haired grey called Tara who like all cats knows that she rules the world. We also have two stray females with us just now Magic & Bramble (Sad-Eyes). Magic is very timid but is just starting to enjoy being patted and tickles. Diva, glad to hear that Major / Molly is settling in, give her a treat from me.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:04 AM

I have two.

ONe mackeral tabby and white - he's a fat bagpuss type.

Got stuck in next doors cat flap this weekend. We had to squirt his botty with water to get him to move.

He is on a diet but other people feed him too in the street.

Then there is a whipper snapper of a skinny malink. Black and white, death zone cat.

Who has turned our garden into death valley. The Wren may well turn out to be his nemisis and the bell goes on his collar.

He is the naughty one of the two. A real big cheese and local charmer in the neighbourhood.

Though at the moment much of his time is spent tormenting next doors girly cats, and the cows in the fields. As well as any passing dog, that happens to stray into his domain.

He may only be a thin scrawny thing, but coo he's a divil

Oh what can I do about him.

Ella

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Margaret V
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:07 AM

Sorry to hear about Oscar, Malcolm. Perhaps he was related to Madeline, who at first tries serious yowling to get me to stop fiddling and then typically hides herself in the closet for the duration. She seems to like the harp, though. Margaret

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GeorgeH
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:24 AM

Me, two . .

(always wanted an excuse to post that legitimately . .)

G. (suffering post-Sidmouth withdrawal symptoms . . )

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:26 AM

Ella, that happened to Needsa on Friday night! I had to give him a good shove! He's now avoiding the cat flap!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 10:37 AM

As every catowner knows, nobody owns a cat. ;-)

We provide logistic support for 3 Sphynxes, Splotch, Fuzzee, and, as of last week, their momma, Minnie. Sphynx is a virtually hairless breed of cat. I have been a cat person all my life. up to about 10 years ago, we had coated (furry) cats. Our son's allergist said if we didn't get rid of the cats, he'd charge us with child abuse.

We found homes for all 5 of our guys, but my wife had to put up with my whining for over 9 years about not having a cat. One day she looked up "hypoallergenic cat" and came across Sphynxes (spelled with a "y"). The rest is history. We adopted Splotch and Fuzzee in 5/99 and their mother when she was retired from breeding.

Click on the link in my sigblock to see my babies!

Wincing Devil There is no such thing as an ugly cat. (http://www.ILoveMySphynx.com)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 11:01 AM

pudding - one of his many aka's is now going round very embaressed at his ever widening girth.

I am going to post notes through the doors of every house in our street.

A pic of blotchy tom (another aka) with do not feed this cat under it.

Seriously...

Ella

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SINSULL
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 11:44 AM

Malcolm,
My Fred like your Oscar was such a terror that two vets requested I not return with him. After major surgery requiring two days on an IV at the vets office, he was returned to me within two hours. The staff was terrified of him and the other patients were disturbed. They used to tranquilize him in his carrier just to get him onto the vets table. I could manage him but it seemed to be a matter of honor for the vet to deal with it. Also, I have been told, I could sue for damages if the cat hurt me while in the examining room.
I finally found a vet with a sense of humor and we cared for Fred into old age. He broke hundreds of dollars worth of antique pottery, deliberately kicked an assortment of crystal including a lamp to the floor, left lifelong scars on my arm, but broke my heart when he decided it was time to go. Why am I always attracted to bad boys?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Metchosin
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 11:56 AM

Mao-Mao adopted us about a year ago.

Unfortunately for her, she has had to go from the exhalted role of a declawed indoor-cat, to that of a lowly barn-cat, due to family allergies and a terrier with first dibs on the house, who would gladly tear her to pieces at the first opportunity.

She still protests her diminished status loudly and often, which in turn, sends the terrier into a frenzy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 12:50 PM

We once got adopted by a cat which turned out to belong to a person at the end of our road. we also have to put up with a stray ginger tom who seems to find it funny to provide our queens with someone to care for (ie mini mousers!) and the majority of our 11 ginger mousers are descended from him!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peg
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 04:38 PM

ooh, how nice to hear about all these kitties!

On The Witches' Voice website (www.witchvox.com) we have a section known as "The Cats of Witchcraft" with many photos of people and their kitties...cat owners are incorrigible it seems when it comes to praising/damning their little darlings/devils...

I have five adults: Ziggy (grey and white tabby who survived being run over and a month of being unable to move his back legs!), Trivia (grey with small peach and white patches, part Siamese, part Russian Blue), her daughter Zeus (all grey; a friend named her unaware of the gender), Zeus' son Stoney (all grey), and Zeus' daughter Blackberry (all grey, whom the vet thought was male for some reason)... and at the moment there are six kittens from two litters: four all grey, two grey with peach and white patches...

if anyone lives near Boston and wants one or knows anyone who does...let me know. Otherwise I usually don't have much trouble finding homes or taking them to a very humane pet shop nearby that helps place them... peg

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 06:28 PM

My little Ceramen (not celtic, latin. For earwax. Don't ask) used to hang in the cat flap, head in, arse out, waiting for some other cat to come and lick his bum.... He also had a foot fetish and would eat your toes. Shadow is a cat of very little brain, she cannot remember how the catflap works in this house, even though it is identical to the one in the previous house, that she used perfectly happily for 4 years!

LTS

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Helen
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 07:37 PM

I think you 'Cats all need a healthy dose of Paul Gallico's book called The Silent Miaow. I don't know if it is still in print, but you can probably find it in a library somewhere. We are all victims of feline-cajolery and Paul Gallico has seen through their wiles.

It's very funny and very true. I have had a copy of it for about 10 years but I first read it about 10 years before that. It's a must-read for people who think they are in charge of cats, or people who think it is a mutual benefit society. The whole scenario has been designed by the cat right from the start - not unlike the revelation of the lab rats in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Helen

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: P05139
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 07:43 PM

Helen, I've read Silent Miaow and I couldn't stop laughing!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 07:50 PM

I read it too! So hilarious & true it was spooky!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Mark
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:07 PM

Hat your cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sorcha
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:19 PM

Oh, this one is such fun!! Questions and comments:
Are ALL tuxedo cats from Hell? Is it a Brother/Sisterhood thing?
Why are we all such masochists concerning cats?
Do all our houses smell like litter boxes? Perhaps I am not quite so embarrassed about mine, now.
Our Yentl will sit on a table and STARE for hours at this awful Victorian style landscape fake oil that I have in the entry way......it's an awful painting, and a worse copy, but she seems to love it. She will also occasionally get in the bath with me. Swim acoss to the other side, swim back, jump out and dry herself off. Who knows?

PLEASE SPAY OR NEUTER YOUR PETS!! (unless of course, you are an ETHICAL, responsible breeder.....)Far too many animals have to be killed (especially CATS!!)for any of us to feel smug about our pets. NEUTER!!

sorry, rant off.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Fadac
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 08:48 PM

We live with a Calico. She thinks she owns the boat that we live on. However, when we start the motor to go out. The cat becomes very unhappy. Last time I thought she was going to hypervenalate.

She is a real sea going cat...as long as we are tied to the doc.

-fadac

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bearheart
Date: 14 Aug 00 - 09:36 PM

A great thread!

6 cats share my house:

New Moon (usually called Moon, or sometimes New Balloon) a 19 year old shorthaired tortoiseshell still going strong. She's the matriarch.

Cougar, white longhair, Amazon kitty. She's 10. Orphaned at 3 weeks, adopted at 5 weeks, she's beautiful despite her sad beginning.

Romeo, black and white longhair, named because he's such a lover. Unfortunately he also likes to hunt frogs in the creek just for the sport of it. 10 years old. A cat shelter cat I acquired while volunteering there.

Freya, shorthaired black. the panther of the bunch, silent, skiddish and enigmatic. About 8.

Rainbow (cause she's stripey), tabby on white, around 7 or 8. likes to think of herself as the baby of the family. Another cat shelter cat that I fostered because she was hurt as a kitten and couldn't give back when she was well.

Rumble (because of his purr and because he likes to tussle) orange tabby longhair. At 5 years he's the real baby. and still acts like it.

They share the house with 3 dogs-- Furry Hurricane (usually called Furry) and Monkey, brother and sister, mixed breed (Lasa Alpso and Pekapoo) 14 years old, Furry's various shades of brown to black, Monkey's black. Sam--short for Samantha-- a Rott mix who looks all Rott but is about 3/4 the size. About 4. Most of them sleep on the bed and spend half the night jockying for positions on the pillow (except for the dogs, who prefer the foot of the bed).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: CamiSu
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 12:13 AM

Three right now. Darius Maiow and Angie (Acute Angina)age about 10, are brothers whose mother was squished on the road when they were 2 weeks old, (did you know that kittens that young need BATHS every day at least?) and Andy who walked in about 1 1/2 years ago. People think barns are great places to abandon cats, but barns on highways are NOT. Dari and Angie stay in and don't really know what they are missing. Andy WON'T stay in but since he got rolled by a car 2 weeks ago I make SURE he's in at night at least. All cats are grey in the dark, especially grey ones.

Wincing Devil, what's it like to pet naked kitties?

And Metchosin, a declawed cat has no defenses against things that go BUMP in the night.... Is there someone who will take her inside?

I had a tiny tortie shell long hair that was the terror of every dog she met. Usually she drew blood. I once saw her run into a back "yard" (teensy, but it held two Irish setters) under the fence and go out over the top and ind the intervening half second turn those dogs from attackers to cowering whimperers.

I have no idea how many we've had in the 26 years we've been together. Suffice it to say that our daughter, who is allergic would howl the loudest if we got rid of them.

CamiSu

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 12:23 AM

Darius Miaow? CamiSu! I though I was the only one who knew that joke! Le Chat Sur Le Toi!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Wincing Devil
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 01:14 AM

What's it Like to pet Naked Kitties? Heavenly!

I'd like to correct a misconception that has cropt up. The Silent Miaow was not written by Paul Gallico, but rather Paul Gallico's cat.

Wincing Devil Cats seem to know on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,RevIrish
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 01:52 AM

I have a 17 year old feline female named Persistence, "Sis" for short. She is a mixed breed-black & white with long hair looking like Sylvester the cat. Her sister looked the same but had short hair & passed away at age 9.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,cleod
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 07:28 AM

I have four cats that live on the balcony and 10 downstairs that are either strays that find their way here during storms (it rains cats here, not cats and dogs) and decided to settle in and raise a family or part of the great cat dynasty - over 5 cat generations so far, started by one single cat that was given to us by my dad's friend.

the cats downstairs are Maximillian (3rd gen. - black/white male - i actually watched him being born! ^_^ i guess that's why he's my favorite), Ricky (3rd gen. - ginger/white male - Max's 2nd cousin and very affectionate), ShadowCat (black female, stray, won't come near you unless you have food), Neeson and Arki(4th gen. - ginger/white females, they don;t like people), Zoey (tri-colored female, stray and also an affectionate kitty), Zoey's unnamed sibling, and 3 unnamed kittens (2 ginger/white, 1 black/white). There used to be others, but Splotch (Max's bro, black/white) left when Max came back after being gone for 3 years) and Heather (Max's sis and mom of the two ginger/white kittens) died when she was running decoy for her kittens - our dogs, Cookie and Brandy (dalmatian and boxer) got her instead of them.

the ones on the balcony are Kildare (tri-colored female that i picked up as a month old kitten at the local flea market), her two kittens by Splotch (Laoghaire - girl, Kinley - guy, both tri-colored) and Graeme (i got him from a local breeder, he's a Shorthair/Siamese but looks like his dad {the shorthair} so he's a grey and black spotted tabby). I just got all the balcony cats back from the vet - they had to be dewormed, and it cost me an arm and a leg!!! Still, the two days without them was very lonely...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Lady McMoo
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 07:44 AM

Two. A female half-Chartreuse, jet black with a white paintbrush end to her tail, called Cleopatra and an all-white Persian 12 week old male kitten called The Chalkster given to us by a friend a couple of weeks ago.

Peace

mcmoo

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Biskit
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 12:02 PM

We have five at home,melissa,Arnita,Missy,(all three sisters different litters),Gizmo(Blue tip Syameese(sp)),&Blazer,(also known as spike/Henrietta/killerkitty/psychokitty/turtlekitty/etc. Blazer is a tortise shell.We also have an apricot poddle named cowboy(Poquito Cabbelero)that the cats have accepted as one of their own.MEOW!..I mean *PEACE*-Biskit-

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jim Krause
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 01:59 PM

Yeah, I got one too. Name's Fluffy. Now I wouldn't have given her that name, but it came with. I knew we were gonna get a cat when at a dinner party Our Hostess asked Missus "Do you guys want a cat?" Missus replies "Oh, maybe." Translation: "Sure thing." I don't have a picture of her, but for years, we thought she might be a Norwegian Forest Cat, but she's too small. Then we thought she might be a Main Coon; again too small. Turns out she's actually what is called a Domestic Longhair. Durndest thing I ever did see. She's got two coats; the long hair on the outside, and a sort of fine, wooly one underneath next to her skin. She has to be fed about a half teaspoon of plain yogurt at 9:00 PM sharp, and must be brushed at 10:15 PM and woe betide me if I'm late with the brushing. Her favorite thing? Going outside, eating grass, coming inside and barfing all over the livingroom carpet. Nice cat though. Even if she refuses to be picked up and cuddled. Won't sit on your lap, either, unless she thinks of it before you do. And then only IF you're wearing her favorite bluejeans.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 03:48 PM

The long hairs are called guard hairs, and they are the ones that stop your arse skin being burned.... leastways, that's what the vet said about my lamented loony cat....

LTS

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Helen
Date: 15 Aug 00 - 07:15 PM

Wincing Devil,

You are right. The Silent Miaow was written by Gallico's cat. Then there is Gallico's book called Jenny, about a boy who turns into a cat and gets looked after by a female cat called Jenny. Very insightful. And then of course there is Archie & Mehitabel, written by Archie the cockroach but Mehitabel is a cat, isn't she? (Long time since I saw either of these books)

Helen

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: jeffp
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 09:45 AM

And don't forget the "Cat Who ..." series of mysteries by Lillian Jackson Braun, where the "detective" is a Siamese named Koko. Hysterical books by someone who is obviously a great observer of feline behavior.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mbo
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 12:27 PM

Yep, my mother & sister have read every single one of those books. Their great! We're still waiting to get the latest one though, "The Cat Who Robbed a Bank."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jim Krause
Date: 16 Aug 00 - 04:59 PM

Talking about books, I really liked Desmond Morris' book The Tiger On Your Couch. Yep, he's the same Desmond Morris that wrote The Naked Ape sooo many years ago.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Firecat
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 06:39 PM

We've only got 12 now. Name list is Weatherwax (8 years), Grebo (5), Needsa (4), Samantha (31/2), Koshka (3), Nadia (3, same litter as Koshka), Scrap (2), Cattoo (1 1/2), Boycat (1), Paws (1, same litter as Boycat), Apache (6 months) and last but not least Butterball/Lonely (4 months)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Susanne (skw)
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 07:03 PM

If you like cat detectives, don't forget Sneaky Pie Brown, who (together with her human SO Rita Mae Brown) writes the Mrs Murphy mystery series. I think they're even better than the L. J. Braun series, though I like them both.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Nemesis
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 07:53 PM

Anyone who caught the BS Eclipse thread will have read my thread, heartbroken after Esme our slinky little black kitten was run over during it. Her sister Felicity (aka Scratch (by name and nature) (1 year old on the 22 March) was pining for lack of company so we now have a 7 month old black long-haired rescue kitten who despite her original bedraggled appearance is turning into a gorgeous quasi-Persian (tip: Dene's natural cat food turns all felines into sleak,silky thangs). Also, she has been nicknamed Mudkitten as she sits with her nose glued to the screen when I am surfing. Actually, it has taken 45 minutes to type this thread as she wants to tell us all something - when I decode what she's typing I'll let you all know!!

PS: Felicity was the name of choice of my 10 year old son - I explained that it mean "celebration, congratulations" and he reckoned having a kitten was cause for celebration. Small black fluffy thing is Buffy (TVS) altho' my name for her is Bebe as she is turning into a sexy girl - a bit like Pepe le Pew(sic?)'s feline love interest

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Hawker
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 07:55 PM

We have 3 - Tipsy, Shadow and Marmaduke...... all moggies of no fixed lineage - and an honorary cat called Hawker - who is really a Staffordshire Bull Terrier...... He lies on his side and Tipsy & Shadow suckle him and massage his tummy with their paws as if he were their Mum.....Yes I did say HE! - Must video and send to "You've been framed!" He also purrs of a fashion when he is with the cats and when they were kittens he used to clean their eyes and bums like mother cat (we rescued them when VERY young and he took on the role without prompting)

Lucy

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Katcina
Date: 17 Feb 01 - 08:56 PM

Only three cats at the moment. Sunshine a pure black Persian; and her two sons. Leo, a long haired siamese, and Mario a long haired Sylvester; Sunshine was a bit loose before I fixed that after the two boys were born. Along with them are two dogs and a mourning dove.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: RichM
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 09:09 AM

I have four Catz: all strays, arrived at various times, kind of like the story of the Hobbits, who came to the fire one at a time as a story was told---so as not to overwhelm the host!

Olive,14 was first,as a 4 month old stray from the Humane society. Took her home, and she promptly developed pneumonia; the humane society offered to exchange her, but I knew they might put her down. I kept her and nursed her back to health.
Like Sorcha's Millie, Olive is a paranoid schizo who lives in the basement and only comes upstairs for meals.

The second arrival was Ninja: all black except for a white necktie. He arrived as a 6 month old (now 12 years old). He had been hanging around Rasputin's café-the local folk music venue-being fed by softhearted Helen, the proprietor.
He is a true gentlemen, kind and even tempered. Awesome spiritual being! He teaches me how to be patient and loving.
Frisky: aka "the furry basketball" is the vocal one. Also 12 years old.Exuberant, dominant, and very mouthy. Hates harmonicas, clanking cutlery,loves to join in with Sue's penny whistle solos.

Last but pushing hard for dominance in the house pecking order, is a tortoiseshell: Daisy (also called Marguerite, french translation).
Daisy is 3 years old, and the most active. Also very vocal, and acts as household guard. She's the first to investigate strange noises. Daisy is a trickster, always annoying the other cats, and getting into shortlived hit and run squabbles.
Olive is the bedwarmer, will stay cuddled for hours--if I go and retrieve her from the basement.The others are lapvisitors, particularly when I am at the computer.

I've a fenced back yard, with a self designed angled netting to keep them from getting out, and other cats from getting in. They have the run of the yard except in winter when they refuse to go out for more than 75 seconds at a time.
All are good companions for this stay at home (retired)dad/husband.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 02:43 PM

Looking at our garden, we have plenty of MUD!
Quack
GtD

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Phil Cooper
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 06:38 PM

I currently have one cat, Worf, who comports himself with honor. He's a rescued feral kitten, tamed up very well and pushing four years old now. I inherited Henrietta when she was ten years old. After three household changes in a year, I thought she was entitled to live out her days in the same place. She wanted everything "just so." She lived to be over 18. My first car was Hendrix, a long haired black cat. A gentleman of black cats. My significant other has five cats, my singing partner has two. They're all great critters.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Burke
Date: 18 Feb 01 - 10:59 PM

When I moved into my house 10.5 years ago, a friend set me up with this homeless guy who was hanging around the neighborhood. Gray & white longhair. When he hit 15.5 pounds the vet put him on a diet.

Barnabas is the only cat I've ever owned or been owned by. He's a great lap cat when I'm in his chair. Otherwise he's just in the chair without me. He keeps me company at night & never gets me up earlier than I want to.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From:
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 08:15 AM

I'm sure you all know, but I'll remind you anyway. A mudcat is actually a fish, so how many have one of these, I do.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Sailor Dan at work
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 01:22 PM

I didnt read the entire thread due to being at work, But i think the thread is incorrectly named, i think it should be "HOw many Cats own Mudcatters" The only cat I ever had was named Puppy, (He was that Big) and I soon learned that He owned me. Sure do miss him

Sailor Dan

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: bet
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 02:21 PM

Oh yes! i have A CAT. bet

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Hawker
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 04:04 PM

How many mudcatters have had kittens!

Miaow!

ROFL

Lucy

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Biskit
Date: 19 Feb 01 - 11:17 PM

Mrs. Biskit and I belong to 5 cats,#1 Missy, also known as, Bongo, Rotunda, and Her Girthfulness,2. Sweet Melissa the prettiest cat I've EVER seen.3.Arnita,AKA Ratnita,my personal favorite.4.Blazer a tourtise shell, she looks like one of those Egyptian statues.&5.Last but not least Gizmo our only male and a blue seal siamese. a big handsome boy!...Molly is Siberian Husky and Lilly is our Chesapeake Bay Retriever!!! I wouldn't have felt right leaving them out, they're family too! -Biskit-

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: English Jon
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 04:09 AM

Corrrrr. I fink the kwestion should be more along the lines ov:

'ow many cats 'ave mudcatterz.

Corrr. I'm off for sum caffoo.

English Jon's Cat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 04:51 AM

Monty Moo bought me a vole this morning, which is fine, but it was still alive and running round the house, followed by.... one growling cat, and one annoyed human, trying to get the both of them out of the house...

Couldn't rescue Vole.... Monty managed to catch it again, and wouldn't let me have it...

Monty Moo and Vole are NOT in the house today!

Yeuch!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 05:06 AM

grrrrrroooooowwwwallll purrrrrrar

meeeerooooooooowwworooooooo Engwwish Jwons cat

I have a pwortion of juicy vole? you want some.... human shouted at me this morning, she just doesn't appweciate good fud.

Mweroorrrrrrrooooooooooooooo

Monty rooooo

purrrrr

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: black walnut
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 07:29 AM

One is enough when she's like ours....
Watching birds for hours and hours,
Elderberry Ninepatch is her name,
Avoiding cuddles is her game.

~'nut

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: English Jon
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 09:56 AM

Damn Huminz. Dont 'preciate nufink if you arsk me. Corrr. Woz it a big vole? Some o' them buggers aren't arf tricky to katch. corrr. Still, a cat's gotta 'ave a 'obby. mrp? corrrrrrr.

English Jon's Cat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 20 Feb 01 - 10:08 AM

mewrooooowl... noooo swas a shhmallll un, but jooooocy. And human shaid not allowweeeed in house..

meeewrooooowl!

lots of micers near meeeee rowlll mrrrp

lol

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 03:03 AM

My cat died last year, but I will get a new one in september.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: ermintrudeclaire
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 03:57 PM

we have 4 cats - Happy (Birthday)Two-Tone (because of his miaow) Pepper and Jaffa (because he is large, orange and seedless) We also have Wigdet the blind diabetic dog, Taboo, Shoni and Freebie the horses, Nosey, Teg and Woody the snakes, Chip and Lively the rats, Tofee and Tattie the guinea pigs, Eddie the rabbit, Shock the mouse, Custard the hamster and Noodles and Dash the degus.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 05:25 PM

Dogs have family and owners... Cats have staff... Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: momnopp
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 06:02 PM

One pound kitty, Peanut. She's a Torbie (tortise/tabby) from the humane society (that's what makes her a "pound" kitty).

It took Dylan (my 11 year-old) about 2 years to convince me to get a new kitty after the first one he knew died in about 1998. Graypaw had been with us since before Dylan was born. We needed time to mourn and I needed to be free of the responsibility of animal care in addition to full-time solo kid care for a change.

Now I have a toe warmer/chewer and window decoration named Peanut.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Tone d' F
Date: 07 Jul 01 - 07:20 PM

One cat Norton, lap tart and snorer extrodinaire

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jimmy C
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 12:17 AM

WE used to have 2 cats, plus a dog and a rabbit. Both cats lived to about 13 years old. Princess and Patches). We got another (Gizmo) but when my daughter married she took Gizmo with her. I can't say I miss the cats, I tolerated them for the sake of the children. I don't hate cats, I just am not a real cat lover. I now feel that we are again bosses in our home. If I lived in the country I would definitely have a couple of cats, dogs and rabbits around.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Celtic Soul
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 10:53 AM

Gots 2 so far, but I think my kid wants another, so it may mean even more litter boxes (ew) in the not too distant future.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: fat B****rd
Date: 08 Jul 01 - 02:12 PM

We had the late great Benson until recently and I have to say that when he went to Pussy Heaven I've missed people less. Now we have fat little asthmatic Deacon ('cos he's Blue) who sleeps a lot and does pigeon impressions.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jim Cheydi
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 07:19 AM

I had a cat onthe. Bloody fur played havoc with my digethtion.

Jim Cheydi's pet viper.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GeorgeH
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 07:47 AM

I thought the question should be "how many cats own mudcatters" . . .

G. (whose delightful moggie woke him up at 4.50am today . .)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: The Cat's Whiskers
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 07:53 AM

I wish...

TCW

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ella who is Sooze
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:00 AM

I think Monty Moo has taken to giving next door gifts of mice, frogs, and shrews... They told me about a sudden influx of small creatures, mostly dead, though some alive deposited around their house... OOOPS

Fitted Monty with a bell.... but he's still catching things... I think he must have developed a technique to stop the bell tingling.

George... 3am is a regular time in our house... though I have developed the ability to sleep through all prevailing, yeowls, scratchings, running across your stomach whilst you are asleep, (the larger cats fave) jumping onto your stomach from higher level. Scratching your head, hitting your face with their paws. Being part of the mad half hour circuit, and many more plans the pair of them do to try and wake us up...

banshee wailing though is the funniest.

E

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SharonA
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 08:54 AM

Up until almost exactly two years ago, I had two cats: Chester and Arthur (collectively named after the President!)

Chester came to me third-hand. He originally belonged to a songwriter acquaintance of mine. When he was about 5 years old, she said she'd developed an allergy to him and had to get rid of him, and the boyfriend I had at the time took him. Two years later, after Chester had nearly destroyed the man's trailer and was working on the rest of the trailer park (gardens, boat covers and seats, etc.), the man said he was taking Chester to the SPCA, and I said I'd take him instead... via the vet's office, for declawing.

So Chester became an indoors-only cat. After a year of this, he became quite mopey, so I went to a pet shop and got him his own kitten, and chose a name to go along with Chester's. Chester became a mom-cat but never let Artie forget who was the alpha-male, and Artie mimicked Chester's every move as he grew up.

Chester was an orange tabby semi-longhair (no white patches), about 13 pounds at his heaviest. I think he might have had some Maine Coon in him. He never hesitated to make his wishes known — LOUDLY — and would yell at me if I didn't make a lap for him quickly enough! He had the loudest purr I've ever heard in a cat. He lived to be 19, though in his waning years he suffered from gradual kidney failure and, in its last stages, I finally had to have him put to sleep. I still cry over that, and miss him horribly.

Arthur ("Artie"), happily, is still with me at 13. He's another semi-longhair and I call his color "black" though there are brown, grey, red and purple highlights and, as he ages, some growing white spots. He's the runt of somebody's litter, and I'm hard-pressed to keep his weight above 7 pounds; he'd rather be petted, hugged and carried than eat. Artie's quite the athlete, still as playful as a teenage cat, and excels at the high jump. (Yes, English Jon's Cat, this IS "Artie in the windowsill"!)

SharonA

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jingle
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 02:04 PM

Let me introduce Buddy and Kipper who let me live in their house and feed them in return for purring, dribbling and nudging my feet with their heads when I am trying to walk. Buddy is big and strong like a black panther and Kipper is very small with a tale like a squirrel. He also has comical back legs.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 06:55 PM

Friends across the road got a black-and white one they called Oscar: we got a tabby (more like Scottish wildcat behaviour-wise): we called her Emmie (work it out - Oscar/Emmie??????) They're both totally daft. Tattie B

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: vectis
Date: 09 Jul 01 - 07:38 PM

I have a 20 year old called Penta (she's our fifth cat that's why) who is fat, snores, does nothing but eat, sleep and...
She enjoys lacerating us when we try to groom her but Hey! You've got to enjoy life where you can when you're a geriatric moggy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 03:56 PM

Received via email:
                         On the Pill

1. Pick cat up and cradle it in the crook of your left arm as if holding a baby. Position right forefinger and thumb on either side of cat's mouth and gently apply pressure to cheeks while holding pill in right hand. As cat opens mouth pop pill into mouth. Allow cat to close mouth and swallow.

2. Retrieve pill from floor and cat from behind sofa. Cradle cat in left arm and repeat process.

3. Retrieve cat from bedroom and throw soggy pill away.

4. Take new pill from foil wrap, cradle cat in left arm holding rear paws tightly with left hand. Force jaws open and push pill to back of mouth with right forefinger. Hold mouth shut for count of ten.

5. Retrieve pill from goldfish bowl and cat from top of wardrobe. Call spouse from garden.

6. Kneel on floor with cat wedged firmly between knees, hold front and rear paws. Ignore low growls emitted by cat. Get spouse to hold head firmly with one hand while forcing wooden ruler into mouth. Drop pill down ruler and rub cat's throat vigorously.

7. Retrieve cat from curtain rail, get another pill from foil wrap. Make note to buy new ruler and repair curtains. Carefully sweep shattered figurines and vases from the hearth and set to one side to repair later.

8. Wrap cat in large towel and get spouse to lie on cat with head just visible below armpit. Put pill in end of drinking straw, force mouth open with pencil and blow down drinking straw.

9. Check label to make sure pill not harmful to humans, drink 1 beer to take taste away. Apply Band-Aid to spouse's forearm and remove blood from carpet with cold water and soap.

10. Retrieve cat from neighbour's shed. Get another pill. Open another beer. Place cat in cupboard and close door onto neck to leave head showing. Force mouth open with dessert spoon. Flick pill down throat with elastic band.

11. Fetch screwdriver from garage and put cupboard door back on hinges. Drink beer. Fetch bottle of scotch. Pour shot, drink. Apply cold compress to cheek and check records for date of last tetanus jab. Apply whisky compress to cheek to disinfect. Toss back another shot. Throw T-shirt away and fetch new one from bedroom.

12. Ring fire brigade to retrieve the cat from tree across the road. Apologise to neighbour who crashed into fence while swerving to avoid cat. Take last pill from foil wrap.

13. Tie the cat's front paws to rear paws with garden twine and bind tightly to leg of dining table, find heavy duty pruning gloves from shed. Push pill into mouth followed by large piece of fillet steak. Be rough about it. Hold head vertically and pour 2 pints of water down throat to wash pill down.

14. Consume remainder of scotch. Get spouse to drive you to casualty, sit quietly while doctor stitches fingers and forearm and removes pill remnant from right eye. Call furniture shop on way home to order new table.

15. Arrange for RSPCA to collect mutant cat from hell and ring local pet shop to see if they have any hamsters.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Brían
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 04:12 PM

Hmmm. I think we need a field guide to properly distinguish ours.

Brían

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: LilyFestre
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 04:56 PM

There are 6 cats who live together in a house that they are nice enough to share with us, the 9 dogs and 25 chickens!

Festre is the oldest...gray tiger kitty who really is KING OF THE HOUSE! He is moody, bitchy, vocal and does NOT like Goose the cat.

Daphne is Festre's wife. She is also a gray tiger kitty with white eyeliner surrounding her eyes. She is THE softest cat and has the most wonderful purr. She also has an Elvis sneer lip.

Normie is the youngest male cat. He is a yellow tiger kitty, son of Daphne and a white stray cat (Festre was NOT impressed with this...he snubbed Daphne for nearly a year!). Normie loves to snuggle with me, and ALWAYS has to be the nearest critter to my chin. If one of the other cats is sitting with me, Normie will walk over them (if not pushing them out of the way) to snuggle the closest to Mama's face. Normie also has the uncanny ability to wait until I am out of the shower and brushing my teeth before knocking on the bathroom door and demanding LOUDLY that the door be OPENED IMMEDIATELY if he has to wait for more than 10 seconds.

Goose is also a gray tiger kitty, son of Daphne and brother to Normie. Goose is GORGEOUS but none of the other cats like him. He is a bully....especially to our youngest and newest kitten. Festre enjoys sneaking up on Goose and screaming loudly at him while they chase each other up the stairs. Goose is a Mama's boy and will sit with me for hours and purr and purr and purr....it is his only saving grace.

Ellie is Mama's girl all over the place. She is a black cat who dislikes all manner of men. There was a time when I used to commute to college, stay at an apartment during the week and then come home on the weekends to my husband. Ellie travelled with me every week, sitting on my left shoulder as I drove. Given the chance to sneak into our bedroom, she will wake me up with lick of the eyeballs or a nibble on my nose. She once bit the part of my nose nearest my eyes....I do not know how I did not kill her...YOUCH!

Then, finally, there is Millie. Veronica found her on the back deck last summer. She was SO tiny and smelled to high heavens of skunk. There was NO way we could turn her away. She is a tiny gray tiger kitten with HUGE eyes and she frequently looks stoned. She is her Papa's girl....big old Grizzly Adams type falls asleep in his chair each night with his arm wrapped around Little Miss Millie...priceless!

I love my kitties and every single one of their little purrrrrsonalities!!!!!!

Michelle

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: jacqui.c
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 07:38 PM

Ebbie - I've just sat here laughing uncontrollably reading 'On the Pill'. Having, in the past, a cat who needed regular medicating this was just so true!

We don't have any cats although SINSULL is always offering to part with Alice the Slut who she says would be great company for our crazy yellow lab, Seamus. Knowing Alice's prediliction for peeing in unwanted places we have politely (and not so politely) refused the offer.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Big Al Whittle
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 08:42 PM

have cats in the carnal sense.....?

I'm sure its an empty and meaningless experience.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peace
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 09:47 PM

Jaysus . . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 09:52 PM

I've had to do it too, Jacqui. It is my contention that if a vet prescribes pills to a cat, s/he should make daily house calls.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 10:04 PM

What's a cat?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bobert
Date: 03 Apr 05 - 10:08 PM

Two indoor, two ferral....

Getting ready to move and gonna inherit 4 ferral to go along with the two indoor and the two ferral that we're gonna try to trap to take with us...

What's that make? I think about 8....

Bobert

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ebbie
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 12:18 AM

Yoo hoo, Bobert! When are you moving? Do let us in on the process, OK?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: mandoleer
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 09:31 AM

Used to have cats - up to 21 at times, but the 21st was always a temporary guest awaiting placement. Quite a few were Scottish Folds, which are absolutely delightful but hard to breed as you mustn't breed Fold to Fold for genetic reasons. Have managed to get freedom now and more birds and a red squirrel in the garden. Oh, yes, and have a look at this page (in these days of weapons of mass destruction.....) http://members.aol.com/moggycat/Mark-I-CAT.html

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Bill the Collie
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 09:49 AM

I had a cast

- when I broke my bastarding ankle last year.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Scooby Doo
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 12:34 PM

I have two cats,i inherited one from my son who is at University and the other was a stray several years ago.
I also feed a ferral cat called tomcat,but i try not to let him take over my life.
Scooby

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,indignant feline
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 12:40 PM

The very idea!

The correct question is how many Cats have pet Mudcats?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Frug
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 02:46 PM

Brucie................now thats what I call a pussy !!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peace
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 02:49 PM

Tell me about it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 05:38 PM

We're not big-time cat lovers at my house, but we got hornswoggled into becoming cat owners a few eyars back.

Our daughter brought a female kitten home from college and left her with us when she moved out of our house and into a no-pets apartment.

As often happens in nature, Minnie (short for "Minou," a French word for kittycat and a common cat name here in south Louisiana) became pregnant in the midst of a whole lot of wailing and screaming outside our window. She bore a very small litter of two kittens, both of which easily found homes.

The second time that happened, she once again produced a mere two offspring ~ but this time, we only managed to give one of them away. So now we have Minnie the Mom and Leroy the Boy.

Because we're not terminally stupid, and capable of learning an obvious lesson sooner or later, we managed to get both cats neutered before any further reproduction could occur. An unfortunate side effect: Minnie the momma cat, once a paragon of sweetness and mellow behavior, suddenly became really ornery, hissing and attacking at the slightest provacation (or at no apparent provication at all). Her son, fortunately, remains extremely friendly and, for a cat, cooperative. So, we have one pet feline that we like, plus one other cat that we seem to be obligated to feed.

Young Leroy, by the way, exhibits a particular personal attachment to me. I believe it's because he was born in my dirty laundry.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Burke
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 05:50 PM

I wrote about Barnabas in this thread. He has since departed to the mouse filled meadows in the sky.

I am now owned by brothers Felix & Oscar. They are completely black. The only way to tell them apart is that Felix's tail is long & skinny (kind of normal) while Oscar's is shorter & a bit fat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 06:57 PM

Current cat population is sort of four. Mortimer, my big orange and white lug (not fat, but big) is our oldest. He'll be 11 in a couple days and spent his early days in a household full of people allergic to cats. He's also diabetic and requires special food and feeding and needs to be "insulated" twice a day. Sabine was 3 when she joined us shortly after 9-11. She's the product of a broken home, but I was thrilled to have a black cat again. She's almost all black with just a wee white star on her chest. She's also the best huntress of the bunch -- we call her Sheena Queen of the Jungle. We were rudely awakened the other morning about a half hour before the alarm was due to go off by her crunching on a (by now quite dead) flying squirrel smack in the middle of the bed. I didn't really think that was an improvement on stepping on the really nasty bits when I get out of bed.

Then there's Creamsicle and Banjo, the two ferals. I'm not sure if I count them. They're almost 5 years old and still won't let "The Giants" (Curmudgeon and I) pet them or catch them. They'll be inside cats until I can catch them and get them to the vet to be spayed, but our house is one big cat cave and the catching hasn't been good. I did actually have Creamsicle eat a treat from my fingers the other day, but she still runs whenever we walk into the room. No brains. I think they're descended from a long line of cousins. I KNOW they're many many generations feral.

Linn

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: PoppaGator
Date: 04 Apr 05 - 07:49 PM

"Feral" and "inside" at the same time? Yikes!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bat Goddess
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 08:00 AM

They were born under a house a few towns away -- from a loooooooooong line of ferals. Resident of house snagged the kittens an brought them inside and snagged mama and got her some veterinary care including, I think, spaying. Heather kept a male and female kitten and I ended up with two females. What we've discovered is that they have each other and have no need (so they think) for the other cats (although both, especially Banjo, are fond of Mortimer) or for "The Giants". After all, all we do is feed them, entice them with treats, give them shelter and a warm place to sleep, a reasonably clean litter box, etcet etcet. Banjo can sometimes be "caught" if she's sleeping on the bed. She hates being petted and glares at me. Once she caught herself purring, but immediately forgot about it. A couple years ago I snuck up on Creamsicle and actually got to rub her behind the ears and under the chin for a few minutes -- before she realized what was happening and bolted. She's got the biggest purr of them all. And she's the one who sits at the foot of the bed, staring wide-eyed while I pet Mort or Sabine, looking as if she's thinking, "I'd really like you to do that to me provded you can do it without touching me."

Sometimes they act as if they have fur fer brains.

Sigh.

My vet suggested a Hav-a-Heart trap, but all that would catch is Mortimer. Food is not a lour for them. And they won't eat at all if anybody else is in the room (even ignoring them).

Linn

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SINSULL
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 12:16 PM

4
Lizzie
Alice
Ed
Fred

My adventures with the kitties are in the annals of Mudcat.

My favorite pilling story involved Susie, now gone. She was a bitch to pill and I asked the vet for liquid medicine. He decided I needed a lesson in pilling. Before it was over he held Susie wrapped in a towel while his terrified assistant tried to get a pill in her mouth without getting bitten and a third helper sprayed a plant mister in her face to startle her into swallowing. Susie stood up very indignantly and spit the soggy pill on the table. I got liquid medicine.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Cats
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 03:47 PM

Four - two at school, Mumsie, who was National Cat of the Year in 1999 for services to Autistic children, daughter Joshua who lives under the RE rooms and who we had to take part of a wall down for, hence the name. Two at home, Bathsheba Everdeen and Isolde of the White Paws.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: John Hardly
Date: 05 Apr 05 - 08:14 PM

funny story Sinsull!

Susie very well might have reincarnated into my Maggie -- sweet to us, hell on vets.

we've got:

Moose -- Russian blue (as we assign breeding to our mongrel cats) gentleman. Loves everyone and everyone loves him. Digs flying feathers at the end of a fishing line. Moose came to us in a -2 degree blizzardy night when our Mal, Blitz, found him under our porch with his brother..

Crush -- dark orange tabby (as we assign breeding to our mongrel cats). If you were to take a measuring tape to Crush you would find that he is exactly as long as he is tall as he is wide. Loves everyone except the truck that comes to unload the dumpster at the business next door. Digs flying feathers at the end of a fishing line.

Maggie -- tortoise shell -- originally to be named "Fender", but as I play with a Fender extra heavy, and it was clear that she was never going to achieve even half the weight of the men (at 15 and 16 lbs), neither would she ever be an "extra heavy". "Maggie" she is.

Ditto -- the other tortoise shell cat (hence "ditto"). Ditto quickly became "Ditty", then, after she started using places other than the litter box to relieve herself, she quickly became "the Diddiot". She is now the shop cat and getting along fine in isolation. Seems that in these cat's game of survivor, one gets booted onto the island.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,petr
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 07:54 PM

we have a bengal.
his name is Reavy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stephen L. Rich
Date: 06 Apr 05 - 11:44 PM

Actually, i have three cats; Nosey, Stranger, and Emily. They are all mixed breed. Hence my previous question.

Stephen Lee

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: open mike
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 01:19 AM

shortly before my old kittie, Lucy, was ready to leave this world,
a grey kittie which looked like a younger version of her showed up
(to take her place?) Moki (short for Smokey) received her training in the ways of the (cat) world and soon was ready to take over the house
when Lucy could no longer manage the task. A year ago Moki had three
kitties...Cinder (or Lucinda) who has stayed, and her little lion-like
siblings, Leo and Elsa who found new homes. they now rarely venture onto the ground floor, as the newest member of the family, Abbie the dog pesters them if they come within reach. If they would jsut stand their ground the dog would soon leave them alone, as she co-exists with other cats, but since these cats run, the dog goes into chase mode and never
the twain shall meet. i devised a doorway upstairs so the kitties can came and go thru the window and they are roof cats now. the cat door
on the ground floor gets harrassed too much by the dog to be used by them now.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: el_punkoid_nouveau
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 03:14 AM

ShadyLady is officially owned by the World's greatest hedonist - Catkin. The world is there purely for his pleasure, so he has extended his ownership to the rest of us!

And to see his victory roll when he manages to escape upstairs...

He has to share us with Juanita (the name is my fault - she only has one eye!).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: mack/misophist
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 10:10 AM

Four cats allow me to share their house. The same number that Mark Twain lived with. Ours have shorter names, though.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JennyO
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 06:09 AM

For the last 6 years, I have been owned by Onyx, a lovely black female with brown highlights which show up in the sun. She is mainly an outside cat. She is rather timid around other cats - I have even seen her being bossed around by a visiting moggy. I think it is mainly because she is very laid back and not aggressive.

However, today I have taken delivery of another kitty, my son's black cat, Bella, who is apparently somewhat more assertive. They have moved to a flat where they aren't allowed any pets, so I've inherited her for now. We've only been back here an hour or so, and Bella has already made herself at home by rubbing up against the various pieces of furniture, and is now curled up on the cushion I rest my feet on when I am at my computer.

The two cats haven't met yet, because Onyx is away paying her respects to the neighbourhood, but it will be interesting to see what happens when they do. I think I'll let them meet with a screen door between them for a start, but I'll have to be careful to make sure that Onyx doesn't feel left out. Bella is also mainly an outside cat, so once she is used to being in a new place and I let her outside, they will have to get used to being around each other a lot. Bella is more of a pure black, and slimmer, so there will be no mixing them up - not really a matched set of bookends at all.

So now I am owned by two cats!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 05:41 PM

The ideal number of cats in the household is one per lap. When the number of cats exceeds the number of laps, politics happens.

For the last 15 years, whenever a vacancy has occurred in our feline establishment, a suitable cat has arrived at the door and moved in. I'm told some people actually *purchase* cats; I can't imagine why.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: LadyJean
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 12:24 AM

Mr. Fitz, the senior member of the feline firm, is an orange and white tabby gentleman, acquired after a friend's cat had kittens, and I said I'd only take one if they had an orange tom with white feet.
Fitz has definate ideas about his rights and priveledges as senior cat, and insists on his right to be snuggled at specified times, fed canned food at certain intervals, and have primary use of the chair in the good bird watching window.
Musetta is a tiny tortie with a large bad attitude. Hollowfox's kids dubbed her the hiss machine.
Grace O'Malley is a grey tabby with tufty ears, who shows every sign of becoming a huge cat. I acquired her two weeks before I moved. She is rather impressively playful. She likes to wake me up in the small hours, trilling her "wanna play?" chirp. The older cats do NOT wish to play.
Gracie was abandoned when she was perhaps a day old and bottle fed. She actually likes to be picked up and turned upside down. Of course she likes to shred your hands when you do it. But it's all good clean fun.
I've been sleeping with a cat in my bed since I was 7, and I am not really comfortable sleeping without one.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 12:33 AM

all cats are bastards..


and would probably vote tory..



selfish furry f***ers !!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Kaleea
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 03:15 AM

Ebbie, My kitty was 20 & a half when she went to kitty heaven a year back. Her longhair coat was quite matted, but she hated grooming so much that I didn't force it on her too much as it made her so mad. I gave her kitty vitamins she licked out of the tube every day all her life. I think that's one reason she lived so long. Her name, believe it or don't was "Sis" which was short for "Persistence." Yes, really.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: freda underhill
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 07:45 AM

naah, cats are too aloof to bother having an opinion about anything human. i have three -

my old cat Baxter (17), scrawny, cranky, and three legged, has been known to hiss when feeling grumpy, but very loveable. my ex and i have joint custody.

deli – my son brought her home about a year ago, she is sweet, affectionate, and gentle.

and socksy - feral, lives in our back yard, has attached himself to us.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: ranger1
Date: 09 Apr 05 - 10:39 PM

For someone who isn't a cat person, I somehow ended up with two, neither one of them planned. I acquired cat #1 almost six years ago when someone abandoned her in the park where I was working at that time. She's white with grey spots and the SO named her Caitlin (after telling me vehemently that we were NOT keeping her). She was a skinny, starving creature in a campground full of dumb, slow-moving rodents. I should have known then that she was mentally defective. She's now almost twice the weight she was when I brought her home. Her nicknames include Dumb Bunny, Piglet, Sausage, Retard Kitty, The Evil One, Katie Cat and Glutton.

Go-Go, our other cat, was acquired almost exactly one year after Caitlin became a member of our household. I inherited her after my adopted grandmother died. The local shelter wouldn't take her because of her age (she was 15 at the time), but she was still healthy and pretty spry for an old fart. She, too, was white with grey spots. She managed to survive another four and a half years, despite Caitlin's best assassination attempts, but we had to have her euthanised just before Christmas, due to a giant tumor in her abdomen. I'm rather guiltily enjoying being a single cat household, but the SO misses her terribly. The dog is wishing we were a no-cat household...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: wysiwyg
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 04:28 PM

I don't HAVE. I am HAD BY.

~S~

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: sing4peace
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 04:59 PM

I have always lived with cats. Currently, I am servant to two Siamese cats: Luna and Milo. Luna is a "pica" kitty. She eats lots of things that aren't food - anything wool, fringe, shoelaces, rubber bands, ribbons, etc.) She's also allergic to the world so requires constant vigilance and a daily dose of Prednisol. Milo is a very happy uncomplicated kitty.

---
Joyce

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Rapparee
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 05:04 PM

Couple in the freezer....

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: ranger1
Date: 02 Oct 09 - 06:14 PM

Do they taste just like chicken, Rap?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,seth in Olympia
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 12:22 AM

I have a fine cat who sleeps on my bed, hangs out if I'm sick or depressed, never yowls, but talks in one and two syllable squeaks. She likes to sit on my chest when I'm in bed, but never sticks her butt in my face. She hates the whole idea of reading, though, and often will slap a book out my hands if I'm reading in bed and she wants attention.
I always have one cat at a time, she is #5.
seth

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 12:33 AM

For the first time in my adult life I am down to two, Trystan & Kipling.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Phot
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 04:38 AM

We have four, Loki, Apollo (Brother of LtS cat Raven), Pixel and Persephone (daughter of Pixel), all of whome are currently curled up on the bed around Fiona, hence I'm on the computer!

Wassail!! Chris

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: VirginiaTam
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 10:29 AM

Living in 1st floor flat we can't have a cat. Pout, sniffle.

I have been loved by the following:

Smokey - F grey/brown tabby. I was not permitted to touch because I had skin allergies. I did anyway.
Patches - F medium hair black and white patches all over. Yellow eyes. She had kittens with us.   
Moonshadow -M white short hair one green eye one blue eye. He always wanted to be outside, but would hang on the back door peering into the kitchen and mewing and then run off if we tried to let him in.
Poochi - M very fat, lazy and lovable Siamese. He could speak English almost. Ret mreee ourrt. usually at about 4 am.
Crosseyed Mary - (my older brother's) black kitten came to stay for a bit.
Squeaky - F long hair maine coon like with huge green eyes. Her favorite sleeping place was wrapped around my throat, like a scarf.

Always wanted a Spook - short hair grey manx with orange eyes sex not important.
As soon as we can get a house with garden, we will adopt 2 needy cats. Hopefully young enough to train to travel and caravan with us.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Alice
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 10:41 AM

I'm allergic to cats now, but from childhood until late '80's I had:

Loco Gato, a big yellow tiger striped genius of a tom cat

Sammy Davis Jr., a Siamese with crooked tail

Kathleen, a very smart and classy tabby point Siamese

Fritz (the cat) who died very young

Oso Negro, a black bear of a cat

Pooh Bear, my last one, who was a fluffy long haired tabby point Siamese whose mother strayed into my house, discovered a corner of my kitchen, and promptly had a litter of kittens. She and the others were adopted out and I kept Pooh Bear. Pooh Bear was adept at playing paper-wad racket ball. He could jump and twist high in the air to bat the paper-wads I tossed, with perfect aim, even though Oso had nicked Pooh Bear's eye when he was a kitten and he had a scar in one eye.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 01:40 PM

We have just one, Persia, who has been with us for 15 months now. Was a rescue cat, picked up living rough at the age of 6 months with a litter of kits (which didn't make it). She is a total star - we now think part Burmese - who is intelligent, funny (yes, she knows she is) and wonderfully affectionate. She spends part of the night on our bed, generally lying on top of me as I lie on my side, but she's got us into a routine whereby at the end of every day we have to have a "cat" time. She leads us into the sitting room where we either lie down next to her and admire her, or she has us trained in various games. We've just reverted to the Curtain Game, which she invented last year. The curtains are at the french windows and are therefore floor to ceiling. She hides behind them. We use those little foil crinkle balls and place them in folds of the curtains. She will pounce on them, generally propelling herself along the floor on her stomach or back in order to whop the balls back at us. One day I'll remember to take my phone down and video the whole thing, which is every bit as funny as some of the stuff on YouTube.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Tig
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 03:43 PM

Very sadly we are now down to 7.

Grebo - Firecat's very special cat - died last Monday at the age of 13 and a half.

We still have Paws, Scrappy, Samantha, Attitude, Trouble, Ginger Biscuit and Shadow. Unfortunately some of them are getting old too.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ed T
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 03:51 PM

U mean like this 'un?
http://funnyanimals.org/funny/animals/images/Funny%2BAnimals_All_Big%2BBoys/I%2BOnce%2BCaught%2Ba%2BCat%2BThis%2BBig.jpg

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Cats
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 04:32 PM

Cat update. My two at school have gone to pussy heaven, I still have Isolde of the White Paws and Bathsheba Everdean and this week inherited the two farm cats from next door who did not want to go to their new house so now live here, Rosie a little black cat and Olly a white with grey ears.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Smokey.
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 05:10 PM

I've got one - he lets me live in his house, but I suspect only because I can operate doors, clean things and use a tin-opener. We get on fine, as long as I behave myself.

Where's 'pussy heaven', exactly?
Just a casual enquiry on behalf of a friend..

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stringsinger
Date: 03 Oct 09 - 07:24 PM

We love our nine cats. Each with his/her own personality.

Frank

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Cats
Date: 04 Oct 09 - 03:40 PM

Pussy heaven is wherever your pussy wants to be when they have left this earth. For Deuteronomy and Nehemeziah, it's here with me. Sometimes people who visit here see a black flash out of the corner of their eye, look again and there is nothing there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 04:13 AM

Erica and I have two cats whom you'd think were litter sisters, but they're not.

Smutts is tortie (US = calico) and white and is so named for the big black blaze on her face.

Maisie is white and tortie, and is so named because she is Maisie.

They wre both rescue kittens. Our old cat died two weeks before her 20th birthday. We cried our guts out for a fortnight and then went up the Animal Rescue.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Catherine Jayne
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 08:08 AM

We are owned and loved by Merlyn. She's a black and white tuxedo cat. She's nearly 9 and definitely prefers to be the only cat in the house. She's a real lap cat now and 'mothers' the kids!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mooh
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 08:48 AM

Beatrice was a feral kitten living in a ditch in rural Ontario, probably due for an early death, when she was rescued by someone and given to the OSPCA. She lived there for a while and became a favourite of the staff. Then my kids saw her, then my wife, and before I could say no, I was at the OSPCA filling out adoption papers. She's a champion mouser, sometimes even bringing them to me. She's otherwise quiet and serene, affectionate and passive, and she gets along with Rosie The Wonder Dog and Cosmo The Other Dog. Twice a day, usually morning and evening, she gets her exercise by racing back and forth through the house, but anytime she can be found playing with her toy mice. She doesn't go outside as we live on a busy street close to a highway.

The previous cat, Boots, is dearly missed by the girls in the family, and grudgingly by me. He was a screamer at night and most often had to spend the night outdoors. Strangely, the neighbours loved him.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Becca72
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 01:33 PM

I share my living space with 3 lovely felines.
Madmardigan is 12 years old, white with tan patches and is the love of my life.
Mikey and Sheldon are brothers 3 1/2 years old, mostly black (each has a white patch on his pelvis and Mikey has a small white patch on his chest) and are the most intelligent cats I have ever met.

I have been getting that "feeling" lately about wanting another one but am denying myself and trying to remember that three's enough.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SharonA
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 01:42 PM

I posted to this thread back on 09 July 2001, and I'm still a kitty-caregiver although I'm caring for different kitties now. Artie's health slowly declined after that 2001 post; he was diagnosed with cancer. I had wanted to adopt another cat but had put it off because of Artie's health and his radiation therapy. When his symptoms seemed to "level off" and even improve during the summer of '03, I asked my vet if he thought the stress of having another cat in the apartment would worsen his health, and I got the doc's OK to go ahead and get that second cat. I adopted 4-month-old Madison (a female) from a shelter, and kept the name they gave her, in early September.

There's no way to know whether Artie's health dive-bombed because of that adoption, or whether it was just a crisis waiting to happen, but about 5 weeks later, I had to have him put to sleep. Crisis followed crisis: my retina began to detach as I was having him buried at the local pet cemetery. Next thing I knew, I was going to Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia PA to get my retina re-attached.

Madison Mae -- as in "Madison may do what I tell her to do or Madison may not" -- is a brown torbie (tortoiseshell tabby). She was a problem child to begin with, having been raised on display in a shelter cage at PetSmart and continually exposed to gawking people and barking dogs. My preoccupation with Artie, my trip to the hospital and my recuperation (at the time I should have been bonding with Maddie and training her) didn't help any. I suspect that Maddie may have come from a litter of feral cats, and she is still something of a wild woman, distrustful of everyone else and sometimes not too sure about trusting me. She grows a little more pet-like every year, but often she chooses to hide under a blanket or inside a kitchen cabinet rather than hang out with me. The good news is that she prefers her scratching post to my furniture!

Hoping to find a cat that would be more affectionate and outgoing (and hoping to get Maddie to play/exercise and be less sedentary), I adopted a kitten from a different shelter this past June. The shelter named him Rex, and he's now Rupert Rex (as in "Rupert wrecks my home!" *grin* -- he raids wastebaskets, climbs the furniture, hides his toys behind chair cushions, pulls threads in my shower curtain, etc., etc.). He's a marmalade-orange tabby with more spots and dashes than stripes (and no white markings), and he's a joy to have around. Maddie doesn't agree -- she'd rather be an only cat -- but he chases her as much as she chases him so at least she's getting the exercise I'd hoped she would.

Little Roo came complete with ear mites and tapeworm; my struggles with his parasites and his digestion are recorded on my thread titled BS: Kitten healthy? Not? Advice, please -- and Joe Offer, bless his heart, offered a place on his website for my kitty-pictures (linked from the "Kitten healthy?" thread) since I don't have a site of my own yet. Thanks again, Joe!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: mouldy
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 03:27 PM

I acquired my first cat since childhood (neutered tom called Tigger) just over a year ago, when he needed rehoming, as his owner was dying. He was said to be 10 years old, and used to dogs (I have a dog that is not aggressive to cats). The dog has learned not to be scared of him!

I had him at the vets for his annual booster last week, and she said that if he had just come in from the streets, she would assess him as only being about 5! He's a bog standard tabby and white moggy, but very quiet most of the time, and at the moment is curled up on my lap.
In the 13 months or so I have had him, he has never scratched me, and only nipped me once - when I was teasing him. He's very gentle. He puts up with me cutting his claws when they get too bad, and I even managed to post a worm tablet down his throttle the other day, despite his frantic back-peddling!

My dog is suffering from heart failure, at the reasonable age of 13 and a half. She could still be here for a while yet, as she is coping quite well at the moment, but how long is a mystery - the vet said it could be a week or a year. I shall miss her, but she won't be replaced. However, I can see myself letting another cat own me some day!

Andrea

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Edthefolkie
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 03:54 PM

No doubt somebody else since 2001 has pointed out that we don't have cats, cats have us?

Four Birmans have had us over the past 30 years - Jasmine and Toby (both Seals) - Jade (Blue) and now Willow, also a Blue Birman.

I can recommend this breed as they are very placid and friendly - the only downside is the CAT HAIRS EVERYWHERE (not to mention furballs behind the sofa from time to time.....)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: mouldy
Date: 05 Oct 09 - 04:15 PM

I'm also having to go over to the next village and serve my daughter's 2 - Jasper and Badger, a ginger tabby and a black and white with a curly tail - while she's on holiday this week.

Andrea

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bryn Pugh
Date: 06 Oct 09 - 04:46 AM

Hi Edthefolkie - couldn't agree more. The way I heard it was, dogs have owners, cats have staff.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: jojofolkagogo
Date: 24 Dec 16 - 12:24 PM

I dont - who needs cats? They certainly dont need us !

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 24 Dec 16 - 07:27 PM

We like cats for several reason, not least that we don't like rats and mice in the house. I don't know how effective the current incumbents would be as mousers because the word is evidently out among the neighbourhood rodents that our house is a no-go zone.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Dec 16 - 08:40 PM

Cats as ratters or even micers is not something I've really known. Sure they may bring you the odd present doing no harm in the field in but I don't see (at least well fed pet cats) them as being that effective pest controllers.

In the home their first love is often cupboard love and their own comfort usually comes first

I like them though and think many of us humans want a relationship with some other type of creature. While not for all, cats can fulfil that sort of role.

In current situation, we have the challenge - an older feral tom who on a good day I can get within a foot of (with loads of hisses) but I can't/would not try to touch and he is unlikely to move further from that stance and our getting old a bit indoor pair (actually both originally at different times feral kittens but young when they took to us).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Joe_F
Date: 24 Dec 16 - 08:53 PM

http://come-to-think.livejournal.com/39862.html

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Dec 16 - 11:22 PM

beautiful cat, Joe!

My cats are similar. I last was owned by a cat in the late 70s, when I lived in a ground-floor apartment with a yard. Next papartment had no yard, so I gave her to the pensioner couple next door. She decided their son was her person & when he came home from work, it was his lap she sat in!

Ever since I've had cat ornaments & toys in my collections. Plus lots of photos I've taken of cats I've come across in my life.

sanda

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 03:53 AM

I've had cats all my long life, usually four or five at a time. I used to show them at the General Cat Fancy shows, and in those days I had British Black Shorthairs. (dense jet-black fur and deep orange eyes) I won several Firsts and even a Premier medal (highest honour for neutered cats) with my lovely Ashmere Augustus (Gussie for short)
Then I started to have Siamese, and there was no going back. They're little monkeys but extremely affectionate and intelligent. Along the way, several poor little strays have found their way to my door, and being a soft twit I've taken them in.
Our cats now are two brothers (Minty and Murphy, one seal point and one blue point) and SmokeyPokey (blue point)
I've never had a cat that only wanted food and a nice fire. They've all been loving and wanting to be near me at all times. When my husband was in Africa last year, his 'favourite', Minty, pined for him dreadfully and spent the entire five weeks gazing out of the window hoping he'd see him coming home. When he finally arrived, the reunion brought tears to my eyes.
The only drawback with cats is their short life-span compared to ours. It's so hard to say goodbye, and the grief is terrible when you lose a cat. It never gets any easier.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 05:02 AM

We are sort of wondering about that with one at the moment, Senoufu. I don't remember what it's called but its some sort of tumour - apparently it doesn't spread to other organs but it gets bigger - from what I read she may have a couple of years maybe longer maybe shorter.

We got her to our local vets when we first noticed the small lump developing on her shoulder. They tried to remove it but it came back first time and she's now had surgery twice in the space of a couple of months. We've had her rather unsettled, dressed in a (now off) red jacket. We are optimistic that the second op has been more successful but also believe we can not inflict another stressful round of vet trips (that you can't even explain to them) on her. It's sort of fingers crossed and I think we leave it, if it returns again, until the lump is troubling her now.

Like most/all who've had a few pets over years I've seen a few go through accidents and illnesses. It's never easy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 05:04 AM

"until the lump is troubling her now. "

I'm meant until the lump (if it returns) shows signs of distressing her.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: The Sandman
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 05:08 AM

4

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JHW
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 05:43 AM

Used to have a faithful Ginger Tom but long gone now. Re Joe's account of cats v critters I sat my cat down one day and gave him a right verbal bollocking about chasing birds on the yard wall. He never did again, sat initially gnashing his teeth then got used to them coming and going from the honeysuckle on his wall and sat contented.

If you like Ginger Cats see Bob the Street Cat film. Scroll down for Trailer

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 06:06 AM

Jon, that's so difficult isn't it? Minty gets bouts of triaditis, inflammation of three organs of the body. It can be painful and needs treatment. The last time was touch-and-go, and cost us nearly £800. He's getting old now, and like you we don't want to put him through being in the vet's for 3 days on a drip, crying for us and trying to grab us with his paw when we visited. Heartbreaking.
However at the moment he's quite perky and has regained his lost weight. But I think the last act of love is to send them on in peace and end the suffering. I must have wept lakes over the years over my lost little mates.
The three Siamese horrors are at this moment in the kitchen munching away on some lovely big lumps of cooked chicken breast. (Well, it is Christmas!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 06:54 AM

Yep. Agreed.

We've not had a Siamese (and I think all our cats have been findlings in one way or other - strays or "who want's a kitten") but my father's parents had one for a while.

I may have met him but can't really remember that at the moment (and this would have been in our first time round in N Wales - say my later primary/ up to early secondary years and granddad in Norwich) but I do remember they called him Rasputin.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 07:14 AM

Hahaha! Love the name Rasputin! There's an evil white cat who lives up the road. He keeps hanging round ours, bursting through the cat flap and hoovering up any food he finds on the floor. Ours are terrified of him. We called him 'Mad Mick'. He attacks any cats he comes across, and has cost many of our neighbours money at the vet's for stitching up wounds and torn ears. We now chase him with a water pistol whenever he shows his evil face.
I went to see his owners (lovely couple, new residents, and they feed him well) and laughingly asked if they knew he was a psycho-cat. They said his name is 'Spirit'. Bloody 'Evil Spirit' if you ask me. They have another cat, called 'Marmite'. (You either love it or hate it) We had a laugh, and there isn't a lot they can do really. I think it needs psychoanalysis or something!
We got a funny Christmas card through our door. "With love from 'Spirit'" Gaaaah! Hee hee!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Black belt caterpillar wrestler
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 07:23 AM

We have accquired two in recent weeks, one two year old abandoned by neighbours of a friend, and the other a young kitten.
The aim is to have them as a deterrent against the rabbits. They may be even catch some! The problem is that I expect some of our local birds to be in danger as I looked out the window first thing today to find the two year old 15 feet up a tree.

Robin

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 08:02 AM

Guess those sort of things can happen. Our "snotcat" (snotty superior attitude) was huge, I think now maybe largely Norwegian Forest and was't always kindly disposed to our other (neutered) tom. Lost him to cat aides - I believe it was a problem in that community before that particular community died out by people neutering the males - but I'd imagine that at one stage of his life (which I think runs having a prior owner before going feral) he was "the biggest kid on the block" round here.

Friendly neighbour seems to think his female is untouchable but I've got photos where "puss puss", the one I don't think will truly make friends with me chases her up a tree. He's not bad though he just has his food (maybe even a second helping) and then (partly due to something like a spoonerism on my part and partly due to him used to spraying a lot) "piss pusses" off. He seems more puzzled that aggressive if he sees me handle one of our in/out door cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 08:10 AM

Cats as ratters or even micers is not something I've really known. Sure they may bring you the odd present doing no harm in the field in but I don't see (at least well fed pet cats) them as being that effective pest controllers.

A friend of mine had a mouse infestation in her flat. A cat of her own wouldn't be practical, she travels too much. But she'd heard that cat fluff was a mouse repellent. So I collected a bagful of surplus fluff from our long-haired lilac tortie Chloe. It worked - she hasn't had mice for a year.

The thing is, Chloe is nearly 19 years old, has almost no teeth, and has probably never caught anything in her life. Any prey would suffer nothing worse than a geriatric gumming. But her fluff seems to be absolutely terrifying.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 08:08 PM

The predator thing can be inconsistently presented when a cat is highly domesticated and human-friendly.

I have rarely encountered a kitten or cat that would not make a game of pouncing on something, ANYthing, that moved in an arresting visual fashion. That does not mean that said cat will know how to dispatch one of its fellow warm-blooded beasties. Cats stalk instinctively as well, I believe.

But hunting and dispatching prey requires skill as well as instinct. Skill has to be acquired through a learning process. A lot of times, for a cat, that means there is another cat present who is already a good mouser/ratter, and can demonstrate to the learning cat how the thing is carried through.

I grew up where there were barns; and where there were barns, there were barn cats. Feral often as not, or semi-feral. Their lives depended at least partly on their hunting, so they got on with it, and did not like humans wanting to get hands-on friendly with them.

After all, being a lap-cat is something else that has to be demonstrated, practiced, and learned...although it seems like it looks a lot easier than being Nimrod The Mighty Hunter.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 09:40 PM

We have no cats at this time, though we've had plenty of them over the years, sometimes four or five at a time. We live on a rural road where people often dump unwanted pets, and we could usually depend on a new cat showing up on the doorstep every year or so. But since a puppy (who subsequently grew into a rather large dog) showed up on that same doorstep a few years back, the cats have stopped. We'll see one in the yard every now and then, but they're too leary of the dog to make hanging around a habit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 25 Dec 16 - 10:18 PM

Hmmm. At the time this thread was started in 2000, I had five feral cats living in my yard, in an area of Sacramento that had lots of feral cats. There was rabies found in a feral cat in that area this month, so I imagine the feral cat population will be significantly reduced soon.
So, I got married in 2002 and moved into my wife's home in the foothills - with 3 dogs and 3 cats and an 11-year-old boy. And then the neighbor's cat moved in, bringing the total number of cats to four. We eventually got down to one dog and one cat, but then the other neighbor's two dogs moved in and the last cat died, so now we're a 3-dog, no-cat family, and the boy is 27 and still with us.
I like it that way.
-Joe-

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 Dec 16 - 06:43 PM

"Mad Mick" .... sounds like your regional answer to Glasgow's Sam the Skull.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: kendall
Date: 26 Dec 16 - 07:27 PM

I lost my old dog, Charlie, in July. I've always had a dog or a cat. So, I went to the animal rescue and adopted a 3 year old neutered male. Orange and white. Feisty but loves attention, and sleeps with me.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 27 Dec 16 - 04:43 AM

Cats kill millions of song birds every year.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Dec 16 - 06:50 AM

I haven't yet seen an estimate of how many birds are killed by domestic cats that seemed to be based on honest and well-informed statistical methodology. Everybody seems to extrapolate from some sample without any attempt to show how representative it is.

We're in a village with a lot of green space and a few minutes walk from open fields, so there are a lot of birds available. Our three cats seem to kill a bit more than one bird each per year (and some near misses, like the pissed-off magpie we found sitting on the pillow which our Ollie had given up on trying to kill). They managed about double that when they were younger, and one year wiped out an entire nestful. Not good but not exactly an environmental disaster either.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Dec 16 - 06:59 AM

Until a few years ago we lived in another village, in a house with a huge garden bordering on fields. No fences, just a ditch. Our cats over the years seemed to be more interested in shrews, field mice, rats, baby rabbits, the odd wood pigeon and once a pheasant. We often saw Hissing Sid, a huge grass snake, which our cats used to torment and poke, but never hurt. It was very rare indeed that they came in with a songbird of any sort. Now they're (like me) quite old, they don't hunt or catch anything.
Mind you they were usually stuffed with food. I had a colleague who went shooting, and he gave me rabbits and wood pigeons free, as long as I was prepared to skin/pluck and draw the things. (I was) The cats always shared this food with us. They crunched, gnawed and munched their way through all sorts of good stuff. I don't suppose they could summon up too much energy for chasing songbirds!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Dec 16 - 11:16 AM

Captain, your Sam sounds like a grand little companion.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Jan 17 - 09:21 AM

We're very very sad today, as we've just had to have our little Minty put to sleep. His triaditis flared up again last week and he was in a bad way this morning. I felt it was cruel to go on, and we took him to the vet's. My husband has just buried him under the pear tree in the corner of our garden. We'll miss him so much, he was a real character. But he'd had a lovely life in the countryside, with his brother and other cats, plenty of love and fun, and good food etc.

Rest In Peace little Minty.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Jan 17 - 08:33 PM

Ah, Eliza, even when it is inevitable and merciful, it really smarts. Good on you both for doing what your cat needed when he needed it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 03:44 AM

Thank you keberoxu. I've cried quite a bit, and sadly so has my husband. He and Minty had a real bond. So many times in the past I've had to take a cat to the vet for the final journey, and it never ever gets any easier. But somehow the older one gets, the harder it becomes. The pain of grief is so intense.
I'm sure it's no different for owners of dogs, or in fact any creature we've grown to love.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 01:12 PM

In fact, Eliza, I have spoken with one or two breeders of pedigreed pet animals, of dogs or of cats. The good kind, who are protective and devoted to the animals. And for them as well, when their elderly males and females, long retired from breeding, have to be put down, the grief is terribly intense. The good breeders get attached to their cats / dogs, just as the pet owners do.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 01:40 PM

Oh, Eliza, I'm sorry poor Minty is gone.

One of my favourites of your posts is that one in which you described your husband dancing around the kitchen, waving a dish in the air and singing "Chicken! Chicken!" while the cats thronged his ankles and howled. It just won't be the same as a duet.

Is it my imagination, or are tomcats more vulnerable to disease than females? Most of my ladies have lived to advanced ages, but I've never had a tom who made it beyond 13 (at best guess). Kidney disease, crystaluria, pancreatic disease -- it's quite the list. But Perdita, a foundling kitten who lost her mother before she was weaned, lived to be 19 despite chronic thyroid problems, and Lucy, who came to me as a stunted stray, made it to the age of 16 -- and finally died of cancer.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 02:11 PM

Thank you so much Charmion and keberoxu for your kind and understanding words.
I've never had a female cat, but I have found Siamese to be less long-lived than British ones. My British Shorthair was 17 when he died, but most of my Siamese have been between 12 and 15 at the most. The various strays I've taken in (and who can refuse a hungry,lost cat at the door?) were of indeterminate ages.
My husband has often talked to ours in Malinke, and funnily enough they seem to understand. He rang his mum in Africa this morning to tell her Minty has died. She was astonished to discover he was talking about a cat, not a person. (Cats over there finish up in the pot!) She didn't quite know how to react, so began reciting Muslim prayers for the soul of the departed. I did smile when I heard him replying "Amen. Amen. Amen."
Still feeling sad, but still sure we did the right thing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jan 17 - 03:07 PM

Charmion, and Eliza, that is a post I should dearly like to read myself....the description of singing with the cats in the kitchen.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Jan 17 - 01:14 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Jan 17 - 02:35 PM

The two cats that are left, Murphy and Smokey, have been moping around looking sad. I'm sure they're missing Minty too. Winter doesn't help, as they miss the sunshine and warmth.

My sister up in Scotland is soon going to collect a rescued cat from a shelter. She had to have her old black cat put to sleep. He was 20 and had been a super chap. She's seen a female called Mela, which means 'black' in Polish. It's a British type, black all over (she showed me a photo) Mela is a bit timid and hasn't had a happy life, so hopefully she'll relax and enjoy living with my sis. Like me, she adores cats and has never been without one.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 10 Jan 17 - 02:58 PM

Since I posted in 2009 we have acquired a second cat. He is a quarter Bengal, an eighth Ragdoll, an eighth Snowshoe and the rest moggie (but we have seen photos of his Dad and he looks very Siamese). His name is Mylo. My husband tends to think that Persia (who you might recall is a rescue cat from the mean streets of Barry) is like Nessa (from Gavin and Stacey, for those of you who watched it) while Mylo is rather more Hugh Grant, with his pedigree upbringing. Mylo has just been talking to me in the kitchen (being a very chatty cat) and I think he's been requesting me to turn the wind down outside as it's putting him off going out there. Oh, if you want an image - Mylo is white and grey, while Persia is a dark tortie.
Can't imagine life now without cats, but I don't think we could cope with more than two, especially as these two get very possessive about us, laps and places to sleep!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Jan 17 - 07:21 AM

They sound lovely Anne. I had five cats at once for quite a while. If one passed away, I usually got two kittens. (I found the kittens were company for each other and felt more reassured together. They also played kitten games without irritating the older cats.) Trouble is, the policy of 'lose one, get two' results in rather a lot of cats around the place. But then I had a huge garden surrounded by fields and the cats enjoyed our log fire in the winter. Our present house is much smaller.
Siamese cats are always very talkative. Ours have a wide vocabulary. They also have a very naughty tendency to have a quick wee on any object to mark territory. (I've always had neutered males) You can see them laughing when you chase them after they've done it. Dreadful.

Minty is still in out thoughts. It's over a week now since he was put to sleep, and the grief continues. I half expect to see him again when I go into the kitchen early in the morning. He used to rub his head against my dressing gown sleeve and try to stop me filling the kettle at the sink. We loved him so much...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 11 Jan 17 - 08:25 AM

Isobel, a small black fur person, is squirming and purring in my lap as I type, for the study desk is her favourite place to infest. Watson, her brother, owns the kitchen sofa and anyone with the temerity to sit there, especially in the spot beside the reading lamp.

For a couple of years, we had a Siamese named Tokyo Rose, Rosie to her friends, who operated like a heat-seeking missile from Remembrance Day to Easter. She came to us as an emergency case, having been the undermost cat in a crowded house, and departed just as abruptly when it became apparent that she would succeed in preventing the settlement of Isobel and Watson, then four-month-old kittens. By the time the kittens came into our lives, Rosie had been the only cat in the house from April (when Old Bill died) to late November, and she was determined to keep it that way. She ambushed the kittens whenever they ventured onto the kitchen floor, especially whenever they emerged from the litter box. By February, the kittens were living on top of the refrigerator and Watson had learned to crap in the sink. Something had to give, and it was decided that the least bad solution was to find yet another new home for Rosie.

With great good luck, an old friend of my brother was found to be in need of a cat, and Rosie went to Prince Edward County where she is now the love of an old bachelor's life. He sent us a photo yesterday, of Rosie basking in a sunbeam on the sofa, so I gather that she has not changed a bit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Jan 17 - 03:05 PM

keep those cats and kittens coming

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Anne Lister
Date: 14 Jan 17 - 11:33 AM

Back in the 1970s I shared a house with various friends, including Bonnie Shaljean, and it was decided we should have a cat as there was evidence of past rodent problems. So we had two calico sibling cats, Felicity and Dunstable. When they first arrived, we were convinced that Felicity was a female and Dunstable was a male, based on Felicity's neat posture and Dunstable's total lack of sense of dignity - we didn't know at the time that calico toms are very rare indeed. Eventually we realised that they were both female, by which time we had two litters of kittens, one of whom went back to my parents and became their much loved Cato.
Both cats tended to pee in the front hall, but were good company and provided some great moments of entertainment - Bonnie, if you're reading this, remember the dead squirrel? It had been left by the side of my bed one morning, and, half-asleep, I couldn't work out what to do with it so I went and put it in the kitchen bin. Bonnie came across it when throwing a tea bag away and to judge by the scream it was a bit of a shock (which I suppose it would have been).
In due course we all went our separate ways and I went to live in France, and both cats went to live with a couple of older women friends of mine up in Nottingham. Felicity didn't last long there as there was another cat already, so she took herself off (and we assume found somewhere else to live, as she was a resourceful cat). Dunstable, on the other hand, absolutely loved her new home and when I visited some time later she showed off just how rich and luxuriant her coat now was. I was left in no doubt that she preferred things as they were, and she had no wish to return to me, ever!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Jan 17 - 07:49 PM

cats and kittens again

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Elmore
Date: 18 Jan 17 - 09:13 PM

At the risk of being crass, we have a dog for whom {which?} we paid 36 dollars, and a cat for whom {which?} we paid 635 dollars. Love them both.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Jan 17 - 02:57 PM

Helen posted in " '00" about Archy and Mehitabel. Indeed, the latter was a cat, and some cat she was -- she fancied herself a reincarnation of Cleopatra.

"I have had my ups and downs
"But wotthehell, wotthehell..."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Jan 17 - 09:14 AM

Elmore? It's whom. Trust me.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jan 17 - 03:09 PM

Eliza / Senoufou, you have said that your Smokey was the senior of your cats; how old is he now?   
And you brought home the two kittens to keep him company? Now one of his kittens is gone, and he's still around. Poor old thing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Jan 17 - 03:56 PM

Yes, SmokeyPokey is 15 years old now, which for a Siamese is quite aged. We're all missing poor little Minty terribly. His brother Murphy is moping around, and Smokey won't leave my side. My husband still has tears in his eyes when he comes home from work and there's no Minty to welcome him. Honestly, I've been through this so many times but it seems to get harder!
On a happier note, my sister up in Scotland has just adopted a rescue cat from the Cats' Protection League. A British black female called Mela. The website said she was 'timid and wary of people' but my good old sis got her home and the little madam inspected the premises and decided it would do. She's spent the last couple of days curled up on my sister's lap, and they love each other already. My sister is a widow and has just retired, so the company of Mela will be excellent.
I can't seem to shake off the sadness about Minty. He was so terribly ill at the end, and we did the right thing...I hate this time of year anyway, and I'm trying to keep cheerful. But...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 17 - 03:05 PM

Jack Campin, I am still getting a laugh out of your post about terrifying geriatric cat fluff.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 17 - 04:16 PM

Eliza, nice to hear that your sister is getting on well with her new "little madam."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 22 Jan 17 - 11:30 AM

Last year my wife and I bought an apartment on the west coast of Ireland. There were 3 cats which lingered around the vicinity. We've been "adopted" by one of them, a beautiful, small and sleek black cat who is very affectionate.

Although I was reluctant to feed her, on the basis of what would she do when we are not here, she eventually won me over.

I made some enquiries and found several people locally feed her and her twin and that they use to live in the apartment we bought. It seems the previous tenants just abandoned them when they left.

How people can do that is beyond my imagination.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Jan 17 - 04:03 PM

The thing with cats, though, is that some of them -- not all of them, I guess -- really orient themselves to places. I have always felt that cats think of people as part of their territory, and it is no secret that cats are territorial by nature.

I am thinking of the little book by the late May Sarton. She and her partner had a pet cat, who was the subject of the book. Forget the title. Of course the tomcat, duly neutered, took over their lives. Then for some reason they had to relocate; they found a suitable home for the cat with people they trusted.

The occasion arose for a reunion meeting. The reunion between the humans went nicely enough. It was different for the cat. You see, it worked out that Sarton and partner travelled to a nearby hotel, rather than stay in someone's home. And for some reason, the new owners of the cat brought the cat to the hotel room, rather than bring Sarton and partner to the cat on the cat's new territory.

So Sarton and partner's last memory of their tomcat was of a very unhappy, uneasy animal in a place he had never been before, and wanted to get out of right now, thank you, and he didn't care if he used to know these people!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Jan 17 - 03:51 PM

On the other hand, there is the occasional breaking news report of the cat, as well as the dog, who trailed a relocated human owner across hundreds of miles, obviously more attached to person than place.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Jan 17 - 01:45 PM

Page 9, in the Preface to the 1983 edition, for May Sarton's account of the fiasco of a hotel visit.
Name of book: The Fur Person, W. W. Norton.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: kendall
Date: 24 Jan 17 - 09:11 PM

I hang suet blocks in the cherry tree for the birds, and I have a window box with sunflower seeds for the Chickadees. Sam is never allowed to go out, and shows no interest in going out, so, he settles for looking out the window while the birds eat. He has taken at least one mouse in the cellar, but that's about it. He is no Nimrod.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 04:23 PM

Kendall, maybe your Sam is what May Sarton calls
a "Cat of Peace."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 04:39 PM

For such small beings cats are as communicative as Dolphins if you look and listen.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Ed T
Date: 27 Jan 17 - 07:37 PM

Our family black cat is huge, 21 pounds, but not overly overweight for his large frame, according to our animal doctor. He is 10 years old and we trained him to fetch small balls much like a dog. When he purrs, it sounds much like a power saw.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: CeeGee
Date: 28 Jan 17 - 01:01 AM

Our largest of 6 savannah cats is around 30 lb and a total whimp - most of the time. The smallest, at under 10 lb, needs glasses because it obviously thinks it's bigger than the 30 pounder! But she has discovered, on more than one occasion, that her head fits inside her bigger brother's gob!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 28 Jan 17 - 07:57 AM

I go away for awhile and someone revives all these old threads! 17 years ago I posted about Hotspur and Ophelia; they are long ago memories now (Hotspur is still and will ever be Best Cat Ever) and we are now owned by Marie Leveau the voodoo queen, and Ralph Waldo Catterson, who goes by the name of Waldo (but I believe his secret "real" name is Max. Don't ask me why). Both are black and very distinct and dignified. Except when they're ridiculous.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Feb 17 - 02:30 PM

Amergin, what is this about a cat that adopted you?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 10:12 AM

pardon my ignorance, CeeGee, but what is a savannah cat?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Cool Beans
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 10:28 AM

A cat adopted me in graduate school (I was in graduate school, not the cat) and I've had cats ever since. Now I also have a dog.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: oldhippie
Date: 09 Feb 17 - 06:14 PM

Currently have 4; at times we've had up to 10, including barn cats. Plus we have fostered a total of 70 cats and kittens for the local cat shelter. So, yeah, we have cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Feb 17 - 02:27 PM

According to some, it is the cats who own the Mudcatters.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 10 Feb 17 - 03:20 PM

No question about that Kerebouxu, there have been cats in the house I have lived in all my life, 61 years to date. Not for one second have I ever imagined I owned at cat.

The first cat who owned me was called Tiddles, she was wonderful and looked after me as a child.

She followed me to the shops to make sure I got home safely.

She was black, white and beautiful and very loving.

Thank you for reminding me of her.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Mar 17 - 03:52 PM

Right, so I looked up Savannah cats, finding out, in the process, about Bengal cats, Asian leopard cats.... I didn't know about any of that stuff. We live and learn. I had in fact heard of Servals, but not that they had been cross-bred.

CeeGee, what are you doing with six Savannah cats -- have you got your own private savannah?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Mar 17 - 02:04 PM

How many Mudcatters with cats have had the experience where the cat decides to adopt you? One or two posts on this thread describe such.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 06 Mar 17 - 02:25 PM

Lots of cats have adopted me keberoxu over the years. I think a stray cat will see a house where other cats live and try to get a piece of the action so to speak. (One shouldn't really entice or encourage a random cat to have a snack or a kip unless it's obviously hungry and a true stray. It could be someone's much-loved pet on the scrounge.)

A little tabby I called Solo appeared one winter in the snow. His coat was shabby and he was very thin. He kept lifting his freezing feet up one after the other from the icy ground. I let him in (much to my four other cats' horror!) and he plastered himself against the radiator after having gobbled up a huge plate of casseroled rabbit. I got the flea treatment onto him while he slept, and hid a worm tablet in some more food. He stayed with me for two years before he became very ill with liver problems, and I had to have him put to sleep. He truly adored me and used to make himself into a fur collar by wrapping himself around my neck while I did my housework! My next-door neighbour didn't like the name I'd chosen, and maintained he was an 'Oscar'!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 06 Mar 17 - 02:39 PM

Next week I will be back in Ireland, I expect, and hope, to see the cat that "adopted" me last time we were there.

I did ensure before we started feeding her that other people were looking after her. She is a little sweety, very affectionate, but normally only stays for an hour or so before she goes elsewhere for more fuss, food and attention.

I know I shouldn't get attached but she's Josie to me.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Mar 17 - 03:24 PM

A "velcro" cat, Eliza! And a heat-seeking missile as well.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 06 Mar 17 - 04:54 PM

Our older cat, Lily, adopted us. She came and stayed in our shed and would not go away!

DtG

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Mar 17 - 11:09 AM

My opinion is that cats, being less social in nature than dogs (no pack behavior, solitary hunting), are all about territory; and they think of their humans as part of their territory, I suppose the part that keeps them fed. What is your opinion?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Mar 17 - 11:39 AM

I'm not sure about British Shorthair cats, as I only had a couple, and never more than one at a time. But my Siamese over the years did in fact hunt and explore outside in a group, like a pack. And they always sleep together, cuddled up and wrapped around each other. They also 'talk' and have quite a wide vocabulary, once you learn the language. I think they see me as a sort of servant-being, tolerated with a certain fondness and manipulated shamelessly to fetch this and that.
When poor little Minty was ill, he was often sick in the kitchen, and the two others screeched for the Nurse (me) to come. They knew it was my job to clear it up and sort things out.
I always laugh when SmokeyPokey says "Laptop!" so clearly. He obviously wants to send an e mail to his girlfriend (or order more roast chicken from Tesco).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Mar 17 - 06:04 PM

Cats amongst the pigeons.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Mar 17 - 02:19 PM

Any more Mudcatters who have been the object of adoption by a passing cat?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Mar 17 - 01:36 PM

Bonnie Shaljean, you out there? Maybe you don't visit the BS section. That is quite the anecdote from Anne Lister on this thread.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 Mar 17 - 03:40 PM

Four years ago I took a "farm" cat from a friend, she was a very beautiful long haired Tabby. She has never been inside a house when I took her home.

She is absolutely gorgeous, very, very affectionate and took to living in a house straight away.

I was a little remiss in not taking her to a vet to have her neutered and the consequence of that was she had three kittens.

One in particular was very unhappy at being handled and I couldn't trust someone else to care for him, so he became another member of our family.

He is extremely timid, even with my wife and I, but this morning he was sitting on my bedroom windowsill growling at the refuge wagon as it reversed down the lane.

I love him to bits and with me he can be, when he wants, very affectionate.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Mar 17 - 09:38 AM

Amergin? The insane cat that adopted you?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Mar 17 - 06:16 PM

keep those cats and kittens coming

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Apr 17 - 04:28 PM

Eliza/Senoufou,
how is your sister getting on with Mela?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Apr 17 - 05:13 PM

Ah, keberoxu, she's settled in beautifully.

Apparently she's a great mouser, and my sis comes downstairs in the morning to find a head and a tail of a mouse on the kitchen floor several times a week. (Mela eats the middle) She's pleased, as she wanted to control the mouse population in the garden a bit.

Mela sleeps on the top of the duvet on my sister's bed, and occasionally licks the tip of her nose during the night, just to reassure her that her feline friend loves her. Her tongue's a bit rough, but my sis doesn't mind.
She's eating well, and her coat now shines. It's lovely for them both to have company and love isn't it?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Apr 17 - 09:14 PM

7 Mudcatters have cats the other 204 mudcat Cats have mudcatters.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Apr 17 - 04:02 AM

You're absolutely right Donuel.
Our cats see us as rather endearing 'staff'.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Apr 17 - 11:42 AM

I will be looking for a cat soon. I like Maine Coon cats that are about as big as a bobcat. Siamese are more conversational. Tortoise cat are pretty, black cats are sleek we will let the cat have the final say so.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 May 17 - 12:58 PM

This made me smile.

It's a review from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalogue of their
Cordless Ultrasonic Rodent Repeller. Posted two years ago.

"On the first night in use, the thing must have driven the mouse out of the woodwork.
This pleased my cat,
who was able to bring it to me in bed
by way of a thank-you for the present I had provided him."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Jul 17 - 05:23 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 11 Jul 17 - 07:26 PM

Cat Lovers May Be Out Of Their Minds

In Egypt's ancient Library
a scribe late at night described
"a mouse saw a cat but didn't hide
It hugged the cat, it was scary

The cat ate the entire mouse
What spell did the cat cast so well?"
It was the mouse brain truth to tell
Toxoplasmosis is in your house

The parasite controls the mice
for cats to eat them, to live on
toxo grows in cats then is gone
Toxo controls brains, its not nice

Cats don't have owners, they have staff.
Cat lovers may have toxo brains
and do not bother to complain
It could be you so do not laugh

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Jan 18 - 04:32 PM

Senoufou,
how goes it with your sister and her Mela?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Jan 18 - 04:55 PM

Kind of you to ask keberoxu. The two of them have been settled by the log fire for the last few weeks, as my poor sis has had what people here are calling 'The Lurgy' (coughing, weakness, temperature, a bit like the 'flu)
The little madam always bags the best seat in the house (comfiest armchair nearest the fire) Sister has said on the phone that she's so glad of Mela's company, and she's more than repaid any kindnesses she's been given.
They've had howling winds, freezing temperatures and snow up there in Scotland, so it's best they keep that log fire a-burning and hunker down until Spring arrives!
My two kept sneaking behind the TV in the corner, and I've realised the attraction is it's right under the radiator. So I dug out an old cat bed, put a nice thick blanket on it, and placed it there. Their little faces were a picture! They're fast asleep in it at the moment, with big smiles, as it's boiling hot under that rad.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 01:55 PM

That's darling, Eliza!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mooh
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 04:39 PM

Several years ago the aforementioned Beatrice died an early death. She had been briefly ill and the vet confirmed tumours and likely cancer. Before we knew it she was gone. She was the sweetest of cats and the bride was crushed. Even the dogs seemed to mourn the loss.

Then came George, feisty and abrasive one moment, cute and cuddly the next. He hunts, and prowls around the house and seems happiest when he's left to his own devices. A couple of my musician friends are deathly afraid of him as he likes to bite toes.

One cat at a time.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 05:03 PM

As long as the cat has a conscience we're good.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Jan 18 - 05:09 PM

Looked back upstream, in this thread,
for Mooh's account of his entire family
insisting that they adopt Beatrice from the OSPCA.

Beatrice sounds like one of a kind.
As for George,
big deal - wear boots or something!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: kendall
Date: 22 Jan 18 - 12:44 PM

Sam likes to snooze on my lap or on my bed. very affectionate and loveable.

It is my firm belief that men who hate cats do so because you can not
dominate a cat. I've told a few young women, if you meet a man you like, find out what he thinks about cats, how he treats his mother and waitresses. that is how he will treat you in time.

Sam is well mannered, except that he likes to comb my beard with his paws . he also likes to go down cellar, find a puddle, walk in it, then touch my lips with wet paws. His only bad habit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Jan 18 - 01:06 PM

You're quite right kendall. A man who is kind and gentle to animals will be exactly the same to his wife/partner.

I die laughing listening to my husband talking to our cats in his funny African/French accent. He also throws in Malinke words. I'm sure SmokeyPokey and Murphy understand him. He comes out with:-

"Deetoo Meurfee (Little Murphy) ouant nyum-nyums? Ouant Beescuieeets?"
"Poo-sseees, mummy end daddy goin out. See you later! Mi fe (love you)"
"Weee get CHICKEN for you! Bye bye!" and occasionally "O deea, 'oo 'as dun zees wee-wee on zee floor eh?" They both adore him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jan 18 - 11:56 AM

I ditched more than one wannabe-boyfriend because of antipathy to the resident cat. "Cats belong in the barn," said one, as he roughly brushed poor little Cecil off the sofa. "Was it something I said?" he later emailed, rather pathetically. Um, yeah.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter the Squeezer
Date: 23 Jan 18 - 02:24 PM

A hierarchy exists in our household.

Socks (the cat)
.....
Order varies as to who's in the middle
.....
Me.


Dogs have owners - cats have slaves!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 25 Jan 18 - 09:16 AM

When I walk into the sitting room, I often see Himself ensconced in the armchair by the fireplace with his feet up on a hassock and at least one if not both cats draped across his lap. Usually, Watson (top cat on the ranch) is either curled into the crook of his elbow or lolling crossways with paws and chin resting on Himself's forearm (always the right forearm), effectively preventing any action more complex than dabbing at the screen of the iPad.

This scene never fails to make me smile.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Jan 18 - 11:52 AM

Aw that's so sweet! We sit up in bed for ages in the mornings drinking tea and eating Rich Tea biscuits, having a natter while the two cats on the duvet start at our feet then work their way up on their bellies like commandos until their little poky noses are right under our chins. I'm always just a wee bit jealous that my husband is the main attraction, not me. But he goes off to work at noon, so they want to get the most of him while they can.
I couldn't imagine having a husband or partner who hated cats. Even if he looked like Brian Cox and David Attenborough rolled into one, he wouldn't last one minute with me!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Leadbelly
Date: 26 Jan 18 - 06:07 PM

Principally, a life without cats is possible but useless...Manfred, owner of 7 tom-cats...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Jan 18 - 01:50 AM

Seven cats! How lovely! We had five for many years, and we all got on well together.
There has never ever been a period in my life when I was catless. As a tiny child I had Binky, and even as a student in various bedsits, I took in all sorts of strays.

With regard to a man resembling David Attenborough and Brian Cox rolled into one however...er....um...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Jan 18 - 11:24 AM

How well I recall Senoufou/Eliza's reminiscence post
about adopting a stray ginger tomcat
while living alone in Glasgow.

This is the cat who had his own little scam
stealing fish suppers from drunken pub patrons.
That post was hilarious!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Jan 18 - 11:44 AM

What was really funny about that cat's mugging of drunk men was the drunks' responses. At first they were sentimental, stroking the little fellow and cooing "Aw, the wee thing!" Then when their fish was pinched they changed to shouting the worst swearwords you could imagine as the ginger cat fled away down a nearby alley. That cat (who became my 'Ginger') was a real professional!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Jan 18 - 12:52 PM

Our other 2 are called Linus and Lucy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Jan 18 - 07:16 PM

Cue the music by Vince Guaraldi !

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Jan 18 - 04:12 AM

In the early mornings, when I go into the kitchen to make my cup of tea, the cats like to drink from the running tap, so I obligingly turn it on a little. But poor old SmokeyPokey doesn't see so well now, and this morning he put his whole head under the flow of water by mistake. He turned to me and scowled, as if to say, "You stupid woman! Look what you made me do!"
I hurriedly fetched a hand towel and dried his little head for him.
I could see Murphy sniggering out of the corner of my eye.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 30 Jan 18 - 08:51 PM

Having just one cat is kinda cruel to the cat, unless it thinks its human.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Jan 18 - 09:29 AM

Our cats also adore the tap, so much that we got them an electric water dish with a fountain in it. That doesn't stop them hanging around on the kitchen counter meowing at the top of their lungs for the tap to be turned on, which Himself obligingly does every morning when he makes coffee. He is also the main perpetrator with respect to flinging bits of chicken, steak and sausage onto the kitchen floor, which is why Watson greets every supper with loud yowls and long reaches of his paddy paw. He hates it when we have omelette, or salad.

A most importunate beast, our Watson.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 31 Jan 18 - 10:09 AM

My husband treats our two like royalty, and gets the very best china out to offer delicacies on the kitchen floor. If the little toerags don't eat his offerings, the birds in the garden get second pickings (still on our best plates!)
Our cats also try to hook food from our mouths as we convey it on a fork or spoon. Blooming annoying. But neither of us has the heart to push them away.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Feb 18 - 09:26 AM

I tried Senofou's habit of letting cats drink from the faucet.
IT WORKS. Not only that but Linius has a great time doing it.
I am surprised that his fur is completely impervious to moderate streams of water.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Feb 18 - 05:02 PM

Another domesticated housecat
with kitchen-faucet privileges.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JHW
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 06:52 AM

I'm amazed at the cats and taps tales. Perhaps just because it was the bath my cat could hover, all four or more legs outstretched, impossible to dunk.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 07:42 AM

Just like there are Labrador water loving dogs , some cats love it.
Water was anathema to my Siamese cats. Even a water squirt bottle would send them running. Maybe cats with this water repelling fur is the key.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 09:19 AM

I have an on-going problem with a visiting tom-cat. My female is at present at the vets having minor surgery to damage caused by this pest. My male cat has been to the vets twice in the last six months with similar problems.

This of course costs money, about £300 to date.

Does anyone have any suggestions how I can deter this nuisance without doing him permanent damage.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 09:35 AM

We have a nasty piece of work like that Raggytash in our neighbourhood. We invested in a small water pistol (my neighbour went one better and borrowed her grandson's huge water gun squoosher thing. It's awesome!) Like you, we were all worried about injuries, scratches and rips by this monster. He keeps away now most of the time. If I see him I just give a very loud hiss and he runs.

The other alternative, if you're not at home during the day, is to get one of those electronic cat flaps. It works from the chip under your cat's skin (the vet will do this) and only opens for your animal and no other.
I also 'had a word' with the Monster's owner, but she'd already had the thing neutered, and to be fair, she could hardly tell the cat not to annoy ours!
I can't understand why people don't have their moggies neutered. Entire cats are nothing but trouble. Everyone knows that.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 09:44 AM

An electronic cat flap in on order and our female is being chipped today!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Feb 18 - 12:07 PM

Oh well done Raggytash! That'll stop the Thing getting into your house.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Feb 18 - 02:34 PM

Senoufou, the image of you hissing at Spirit is alarming!

In my experience, the other noise that cats run from
is handclapping, repeated loud handclaps.

More than once, I have strolled up to a number of cats who
were so engrossed in disagreeing with each other that
they took no notice of their surroundings any longer.
I got my two hands out and did my best, with my handclaps,
to imitate the crack of a whip. As loud and rhythmic as possible.

Were those cats ever startled!
First they crouched, frozen in motion, and round-eyed.
A few more cracking handclaps at close quarters, and
WHOOSH! they scattered to the four winds.

(I guess this wouldn't work
if the cat was hard of hearing...)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Feb 18 - 02:54 PM

I know keberoxu, I must look extremely eccentric when I open our sitting room window, stick my head out and go "Psssssssssttt!!!" at intervals. Sometimes people are passing and they look a bit askance at me. But it does deter The Thing from coming up our garden path.
.
I had to smile about your idea of clapping. Ours spend every evening lounging full-length on our most comfortable sofa, with us humans squashed at one end. When it's time for bed, they just wouldn't budge, so I've trained them to respond to a couple of hand claps. It spurs them into heading for the kitchen where their beds are.

Last summer, when I was sitting on the sunny bench in front of the house with Smokey and Murphy, I decided it was time to go indoors so gave a few claps to get them in. My neighbour across the road started to laugh and called out "Woi are yew a-givin' them a round of applause?"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 26 Feb 18 - 01:57 PM

Oh, that IS amusing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 27 Feb 18 - 11:02 AM

Raggytash, how goes it with your protection of your housecat?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 27 Feb 18 - 11:53 AM

Awaiting delivery of the electronic cat flap, one cat has been chipped the other will be done before the new cat flap is installed.

We actually had a new visitor last night (word must be getting around of free cat food) a big black and quite handsome tom.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Mar 18 - 01:15 PM

How do your cats respond to a heavy snowfall?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 Mar 18 - 01:44 PM

Husband was out sweeping snow from our front path, and our two were peering out of the front door. They desperately wanted to go out and they each put one tiny paw onto the snow, then hurriedly recoiled. I had to smile - they both looked up at me and were plainly saying, "You stupid woman! Why did you sprinkle this nasty cold white stuff all over the garden?"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 01 Mar 18 - 02:08 PM

Not well!

One is in the black book.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Mar 18 - 04:07 PM

black book ??

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 02 Mar 18 - 08:07 PM

It's nearly five years since we last had a cat. Before that we'd had cats for thirty-five years non-stop. We live on a farm in the absolute middle of nowhere. We've become aware of an abandoned cat in the last three or four weeks, left behind by a chaotic bunch of people who have recently moved away to God knows where. The weather has been extremely cold for a week, and this afternoon the cat was lurking around our house looking scrawny and desperate. We've bought some cat food for it but it runs a mile as soon as it sees us. Obviously, I can't leave the cat food out all night. I know that cats can be very self-sufficient but this one is looking emaciated and bedraggled and has clearly suffered during this horrible spell of weather. What can I do to get it to come a bit nearer so that we can give it something to eat?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 04:48 AM

Steve, Do you have a shed that you can leave open with the cat food inside, failing that leave the food outside when the cat can see you put it down.

We have fitted the new electronic cat flap, and taken cat No 2 to the vet again with a serious wound on his side.

I'm looking forward to the interlopers giving themselves headaches trying to nut their way through a cat flap that won't open for them.

Incidentally cat No 2 was weighed and he is almost a stone (14lbs) in weight. Not an ounce of fat on him. He actually broke out of his heavy duty cat basket yesterday by smashing the strong perspex door!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 05:30 AM

Oh Steve, that poor little cat! I was just going to suggest the same thing as Raggytash. If you leave the cat food down somewhere sheltered, the little thing will come back in a few minutes to scoff it up, once you're out of sight. Aren't some people the pits? I took in our little Solo under the same circumstances, even down to the snow. His poor little paws were frozen. He too was terrified at first. I used to wonder what people had done to him to make him so scared.

Your big buster of a cat sounds phenomenal Raggy. Good thing you're getting the electronic cat flap up and running. Have you got a squoosher water gun yet? One or two soakings would deter any attacks outside (once the weather improves)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 05:34 AM

I've had a super-soaker for month Eliza, just haven't been able to catch the little bugger with it. He's VERY fast. I did add a little Tobasco to the water to try and defer him further but I have missed every time.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 06:22 AM

Hahaha Raggytash! You'll have to improve your aim!
That 'Spirit' is very fast too. He still gets into our back garden, but when we hiss loudly out of the window, you've never seen a cat move so fast in all your life. We'd never hurt him of course, but he shoots off like a rocket, whizzing up the fence and over into the next garden.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 06:28 AM

The main culprit tends to call in the early hours when we're tucked up in bed, although he has been brazen and called mid afternoon!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 06:42 AM

Ah,the Midnight Stalker eh? In our last house, with five fairly young cats, we left the cat flap open 24/7. But here, with our two being quite elderly, we lock it during the night. That way, no surprises arrive by moonlight. (Such as half-dead rats, mice, rabbits, shrews etc brought in from the fields as interesting 'toys' for nocturnal amusement by the hunting team!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 03 Mar 18 - 08:54 PM

Cheers for all the advice. The mog in question has been around again, which at least means that it's survived the worst of the weather (which has now passed), but as yet it hasn't spotted the grub we've left out. I'll keep trying,

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 04 Mar 18 - 03:25 PM

The cat flap was duly fitted and both cats have been chipped and duly passed through the cat flap. We now need to ensure they can get in and out and the other little buggers can't. Watch this space!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Mar 18 - 05:24 PM

It all sounds good Raggytash. But I wonder if it might be prudent not to let your cats out at night, if they would tolerate being locked in until the morning? If they go outside, the Monster may attack them in your garden, and they may sustain wounds before they can rush back in through the electronic cat flap.
It's all most annoying I know.

Steve, I'm so glad you and your wife are persevering with putting out food and trying to help the little abandoned cat. Now things are thawing out, the food won't freeze solid and if the cat is quick, he/she can get it down them before other creatures get a look in (foxes, rats etc) I reckon cats find us, and this one's for you I think!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 05 Mar 18 - 05:13 AM

Nice idea Eliza, but the male cat is more or less nocturnal. He spends much of the day asleep under the bed, venturing down once in the morning for food and once in the afternoon for "treats" and then in the evening comes down again for a while. He then go out later and is out for indeterminate periods, occasionally bringing things home to play with and create mayhem in the early hours.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Mar 18 - 06:20 AM

Ah, I understand. Our five cats would have chewed the door down in the other house if we'd shut them in! But our remaining oldies are quite happy to snuggle down in their bed for the night.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Mar 18 - 09:24 AM

Our old tomcat, Bill, was quite capable of clawing his way through a steel-clad door, but he preferred chemical warfare -- if not released quickly enough, he would piss on the door and the adjacent baseboard, and then move on to the bottom shelves of the nearest bookcases and anything else he could find that would be difficult to wash. We did not worry about Bill on the street as he had lived rough through an entire Ottawa winter, but, like all our indoor-outdoor cats, he learned to come in when I called him. I always ensured that all cats were in the house before going to work in the morning and before going to bed at night.

The current incumbents are the first cats we have ever had who were raised from kittenhood without ever going outdoors. I confess it's much less stressful for us; we never have to worry about one of ours getting a face full of claws, or committing an offence in a neighbour's garden, or disappearing under the wheels of a madly driven SUV.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 06 Mar 18 - 12:20 PM

That's the thing Charmion. One never knows what they might encounter outside during the night. This village is as silent as the grave, but there are numerous foxes around, and other cats who are NOT Siamese and have more muscle-power!
During the warmer months, ours go out during the daytime, but to be honest they don't travel far. Ruth-across-the-road gets SmokeyPokey coming for a visit now and then. But mostly we all sit on the famous Bench and watch the world go by.
I reckon we're all a bit 'past it' nowadays!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Mar 18 - 01:31 PM

Wonder how Steve Shaw is getting on with
the stray cat.
I think Senoufou is onto something:
cats choose their people.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Mar 18 - 03:00 PM

here, kitty, kitty, kitty . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Mar 18 - 03:40 PM

The cats and I sat on The Bench again today and a new lady stopped to chat, with her very fat chocolate Labrador, another 'Harry'. It seems a very popular name for dogs round here. Harry was calm and sat like a blob at my feet while SmokeyPokey and Murphy wandered around the garden sniffing at this and that. They really enjoyed being outside again, but it was a bit chilly. The dog didn't bother them at all.

I think this lady is a bit lonely, so I'll ask her round for a cup of tea soon. I liked her very much, and Fat Harry too!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Mar 18 - 10:51 AM

waiting for updates from
Raggytash and Steve Shaw.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 11 Mar 18 - 12:22 PM

A black book is probably a reference to the notebook that the police used to carry to make notes Keberoxu. If your name went in one of those you were in trouble.

The cat that has adopted us in ireland turned up an hour after we put the key in the door. She is, at present,m sleeping off her dinner asleep on the sofa!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Mar 18 - 09:06 PM

Hope Raggytash's cats will be all right ... someone cat-sitting while you are in Ireland?

And what about the stray cat that keeps visiting Steve Shaw's house?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Mar 18 - 04:40 AM

Yes Raggytash and Steve, how's things catwise?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 14 Mar 18 - 11:45 AM

My son is on duty, they're far too precious to be kept in anything but luxury. They expect the best!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Mar 18 - 06:53 PM

Is your son keeping an eye out for that stray tom, Raggytash?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Mar 18 - 11:47 AM

We need updates on the cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 01:37 PM

Hopefully the electric cat flap will keep him out. My good lady is back there tomorrow.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 06:03 PM

Sen ofou, you helped create a diabolical cat.
Lionus has just about mastered opening the water tap.
There are teeth marks on the handle and he's starting to use his feet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 06:15 PM

Oh dear, sorry about that Donuel!
Our cats learned to turn the taps on by pushing the handles across (the taps were like those that surgeons use, with a lever to push with their elbow) We had to pay a plumber to change the taps into old-fashioned ones that need screwing round, and the cats were furious!
But I always turn the cold one one so they can have a nice fresh drink early in the morning. They take ages while I wait for my cup of tea. I bet it's deliberate...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 07:09 PM

We have 2 strays around at the moment.

PussPuss deserted us for a few months but it seems we are back in favour.

The other one may have been first seen about a month ago but has only just started eating here. Although it doesn’t look as if its been cared for in a while, I think this one has been a pet. Unlike PussPuss who only communicates with hisses, this one meows for food and has even let Pip stroke it briefly. I did touch it this evening but it backed off a bit and gave me a dirty look. We’ll have to see how it goes but if it does come more regularly, we might be able to take it in or maybe find a home for it. I suppose if we do reach the point where we can handle it, we ought to get it scanned in case there is a chip to identify an owner?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 07:40 PM

I'd take it slowly Jon. If the cat gets more confident with you, putting it into a cat basket and toting it off to the vet to be scanned would be traumatic and make it very wary once more. It might even scarper completely.
It might be an idea to put a post in your local magazine or on a noticeboard in the local shop, with a description.

Have the pair of them been coping in the bitter weather? It breaks one's heart to think of homeless cats with no warm fire or shelter in this cruel weather.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 07:52 PM

That's a good point S. We will take it slowly. We have asked around but not put any notices up. One difficulty with notices, etc. is I've no idea when it will turn up next. I'm just hoping it forms a routine here.

I think PussPuss is a very hardened feral who's never known the comforts of indoors. I'd feel less sure about the other one but maybe one thing in its favour is that it is a long haired cat with a very thick coat of fur.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 19 Mar 18 - 08:12 PM

And on shelter. PussPuss seems to have more than one base but one place he goes is through a load of bramble and blackthorn towards a set of old pigsties. I don't know what is left of these but I'd imagine there would be a bit that could provide good shelter.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 04:14 AM

It's really kind of you Jon to keep an eye out for these two waifs.
I look at our two stretched out on the sofa toasty warm and smiley, or tucked up into their soft blankets in their bed in the warm kitchen at night, and I worry about strays out in the bitter cold.

I know our Siamese, being a tropical type, need more warmth than British breeds (they only have one layer of fur, and are elongated in shape to lose heat) But even my British cats in the past hugged the log fire (in our last house) or plastered themselves against the radiators in the wintertime.

The feral cat you describe will be quite savvy, as you say. Let's hope the pigsties provide a bit of shelter for him/her.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 04:57 AM

In his last 3 years and in colder weather, Oedipuss would stand right by the woodburner and look at you in a way that said he expected it lit. When you did light it, he would stand sort of hunched facing it and appearing miserable until it put some heat out. He’d then flake out in front of it, moving back when he got too hot. From then on, if the stove was going well, he’d alternate between cooling off and lying down very close to it. He’d never opt for a mid position.

Mewan’s favourite indoor daytime spot at the moment is the windowsill in my parent’s bedroom. It can be good in 2 ways. The radiator is under the middle part so she can get some heat that way and it gets the sun (when we have any) until late afternoon. She will position herself left, right or middle depending on which part is the warmest.

She does like a bit of time outside in the afternoon if the weather’s fair though. The current ritual is that Pip unlatches the bedroom window, walks round the house, opens the window from the outside and the cat climbs on her shoulders. They then make their way to the bench in the field where the cat is given a treat. They sit together for a while then the cat makes her move. This can vary between her expecting to be carried back in to her wandering off and perhaps if its sunny, staying out for a couple of hours.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 05:08 AM

That's so sweet Jon, getting carried on the shoulders out to the field!
The way cats interact with us humans, and their obvious affection for us, makes me even sadder for those with no home.

My sister in Perthshire and her daughter in Edinburgh each took in a cat from a charity shelter. Sister's one is called Mela and niece's one is Maxi. Both cats have become real characters, loving, rather wacky and happy. It just shows how they flourish when they trust their owners and are comfortably housed.

Ours adore a bit of sun coming in the window. They sit on the sofa back in the rays of sunlight and bask. Fortunately for them, we like to have the house really warm (it costs a fortune in heating oil, third delivery due this week!) so we all stew together happily.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 05:44 AM

Not specially warm here, S. I (as the setter of this Honeywell Evohome thing, not the purchaser of oil) try to keep most of the house at 18C while people are up and about although Pip can override any room. The exception is the living room which with Peter sat in a chair for long periods is set at 20C, a temperature the radiator in that room won’t make when the outside temperature drops close to zero.

If it gets below 20C, I light the woodburner and at the moment am doing that anyway in the period between after tea and bed time. That room can get a bit hot if I get a bit too carried away with the stove. We’ve had it up to 27C a couple of times this winter…

Mewan’s moves through (or sometimes is moved) to the living room in the evening. Her settling down spot is varying quite a bit but there is another ritual that comes after Peter has gone to bed and Pip has her (for want of a better term) “quiet hour” in there before also going to bed. Mewan has to have some time on Pip’s lap before (usually) deciding to settle down somewhere else. The cat then pretends to be asleep. By that I mean Mewan is soon alert if she hears a bit of kitchen paper rustle or Pip starting to get out of the chair. You see the final “goodnight” between them involves another treat...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 06:40 AM

There's no such thing as 'a bit hot' for us Jon - any kind of hot is just fine. We keep our sitting room at 27C all day and evening. It only goes off when we get under our 15 tog goose down duvet. I suppose our Siamese cats enjoy living here, as it's always sweltering. When our neighbour comes round for a cuppa, she gets redder and redder in the face (they have no central heating at all, just a wood burner)

Aren't cats funny with their rituals? Our SmokeyPokey loves to have his bottom gently smacked, it helps his stiff joints. Every morning at 6am I'm stood there in my dressing gown smacking his rear end for ages while gasping for a cup of tea.
Murphy has a secret hideaway behind the TV (I've put a little bed there right up against a radiator) and he shoots out of the kitchen when I get up and makes for his hideyhole.
At bedtime, I only have to clap my hands a couple of times and they trot obediently off to the kitchen to bed.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 07:21 AM

Yes, S. Cats all have their, hmm, “catty traits” but there is plenty of scope for “individualism” too. You do get to find what they really like, eg. Mewan is quite fond of having her tummy tickled – Oedipuss was too but in a different way, it was a trap with him – the grab with front claws and kick with back feet stunt. And they can develop these routines and expect you to play your part.

Of words/noises, a few Mewan understands are “No”(mostly taken notice of), “Come on” (asking her to move/a signal that she will be moved) and “eek eek” (food – a sort of imitation of a noise she makes). I don’t do it often but it can be quite funny when she is resting. The rest of her can stay still but you can try her name or these things and watch the different responses by her tail twitching.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 Mar 18 - 01:39 PM

Steve Shaw,
by all means, go on rejoicing in Liam Og O'Flynn,
and let us know what has developed,
sometime,
with the elusive stray cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 09:25 AM

Watson, our tomcat, likes to jump onto my shoulder and ride around for a while. When he wants to perform this stunt, he follows me around meowing loudly until I am correctly positioned beside the kitchen counter, the dining table, the stairs or a chest of drawers. Then he reaches up to grab my shoulder with his front paws, steps onto my forearm with his hind paws, and settles himself in the curve of my elbow with one arm around the back of my neck. His objective is to purr loudly while rubbing his face on the side of my head, periodically shoving his snout into my ear.

When Watson was younger and slimmer, he would launch from the floor like a rocket-propelled grenade, grab the front of my shirt with his front claws, and then haul himself up to shoulder level with the aid of his scrabbling hind claws. This manoeuvre, known as "climbing the north face of Mount Charmion", has left an indelible mark on my wardrobe.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Mar 18 - 10:19 AM

Bless him, and what a lovely name! I've always bought Siamese kittens two at a time, and my goodness they could climb up anything. Mainly the full-length curtains, so they could sit on the pelmet at the top. But also me, any handy tree in the garden and the washing hanging temptingly from the washing line. Siamese claws don't retract, so they were always ready for action at any moment. Like you Charmion, they left their mark on most of my clothes.

SmokeyPokey has been out briefly today, as it's actually 9 Degrees Celsius!!! He's had a jolly good wee on all the plants, tubs, posts, walls and so on. Now he's back indoors snoozing. Murphy peered out briefly but decided The Monsters would get him, so didn't venture forth. He really is a wimp.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 06:37 PM

Senoufou suspected that a stray cat has
"chosen" the Steve Shaw household.

How IS that stray cat treating Steve Shaw And Household, anyhow?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Mar 18 - 09:21 PM

I'll only keep this up for a couple of days but here is new stray waddling through. It walks back a different way so I can't get its face coming back.

Not seen PussPuss since the last time I posted here.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 02:50 AM

Hasn't he/she got a beautiful, luxurious tail Jon?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 11:05 AM

That tail is big enough to be a second cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Mar 18 - 09:14 PM

S, I'll tell the cat that people have been commenting here and that we feel that such a "luxury tail" would be better purposed as a scarf.

Of course the cat will simply ignore such a remark...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: GUEST,Senoufou
Date: 25 Mar 18 - 04:01 AM

Our two are funny when cuddled up in their cat bed for the night. Their tails are like whippy bits of wire, but they each drape theirs across the head of the other, winding it round their mate's ears and down his face. If SmokeyPokey is on my lap, he somehow pokes his tail up my nose! Can't think why, unless it's a Siamese mark of affection. Makes me sneeze!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Mar 18 - 04:12 AM

That cat Jon looks just like my female cat Mouse, complete with "luxury" tail.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Mar 18 - 10:18 AM

Interesting Raggy.

--
We are worried about Mewan, our remaining indoor cat who has what I think comes down to site injection sarcoma. In the end, we drew the line with 4 operations and unless one was to consider taking the cat miles for radiation and chemotherapy, that was the end of the line at least with conventional medicine.

The lumps have grown quite big but she has been doing very well, as said before, still enjoying her treats, her times out in the garden, etc. and generally being an older but happy cat. She must have had a right old go at the site last night though as she has ripped through the fur and into the wound. We've an appointment with the vet tomorrow to see where we go from here.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 26 Mar 18 - 10:41 AM

That's sad, Jon Freeman. We went through something similar with a cat name of Lucy, who died of mammary cancer at the age of 16; by the time her body finally decided enough was enough, I could feel lumps all over her torso. They're tough little creatures, cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 10:48 AM

Thanks Charmion.

Some good news re Mewan today. The vet is not over concerned about the wound and as things stand, we are still at the stage where we keep the cat while she is generally contented.

---
A brother has a bit of a "scaredy cat" at the moment. They both (and it bit my brother) encountered a 2m long carpet python visiting the bedroom. Apparently, the cat isn't prepared to trust the bedroom and has been sniffing around every where else in the house for the last day or two.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 11:48 AM

Having looked up "carpet python" on Wikipedia, I agree with your brother's cat. I'd stay out of that bedroom for life.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 11:59 AM

I think it's quite mild compared to some things they can get. Brother's instant fear when it bit him was that it was an Eastern Brown Snake.

But, yep I'd side with the cat and would be quite paranoid about shutting up the house where he is...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 12:08 PM

Good news about Mewan Jon. I'm pleased for you.

My word, those carpet pythons can grow to 9ft in length! (certain species). (Like Charmion I looked it up.) Luckily they're not venomous, but I imagine a nasty bite could become infected. Haven't the Antipodes got an enormous selection of venomous/dangerous stuff? Snakes, spiders, Portuguese Men-O'-War, great white sharks etc.

Have to say though, they are rather beautiful, but NOT in bedrooms!
It's funny but a silly UK house spider has me screaming for help, but snakes in W Africa, even very venomous ones, have never freaked me out.
Obviously I've been wary of them for safety, but I have no snake phobia.

I wonder how SmokeyPokey and Murphy would react to a carpet python? They really enjoyed prodding and tormenting poor Hissing Sid, the very long grass snake, in the garden of our last house.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 27 Mar 18 - 12:14 PM

I'm open to correction, but as far as I understand it, S. Australia has the most venomous creatures anywhere. New Zealand by contrast has nothing, and no native land mammals either, so I believe.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 28 Mar 18 - 03:38 AM

I think you're quite right Jon. I've been enjoying the TV documentary series 'Bondi Rescue', which follows the activities of the lifeguards on Bondi beach.
Apart from grabbing drowning folk in the deadly 'rips' or currents, they seem to spend quite some time dealing with bluey stings (venomous jellyfish), yanking highly poisonous sea snakes out of the water (enough venom in one bite to kill dozens of people) even removing a deadly spider from a holiday maker's rucksack.
Add to that sounding the shark siren and resuscitating collapsed people who have dangerous heatstroke and dehydration, one is left puzzled as to why anyone in their right mind would even set foot on blooming Bondi beach! There seems to be a continuous procession of 'ambos' on blue lights making their way there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Mar 18 - 06:31 PM

Steve Shaw, naughty you,
we're over hear worried about you and the
stray cat that has been visiting you.
Has the cat continued to come?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 31 Mar 18 - 03:00 AM

If you want a really good laugh, go onto Youtube and type in 'Mrs Brown calls Rory back'. It's only a short clip, but I've watched it dozens of times and it always creases me up!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 Apr 18 - 09:06 AM

"Our cats learned to turn the taps on by pushing the handles across (the taps were like those that surgeons use, with a lever to push with their elbow) We had to pay a plumber to change the taps into old-fashioned ones that need screwing round,

OT but this prompted me to change a pair of taps you turn round and round for extended lever ones for the washbasin in the bathroom. It’s sometimes (varies, some just use hand gel) used by a nurse who dresses a wound on my back and can be used by various other visitors, eg. support for dad as well as ourselves.

I’ve also fitted a thermostatic mixing valve for the hot tap (they advise hot water storage at 60C these days and that’s enough to scald) to eliminate the possibility of nasty shocks and a new waste (click clack rather than old plug) this weekend as well as redoing one length of silicone sealant. This together with the (long standing) Deb soap dispenser and a recent fitting of a blue roll dispenser, I think just about completes my efforts for this corner of the bathroom. Maybe it’s a bit unusual for domestic premises, I don't know but I think this better reflects our own needs.

As for cats, I don’t think I’ve known one try to use any sink but we always have bowls of water available. The other thing I’ve known them go for and I think one needs to be careful with is water for houseplants. Sometimes, they have seemed to prefer water that’s a bit “off” to fresh water/

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 Apr 18 - 11:23 AM

You sound very handy Jon. Great that you've adapted your bathroom for your needs.
Our little spoiled horrors always have a lovely stainless steel bowl of fresh water, washed out and re-filled several times a day. But they much prefer the tap (and our water is very hard and chlorinated) In summer, they'll lap water from a manky puddle in the garden after it's rained.
I actually miss the old levered taps, (so easy to open and close) but we've long since accepted that we're under the control of our Siamese masters...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 Apr 18 - 11:57 AM

I know the Norfolk water, S. Limescale builds up quickly… I much preferred the sweet Welsh water that came from the N Wales lakes to taste but I think both areas use a lot of chlorine these days and hard water is supposed to be better for you… Pip won’t drink the straight tap water here and hates it even in a cup of tea. One of those under the sink filters and a little tap at the kitchen sink has been the best answer we’ve had for that It’s slow to fill a jug or kettle from but it removes whatever she finds offensive to the taste.

No accounting for cats' taste though...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Apr 18 - 12:07 PM

Copy Cat videos

https://theconcourse.deadspin.com/how-americas-largest-local-tv-owner-turned-its-news-anc-1824233490

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Apr 18 - 06:56 AM

Internet cat videos are second only to porn

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Apr 18 - 11:01 AM

Donuel, that video of videos has something for everybody on it.
Said another way, there is something to offend everyone.
Some of the little video clips did not amuse me.
Those that did, though ... tears of laughter.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bill D
Date: 03 Apr 18 - 12:03 PM

""Our cats learned to turn the taps on by pushing the handles across (the taps were like those that surgeons use, with a lever to push with their elbow) We had to pay a plumber to change the taps into old-fashioned ones that need screwing round,"

I used to work in a small bookstore with its own resident cat. It was quiet and simply spent most days wandering about or sleeping on some shelf. The owner, a very feisty little lady who thought of herself as equal to any man OR beast, came up to me with a look in her eyes that said she had a tale to tell.
   It seems that since she was the one who closed the store at night and often stayed late to do accounts, etc., she also had to deal with feeding the cat and cleaning cat box.... and putting 'kitty' in a safe place for the night, as he would often entertain himself by "rearranging the shelves" and other interesting nocturnal pursuits.
   Her solution, finally, was to lock him in the small bathroom (WC) for the night with a small bed, litter box, and water dish. Fine for a few days, but as she related to me, she began finding him in the morning, OUT of his prison and back to his old habits. This happened over & over and she couldn't figure out how he was getting out.
   Finally, as she explained, she decided to go in with him and wait...... so she took him in, shut the door firmly, sat on the closed toilet and waited. The cat sat there for awhile, looking at the door, then looked up at her as if bothered by her presence, then hopped up on her lap and went out on her left knee and reached (it was a very small room)for the door knob....except, there was no 'knob'. The inside knob had been removed, or broken... or something... and there was only the extended mechanism the knob was supposed to fit on. (I had never thought much about it... I and other humans would simply grasp the mechanism and twist.)
    So... the cat stretched out one paw, extended a claw or two, caught those claws in a slot in the knob mechanism and swung off of her knee and hung with its full weight from the slot... which turned the system just enough to turn the cylinder and pop the door open about an inch.... then he dropped to the floor and fiddled with the door till he could pull it open.
   The solution? Because the door swung inward, it was useless to block it from outside, so... a trip to the hardware store for a complete new knob set with an smooth inside knob with nothing for clever claws to grip.
If I remember correctly after all these years, it only took the cat a few days to learn how to get out, but 2-3 weeks for the owner to solve the problem.... which makes some point about cars, I guess..

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Apr 18 - 04:06 AM

Hahaha loved that story Bill!
Cats are extraordinarily clever at getting what they want. Our little Minty used to scale up the kitchen shelves like a mountaineer, then reached down and tip the packet of special treat biscuits onto the floor. This enabled the lot of them to gorge themselves silly, then puke up their excesses, leaving delightful piles of sick for me to find in the morning.
They reminded me of teenage lads out bingeing on lager and coming home to spend the night being sick into a bucket!

SmokeyPokey could always find a way to push up the slider which locked the catflap. We eventually changed the system and he was stumped. He howled and yowled every night until he twigged we weren't giving in.
One needs nerves of steel to deal with Siamese cats!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Apr 18 - 12:45 PM

Bill D: "makes some point about cars, I guess."
Did you mean, about cats?

Raggytash,
how are your English cats doing
with the new cat-flap security in place?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Apr 18 - 04:41 PM

here, kitty, kitty, kitty . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bill D
Date: 07 Apr 18 - 11:19 PM

Keberoxu...Urg,,, yes cats. Who put that r so near the t?

I also once had 2 Siamese...male & female. When some mischief was done, we had only to yell: "I'm gonna get a cat!" and the guilty one would run.
One Thanksgiving, we had bought a frozen turkey and needed a day to defrost.... so... put the turkey, still in plastic wrap, into the cupboard on a platter and closed the door. We had to go out that afternoon, and came home to check on 'progress'. Went in the kitchen and noticed the cupboard door very slightly (an inch or two) ajar. Hmmm... thought I had close that. Suddenly, a furry tail swished down in the opening and back up again! I yanked open the door and the male Siamese was crouched there, knawing on the half-frozen drumstick, having chewed right thru the plastic. I yelled and he ran.. or flew.. in a couple of bounds, out of the room, while the female just sat there, grooming her whiskers. "Who me? I didn't have anything to do with that."
(Yes.. we trimmed the drumstick and ate the turkey. He had barely broken in.)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 02:45 AM

Keberoxu, my cats seem to be much happier now they don't have to share the house and food with interlopers. I have not witnessed the main culprit trying to gain entrance, I presume he's given himself a headache trying to get through the flap!



Thanks for asking:-)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 03:57 AM

Very glad Raggytash that the electronic catflap is working so well. Cats get freaked out when uninvited 'guests' come into their territory. Ours would wee on everything in sight to mark their ownership of the place when the Cat From Hell used to get in.

I bet those Siamese would have munched through the entire turkey if it hadn't been frozen Bill. Our certainly would!
We put de-frosting meat actually inside the unheated oven overnight to protect it. But once or twice we've forgotten it. Stinky 'off' meat chucked in the bin, grim faces and a rummage in the freezer for something else to defrost.

Had a lovely hour yesterday sitting on The Bench with SmokeyPokey. The sun was shining, it was 16 degrees and so many people came to sit and chat I was rather hoarse when I finally came indoors. My husband said hopefully, "Does that mean you can't talk anymore?" Cheeky thing!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stanron
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 07:21 AM

If I want to defrost some meat I take it out of the freezer and put it in the fridge for 24 hours. Is that wrong?

Mind you I don't have cats. Did anyone else see that episode of QI where Alan Davies described how his cat learned how to open the fridge, stole a defrosting chicken and had it halfway to the cat flap before being discovered?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 10:00 AM

Somehow, we never even thought of the oven for defrosting the turkey.... but we were 'only' gonna be away for a short while.....and we used the 2nd shelf of the cupboard. I'm sure that if it had been overnight, both cats would have had their fill of turkey.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 01:35 PM

Our kitchen is small, and our fridge is tiny. There's no room in it for a defrosting chicken or joint of meat, so the oven is the best (and most secure) place.

I don't know how our cats have the brass neck to pinch food. They live like kings. In addition to their sachets of proprietary cat food and Iams biscuits, they get delicious slices of the best chicken breast while we submissively eat the legs. They get roast pork, best beef, lean mince, in fact every kind of meat imaginable.

While we're eating our meagre rations, we get gently poked and prodded by a strategically aimed Siamese paw. And the ear-splitting chorus of "Gimme!" every two seconds.

When my husband visits his family in Africa, he tries to tell them about the choice food our cats are given and they all refuse to believe a word of it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 02:43 PM

The new stray's visits are unpredictable but it has been persuaded into the porch. A picture here.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 08 Apr 18 - 03:01 PM

Hi Jon, She looks very much like my Mouse, a long haired Tabby, very beautiful cat indeed.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 09 Apr 18 - 03:22 AM

The fur on this one is quite matted Raggy. It could be she's let herself go a bit in her life as as a stray but I'm wondering do you have to brush your very similar cat a lot?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 Apr 18 - 03:35 AM

Mouse is not that fond of being brushed although I do so. Another long haired cat I had (an absolutely beautiful Grey and white cat, who died last year aged 17) loved being brushed, I could brush her for ages ............ before being bitten !

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Apr 18 - 09:13 AM

What a beautiful cat Jon! And her expression - trying to be aloof, but underneath one can see her yearning to be loved. Like that song 'Memories' from the musical 'Cats'.

Long-haired cats do indeed need a lot of brushing, or their fur gets tangled in knots, which are best cut off with scissors if a cat has been feral and got her fur in a bit of a mess.

I used to show my British Shorthair cat Gussie, and all the owners at the GCCF shows would sit and natter while the judging was going on. Those with longhairs had an impressive array of tools for preparing their cats' coats. (The longhairs were officially called Persian.)

Luckily my Gussie only needed a quick brush and smooth-over. He was jet black with deep orange eyes, and he won several Firsts, finishing with Premier medal (highest award for a neuter)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 Apr 18 - 09:17 AM

Yesterday I saw my cats nemesis slinking under the gate next door. It looks like he has had a trip to the vet, one leg was shaved. I know I should not be but part of me was rather smug that the little b*****d had got his comeuppance.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Apr 18 - 09:32 AM

After a couple of days absence, the new stray turned up last night. She was by the sliding doors as I was drawing the curtains. I went to the porch and called her before getting a dish and a pouch of cat food. She was next to me by the time I turned round. I gave her the food and closed the porch door.

She gobbled the food, and welcomed a bit of a fuss. I even persuaded her into the kitchen to accept a bit of chicken although she wary of that room. She didn’t want to go back outside for a while but asked for more food. I think it was about 45 minutes and 3½ pouches before she decided it was time to move on.

Don’t know when she will turn up again and I’m probably out with Pip this evening so wouldn’t see her if she did turn up at the same time today but she seems even more of a cat that could be persuaded to settle down somewhere in time.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Apr 18 - 10:40 AM

Aw Jon, it looks as if she's starting to trust you and your wife.
I'm wondering if she's been neutered, because if not she'll begin 'calling' once Spring gets underway, and male cats from miles around will congregate, fighting and causing mayhem.
She must have been really hungry to have got through three pouches and the bit of chicken! How kind you are to help her, I'm sure she's extremely grateful.
Raggytash, maybe your Nemesis has just been neutered, hence the shaved leg to get the anaesthesia in? But if so, he'd be moving a bit stiffly. He obviously belongs to someone, as does our White Horror.

I have to confess I caved in the other day. I went out the front with a plate of chicken scraps, intending to offer it to SmokeyPokey while I sat on the bench, but he wandered off. Meanwhile, 'Spirit' (the Horror) was watching and came up bold as brass. I'm an idiot, but it's not his fault he's bonkers is it? I gave him the whole plate and he wolfed it down like a good 'un. Smokey came back and was absolutely disgusted with me. My husband laughed, but said I was far too soft (or 'sorft' as my Norfolk neighbour put it)
No doubt The Beast will be haunting our garden even more now. Whatever possessed me?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Apr 18 - 12:58 PM

Ah Sen, Pip is my mother, not my wife. She enjoys folk music and we are both thinking of getting to a local do tonight.

Cat turned up after my last post. She was quite nervy at first today (possibly because Pip was sweeping some leaves up near the porch) and I got treated to a savage hiss when I tried to offer her a treat. She settled down though and she raised her front feet off the ground to accept a stroke before guiding me to the door when it was time to go.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Apr 18 - 01:59 PM

Oh I'm so sorry Jon, I didn't realise.

The cat I rescued ('Solo') was very nervous and sometimes spat or lashed out. But I understood - he'd had an awful life being shooed away and so on. He was always sorry, and one could see he felt ashamed.
I only had him for two years before he died of a liver complaint, but at least he had happy times with us and was much loved.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Apr 18 - 07:10 PM

No problems at all re Pip and my relationship, Swn.

Racking my brain, there was a cat we took in back when we were in Kent in the 70s but my mate "Snotcat" or Worthy as he was called by Pip was the adult stray I really remember. He was huge and long haired but mostly used to manage the fur himself.

When he first settled with us, he would cower at a had coming towards him but he mostly got over that, poor old thing really but he could (if we were not careful) dominate our other neutered tom...

Only had him about 4 years. He had cat aids, almost certainly from a now gone feral community before he settled here. But, yes as with your cat, you believe you've given them some quality of life over the period you had them.

Couldn't see that working with PussPuss though. He's the born and bred wild feral type that few are ever able to make friends with.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 06:50 AM

We had a funny one this morning. When Pip got up, she thought she heard a cat meowing in the porch. There were also a few tools and bits and pieces on the floor. Anyway, not seeing a cat, she attributed the cat sound to a gull and we figured that the stack of bits could have collapsed at any time.

We didn’t think any more of it until Pip had to go out at 11AM. New stray was sitting and meowing on one the bits of shelving in the porch. Cat had pushed her way through a cat flap, knocking the things that were blocking it over and, as the cat flap was set to only allow entry, had got herself trapped. Having had a late breakfast and having done some exploration around a couple of other rooms in the house, she seems none the worse for the experience. I thought she might even settle down in my room but I started to get worried when I heard her scratching under my bed. She’s gone back outside now.

--
We had the vet in for Mewan late last week, believing the time had come to have her put to sleep. She had really gone down and wasn’t responding to much but she picked up a on the day the vet was due. After some discussion and trying to establish why, the vet decided to give her an antibiotic injection. Mewan has picked up further from there and the vet has suggested a longer course of antibotics (which Pip is out to fetch above).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 07:01 AM

And Pip has learned something about the new stray who is now officially a HE! She'd mentioned this creature to the vets before but this time, she took a picture of the cat to show and the vet said she knew the cat!

The story goes something like the cat had belonged to someone not very far from us who decided they didn’t want it. Someone else decided to take the cat on but it appears that the cat started wandering. The vet’s view is that if we do manage to persuade it to settle and stay, it’s ours if we want it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 07:14 AM

I'm glad Jon that Mewan picked up. And I hope the longer-term antibiotics get to grips with whatever is making her poorly.

What a shame about that lovely fluffy cat. How can people decide they 'don't want it'? He (not 'she') sounds very sweet and will very quickly get used to you both I'm sure.

Ours get themselves into daft situations like that. Murphy had slunk unseen into our conservatory while I was putting some washing on a rack (It's nice and hot in there for drying) I shut the door and locked it. A while later, we heard piercing shrieks, which I recognised as Murphy's. We searched high and low, until I saw his worried little brown face peering out of the conservatory. He'd had a blissful few hours basking in the heat, but wanted OUT!!! IMMEDIATELY!!!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 07:22 AM

Thanks Sen. I don't think Mewan's longer term prospects are good but we keep her while she is generally happy and it does seem that it was an infection, now on the mend, that had dragged her down so far. As far as I understand it, with the particular lumps she has: They don't spread to other organs so no secondary cancer but get big and can cause cats' problems in other ways. Pip is also trying some homeopathic medicines but I don't hold a lot of hope out there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 07:31 AM

And... We don't leave things for a while but places we check for a cat are the sheds and (at one time, things have changed now we have an unvented hw cylinder) the airing cupboard. Also (although checked quickly on a hot day if it's been out and we notice the cat has gone) the car - Mewan has managed to get in there unseen while others have got out.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 07:32 AM

(we leave things for a while)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 09:12 AM

Oh well, have just ordered new locks for a cat flap. Some were lost years ago, possibly Snotcat trying to barge through, and either swept or hoovered up… I’ve taken one remaining stop off one and put in on another so that the situation is that porch/outside now opens both ways and kitchen/porch only opens from the porch but I don’t want to have to keep swapping from one flap to another if we want to make other changes.

At least the current set up will allow stray in and out (although he would be trapped if he got in the kitchen) and (while it prevents her getting in the porch), stops Mewan getting outside – something we don’t want at the moment, at least not “unsupervised”.

I thought around £5 a bit expensive for 4 bits of plastic but still cheaper than a new cat flap. Thoughts of a new cat flaps got me wondering though… I know there are fancy things on the market these days, even ones that work on microchips but do any of them allow rule based programming per cat and per time of day, eg. one cat is allowed in and out access between 8am and 8pm?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 09:27 AM

Oh if only that were possible Jon! Cat flaps one could programme! We don't much like SmokeyPokey going out for too long as he's sixteen and quite frail, although seems perky enough. One fight with that Horror over the road would be the end we reckon. But it seems a shame both our cats can't come and go as they wish. We daren't go out shopping ourselves unless our two are safely indoors and the cat flap locked shut.
It has to be said, much as we all love our cats, at times they're a Blooming Nuisance!!

By the way, I broke my heart yesterday. I was sitting on the famous bench out the front when I saw the Horror's housemate Marmite running home with a poor fluttering female blackbird in his mouth. I rushed over to our neighbour, who has the nest in her woodshed and has fed the blackbirds all winter. She was in tears. The Thing had torn down the nest; there were three smashed eggs on the ground. And no doubt the female bird would be tortured until it died. We comforted each other and had a cup of tea together. What can one do? My husband was furious and sad when I told him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 09:34 AM

Ah, Sen. Quite expensive at £80 but since my last post, I've found this one

I don't think it would answer my per cat question (eg. for our current situation with Mewan) but it looks as if it would cater for the in/out during daytime only type things.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 11:22 AM

Congratulations, Jon, on being chosen by the bushy-tailed tomcat.
Are you going to take him to get neutered?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Apr 18 - 11:50 AM

My guess is that he is already neutered, and he doesn't really have the "tom cat" head. If he does decide to stay with us, he will get taken to the vets and be neutered if needed. I believe the vets also have a grooming service so he'd probably get de matted there too.

But take things as they come and bit at a time...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Apr 18 - 11:36 AM

Jon Freeman, if your stray tom is still quite young, the broadening of the chops that identifies a tom cat is still a ways off, as we say in Ontario. Our Watson was neutered very young -- between four and five months, if I recall correctly -- and he was indistinguishable from his sister Isobel until they were both more than two years old. Now that they are almost five years old, Watson is half again Isobel's size and weight, and sports the typical broad face of a full-blown tom. God alone knows what he would have looked like had he not experienced that special trip to the vet!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 18 Apr 18 - 02:10 PM

Interesting Charmion.

–
I’d been a bit concerned about new stray (I’m calling him Furball but Pip will probably give him a different name) for a few days starting yesterday as we have relatives visiting. I needn’t have worried. Furball turned up this evening when 2 of them were out in the garden. He wouldn’t walk past them to come to the porch for food and they had to move away but he was fine after that. Once settled, he’s anybody’s for a bit of chicken…

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 May 18 - 05:49 AM

Mewan picked up further from when I last posted but she took another turn for the worse on Monday we have had her put to sleep this morning. Pip is terribly upset at the moment. Not saying the rest of us aren’t sad but there was a very close bond between Pip and Mewan.

The two strays were around together for a while but I think the new stray pushed PussPuss away. Whatever, it’s been a while seen I’ve seen PussPuss.

New stray stayed in the house for 2-3 hours one day but the next day he seemed very wary and only stayed long enough to eat his meal. He’s not called round in about a week. I spotted a cat as I was looking at the cttv round the back this morning. It was too far in the distance for certainty but I think it was him so maybe he’s still around. Anyway (as with Pusspuss too) I hope he’s ok wherever he is and up to.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 May 18 - 07:09 AM

Jon, that's so very sad. I'm truly sorry; I know only too well the distress when one loses a much-loved cat.
Please convey to Pip my sincere condolences. Poor little Mewan, but she was well-looked after I'm sure, and had a lovely life.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 May 18 - 08:37 AM

Thanks Sen will do.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 01 May 18 - 08:44 AM

So sorry for your loss, Jon. It's so hard to let go of a much-loved cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 May 18 - 09:09 AM

And thanks Charmion. I’d think those of us who are not youngsters and keep pets have all been through it several times over. It’s never easy but life moves on.

I don’t know if we will get another cat now. We’d take the new stray on board if he does change his mind and decide that’s where he wants to be but with parents in their 80s and my own situation a bit variable, we’d not go looking for a kitten.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 18 - 02:17 PM

The Creator of Humans and Cats Alike
moves in mysterious ways.

It is as if the little cat with the big bushy tail
came along just in time
for you to say goodbye to your dear old friend
and make way for someone
to fill the cat-sized vacancy in your heart.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 01 May 18 - 02:34 PM

Speaking of mysterious no one knows how portions of feline DNA has made it into the human genome or when it did so.

And whats up with the great Sphinx. Was it just a modified giant hardang? (a cat shape naturally made by sand born wind on rocks)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JennieG
Date: 03 May 18 - 01:33 AM

I can't resist posting this.....
There are cats, and there are cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Elmore
Date: 03 May 18 - 07:04 PM

OMG. Apparently I've led a long but sheltered life. Plus, that song, as does nearly everything these days ,reminds me of our so-called President. Thanks Jenny.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 May 18 - 02:53 AM

I thought of Mr Trump too Elmore!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JennieG
Date: 04 May 18 - 04:00 AM

It's actually quite an old song, written in 1931. Many of those old songs were full of double entendres; if you didn't know the 'other' meaning it drifted quite happily over your head, but if you were in the know you probably sniggered.

Some of those old blues songs from the 1920s and 30s are actually quite filthy, when you look at them!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 May 18 - 04:05 AM

Hahaha Jennie, you're right. George Formby's songs were very rude, but extremely funny. 'With my little stick of Blackpool rock' and 'When I'm Cleaning Windows' for example. Full of double entendres.

In those days, we weren't so 'politically correct' or mealy-mouthed! :)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 May 18 - 07:33 PM

Gave our Furball a bit of deworming granules the other day and he took that. Will see if it eases his appetite.

Also, had him for 2 hrs today - he didn't fancy going out in the the rain.

Still, a bit of a puzzle. Affectionate when he turns up yes, not looking like he has a home and being cared for yes but ready to settle here, no - although he will roll over on a carpet and settle down for short periods/

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 May 18 - 02:08 PM

Sounds like you are his humans
whether or not he is your cat . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 May 18 - 01:16 PM

Definitely, K. Or perhaps more accurately, it's the best I can come up with.

I'm pretty confident that he hasn't got another human home but I'd guess he is very comfortable with his outdoor life and is in no hurry to change that.

He let himself in again last night but come about 12:30am, he wanted out. No great panic and he took a last treat and stroke first and hang around a few minutes outside after but he did make it clear he wanted the outside.

I think our previous adult stray that we took in was more clear cut than this one. Memory is a rather foggy but at the moment, it runs that there was a "shall I shan't I" period and a few days absence but on return, he'd pretty much decided here was his home (quite a contrast to Mewan we found as a kitten btw - she just took here as her new home).

Maybe, if he's still around later in the year and things get colder, he might think us a more attractive option. I don't know but, while I'd like him to decide we offer him a good place and may try to tempt him, I've no intention of trying to force him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 16 May 18 - 09:18 AM

When we last took in a street cat, it was Old Bill, and he banged on the door and yelled for admittance. He was sick, wounded, starving, filthy and crawling with vermin, and he had been on the bummel all winter -- in Ottawa, where overnight lows in January frequently drop to -30C.

He settled in quickly, finding the litter box and the kibble dish, and establishing that, indeed, we had laps that were for sitting on. When he had recovered from his snip surgery and the bite wound in his chest, and his white fur had lost the nicotine-stain look he sported on arrival, Bill went AWOL for more than a week. We thought he had left us for good, but then he came strolling up to the back door again, and stayed for 13 years.

Our current moggies have spent their entire lives indoors, and I confess it's much easier on us. Yes, there's more litterbox maintenance and claw damage to the furniture, but worse things happen at sea.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 May 18 - 01:49 PM

Nice story, charmion. We've been wondering how cats get on at about -5C. I can't even imagine -30!

I noticed that even with PussPuss who is as good as untameable that when he was feeding with us fairly regularly, he started to wear his Sunday best white bib and socks (he's mostly tabby). Furball needs a good de-matting though, not something I think he (or we)can solve on his/our own.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 May 18 - 01:12 PM

I still wonder what happened to Steve Shaw
and the cat that was out in the winter elements.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 May 18 - 11:24 AM

Ottawa's Lower Town, where we lived at the time, had plenty of outdoor nooks and crannies where small predators such as pussycats can hole up and keep warm. The typical Ontario back porch, for example, has a lattice skirting that is easily broken to gain access to the sheltered space under the floorboards.

Bill had a circuit of feeding stations -- households where he could count on the kindness of strangers -- and I often wondered why he picked us to move in with. A Russian family who lived in a row-house across the street would put out chopped chicken for him in a little dish at the entrance to their carport, and their Hungarian neighbours provided kibble and water in a sheltered spot on their deck. I saw Bill frequently over that winter, usually nipping across the street in the pre-dawn gloom to check out the latest offerings. He was a large cat, mostly white with big tabby patches, and he looked quite odd against the snow.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 May 18 - 11:16 AM

Since Sunday when he was out there from about 11am to 6pm, Furball has taken to joining us when we are out in the field/garden round the back. He will meow to make his presence known and will accept a treat if you have one on you but he doesn’t want fussing. He’s just picking spots say 10-20 yards away to relax in.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 22 May 18 - 11:22 AM

Furball is training you, Jon Freeman. I bet you already put a cat treat in your pocket before going out into the field round the back. Furball's objective is to extract maximum gain from his relationship with you, without ceding any more of his independence than is absolutely necessary.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 May 18 - 11:30 AM

I haven't got that far yet Charmion but do confess to going back to the house to get him something on more than one occasion.

Your assessment sounds right...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 May 18 - 12:01 PM

Ah, our next-door-neighbours' lovely cat Alfie is like that Jon. He's a long-haired ginger chap (cat, not neighbour!) and if I'm on my famous bench, he'll appear from nowhere, crash against my legs in greeting without even looking at me and saunter off to sit quite far away. It's as if he's saying, "Oh. Hi. But don't stroke me." He's even like that with his owners.

Ours are so touchy-feely, they wind themselves around us, rub their little faces against ours, jump on our laps and poke us on the nose with their little paws, making all kinds of chirpy cat talk. We're always covered in cat hairs from head to toe. My poor husband's cleaner's uniform is black, and he's forever wielding the sticky roller to try and make himself presentable for work!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 May 18 - 12:48 PM

Furball can be very affectionate at times and does give the impression of having once being well loved. But, as things stand, I think Charmion would be right that things are on his terms and that he is (and, OK all cats are to some degree) quite manipulative.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 May 18 - 06:08 AM

And another change with Furball although this has been mixed with at least one absence of over a day. He has taken to letting himself in at about 6am, finishing any left overs and then sleeping until someone gets up to give him his proper breakfast. He will then sleep that off before making his moves for the day.

I wish he could be persuaded to use a chair and he’s using the most awkward spots, one in the corridor and one in the living room that both ensure we have to step very carefully round him but that may come. As it is, I can lift him on to a chair (yes, he will take that from me now but will struggle if I hold him for more than a couple of seconds) but he’s soon back on the floor.

He’s deposited some huge clumps of fur around and looks a lot better. Taking him in for a proper grooming and getting him used to brushing are still on the cards as/if/when we feel the times are right but I think it’s good he’s managing a lot himself.

Still early days with him and he remains a cat can leave us wondering where we really are with him. One spell, we can think that he really is going to become a settler here and another where you wonder if you will see him again so I guess whatever happens still has to be at his own pace.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 28 May 18 - 12:27 PM

Well Jon, things have certainly progressed with Furball haven't they?!
It's lovely that he lets you pick him up, and that he's getting into a routine where comes in at 6am and eats then has a sleep etc.
How kind and patient you and Pip are! Honestly, in a few weeks he'll be almost completely 'civilised'.
Fur coming out means that he's nourished and new fur is re-growing under the old, making the old stuff shed.
I felt quite choked up reading your latest bulletin. That is one very lucky cat!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 May 18 - 01:04 PM

Thanks Sen.

I still don’t have your optimism about our long term future ask he can leave us guessing but we’ll keep trying. I don’t think we are being specially kind and patient and some efforts are perhaps motivated by liking him around, although I think Pip in particular has always been a would be helper of waifs and strays…

I guess a few mixed feelings from her side at the moment, coming off the back of Mewan’s departure but she likes him.

He’s certainly getting well fed and I think (can’t remember if I mentioned it before), the worming powder I gave him a week or so back may have had some effect on the nutrients he’s getting inside himself.

As well as the fur, we still, also aim to get the vet to give him a look over once we feel he would take the cat box and trip to/from Cromer but he seems pretty OK, and hoping to reach a more consistent point of trust and stability is the priority. I think… You just try your best...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 May 18 - 08:57 AM

Here's a recent picture. He no longer looks the long haired cat. I don't know whether he grows a thick winter coat or whether much of his long hair was old fur? I think his head looks more "tom cat" now he's lost a lot of fluff.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 May 18 - 09:22 AM

What lovely markings Jon! Especially his head - beautiful!
It does indeed look as if the fur nearer his rear end is dead stuff, and will be shed in due course.
His tail is so thick and bushy, he's a really bonny cat isn't he?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 30 May 18 - 10:32 AM

Yes, he’s a lovely cat and one who, if/when things get more settled would make a good pet here. Pip tells me he’s my cat. (As indicated before…) I don’t know yet but, if he does stay, I suspect it would end up that way in terms of a main association (Mewan by contrast was very much Pip’s cat although she was good friends with the 3 of us here).

Still, I’ve ordered a scanner today -at around £50, it seems worth it in case we get any other passers by too. Not sure at the moment I’d want to know he’s on a missing list but still feel I ought to check and can do it this way without a vet’s trip.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 30 May 18 - 06:00 PM

Himself always says that our cats like me best -- Watson clambers onto my shoulder, but not his -- and I'm always struck by how much that bothers me. Himself is the soft touch, the one who opens the patio door so they can enjoy birdwatching and or flings them a bit of steak or chicken; I never do. You'd think the little so-and-sos would be grateful. It's just not fair.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 May 18 - 08:44 AM

I think cats are loyal to their bellies first (eg. I could shift Mewan sleeping on Pip’s lap with a bit of chicken) but I’m not sure that it follows that the softest touch need become the cat’s best friend.

Pip is probably easier than me but we can both be softies. One difference there though is that I tend to wind up being the mean one, eg. picking up a settled cat and putting it in a basket for the vets or moving one to another room, etc. Again, I don’t think that has made any real difference.

–

I’ve just scanned Furball for a microchip. Nothing was detected and I think that does end any remaining niggles we had about the possibility of someone missing him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 31 May 18 - 08:56 AM

One of our cats, Murphy, prefers me. The other, SmokeyPokey, likes us both, but actually adores my husband. Our little tiny Minty (who had to be put to sleep over a year ago) was completely in love with 'Daddy'.
We still get very sad when we think of him. I've seen my husband secretly shed a tear, so I do understand Pip's sadness Jon.

Excellent that your microchip-detector didn't find anything. He's all yours! (and very lucky he is too!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 02 Jun 18 - 09:20 AM

Thanks Sen.

---
Old bugger keeps us guessing btw. I shut him in on Thu night after he turned up about midnight and it was a bit nasty outside (rain then but there has been a lot of fog/mist here lately).

He seemed fine in the morning, had breakfast and had a lie down before going off. I still thought "that's done it" when he didn't show up later in the day.

I didn't seem again until this lunch time when I found him lying on the kitchen floor - and then, when he saw me, he angled for something from the fridge - like nothing had happened and like we'd not been concerned. He's sprawled out by the sliding doors in the living room at the moment.

We do get the more consistent spells but I can wonder whether he has also found another helper/place to go.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Jun 18 - 04:47 PM

I bet you were worried, the little horror!
As he's been feral for quite a while, I expect his old habits and territorial defending etc haven't entirely left him and occasionally he has a roam. Once he's been neutered he may be more inclined to stay at home.
We got a free sachet of catfood from Tesco through the post, and tried it on our two. They loved it, so we looked for it on the shelves when we were in Tesco's this morning. Of course, it's quite expensive. We only bought four sachets, and we'll see how it goes. Tesco's are naughty, they know how to hook people in!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 10:45 AM

And another update…

There has been one more day+ of absence (possibly caused by Peter/dad with the TV – he’s one of those hearing aid users who doesn’t always wear them and even if worn may be full up or down – cat fled…) but things have been pretty stable otherwise.

His latest way is to spend most of the day inside, entering as before, and apart from a couple of short trips out is settled until his demands for his night time activity. Something I wish would change – prefer cats in between dusk and getting up.

The vet’s side of things would ultimately be Pip’s decision (after all, she would be the one paying the vet’s bills) but I think that in this long saga of keeping us guessing, etc., we are probably near a time where we feel we can transport him to/fro without fear of loosing him…

… That’s if he stays anyway. He’s still odd in that he will only use the floor and (outside the one short poke around my room) hasn’t explored the rest of the house- he just likes kitchen, corridor and living room – effectively the 2 ways in/out. But as said before, he remains friendly and likes being in the proximity of people as well as liking the odd fuss.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 12:49 PM

I was absolutely astonished to find SmokeyPokey licking the dish my husband had left on the kitchen counter top. It had contained his dinner, a ghastly red-hot Spicy Horror made with Scotch bonnet chillies. One tiny piece on the tongue would send one choking and coughing for some iced water, yet there was the cat having a lovely lick of the sauce left in the dish! He must have an asbestos mouth (like my husband!).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 01:00 PM

Wow, Sen! Perhaps part is down to my own tastes which very much enjoy a curry and spicy things but couldn't take a lot of heat (and don't get the vindaloo merchants...) but I've never imagined a cat liking something hot and wouldn't try it on a cat.

Off hand,maybe the closest I get to is Mewan who did like a nibble of brown bread and Marmite. Even that was funny, the way she'd wash her face after but she liked it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 01:07 PM

I meant to ask you Jon, does Furball have a 'tom-cat smell'? I've owned only male cats all my life, and had them neutered at around six months old. By this time, many of them had a very distinctive and pungent pong.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jun 18 - 01:19 PM

I'm still not convinced he is an unneutered Tom, Sen but haven't gone looking... But yes,he has the night time ways.

Smell. I'm a long time (wish I wasn't but) smoker with a lousy sense of smell, although I think that sense was poor even in childhood.

Some smells I pick up, including "Willie Weasel'" - one time pet that found us -ferret smell (and that was a she), would smell if a dog fox had been round but there are lots of smells I probably miss (including Pip and a scented flower sometimes).

So I'd not go that much by my not smelling Furball if there is a scent, although neither Pip or Peter have commented.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 09:10 AM

Cats who spend most of their time outside typically whiff more than indoor cats, if only because they spend more of their waking hours hunting and avoiding being hunted. Those who live in grimy environments may avoid grooming for their own good.

My Dad served in the Royal Navy during the war. His first ship, a small, rather nasty old destroyer called HMS Wrestler, carried a cat known as Bombhead (pronounced Bomm'ead) who spent much of his time hunting rats in the engineering spaces and thus ended up caked with toxic filth. As Bombhead was too wise to wash himself, the Coxswain assigned his care to the men whose part of ship was the quarterdeck, i.e., the signallers and radarmen, including my Dad. Bombhead was bathed (in a bucket, with Lifebuoy soap) each Friday and inspected, along with the rest of the ship and her company, by the Captain each Saturday morning.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 10:25 AM

cat quilt kilts ?

viewer discretion advised

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Jun 18 - 12:54 PM

Five hundred posts!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 01:21 PM

I think we are finally at one stage with Furball. He still does his night bit but seems pretty (resigned?) much to accept that we do offer him a good base and food. He still wants his outside time at night but comes in earlier and has settled (no rattling cat flap in the am or meows) that the late night/early morning in is "in" to some ways without a day of absence.

I'd probably try the cat basket and vet now but I think Pip is more inclined to get a "home visit". I'll press Pip one way or other but as said before, that will eventually be her own set up.

Funny old cat, probably more different than any before with his independent ways and keeping us guessing but in some senses I think we are there this time.

(and I'll not bore you all with much more...)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 01:48 PM

Not at all boring Jon, I'M pretty sure that many of us are fascinated by your obvious love and care for this, soon to be, very pampered Pussycat !!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 02:06 PM

I second Raggytash - not boring at all!

Great to hear that Furball is getting into a happy routine Jon, he sounds an interesting little character.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 02:53 PM

Thanks both. Probably the mcavity (TS Elliot mystery cat) out of all the ones we've had as it's been so hard to work out if he wants to stay and what he wants.

I'm pretty sure that if needed he will get the chop. It's the vet to him or him to the vet bit next and, while I would like this to happen soon, I'm not the ultimate decision maker on this one.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 03:10 PM

And odd, seem to have replied to a post by kerberoxu in my second part of that last post that seems I dreamed up as I can't find it now...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Jun 18 - 03:39 PM

I found that post, Jon.
It's back in the month of April,
no wonder you had a hard time finding it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 10:13 AM

We took Furball to the vets this afternoon and so far, so good.

He didn't enjoy the experience but has settled down on return, taken a stroke and some chicken from me and is in no hurry to leave the house.

I thought he was older than this but the vet says he look a very healthy cat of about 2 years old.

He is going in this Thursday for castration (yes he does need it...), tail de-matting (what he did with the rest of himself was remarkable but this part is still matted) and possible (still to be agreed at home) blood tests and microchipping.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 11:44 AM

Well, congratulations on being adopted by a new young pussycat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 12:19 PM

Oh well done Jon! Thank goodness he's not been alienated by the experience.

One of ours (SmokeyPokey) is very calm and doesn't mind too much going in the cat carrier, (although he howls all the time in the car) But the other one (Murphy) is a nervous wreck at the best of times and would completely freak out if we had to take him for any reason.

Are the blood tests for Feline HIV? The thing is, vets are dreadfully expensive aren't they?
How are you going to ensure Furball is around to be put in the cat carrier again for his op?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Jul 18 - 12:58 PM

I’m pretty sure one test would be for Feline HIV. As far as I remember with Snotcat (done when he   fell ill with a stomach thing that he responded to an injection for and then relapsed, and it turned out he had this), the blood tests were quite expensive.

Furball will be free until Wednesday evening. I don’t think he will like this but he will have to be kept in from then until the trip to the vets (unfortunately, Sheringham – I wish they operated in their Cromer branch which is under 10 minutes from here). With his movements over the last week or so, that should be ok.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:03 PM

Oh well this has all been confusing. From being a long haired cat with “luxury tail” to a short haired tabby with a normal tail. From taking (not that he meant ours was, but    Raggy saying it looked like one of his) being a female to being a debated proper tom to now being an it, as well as thinking (possibly because of first knowing him with the matted fur) as being a few years older than he is.


He needs to be kept in a day or two from the op but let’s hope now that all that needs to be done is done* and there are happy times ahead for him.

*castration
flea/tick treatment
tail de-mat
blood tests (all OK)
microchipping

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:32 PM

Phew Jon, thank goodness it's all done! I bet that wasn't cheap (it never is at the vet's) but well done for getting him neutered, examined and tested etc.
Hope you have many years of lovely times with him! (or 'it'!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:39 PM

Thanks Sen. I believe the bill for everything including some "recovery food" came in the right side of £200. Pip is happy with that.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:43 PM

Ah, that's not too bad really. He's a very lucky little cat.
Our two are fast asleep beside me on the sofa. Murphy is a terrible snorer!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 12:57 PM

I don't remember us ever having a real snorer. Mewan was (I assume) a bit of a dreamer so you sometimes could get odd twitches and movements when she was having a good sleep.

Furball (actually now registered as Furbalo [not furbellow]) is wide awake atm and asking for food which I'm giving in small doses.

Thinking of registration, when I signed on and created an account, etc. on the PetTrac (microchip) system. I found he'd been registered a canine - I'm not sure his description then - canine short haired British domestic tabby even exists. Simple change to feline though.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Jul 18 - 01:02 PM

Hahaha Jon! If he starts barking you'll know it was correct!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Jul 18 - 09:28 AM

For a small animal (compared to, say, a rhinoceros), our old tom Bill had a terrific snore. Just like a human, he would start to burble when he rolled on his back, which usually happened in the middle of the night when he was in the process of shoving me off my pillow.

Good thing he was cute.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Jul 18 - 07:54 AM

The elder statescat Yaz does not cause any trouble but Linus the teenager has caused a door to be replaced, a 1/2 sized cello pushed off a top shelf, instrument repair clamps to fall on guitars, china cabinet structural damage and now has absconded with my hearing aid left atop the shower door rail. Its not his fault for being exceedingly strong, agile and clever.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 08:20 AM

Furball has been a bit unsure of himself since the op. He also has a bit of a cut/lump on his back (probably where a tick was) that we are keeping an eye on. He is still asking to go out at night but I don’t know if he would take the opportunity if offered and I don’t really want to find out. He’s not making too much of a fuss over being kept in.

Outside in the daytime, he doesn’t want to move that far from me and a routine walk is developing. We go to the bench in the field where I have a fag and he has a few Dreamies. We then have a wander round eg. the veg plot before we go further up the track in the field. Coming back is fun as he has started to wait for me to get out of sight round a corner and he then does a 40yd dash to overtake me. He may then do shorter waits and runs until we get in (when of course, he expects another small reward).

I don’t know how long this one will last but guess that he might want to explore more as he gains confidence but for now, I think it suits both of us for our own reasons.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 08:37 AM

Ah Jon that's so lovely! He's obviously very, very attached to you!

When I had five (!) cats, all Siamese, I used to walk daily down to my neighbour's house for a coffee and a natter. The houses in that village were quite far apart, and I went along a little path to get there. Behind me, one behind the other, always in the same order, were all five of my cats.

Pauline used to watch out for us at her sitting room window, and laugh like anything. Part of the attraction, it has to be said, was the pile of bits of chicken and ham she always had ready for them.

It was Pauline who rang me one day to say all of them had cornered Hissing Sid, the large grass snake, and were poking him as he lay coiled up on her patio. We managed to remove the cats out of harm's way and gently get Sid into the field on the end of a broomstick. (A grass snake can give a nasty bite, although they're not venomous. Besides, poor Sid...! He was hissing like anything, probably terrified!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 08:57 AM

Lovely story, Sen and I wish I could have seen them all in a row, but poor hissing Sid that one time…

Furball spends most of his indoor daytime in my parent’s living room – the opposite end of the bungalow to me – which is a much better place for him to be and rarely (yes he has explored everywhere now) ventures into my room – only really to get my attention for something. Pip is usually his best friend in the morning as she usually does the food at her breakfast time. But, yes, there are times when he does seem very attached to me and he certainly likes our outings at the moment. That’s similar to how things worked out with Snotcat who in some ways was very much “my cat”.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 09:42 AM

Well it sounds to me as if he's very much at home there Jon, and I reckon he'll grow and grow in confidence now. For a cat to follow you outside and not run away or pursue his own diversions says a lot about his affection for you.
I'm so pleased - after all, you've done all you can for Furball, and deserve his love.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 09:55 AM

For a cat to follow you outside and not run away or pursue his own diversions says a lot about his affection for you.

Well I suspect his own lack of confidence is over-ruling his desire to pursue his own diversions at the moment, Sen but I'd also think there is a fair element of trust there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 10:00 AM

Eliza, you're darned lucky to be alive in this age of logic and science. Think of the impression your troupe of Siamese familiars would have made on your neighbours in -- say -- the year 1500. You, and the cats, would have been, um, toast.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 10:21 AM

Heh heh Charmion! I'd have been burned as a witch, that's for sure!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 10:50 AM

But, Officer, she's a GOOD witch.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Jul 18 - 12:00 PM

Sen might have been an Egyptian then... (and believing something is there, I don't make scientific logic my bounds... but the topic introduced by Charmion is not one I'd go into [beyond that] on this thread, if at all these days on MC)

But Furball is looking contented ATM.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 01:10 AM

Sorry about my snappiness in my last post.

Pussycat does not love me anymore. I know he can sleep/lurk in the corridor at night and that he can be hard to see (lights do go on autmaticlay here but there can be a lag) and I ploughed into him on a trip to the loo.

No real harm done and I’m sure things will pick up again but atm, he is viewing me, or maybe more specifically, my feet with suspicion.

Bloody annoying but these things happen….

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 03:00 AM

Glad you didn't fall over and hurt yourself Jon!

SmokeyPokey is absolutely terrible for doing exactly the same thing.
He walks in front of me, weaves around my legs, darts out in my path etc.
One day he'll break my blooming neck.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 08:38 AM

Furball with also do the sudden stop and flop down in front of you, Sen.

Mind you, he can also move very sharply indoors when he wants..He caught me out that way probably the day after the op.

I was trying to keep him in and he seemed dead to the world, fast asleep and I thought in a “do not disturb” mood. I had to lock the sliding door. This can be tricky as sometimes you have to open the door and close it again to get the key to turn. I opened the door and the next thing, sleepy cat was outside (but not wandering off, as said before, he wants my company outside). It’s hard to fathom how he got there from the apparently sleepy state and in the short time frame.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 08:55 AM

Murphy is like that. He's bit sneaky at times. For instance, he never ever goes into the spare bedroom. But only yesterday I heard some strange Siamese wailings. (I know the meaning only too well - it says, "Hee hee! You'll never guess what I'm up to!")

After a brief search, his cheeky little brown face peered round the slightly-ajar door of the spare room. I'll swear he was grinning.

He did something similar last week. Same wailing, and there he was in the bathroom of all places, perched up on the shelf next to the make-up mirror, laughing his head off.

I reckon they get a bit bored and think of daft things to do to pass the time!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 09:02 AM

Yup, they do.

In the middle of the night, I occasionally hear the unmistakable thump of feline bodies tumbling over each other in combat -- mock combat, without growling, hissing or yowls. Both cats like to lounge on the runner at the top of the stairs, in front of the bathroom door, where they can do the most damage to a sleepy person stumbling around in the dark. The runner in question is dark red, and the cats are black. Their camouflage technique is excellent.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 09:10 AM

They definitely can play games with you.. And work out your own limitations. A couple of things Mewan worked out were that she was quicker than any of us and that we would not pursue her down the drive (main road and always the fear that you could wind up leading the cat in to traffic - we try to discourage any thoughts of going that way and encourage the 90 acres of field round the back - as best we can). In bloody minded mode, she could play on this with the running a few steps from you, etc. Of course she would come to you or let you catch her in the end but it could be frustrating.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 09:17 AM

In our case, it's a tabby against a grey carpet in the corridor and a wood effect floor in the kitchen. We do also have plug in "emergency lights" in both these places. They are good enough to, eg. see your way to the toilet at night if the main lights don't go on but the cat is little more than a shadow against either background.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 11:41 AM

My Mickey comes in, in the early hours and creates such a fuss, wailing until I speak to him. Once he's heard my voice he quietens down but not until the little bugger has woken me !!

Just as well I adore him!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 11:54 AM

Did I ever mention Starboard, another neutered Tom who got on well with me? He was one for sleeping on or even at times down my bed.

His peculiar way of waking me up was to purr and at the same time dribble down my ear hole.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 12 Jul 18 - 01:37 PM

This evening's walk was a bit more eventful. He couldn't resist seeing neighbours female cat (who btw was Mewan's arch enemy. Neighbours would usually get the better of her but they could spend time just cursing one another) off the field and seemed a bit bolder after that.

Towards the top of the field and the North Walsham road, I think I spotted a hare (I'm pretty sure it wasn't a rabbit - don't think my longer distance eyesight is quite that bad). We don't go that far but I opted to turn round where I was in case the cat, who was lagging a bit behind me at that point and round a slight corner, also caught sight.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Jul 18 - 05:19 AM

And Furball had us a bit worried this morning. I missed all this but, apparently he was a bit of a pain later last night, climbing on this, scratching things, etc.

Pip and I discussed things and decided it was probably boredom. We also agreed he was probably a cat that is always going to want a bit of freedom which we’d have to allow. We decided we would leave the back door open this morning.

Given his recent desire to stay close to me, I only expected him to stay close to the house but he vanished out of sight for two hours and didn’t respond to calls. Back now though.

O well, for better or worse, I suppose that’s it now. We’ll keep him in at night but it’s his own world out there with both risks and pleasures from now on in the day time to come and go pretty much as he pleases.

That’s how it’s been with the other cats here and of course it’s only a short time ago that he was a free roaming stray but I guess it just took us a bit by surprise this morning.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Jul 18 - 07:53 AM

Ah Jon, when we cleaned that holiday barn near the Snorings, there were hares all over the place! It was part of an arable farm and the things would jump out along the path and run in zig-zags in front of us. Lovely to see, with their long black-tipped ears. I reckon North Norfolk is a good place to see hares.

I'm so glad you've adopted the policy of letting Furball out during the day, and keeping him in at night if possible. That's what we've always done with ours, (except nowadays they don't go out much, even during the day, being elderly)

I've never been in favour of having 'indoor cats'. I know some people do this, but cats do like to wander and sniff, and sit in the sun etc.

My husband is about to leave for his work, and I told him about your Furball. His comment was, "He's out there looking for his lost testicles!" Hee hee, silly man!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Jul 18 - 07:55 AM

As it's 500, I thought I'd add, the holiday barn was in Bale!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Jul 18 - 09:36 AM

You husband is bad, Sen ;-)

I don’t remember if we ever did this but I think older UK ways would often have put the cat out for the night but I think that largely fell out of favour. Feelings on indoor/outdoor vs indoor can seem to follow a UK/North American divide although perhaps more over here keep their cats in all the time now?

Probably my biggest feeling on this concerns animals that have had the taste for the outdoor life. This could be one like Mewan who found us while still a kitten but had lived all her first part outside and more so with one like Furball who’s known that life as an adult.

Perhaps I’d feel more inclined to try indoor only with one that’s never known that. I don’t know there but, while we are going for in at nightime, with Furball, I’d likely always finish up with the feeling at some point of depriving our type of cats of something important to them if they were denied the chance to do their own thing outside at other times.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Jul 18 - 02:12 AM

I went down the garden at 6am (couldn’t sleep) to collect something I left in a shed last evening. Coming back to the house, I saw a cat. At first I thought “not that next door creature...” then I realised it was a tabby and wondered how Furball had got out, and then another look at the creature partly hidden in the bushes and I realised it was PussPuss who we haven’t seen since the cold spell.

I didn’t think he looked that well, a bit sort of bloated looking and his left eye looked a little odd but I doubt there would be much I could do to help. At his most trusting, he will stand his ground (with hisses) as I put a dish down but after a long break, it would probably be a while before I can get within a few yards.

Anyway, he took 3 pouches (he’ll stand forward of the dish and make himself visible if he wants another) before wandering off. I’ll have to see if he comes back and wonder how things will work out with Furball as a resident now if he does…

As for Furball. He’ll try it on but he seems to mostly have accepted the idea that he’s kept in for the night. He’s explored every room now and, for the time being, has chosen his chair (although he still spend a lot of time on the floor) and is slowly but surely taking control of the house.

He was a bit put out by my attempts at guitar playing (probably the first time I’d picked up an instrument in the same room as me) last night. He didn’t bother too much while I was stumming a few chords but got quite excited when I picked the melody for Madame Bonaparte. He approached me meowing. It was quite funny really and I’ve noticed similar with other cats and a laser pointer. Furball seemed to know the noises were something to do with me but he couldn’t quite work it out. He had a long look (and sniff) at the guitar as if the instrument was to blame.

As for the seeing him in the kitchen/corridor at night. I’ve changed the program for the corridor light at night (actually when it is dark outside). Instead of switching on/off, it now switches on/dim for this period. Everyone seems happy with this arrangement.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Jul 18 - 04:25 AM

Oh Jon, that poor PussPuss! There's not a lot you can do, as you say, except feeding and giving him water (Isn't this drought appalling?)
The bloating could be an enlarged liver, it's what our stray 'Solo' had. So kind of you to keep an eye on him.

I had to laugh about Furball's reaction to your playing.
I often play songs on Youtube on my laptop, and sing along. It really puzzles out two, and they stare right into my eyes as if to say, "What's the matter? Why are you howling like that? Shut up will you!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Jul 18 - 09:46 AM

Oh and I took this picture the other day. He is banned from the kitchen worktops but he’d been scared by the racket of combine harvesters and had decided this was the safest place so I let him be for a while. The cat in that picture seems quite a contrast to this one

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 22 Jul 18 - 11:38 AM

That is one bonny cat John, obviously your care, love and attention is paying dividends. I hope you have many, many years with him!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 22 Jul 18 - 12:10 PM

Thanks Raggy. Much of course wasn't really in our control but we are delighted with the way things have gone.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Jul 18 - 12:22 PM

Wow! What a transformation Jon! He looks absolutely great.
Well done!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Jul 18 - 09:09 PM

A most appealing face on that Furball.
I recall the time a lady referred to her pet cat, in public,
as an "ex-Tom" and the nearest adult male blurted out,
"That's politically incorrect."

Hilarious about Furball's response
to Bonaparte's Retreat!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Jul 18 - 09:23 AM

Our old Bill liked the mandolin so much that he would jump into my lap while I was practising and shove his hind end under the treble side of the instrument. Well, maybe he was less fond of the mandolin than he was satisfied that I was sitting down and likely to stay that way for a while.

Furball looks great, Jon. I notice that he lolls on the breadboard rather than the counter surface; I guess he has reviewed the House Cat's Manual and taken note of his obligations.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 31 Jul 18 - 07:08 AM

Furball is in the bad books today.

He started off being praised for being a good cat. I couldn’t work out why he was so agitated this morning. He wouldn’t go out in the rain (yes, he’s gone soft already) but kept going to the back door and wouldn’t take any food. Pip made a comment about the litter tray and, sure enough, I put that out and filled with litter and he went about his business was happy.

So were we until we discovered that when he’d gone through to say hello to my parents this morning, he’d used Pip’s bed for the peeing side of the business!

Quite why Pip had decided to empty and just pack away the litter tray yesterday is a bit of a mystery but it’s possible she got distracted over the chap who was coming to replace the bath lift. Whatever, to use that trite expression, “lessons will be learned”… Only thing is that, in my experience, once a (perhaps usually clean but got trapped) has used a spot once, it can be quite difficult to persuade them it’s not an acceptable place.

Apart from that, he seems to be showing more of his young kittenish side now – which reminds me I must order another laser pointer – I lost the last one.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Jul 18 - 10:44 AM

Pip may need to keep the bedroom door shut for a while.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 06:21 AM

Furball is at the vets and very unwell.

I was reasonably happy that he was contented to stay in our garden and up the field but for some reason he decided to go the other way and cross the road this morning. This is something he must have done hundreds of times in his previous existence but this time, he had an accident and a lady in a car hit him.

The poor lady was terribly upset and very kindly offered to and took Pip, who felt too shaken to drive safely, to the and from the vets in Sheringham. We’ve tried our best to assure her that we don’t blame her and that we feel that by both stopping and finding us and doing this vet trip (especially with a perhaps 2 year old child in the back seat) has gone above and beyond anything we could have asked for following the accident.

We are still waiting to find out more about the cat. The vet could not feel any broken bones but the cat is bleeding from his mouth so presumably there is some internal injury. I believe the next step is x-rays and an update this afternoon from the vet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 08:41 AM

Apparently, at the moment, things seem more settled and the feeling is that the bleeding which has stopped was probably a rib hitting a lung. I believe his breathing is settling and the vets are currently opting for observation which may be for the whole weekend.

Early days there and I'm not getting my own hopes up yet but perhaps there is a chance.

Sounds like the poor cat was thrown up in the air. The driver saw the cat, tried to stop which must have reduced the impact but couldn't pull up fully in time.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 08:53 AM

Oh Jon, I'm so so sorry this has happened. Poor you, and poor Pip also.
It's so distressing for everyone, but wasn't the lady kind and good to help with taking Furball to the vets? As you say, it was no-one's fault.
I can't tell you how much I feel for you; I understand completely the distress and worry this must have caused.
Poor little Furball.
Let's hope he pulls through, and can come home to his new, loving owners and resume his new life.
I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you all.
Eliza xx

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 09:04 AM

Thanks Sen.

We will get back in touch with the lady when we know the outcome and thank her again for the help she gave.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 11:24 AM

I'll cross my fingers for Fur-ball too, just when he had found a loving, caring home.

Come on Furball you can do it !!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 11:51 AM

Thanks Raggy too.

I'm afraid though that while the last news was that things had picked up a touch, we've just received the news that Furball has died.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 11:57 AM

Oh Jon, I'm so very very sorry and sad for you.
What a shock - I'm actually in tears here.
I shan't say more just now, as you need time to grieve.
I can only offer a big hug to you and your parents.
Eliza XX

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 01:05 PM

Jon, i am so sorry for you and for Furball. I don't have to eloquence to express how much I feel.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 01:27 PM

Cheers, Raggy and Sen. There’s not really more to try to say than you have done.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 01:36 PM

You could not have done more. I'm very sorry for your loss.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 04 Aug 18 - 10:48 PM

Thanks too K.

Re your other bit, ~~I could go:

I don’t know, K. Maybe I could have got up earlier. On the (common of late as I haven’t often been sleeping well) days I’ve been around first, I’ve been letting him out at around 7am and not given breakfast until he returns. Today with Pip, it was a rather later start and different order and I was woken up from my long sleep to be told about the accident.

But you can beat yourself up over these things and I tend to the more fatalist view that if it was going to happen, it’s going to happen sometime.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Aug 18 - 05:17 PM

How awful, Jon. It's good that the driver stopped and helped; so many just charge off as if nothing had happened.

Poor Furball. Poor Pip. Poor you.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Aug 18 - 05:36 PM

Thanks and agreed, Charmion. I believe the woman (who as far as I gather had been on a run of bad things, including loosing her old dog the well before) returned later in the day and broke down in tears when she learned the outcome. I also believe Pip has sent a bunch of flowers to her for Monday.

One thing I hadn't said with Furball before, although I'm not sure if it makes it sadder or happier is that he did manage to get himself home after the accident. Lying on the kitchen floor in a bad way when I saw him but I guess, either way, it did show that he considered here his home and safe place.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 05 Aug 18 - 07:20 PM

Some things are already coming home. Probably now triggered by Pip seeing Peter/dad to bed. We’d started a little ritual where Furball would come in the room, ask me to lift him up (he wouldn’t jump for this one) and then I’d point him to dad. He’d accept a bit of a stroke and then look at me, sort of if for approval and then move down the other side of the bed, pad and lie down until I moved. He knew then I’d put some food for him it the porch and he’d charge down, overtaking me and skidding on the vinyl wood effect kitchen floor as he turned. Views may be coloured a bit by only having older cats in the few years before but, I still think that in terms of moving from an idle position like lying down, to full gallop, he had the most rapid change of pace I’ve seen in a cat.

While my initial impressions were that he was strongly independent, he later (probably post op) started to develop more into a cat (though obviously, and sadly in that case, still capable of doing his own thing) that liked to be part of things. Pip and I had started an after tea bit with him where he’d perhaps have a couple of hours outside in the field, possibly Pip and/or I doing a few chores and after I got a new kettle, having a cup of tea/coffee down there. Sometimes but not every time, Furball would do the walk down the track with me in this period.

He also seemed very receptive to playing games with me with the new laser pen I got the day before the accident…

Overall though, he remained a bit of a mystery with his own ways (although all cat’s have their distinctive traits) and the say five weeks from deciding things were ready for him to be a house pet was probably too short a time to really know how things might have developed.

The last few months have been interesting to me and I think I’m glad (mixed feelings there) I knew him briefly. I don’t think I’d get involved in another (although I’d still feed a stray and try to find someone to home it) though.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Aug 18 - 01:27 PM

Back in early March of this year,
Steve Shaw posted on this same thread
about the stray cat lurking on his farm,
behaving quite feral.

It interested me to go back and look at that post from five months ago.
The Shaws reckoned that they knew from which household the cat came.
The post mentions a group of "chaotic" people who had packed up and left the area,
with no one knowing whither.

On another BS thread,
Steve disclosed that the feral cat survived the winter somehow,
and is still lurking around the premises,
and "won't let anyone near."

Subject: How many Mudcats have cats?! part two
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Aug 18 - 06:20 PM

You know, thread 1 isn't closed, however it is getting long-ish.
Is this an opportune moment to open a fresh thread
on the same topic?

Mudcatters in the Twenty-First Century who are owned by Pet Cats.

The perfectly good thread 1 was started so many years ago
that some of the Mudcat members,
not to speak of the Pet Cats that owned them,
have passed "over the Rainbow Bridge" between then and now.

On the other hand,
some Mudcat members are still here, and the pet cats they have now
were not even around when Thread 1 was opened.

For example:
Charmion?
Now that your household has relocated to another town,
and the house has been ripped apart inside and put back together again,
how are your cats doing?

---

Use the "d" link from the main page, or you can click on the number, and click through the pages.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Aug 18 - 04:53 PM

Thinking of those with cat-shaped holes in their hearts.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Aug 18 - 05:58 PM

That's a lovely way to put it keberoxu. My heart must be like a Swiss cheese after losing literally dozens of much-loved cats over the decades. It never gets any easier.

I've been thinking about Jon and his darling little Furball. So sad for him and his parents. Bless you Jon.

I did a daft thing today, but in a way I don't regret it. Remember the Evil white cat 'Spirit'? Well, he's getting quite thin, and another neighbour called Pearl was chatting to me yesterday and she reckons he's only fed in the evening when his owners get home (she lives next door to them) They have 3 dogs and another cat, and they all fight for a bit of grub.
So today he was mooching around and I took out a huge plate of cooked chicken breast and some best-quality cat food (the dish was piled high!) The poor little thing came running up and wolfed down the entire lot. While he ate, I sat on the bench and looked at him. He really is quite scrawny. He rubbed against me and chirruped.

Now that was silly of me, as he'll be haunting our garden now and possibly attacking our two elderly gentlemen. But I'm not turning away a very hungry little chap. We always have food to spare, as our two are constantly stuffed to the gunnels and spoilt rotten.

What do you think? Did I do wrong?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Aug 18 - 07:15 AM

Last week had the International cat day. I guess most cats are local.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Aug 18 - 09:05 AM

No, Eliza, you were not wrong. Spirit is probably now an under-cat in his own household, so he doesn't get as much of anything -- food, attention, access to desirable space -- as he used to. But don't be surprised if he gets to thinking that your household looks like a better 'ole.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Aug 18 - 09:14 AM

Ah thank you Charmion.
I don't want to annoy his owners though. They might get a bit miffed that we're giving their cat food like that.
Also, our two were incandescent when they saw what I'd done. They stared at me as if I'd gone completely bonkers!

I suppose he will start haunting the premises now. But I'm a sucker - I can't pass a homeless person in the street, a peckish-looking bird, an entire African family scarcely keeping hunger at bay. It's just too distressing not to take action if I can possibly help in any way.
.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Aug 18 - 01:20 PM

How could you NOT do what you did?
It would have kept you awake at night otherwise!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Aug 18 - 02:46 PM

Thank you keberoxu. The blooming thing was here again this morning (Husband said "I told you so!") so I gave him our two's leavings and a few bits of my husband's roasted topside of beef. (He offered it - he's as soft as me.)

My old mum would have fainted at the very idea of giving a blasted cat topside of beef.
However, he IS very cute and wolfed down the offering (the cat, not my husband, although the latter is very cute too).

Our two don't go out much, so I'm hoping there won't be any 'fracas dans le jardin' as my husband calls it!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 03:44 AM

Both our cats are very old, and we thought SmokeyPokey was the most frail. But yesterday Murphy was very lethargic and this morning he's rather mopey and sad.
I know the signs (had loads of elderly cats over the years) No use taking him to the vet, as he isn't actually ill, just old and tired.
Plus he's terribly nervous and would be traumatised by going in the cat basket to a strange place.
I'm very sad (so is my husband) as it looks as if we might have to say goodbye to Murphy fairly soon.
Hope I'm wrong, but the darling little souls don't last forever do they? :(

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 04:49 AM

I’m sorry Sen. That happened with Oedipus last year. Trouble is that, while you hope they will just die in peace one day, it doesn’t always (I’m not even sure we’ve had one case) work out that way and you wind up either having to take the cat to the vet or (costly but Pip’s preference) getting the vet in.

That said, your cat may still pick up and even if it is that final decline, there can be some good time remaining before the end.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 06:39 AM

Thank you Jon, I knew you'd understand.

With Minty last year we had to take him to the vet to be put to sleep as he wasn't drinking and his liver was swollen up.
We'll be keeping a close eye on Murphy and if we suspect any suffering we'll take him.
As you say, he might just be 'under the weather'.
Oh dear. Every time, I find it so hard to bear.

How are you doing after your loss of Furball Jon? We still miss Minty terribly. But he had a happy life (and Furball too enjoyed your affection and care) which does give some comfort.

Will update on here in a day or two.
Eliza

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 08:31 AM

We’re getting there Sen, thanks.

-
Just another thought with your cat. I'm probably way off but there's no chance he could be feeling this other cat you are feeding is moving in on him?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Aug 18 - 09:28 AM

Good point Jon.
But Spirit hasn't been around for a couple of days.
And Murphy hasn't actually been face-to-face with him (he usually slinks away and spends the day in our sitting room, or in the conservatory)
He's lost weight lately and I suspect triaditis (he's Minty's brother)
We'll keep monitoring him.
SmokeyPokey seems to sense he's not feeling well and licks his head tenderly.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 13 Sep 18 - 07:05 PM

Well, I came through to the living room about 7:45pm and father says “that old cat’s out there”. Sure enough, Puss Puss was out there and sitting there (within the limitations of a cat that does not trust humans) out in the open, as bold as brass, almost as if he’d got wind of Furball’s (who I still miss) demise through cat gossip channels and had decided we should feed him this evening.

I thought he looked a bit better than last time I saw him but he’s still the rough old stray who today let me within 3ft before backing away. I gave him 2 pouches for starters, then he stood to wait for another, and then a fourth as Pip and I were leaving for a music do.

We’ve still got plenty of pouches from Furball at the moment but I guess well need to keep some in stock in case of other visitors.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 02:49 AM

We still have Li!y and Molly but the ranks have been swelled by occasional visitor, Ollie. He is an unneutered Tom but a big softy. We know his name and his story from his current owners and it is very sad. His owner lived across the road but, sadly, died leaving a young son and Ollie. The lads grandparents who live half a mile up the village took on both but Ollie keeps coming back and, I suppose, wondering why he cannot get in his house :-(

Last March, in all the bad weather, was when we first saw him. I guess he may have heard us shouting Molly to get her in and thought we were shouting him! He lived in our shed for a while and then we tracked down his owners through the village web site. They picked him up but he still visits for days at a time. I hope he is back home when he is not here. Molly gets on well with him but Lily doesn't or we would offer to 'foster' him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 04:18 AM

Isn't it funny how 'cat people' find odd cats hanging around? We now have Puss-Puss, Ollie and Spirit, not our own cats but 'hangers-on' from elsewhere. They certainly have an eye for a good gaff!

Murphy is a little better. I've been feeding him and Smokey-Pokey small bits of this and that almost non-stop while they lounge on the sofa during the day and evening. Bits of chicken, special cat biscuits, those luxury tiny tins of cat food and a small saucer of minced tuna. They seem to have put on a bit of weight, and their fur is in good nick (always a telling sign)
Husband has been having treats too, (Haribo Starmix) and dutifully eating more green vegetables and fruit. His skin is glowing (always a telling sign) :)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 05:00 AM

At our old house we had an endless string of strays. There were a couple of old ladies lived just around the corner who once had individual adjacent houses but then moved in together and a whole herd of strays then moved into the empty one - It must have stunk! The herd spread until they were a pest unfortunately.

We moved out 5 years ago so we don't know what happened since but the old ladies (twins) featured in one of Alan Titchmarsh's garden makeovers a couple of years back! They had given up the big houses and moved into a newer bungalow just behind where we used to live. Our cats are much happier in their new home without all the visitors but I do miss them sometimes.

The ones we fed most often were Pepe (le pew), a big gentle tom; Boo, a skittish pure white oriental type; Maven, small, friendly, all black; and Mim, a little tabby that used to climb up the ivy at the back and shout at us until we fed her! Then there was the Commander - Big nasty alpha tom with bits missing. We used to discourage him! Pepe was like the lovely old grandad who looked after others. He brought Lily round to live with us :-) We think he may have once been the alpha but was ousted by the Commander. He seemed happy with his new role and wandered from house to house and even to the back door of a local charity shop for his daily treats.

Don't know if has been mentioned before but a good fantasy read about cats is the Wild Road series by Gabriel King. The synopsis of the first one (that the series is titled after) is "A novel about Tag, a naive young cat called upon to find the Queen of Cats from the Alchemist: if the Alchemist catches her first, the world will never be safe again. In the course of a great journey across a country and through the whole history of cats, Tag learns what it is to be a cat. " I enjoyed it anyway.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 05:36 AM

Wild Road by Gabriel King. I'll look that up Dave. Sounds most interesting.
Love all the names of those stray cats. Shame though that they had to go a-begging to get food. Winter must have been hard for them all.
I seem to remember that Alan Titchmarsh programme about the twin ladies.
I fed Spirit again yesterday. He wolfed down a large plate of leftovers, and a bit of milk. I don't usually give cats milk as it can cause diarrhoeia, but he so loves it.

Smokey-Pokey sat on the bench and hollered right into my face in Siamese. I knew full well what he was saying. "Get that blinking White Thing off our property will yer? And for gawd's sake stop feeding the bugger!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 07:49 AM

Shame though that they had to go a-begging to get food

Probably said half of this before - I lose track but... But I don’t think PussPuss has ever known life any different. It does seem an odd life but whereas with Furball for example, there was always at least the knowledge that he could meow for attention, there is none of that with PussPuss or any indication that he could consider human friendship. Things start and stop with the idea that we are supposed to feed him if he waits for food.

Perhaps SnotCat was closer to Dave’s one in that there is a feeling that he belonged to an old lady who died. Unfortunately he was known to have spent some time in the then large feral community before settling with us. He was probably the boss there for a while and was much larger than your average tom but we believe it was through fighting there that he contracted the cat aids. I think we only had him in his 3-4 year sort of remission period.

Glad Murphy is picking up a bit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 08:03 AM

Thank you Jon.
How kind of you to give PussPuss four pouches, he must have been so hungry to get all that down him!
I've 'trained' Spirit to come when I make a special noise (a sort of 'kiss kiss' sound) when he's lurking about. If I hiss, he shoves off.
I find cats respond to signals and sounds.

At night when we're ready to go to bed, we stand there clapping our hands loudly and our two immediately get up from the sofa and head for their cosy beds in the kitchen. They sleep together in one bed, but sometimes one is sick (Siamese seem to huff up quite a lot, no idea why!) and they can swiftly decamp into the other bed.

I bet we look right wallies standing there clapping. Ruth-across-the-road saw us doing that one evening in our front garden, and she doubled up. She asked us, "What? Are yew a-givin' them bloomin' cats a rownd uv applause?"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 08:17 AM

Assuming we've got the food, Sen, we just give them what they want. Furball was also eating 3-4 pouches when he first appeared. He settled down after more regular feeding and possibly the de worming helped. If he does decide to become regular here again for a while, PussPuss will likely reduce to 2 pouches per day/visit. I don't think we've ever worried about them overeating and taken it to be what they need at the time. I must admit to being a bit surprised the first time PussPuss waited for a second helping though.

PussPuss will respond to his name being called if spotted passing through and hungry. He doesn't approach but waits around to see if a dish of food comes out.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 08:28 AM

I too find cats are self-limiting with quantities of food Jon. When they're full, they're full.
Spirit was like that at first, wolfing down huge platefuls of grub. But several of the neighbours give him a bite to eat now, and he's not quite so ravenous.
I think it's lovely how compassionate you are with stray cats. They sense it I'm sure, and dare to approach. Solo was like that (cat at our last house, I've mentioned him before) He eventually trusted us and we took him in. He died after 2 years, but at least he knew love.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 08:33 AM

One of our cat's many years ago used to bring strays home with him. But only ever black and white ones! He once brought one who we christened Walter and he was a lovely thing who stayed for a while. Sadly he was very ill and I suspect had been rejected. Even though he did not last long, I was pleased to have provided a bit of comfort for him in his last weeks.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 08:56 AM

Sen, a brother does have a cat that needs a very strict diet because of weight problems and I could also note that when we had Furball neutered, we were made aware of a free service the vets offered for neutered toms in case of weight problems. So there can be problems but, it's not one I've encountered (nor I think Pip with 82 years of knowing cats) and like you, our feeding can include treats like chicken...

It's always a bit hard when the cat has a short life but you have to (as you are) focus on the good. Or try to. None of the three that I suppose became or looked to be becoming more "my cat" since being here fared that well. We did have SnotCat for a small number of years though. Delia the other one, nursed from this found on a footpath and I think unlikely to have lasted another day in the wild to this who used to sleep on my bed did not see adult life. We think it was the then farm estate manager's Jack Russell that got her.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 18 - 12:14 PM

Over the years, several cats moved in with me from the street, and all but two of them lived to be senior citizens. Toms do less well than the ladies, dying young of urinary tract blockage and kidney failure. In my experience, female cats tend to die of kidney failure masked by thyroid problems (distressingly common) and, like humans, cancer and strokes.

I miss them all. Unlike people, I have only fond memories of cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Sep 18 - 06:51 PM

Jon, your Delia looks like a scrappy little thing.
Thanks for sharing your memories.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 06:23 AM

K. Delia was a bit of a wreck when my parents found her lying on a footpath. She had a (we think) brother with her but they were only able to catch the one. I don't know what happened to the other one.

She was very wild when we took her in and drew blood the first time I tried to handle her but she got used to people very quickly, recovered from her cat flu or whatever it was and became a friendly little creature.

She liked to play games and I think she was the only cat we had that would retrieve a toy - throw something for her and she would bring it back for another go.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 07:03 AM

We had a cat years ago called Simon-the-Pieman, a really super Siamese with tons of character. His brother, AndyPandy was rather boring and just wanted to snuggle/eat/sleep but he was a sweet chap all the same. (I used to get two litter mates every time, as they were company for each other)

Simon would retrieve any small toy thrown for him, just like a dog.
But his favourite occupation was pulling items from people's clothes line in their gardens. He'd then drag the things through the cat flap and present them to me very proudly.

He seemed to like bras very much, and would drag them about gleefully before bringing them indoors.

It was very embarrassing knocking on neighbours' doors holding a selection of bras and asking if they recognised any of them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 07:19 AM

Funny the way they can be so different. I have seen things brought in, the most surprising being Oedipuss MK1 (a white cat we had in N Wales) managing to get an adult rabbit through the cat flap but we've not had one I'd think of as a collector.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 08:45 AM

It's true Jon. Even brothers can differ enormously in character. Often, they don't even seem to much like each other!

The things dragged through our cat-flaps over the years have been astonishing. Every creature known to man in the last house. Even a whole pheasant!
The 'team' of five cats had it down to a fine art. The two best hunters would get the prey, often transporting it like two men with a stretcher. The others would muck in at the door, some pushing from the outside, and the others pulling from the inside.

Often the poor thing was still quite alive. The number of necks I've wrung over the years! I hated dispatching the prey but it would have been cruel to let them live mangled and injured.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 08:54 AM

None of my cats has ever been a collector. I feel cheated.

Because Ontario cities are rife with raccoons, I have never had a cat flap in an exterior door. This lack probably cramped my cats' style.

I would have paid serious money to see Eliza's gang of Siamese murderers lugging home their prey and shoving it through the cat flap ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 17 Sep 18 - 01:38 PM

Can't remember if I asked before but what are racoons like Charmion They always look so fun but I'd not see one in the UK. And do they often get along with cats or are they a danger to them.

They sort of look like potential pets from here but maybe not...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 01:21 PM

Raccoons are much bigger than cats, a lot tougher, and a lot smarter. Nobody in their right mind would keep one as a pet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 07:06 PM

I have seen probably thousands of raccoons over my 64 years of life, most of it spent in Ontario, but only one was "much bigger" than a cat; generally, coons around here run about the size of a large tomcat.

Raccoons are related to bears; like their bigger cousins, raccoons are fully plantigrade and omnivorous. For a small animal, the raccoon is formidably intelligent; they easily defeat the latches on compost and garbage bins carefully designed to keep them out. (In Toronto, a city crisis-crossed by ravines that make ideal raccoon habitat, people call them "trash pandas".) I have seen a family of raccoons (mum and four kits) work together to flip six-foot planks left out on the driveway, presumably in search of bugs and slugs and such small deer.

People do manage to tame raccoons that are found as weanling kits, but I've never heard of one being successfully house-trained. No city person should try it.

Cats flee from raccoons. A raccoon will kill and eat baby kittens, but won't bother with an adult cat -- too big, and too many claws to be convenient.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Sep 18 - 07:15 PM

Raccoons, bless them, are scavengers par excellence.
Have Appetite, Will Travel Anywhere to Eat Something.

There is a famous account
of young Marlon Brando keeping a raccoon for a pet,
bringing it to the West Coast with him.
He hung onto that little guy until it died.
Called it Russell, I think.

I recommend AVOIDING Brando's example.
Not good for the raccoon, and ruinous for anyone and everyone else.
Born to be wild, this scavenger.

Wish Tami / Ranger1 would chime in on this one --
she has probably encountered raccoons.
But then so might any ranger (SRS??).
But you don't have to be a ranger to encounter raccoons
because they populate all those urban margins which attract
coyotes and suchlike,
and the US has many such places.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 07:51 AM

When city-wide collection of organic garbage for composting was introduced in Ottawa, special green wheelie bins with solidly latched lids were distributed, one per household. The nannyish cleaning instructions that came with ours assured us that the latch was proof against raccoons so the bin could safely be left outside.

Within a week, the Ottawa Citizen published a feature story, complete with photos, by a reporter who rigged infra-red cameras around his green bin. Two raccoons were immortalized in the act of prying the lid open; one, clearly reacting to camera noise, is looking over his shoulder with an expression that says, "Do you mind? We're working here!"

We lived close to the Rideau River, where raccoons and skunks abound, so our green bin lived in the garage and never saw the great outdoors until the morning of garbage day.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 08:30 AM

We have foxes that like to rummage through rubbish/wheelie bins.
Like raccoons I imagine, they don't normally make good pets because they're essentially wild animals.
But people here have taken in baby squirrels, foxes, hedgehogs and other wild creatures and maintain that they become very domesticated and tame.

I saw an article in the newspaper yesterday that reported a cat stealing ladies panties from washing lines!! People thought a pervert was responsible, but when they set up a camera, they saw the little blighter doing exactly what Simon-the-Pieman did - grabbing the items and tugging them down from the pegs.

Luckily Simon restricted himself to bras. But once, some little girls in a nearby garden were having a dolls' tea party on their lawn, and Simon managed to snatch the little tablecloth and run off with it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 09:54 AM

A raccoon who can open an Ottawa green bin would have exactly zero problem with your standard North American refrigerator, and chaos would ensue. Messy chaos.

Squirrels and hedgehogs lack the initiative and stick-to-it-iveness, not to mention the hands, that your typical Ontario raccoon demonstrates on a daily basis. As for foxes -- well, maybe. But they, too, lack the trash panda's finger strength.

Most Canadian municipalities, even very small ones, have by-laws against keeping wild animals within town limits. People complain that their pet whatever (boa constrictor, tiger, kangaroo) is no problem, but on the whole their neighbours disagree. I would be exceedingly unhappy to discover that the people next door are keeping a "domesticated" raccoon, especially in row (terrace) housing.

I wonder what focussed Simon-the-Pieman's attention on small items of clothing? I can sort of understand a fascination with bras, having seen what our cats did to the tassels on the ends of a table runner, but underpants? That's weird.

We used to have a long-haired tuxedo cat name of Lucy who liked rolled-up socks. If she got into the sock drawer or found a basket of unattended laundry, she would seize a sock ball in her teeth and carry it around the house for hours.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 10:02 AM

One of our cats came through the catflap one morning carrying a still-warm bacon sandwich in her mouth. A neighbour must have left a window open a few seconds too long.

The same cat had a thing about gloves. She'd had one litter of three kittens, one of them stillborn. For the rest of her life, she would pick up a glove and carry it around like a kitten, then gently put it down and meow pathetically to it when it didn't move.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 19 Sep 18 - 12:53 PM

Oh Jack that's so sad. Poor little thing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 20 Sep 18 - 09:55 AM

What is it about a bacon sandwich that makes me laugh like a drain? The very phrase "bacon sandwich" is enough to set me off.

I strongly believe that cats mourn when a sibling or a kitten dies, or even another cat in the household who was not related by blood. They certainly feel the loss of human companions; their efforts to find the missing person are unmistakable.

My first husband, Mr Wrong, was a lousy spouse but very good to cats. When he finally left (or was pushed; it's debatable), the three cats then in residence, and the two pensioners who dropped in daily for grub and company, all showed signs of missing him, sitting on me obsessively in shifts and wandering about shouting.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Sep 18 - 06:40 AM

We had the fright of our lives last night at about 3am. We always have our bedroom window wide open (bungalow) and suddenly a Being jumped through it and landed on the carpet, making strange sounds.

We shot out of bed, and it turned out to be That Cat (Spirit the Nuisance) He'd decided it would be rather nice to get into bed with us, the blighter.

Our cats are always shut in the kitchen/utility room and don't go out at night, so they never knew what had occurred.

Husband grabbed my glass of water from the bedside table, opened the front door and 'persuaded' the poor thing to exit swiftly.


We're going to have to open only the small louvred window at night (he can't get through that).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 30 Sep 18 - 08:48 AM

Raccoon charming

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Sep 18 - 11:23 AM

Eliza, do you not have window screens in Norfolk? They work, not only on flies and mosquitoes, but also on rats, cats and -- yes! -- spiders. I promise.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Sep 18 - 12:05 PM

Ooooh Charmion, that's a good idea! Wouldn't mind rats or mosquitoes, but SPIDERS?! Anything that keeps them (and Spirit!) out is favourite!

Those raccoons being charmed seemed to be feeding on a line of food on the ground. I wonder if they've come to associate the flutey music with grub?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 Oct 18 - 12:55 PM

Eliza/Senoufou, once again the nefarious misdeeds of Spirit
recall a song I quoted many posts ago.

"The polis station doon oor way
Has baurs oan the windae sull
They're no tae keep the prisoners in
They're tae keep oot Sam the Skull"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 Oct 18 - 02:04 PM

Well, today a small miracle occurred. Spirit was hanging around whingeing for food, so I put a plate out for him plus some milk. SmokeyPokey looked peeved as usual, but after he'd eaten, Spirit came right up to him, nose-to-nose and they both sniffed each other. Neither growled or lifted a paw. Then they went on to sniff each other's bottom (always a good sign!) and it's looking as though a Peace Treaty has been signed.

Not only that, but while Ruth and I were sitting on the bench in the sunshine, Logie and Molly came past. Their owners let them off their leashes and they bounded into our garden. They gave Ruth a 'kiss' (slobbery) and offered me a paw. Both dogs and both cats, Ruth, Steve, Anne and I had a little chat together, and it was just lovely.

I'm now wondering if I dreamed it!!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 03 Oct 18 - 11:05 AM

"I strongly believe that cats mourn when a sibling or a kitten dies, or even another cat in the household who was not related by blood."

Not sure there.

Oedipuss who had been a bit scared of SnotCat was back to “king cat” when he realised the latter had gone. Strutting around and asserting himself…

More generally though, they do seem to know something is amiss and seem appear a little disturbed for a while.

Mind you, cats are funny creatures in another way in that they get used to how things are “supposed to be”. Things like a furniture rearrangement or say with Snotcat either Pip or I not in the living room for the last bit of the night can throw them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Oct 18 - 01:32 PM

Puss-puss has turned up last 2 days. Yesterday, I fed him the first three pouches then (as we were on Wiltshire farms, rather than our own (mostly mine) cooking yesterday, so microwave one meal at a time), had Pip feed him the last one, apparently plus some "cat milk~" which he relished.

And he's back again tonight....

Can;t work out his ways at all. But he knows (and expects) that this is a "drop in point~" for food if he needs.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Oct 18 - 01:46 PM

You're like me Jon - I can't refuse any cat that arrives at our door apparently hungry. And we always have spare grub, tail ends of cat-food pouches, bits of chicken, slices of ham etc.
Spirit has taken to lounging on our bench in front of the house from about 6am. It faces south and he basks in the sunshine. He's definitely of the opinion that this would make a good 'gaff' to move into!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Oct 18 - 01:56 PM

Had a lot of food in, firstly 'cause of Mewan and then Furball but will have to be getting more in soon...

Spirit sounds yet another mystery but glad things seem to be going well.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 06:59 AM

But he knows (and expects) that this is a "drop in point~" for food if he needs.

And sometimes I can almost imagine him going through his list of “food outlets” and thinking “I didn’t think much of them last night, I’ll try this place today” or “they gave me cat milk and I liked that so they are worth another visit”. And he might make similar choices about his “places of residence” (of which, the old pigsties may be in favour again, he left in that direction last night).

But I guess it’s all rather more mundane survival stuff. A “food source” might go on holiday or move. Other events (eg our arrival of Furball) may make a place less desirable. And it’s possible he just feels more comfortable moving around a bit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Oct 18 - 07:49 AM

It sounds a bit like us in the Food Hall of the shopping mall in Norwich Jon - a selection of food outlets, and we decide what we fancy that day and which one to visit.

A neighbour told me this morning that the couple who own Spirit have just taken in two kittens!! So they now have four cats and three dogs.
That explains why poor old Spirit is haunting our garden so much.

We left our front door open today (lovely warm sunny weather) and before we knew it, he was in our kitchen, hoovering up yet more grub from our own cats' plates. SmokeyPokey was thoroughly disgusted and said some very, very rude Siamese words.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 03:57 PM

We have to stay tuned
to the adventures of Spirit the Skull (sort of)
and Puss Puss here.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 04:07 PM

I've been feeling sorry for poor old Sam the Skull Spirit. I get up at around 6am, and there he always is, sitting on my garden bench waiting for the curtains to open.
As soon as he sees my face through the window he miaows with joy.
I go into the kitchen, collect any food our spoilt pair haven't eaten and take it outside, together with a small dish of milk. He nearly explodes with pleasure and wolfs down the lot while I sit on the bench in my dressing gown and slippers.
After he's licked the plates clean he rubs his poor little head on my knee and chirrups.
Over the last couple of weeks he's started to look much healthier. He's put on a bit of weight, his fur looks in better condition and his eyes are clearer.
I can't refuse him. I've decided he needs this support. Our two seem reigned, and I don't let him sit inside the house. I hope I'm doing the right thing!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 04:09 PM

'resigned' not 'reigned'. Although they do 'reign' jointly over our household!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 04:25 PM

PussPuss is back to being a regular here for now. He's been turning up at any time from 5pm to 11pm and I think he's only missed one day since this last round of visits started.

Sen. I guess I'd probably be a bit nervous about feeding someone else's cat but it certainly does sound as if he needs your support and that he's looking healthier for it does back that up. I think you are doing the right thing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 04:36 PM

Ah thanks Jon. His owners are really very nice people. The lady confided in me that she lost her first husband to suicide, which I found dreadfully sad.

It's just that they have so many animals and are out all day at work. I wonder if their three dogs guzzle all the available food and Spirit doesn't get a look-in. Goodness knows how their new kittens are surviving!

I do feel bad feeding their cat,I wouldn't like it if it was ours being surreptitiously fed by some crazy old woman across the road!

Glad that PussPuss is still regularly appearing. These cats don't half know where to come for some spoiling don't they? We must have 'MUG' written on our foreheads Jon!
I just can't resist any living creature that seems to need a bit of TLC.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 21 Oct 18 - 07:29 PM

Our Ollie (ginger, about 11, with an odd curly tail like a husky) has suddenly started demanding far more food than ever before. This typically means stomping all over us before dawn to inform us that a food bowl is running low; for the last couple of years his normal routine has been to disappear almost all day, hardly eat at all, and just come back to sleep. His mum Marblecake, who hardly goes out, hasn't changed her eating habits at all. So my guess is he'd found a soft touch neighbour who has just moved away.

We once had it the other way round. There was a big old grey and white tomcat who had founded a dynasty of grey and white offspring and was the undisputed Top Cat of the neighbourhood. But he got caught outside on the coldest night the village had seen for decades. He obviously knew about our catflap and jumped in to try and keep warm - only to walk into a stakeout by the team of six cats we had then (who operated with military discipline at times). He fled almost immediately. I'd have happily taken the poor old guy in for the night and shut him in the bathroom, but ours weren't having it.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Oct 18 - 04:22 AM

Ah Jack, that's why we shut our two terrors in the kitchen/utility room at night. Otherwise they'd be plodding all over us in bed and trying to get under the duvet, sit on our heads etc. (Not for food, or because they adore us, but to make use of the warmth!)

My husband does the evening feeds - two bowls, one of best-quality Purina sachet meat in gravy, and one of 'real' chopped roast chicken, or tuna, or minced beef or flaked cod) and also a dish of Iams biscuits, so that if they get the munchies they can crunch on those if their other food is all gone.

I do the midday feeds (same Michelin menu) but I still get the Swiping Paw attacks while eating my lunch. If it's a tuna sandwich, a crafty cat will try to whisk it out of my grasp with a handy claw, while the other miscreant will try the pleading eyes and starving-to-death act.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SamStone
Date: 22 Oct 18 - 11:21 AM

12 balls of fur inside and outside in the barn.to me to watch them doing what cats do is akin to watching a ballet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Oct 18 - 12:15 PM

I know just what you mean Sam. I could sit and watch cats all day long, especially kittens.

When we've had kittens in the house, they've been extremely entertaining, zooming up the curtains and sitting on the curtain rails, getting inside a cardboard box (I always had one or two of those for them to play in) and poking a paw out at a passing sibling. They even used to shin up our clothes to sit on our shoulders.

I was often frightened out of my life by a hidden cat suddenly flinging itself at me and grabbing my cardigan with its sharp little claws.

And we had five cats in our last house, it was like Monty Python's Flying Circus!

Our two are very sedate nowadays, but then, so are we!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 23 Oct 18 - 04:41 AM

Now it's getting colder Marblecake has found a new place to get warm.

Any time I sit on the loo she immediately curls up in my trousers between my feet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 23 Oct 18 - 06:00 AM

Pwahahahahaaaaaaaaaaagh Jack! I'm doubled up after reading that!
Hee hee, has Marblecake no sense of...er...smell??

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 23 Oct 18 - 08:58 AM

Watson has grown too large for his reliable kitten trick of flinging himself straight up in the air to land somewhere on ny upper torso, but that has not stopped him. At least once a day, he announces his intentions and spends a good few minutes working up his nerve while he edges me into position. On a good day, he finds a stop-over on the table or the stairs and steps onto my shoulder like a gentleman, but occasionally he goes for broke and leaps from the floor, in full confidence that I will catch him and boost him into position. I had better, if I don’t want my shirt ripped to shreds.

This performance never fails to get a laugh from Himself.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: SamStone
Date: 24 Oct 18 - 08:15 PM

how 'bout a barn full...last count 18 give or take...three in the house ...all have been neutered or spayed and the barn is climate controlled for all the animals...pigs and goats and an old dog or two. To me animals are better than most humans and most certainly better than all politicians. we seem to elect some real snakes.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 Oct 18 - 11:15 AM

I felt sorry for PussPuss last night. When I spotted him on the cold damp night, he was closer to the porch than usual and staring at the porch. I fed him in his usual outside place and when I checked back later he was back where he was before, staring at the porch. It was almost as if he wished he was inside. We tried calling him but that just resulted in him hiding under the car. Again, I don't think he'll ever understand a welcome.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 28 Oct 18 - 12:24 PM

That's really sad Jon. It was very cold here in Norfolk last night wasn't it?
I remember when 'Solo' appeared in the snow in the huge garden of our last house. He too was gazing wistfully at the lighted windows, lifting up one paw after the other as his feet were slowly freezing.

He fled when I appeared bearing a plate of food for him. But crept up to eat it once I went indoors.
I actually cried, it was so pitiful.

Little by little he got used to seeing me. I took to taking a mat onto the patio and sitting there on the ground, with the dish of grub not too far from me. (I hate the cold and it nearly killed me, but still...)
He gradually ate his food warily with me beside him, but I didn't move or try to touch him, just gently spoke a few words each time.
This went on for days.

Then I moved the dish nearer to the back door. Eventually, he peered in and saw the other cats stretched out sleeping in the warmth, and poked his nose in for a split second.

Finally, he decided to risk it and came indoors. I left the door ajar (waste of heat, but there it is) and he plastered himself against a radiator and fell asleep.
The other cats were strangely accepting of him. I think they sensed his suffering.
He absolutely adored us after that, and would sit literally wrapped around my neck while I watched TV.
We had to work on his matted fur, fleas, worms and general ill health.
After two years though, his belly swelled alarmingly and the vet told me he had advanced liver disease and advised euthanasia.
I sobbed, but one has to do what's best.
At least he'd had two years of love and luxury.
My husband was terribly upset as well, but agreed we'd done the right thing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 28 Oct 18 - 12:29 PM

(yep, it was cold night. Another like that and I'll be starting lighting the living room wood burner after tea for the season)

You did well with Solo.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 28 Oct 18 - 12:48 PM

In the country, the life of a lost or strayed cat is terribly hard. Not that it's any treat in the city, but at least the dangerous urban environment offers enough humans to raise the odds of at least one hospitable household per acre into the "possible" range.

When my family lived in a country village, stray cats would appear at the kitchen door and more often than not my parents would at least offer food. I remember one who moved in with us, a little grey female my mother named Susie, but she was so traumatized that she never settled down properly to being a housecat. She disappeared one day, and I never learned her fate. That was well over fifty years ago, and still a sad memory.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 18 - 11:13 AM

ah, the cats that got away ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Nov 18 - 10:39 PM

here kitty kitty kitty (USA, obviously)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 03:48 AM

It's now very chilly in the mornings, and today it was raining. Very dismal. But on The Bench waited poor old Spirit, and when I opened the curtains he flung himself at the window and tried to touch me through the glass.

Of course, I let him in (6am!). He was soaking wet. I fetched him a plate of grub and a small saucer of milk, which he loves. He gobbled it down in the hall.

Meanwhile SmokeyPokey was glaring at him from the study door. I feared a fight, but no. He approached the 'guest' confidently, sniffed him all over, then set off for his usual place on the sofa.

Spirit finished his breakfast and shuffled off down the road.
I can't let him stay in our house all day, his owners would be cross and our cats wouldn't be comfortable.

Murphy is still losing weight by the day, although he's eating regularly and not in any pain (I've checked him over thoroughly). I'm so sad, but as he isn't suffering I'll 'wait and see' for the time being. :(

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 04:31 AM

Poor cat. Is there not a sheltered spot he could use?

Mind you, cats vary. Mewan would usually go under the oil tank and wait for a call if she found herself locked out in the rain. Oedipuss would be more likely to go under the car. Snotcat on the other hand would climb on the wood bunker and try to get my attention from my window, sometimes getting himself soaked through before I spotted him.

We did buy a shelter for PussPuss to wait in and placed it close to where he is fed but he’s never used it. He tends not to turn up on a day with prolonged periods of rain though. I guess he figures he can make up for the lack of food the next day?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:33 AM

Eliza, do you suppose Spirit's people are the kind who think they're doing their cat a favour by putting him out at night?

I once had neighbours who treated their cat that way, and he would arrive at my house early in the morning and spend most of the day. He would go home at suppertime, presumably to check in for the evening, and the next day at dawn he would be on the step outside my kitchen door to repeat the routine. I was on the brink of taking him to the vet for shots, worming etc. when I learned that he actually belonged to the house three doors up.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:51 AM

Spirit could probably find somewhere more sheltered, but it seems he waits on 'sentry duty' on the bench as he knows I open the curtains at roughly the same time each day.
He's out all night, as once he leapt through our bedroom window in the early hours and scared the life out of us!

His owners are very nice people, but they walk their three dogs in the morning then go off to work. They have four cats in all, Spirit, Marmite and two new kittens.

I wonder, as he's a rescued cat, if he's got into the habit of scrounging round folks' doors for food, and still does it in spite of having a home.

To my mind (being judgemental here!) one shouldn't really have seven animals, including two kittens, and be out all day long while they fend for themselves in the house and garden. I worry that all the animals fight over the food and some don't get a look-in.

Perhaps I've been a bit daft giving him a snack, but I'm soft-hearted and can't turn away any animal (or human!) that seems in need.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:51 AM

Spirit could probably find somewhere more sheltered, but it seems he waits on 'sentry duty' on the bench as he knows I open the curtains at roughly the same time each day.
He's out all night, as once he leapt through our bedroom window in the early hours and scared the life out of us!

His owners are very nice people, but they walk their three dogs in the morning then go off to work. They have four cats in all, Spirit, Marmite and two new kittens.

I wonder, as he's a rescued cat, if he's got into the habit of scrounging round folks' doors for food, and still does it in spite of having a home.

To my mind (being judgemental here!) one shouldn't really have seven animals, including two kittens, and be out all day long while they fend for themselves in the house and garden. I worry that all the animals fight over the food and some don't get a look-in.

Perhaps I've been a bit daft giving him a snack, but I'm soft-hearted and can't turn away any animal (or human!) that seems in need.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 18 - 08:51 AM

Aaaaaaagh! Why has this posted twice????

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Nov 18 - 12:35 AM

Never mind, Eliza/Senoufou,
it kept the cat thread from dropping out of sight anyway.

Perhaps a nice Mudelf will drop by...
and delete...
my post.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Nov 18 - 11:18 AM

What the latest about your attempts to deal with

"keep oot Sam the Skull"-Spirit?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 05:07 AM

6 months ago one of our beloved cats died suddenly. I was too upset to even mention it on here. Two months after that we put our other cat (the son of the first) into a cattery when we went on holiday.

The little bugger escaped by pulling an air vent off the wall and knocking the outside cover off. That was 4 months ago.

We searched the streets night after night to no avail.

Earlier this week my son said he thought he had seen Mickey in the garden and when we came home in the early hours of Thursday morning my lovely big boy had found his own way home.

To say we are delighted is a gross understatement, we were ecstatic. He has not shut up for the past 4 days telling us his story and we had been feeding him all his favourites, including smoked salmon !

One thing puzzles me however. How on earth did he find his way home it's almost 3 miles to the Cattery and the other side of town and on the other side of a river. (There are bridges so he didn't swim!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 05:32 AM

So sorry about your cat that died Raggytash. But how wonderful that your 'escapee' managed to get back across three miles of unfamiliar territory!

I reckon cats have a good instinctive sense of direction (like migrating birds) They can sniff the air and recognise the smell of their home area. (Just a theory!)

Sam the Skull is still around keberoxu. My husband is just as soft as me. He's always on the lookout for the thing around our garden and rushes into the kitchen to prepare a dish and a bowl of milk.

In fact, Spirit has just this minute left the premises. He's been in our hall on the doormat scoffing a sachet of best Purina Gourmet food and a small saucer of milk. Our cats ignore him now, and he's stopped being aggressive towards them. He has a lovely little 'chirrup' as a greeting. Husband calls him 'Le Mendiant' (beggar)

We keep our bedroom window only slightly open at night now, to prevent an unauthorised visit during the small hours!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 05:50 AM

One does sometimes read stories of animals finding their way home over even longer distances. I don't know how it works but one suggestion I've read is some sensitivity to the earth's magnetic fields.

Whatever, glad your catty friend is back, Raggy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 09:06 AM

Different kind of lost cat story. My neighbour Fiona across the road was a cat fanatic who had Somalis (purebred, expensive, manic little things with huge fluffy tails). She got one as a kitten intending to breed her, but once she came into heat Foxy wasn't going to wait for a human to provide her with an approved mate and broke out of the house in search of nookie. She was gone for a few days before Fiona found her, a mile away.

Which raises more questions about the owner's mental capacities than it does about the cat's. What kind of woman can identify accurately enough with the mindset of a cat in heat to locate her in the undergrowth beside a disused railway line at the other end of the village nowhere near any road?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 18 Nov 18 - 09:20 AM

If she was anything like me Jack she probably spent hours and hours walking everywhere looking in every nook and cranny.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 24 Nov 18 - 12:13 PM

A couple of odd experiences with PussPuss over the past week.

He took a half hearted swipe at Pip. He’d been a bit bolder with her and Pip managed to hold a bit of chicken near his face. It’s not clear whether his move was a defensive (“no closer”), a nervous attempt to knock the meat out of her hand or a sort of “get a move on and go away, you silly old fool, so I can eat in peace”.

He was on the wood bunker outside my window last night. It had been an odd day where we’d had an oak tree lopped which did change his usual feeding area (but he was back waiting closer to there this evening) so maybe that affected him but he was still unusually close to the house. He went into very nervous mode though when I (who had not seen him until he moved after I opened the porch door) went outside and he did one sort of “run away” to be called back, kept away from me when I put the food out and did a round about “belly crawl” and “out of sight” route of getting to it after I returned to the house.

I don’t know… once in a while lately, I can feel he would like the house type environment but after a bit over 4 years of “knowing him” on and off and him being a wild adult at that point, it remains difficult to imagine he’d ever really start to trust or want to make friends.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Nov 18 - 01:10 PM

Aw Jon, poor little thing. There was a bit of a frost a few nights ago here in Norfolk wasn't there? Puss-Puss is probably longing for a bit of warmth (just like Solo) but is too feral to dare to approach you.
It's so distressing.

Spirit (Sam the Skull) was on 'The Bench' at 6am this morning and nearly threw himself through the window glass to get to me when I opened the curtains of the sitting room. He has quite a feeble little miaow, but he tries to do it louder.

When I opened the front door he shot in like a torpedo. But I put the dish of spare grub on the front step. I'm a bit wary of encouraging him too much to come into the house. He has a home after all, and I don't want to get on the wrong side of his owners, they're very nice people.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 24 Nov 18 - 09:26 PM

I'm not sure if I have a cat or not. A lovely seal-point Himalayan tom has been hanging around the house on a part-time basis, mostly at night. I started leaving food out for him and, after overcoming his initial shyness, he's become quite affectionate and loves to be petted and played with. He has definitely been someone's pet, not a feral. He may have been abandoned. (We live on a country road where a lot of thoughtless fools drop off unwanted pets.) But he may belong to a neighbor and just doesn't like to stay home. I suppose I should buy him a collar and attach a note with my phone number on it. If I don't hear back, I can assume he's abandoned and then go through the formal adoption process. (A trip to the vet for shots and neutering.) If he does belong to a neighbor, I guess he gets to keep his balls. I'm not neutering someone else's cat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 04:28 AM

Goodness me Bee, a pedigree cat of that breed (we call them 'Persian' here) is very valuable. Someone must have paid a lot of money for him. Here it costs about £700 at least for a Persian kitten, and that would just be what's known as 'pet quality' (not sufficiently perfect for Cat Shows).
I wonder if he's been micro-chipped?

I can't imagine how anyone could be so blooming cruel as to abandon an unwanted cat far from home, it's a wicked thing to do isn't it?

It's so tricky knowing what to do with food-begging cats. Are they someone's pet? Are they lost and starving? Are they just trying it on?
I reckon your idea of attaching a note to a collar is favourite. If there's no response, off come his nuts!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 04:45 AM

If he really is someone's pedigree cat, perhaps for breeding, I'd not see his owners (if any) being too chuffed about castration! (mind you, they should be more careful).

Another thing you can do (and we did with Furball) is to scan (or have someone scan) the cat for a microchip.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 04:58 AM

(Sorry Sen. I missed you had already mentioned the microchip...)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 05:48 AM

That's a good point Jon. An entire pedigree cat is valuable for stud purposes.
The breeders of Siamese kittens I encountered always had a 'stud suite' and kept their tom indoors. Entire males tend to roam quite a large territory looking for nookie, and also they pick fights and get torn ears and so on.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 11:25 AM

This image is a fair likeness of "my" mystery cat. He has the "doll" face (head the shape of most cats), not the "Peke" face with squashed in features. He has white "socks" on a couple of feet which I imagine is a disqualifying trait for breeding stock.

If he stays around here, he's definitely getting neutered, purebred or not. I've already given vets enough money to patch up cats who've been in fights.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 25 Nov 18 - 12:55 PM

Bee, I owe you an apology. I've just been looking up Himlalayan cats, and they're Persian crossed with Siamese, so they don't have the 'pug' faces of pure longhair Persian ones.
They also have the blue eyes of Siamese cats.
Sadly they are not recognised as a breed by the GCCF for showing.

I'd get any male cat neutered, because unfortunately not only do they roam and fight, but their wee stinks.

Sam the Skull ('Spirit') has been a naughty boy again. We got home from shopping and all the neighbours came over to tell us there'd been one hell of a fracas in our front garden. The savage wee beast had had an awful ding-dong with someone's black cat (ours were safe indoors) and the girl next door had seen him off with a broom.

He's apparently 16 years old. But still full of aggression towards other moggies!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 06:01 AM

Had a repeat performance of PussPuss on the bunker last night. This time with Pip spotting him. Same old "scaredy cat" mode when spotted, followed by the "you can't see me" approach to get to the food when put down. I guess he must think he's going to be in trouble for going there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 07:17 AM

He does sound quite feral Jon. But it's very kind of you to keep offering food, especially as the weather is now cold and wet.

(By the way, when I was moaning about wood burners on another thread, I wasn't implying that YOU burn rubbish and pollute the air, I was having a whinge about all our neighbours round here, who don't use proper wood or dry it out correctly. We actually loved our open log fire in our last house, and all five cats would stretch out on the rug in front of the grate. We only burned well-seasoned and dried-out logs (stacked under our carport) Our chimney only smoked a tiny bit when we lit the fire with kindling.)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 07:32 AM

I'm pleased to report that Mickey has settled down a great deal.

He was always a "special needs" cat. Very, very nervous, hated being picked up, refused to sit next to you and was generally not a person puss.

In the past week and a bit he has averaged 5-6 pouches of food a day plus cat biscuits plus treats plus bits of chicken and smoked salmon.

He "talked" incessantly for 5 days but has quietened down a bit now. He still makes his presence felt in the early hours of the morning though, ensuring we are awake when he comes in.

At present he is curled up next to the radiator with a full tum as both my wife and I fed him when we got up.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 07:37 AM

He's got an open door here if he ever wanted it Sen... But yep as said before, he is a true feral and (not that I think we've had dealings with another like that) is quite different to say a Furball or BDYA's findling that show some ability or desire to at least communicate in some way (other than hisses) with us.

(No problems re the fire.)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 07:37 AM

That's great, Raggy!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 12:31 PM

We got cat tree last week and are delighted to see the cats use it, sometimes all at once.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: DMcG
Date: 26 Nov 18 - 01:14 PM

Cross referencing to the 'Scientists on GBP50 note thread: my daughter's cat is called Ada Lovelace.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: DMcG
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 02:06 AM

Ada Lovelace, as she appeared in the UK periodical "The Lady".

Pete was not entirely pleased to be listed with my daughter's surname, rather than his own. Maybe he got a little insight into what changing a surname on marriage can feel like! :)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 03:47 AM

Ah what a dear little cat DMcG!

Do some husbands actually take their new wife's surname? I know one or two young married couples where they have each kept their own name, and their children have double-barrelled surnames.
I didn't take my husband's name - people would only respond with a puzzled look and "Can you spell that please?"

I do wish I could be more creative with cats' names. I'm hopeless at coming up with anything interesting, and the poor things have been lumbered with Snowy, Blackie, Smokey etc. I don't suppose they mind though.
Donuel, I've never had a cat tree, it sounds like a good idea, especially for kittens and young cats. All our Siamese cats have gaily used the curtains, the furniture, and of course trees in the garden for climbing and gymnastics.
Sadly nowadays, our two don't even want to go outside at all. They can barely struggle up onto the sofa they're so old and decrepit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: DMcG
Date: 27 Nov 18 - 04:16 PM

Do some husbands actually take their new wife's surname? 

I know one: he had a severe stammer and you may know that, because your name is often the first thing you say to strangers, a lot of stammerers find their own name hard to say. So he took her name to jettison that history.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 11:12 AM

I can't recall it from memory now,
but what the previous post called to mind is
the T. S. Eliot practical-cat poem about a cat thinking about the thought of a thought of a name.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 11:19 AM

The Naming Of Cats by T. S. Eliot

The Naming of Cats is a difficult matter,
It isn't just one of your holiday games;
You may think at first I'm as mad as a hatter
When I tell you, a cat must have THREE DIFFERENT NAMES.
First of all, there's the name that the family use daily,
Such as Peter, Augustus, Alonzo or James,
Such as Victor or Jonathan, George or Bill Bailey --
All of them sensible everyday names.
There are fancier names if you think they sound sweeter,
Some for the gentlemen, some for the dames:
Such as Plato, Admetus, Electra, Demeter --
But all of them sensible everyday names.
But I tell you, a cat needs a name that's particular,
A name that's peculiar, and more dignified,
Else how can he keep up his tail perpendicular,
Or spread out his whiskers, or cherish his pride?
Of names of this kind, I can give you a quorum,
Such as Munkustrap, Quaxo, or Coricopat,
Such as Bombalurina, or else Jellylorum --
Names that never belong to more than one cat.
But above and beyond there's still one name left over,
And that is the name that you never will guess;
The name that no human research can discover --
But THE CAT HIMSELF KNOWS, and will never confess.
When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
His mind is engaged in a rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of his name:
His ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Nov 18 - 01:44 PM

Brava, Charmion! Thank you!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 01:25 PM

The cat-tree disclosure reminds me of the catlovers who
redesigned their home interiors to provide
catwalks, near the ceiling, for their resident cats.

The man of the house, who did a lot of the heavy lifting, remarked:
"Cats like to look down on people."

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 01:48 PM

Do some husbands actually take their new wife's surname?

This happened fairly often among the Scottish aristocracy, where adopting your wife's surname could be a condition for acquiring her wealth.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Dec 18 - 02:05 PM

Hahaa Jack! I might try that. The head of Clan Mackay is a Lord of the same name as me. I could certainly get my husband to take it, but it would sit a bit oddly with his first name, which is a Muslim one.
I've been trying for ages to get him to try on a kilt, but to no avail.
He'd be the first ever Celtic African!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 06:56 PM

Not the first ever, Eliza. The Black Watch of Canada is a Primary Reserve regiment based in Montreal, which has substantial communities of francophone African immigrants from such garden spots as Rwanda, Burundi and Côte d'Ivoire, and is the centre of Canada's large Haitian community. When I last saw the pipes and drums of the Black Watch at the Glengarry Highland Games (in Maxville, Ontario), a good quarter of the band was a lot blacker than their tartan.

That's how we roll in these parts.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 07:26 PM

I used to know an extremely black Jamaican whose surname was Douglas - a lot of slavemasters came from southwest Scotland and gave their name to their slaves, much as clan chiefs used to do back home.

The Douglases had two subclans. My friend couldn't tell me if he was a Black Black Douglas or a Black Red Douglas.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 04:26 AM

Oh my word! That's extremely interesting! He's enchanted with the idea now.
There's a shop in Norwich which hires out wedding outfits for men, and one can buy them too. He bought a lovely suit there for his Citizenship ceremony. They do kilts in any tartan, and sporrans, sgian dhub, lacy jabots and so on.
My tartan, Clan Mackay, is a lovely dark green, blue and black. He'd look very nice in that.
Imagine him arriving in Abidjan off the plane and coming through the gate of his family compound in Adjame in full Highland regalia!!!
They'd faint with shock. (So would he, it's about 40 degrees there and he'd have heat stroke)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 10:18 AM

I think that would be cool beyond words, Eliza.

My Welsh husband dresses up in his Thomas of Wales kilt at the drop of an occasion, even at the height of summer. The tartan is a scarlet and green check that stops people in the street to point and take his picture. He wears it with a fancy beaver sporran and a Sherrifmuir jacket with dragons embroidered on the epaulets. He looks totally luscious. In contrast, when he is figged out so brilliantly, I normally wear black with a big rope of pearls. (They're freshwater but they look as good as the heirloom kind.)

The wearing of all this splendour always comes with a moment of reflection on the scorn and ridicule his rock-ribbed kin, especially of the older generation, would pour on his head if they could see him now. The Welsh have a bitter streak of tall-poppyism to them -- kinda sad, if you ask me.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 01:31 PM

Cor Charmion, I bet he looks magnificent dressed like that!
Husband likes Buchanan tartan (very colourful) but I'm not a Buchanan so he can't have that.
I have a fantasy of arriving in Adjame for Eid (the people always wear their most beautiful African costumes for that) with both of us dressed in Highland outfits. But his kilt wouldn't be acceptable because men's legs must be covered. Ditto for me. Also, we'd be dripping with sweat (I always am anyway over there) and compared to their gorgeous materials which really zing, our tartans would be a bit dull to be honest.
Talking of cats' names (which we were originally) I do like the Macavity (the cat who was never there)
As I write, Spirit (Sam the Skull) is beside me in the sitting room wolfing down a plate of food and a small saucer of milk. He's soaking wet as he's been sitting on our doorstep for hours. Our two are completely ignoring him, so no growls or spits.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 10:32 AM

PussPuss has not been seen in a week. I didn’t expect to see him on the first day of absence as it tipped it down all day and he will skip the odd day like that but I would have expected to have seen him by now. I hope he’s OK – he probably is – he’s most likely just moved on again for his own reasons.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 05:01 PM

Since everyone's a critic,
What does your cat think of your musicianship?
The old cat like it but the young cats run away.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 06:26 PM

What the cats made of my piano playing,
back in the day, did not get my attention.

As related elsewhere, however,
my singing -- if I made the mistake of singing while seated --
made the cat run over, jump on me, and shove one paw
into -- not against, into -- my mouth to shut me up.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 06:31 PM

I hope PussPuss is okay too Jon. It's been so windy, wet and chilly here in Norfolk hasn't it?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 08 Dec 18 - 06:49 PM

Yep, Sen, it seems a while since we've had a day where it hasn't rained at some point, etc. If it's any consolation, I was on the phone to a sister in law in N W Wales this morning. Apparently they have been having pretty much the same weather.

---
Donuel, I think cats and musical noises cropped up a couple of months ago. Briefly though Furball's reaction to my playing single note melody (Madame Bonaparte IIRC) on guitar was quite odd. Oedipuss was bothered by whistling sounds. I could get a little reaction from Mewan if I tried to mimic a "Mew-an" call on mandolin or higher guitar notes. I can't think of any others.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 02:59 PM

Don't lose your pussy cats.
Missed you yesterday.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Dec 18 - 06:42 PM

it's been almost a week
and nobody talking about their cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stanron
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 03:32 AM

I love this thread. I don't have cats but I have had, in the past, the pleasure of their company. There is an honesty in cat's behaviour that I find indisputable. Please keep your stories coming.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 04:05 AM

SmokeyPokey has started doing what most elderly cats do, which is random yowling.

He yowls when he first sees me in the morning. ("Where the hell have you been eh?")

He yowls when he reckons it's time for a snack, even though he's just been fed. ("I'm starving to death here you idiot. Fetch food at ONCE!")

He yowls when we get ready to go out. ("Now where the hell are you two off to? Come back at once, I shall die here alone if you leave me!")

He yowls when he wants to join us on the bed in the early morning. ("Let me in there THIS MINUTE! Don't hog that lovely cosy duvet all to yourselves you pigs!")

And embarrassingly, he yowls when he's just used the litter tray. ("Tah dah! I've just done a superbly stinky poo for you to deal with! And I may have missed the litter tray slightly. Heh heh!")

My poor husband has taken to telling him "Eh boh dah!" which is F*** off! in Malinke. Luckily I don't think SmokeyPokey understands Malinke.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 09:37 AM

At five years old, our cats are still relatively young, but both of them occasionally tune up with an apparently random yowl. It seems to happen most often when the yowler is separated from the rest of the household, and I have decided that these howls are demands for reassurance, or guidance to the nearest human.

Our cats don't meow at each other, only to us. They certainly communicate with each other, but not with the full-voiced MEE-IAOU that means "Do this thing for me right now", such as delivering the five o'clock treat, or the meeker mew that means "If you don't mind, I would like to exercise this privilege that you have extended to me in the past", such as drinking from the kitchen tap. Those vocalizations seem to be reserved for use with humans.

With each other, Watson and Isobel are largely silent, although they play together (sometimes quite violently) and spend hours snoozing together, often with Watson's arms wrapped around Isobel's neck. It has occurred to me that they might be conversing telepathically.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 11:11 AM

You're right Charmion. This yowling is always cat-to-human, never cat-to-cat. It must have evolved over the centuries so that domestic animals can communicate their wants and needs to us.

Our other cat, Murphy, is sadly deteriorating and is now quite weak. We put a lovely soft new cat bed right in front of the radiator, behind the TV table. Every morning he has only one desire - to get to that warm corner and get into that bed.

When I go into the kitchen at 6am, he manages quite a loud yowl, meaning, "Oh please let me out of here so I can sink into that soft warm bed!" The rest of the time he makes no noise at all.

Sam the Skull (Spirit) doesn't yowl (he's not a Siamese) but has a pathetic little 'mew'. I know I shouldn't but I usually pop a plate of something out on the front step for him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 03:25 PM

I think kittens will meow to their mothers but after that, the meow only continues to have a use if the cat is to communicate with humans.

I think a cat that didn't experience interaction with humans at a reasonably early age is unlikely to develop this communication.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 04:11 PM

My sister had a cat called Geordie who grew very old and started to howl in the middle of the night while standing in her bath. He wanted her to turn the cold tap on a little so that he could drink running water. She obliged of course.
I've had a few British shorthair cats over the years (both pedigree and moggy) and not one ever yowled, although they nearly all lived to a good age.
Siamese however...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 04:42 PM

I never met a Siamese who was not qualified to yowl for his (or her) country.

I once had a black moggy with obvious Siamese ancestry who climbed onto the roof of a three-storey house a block away from home, and failed to figure out how to get down by herself. Instead, she stood on the eavestrough cover and sounded off, achieving such volume that I heard her from my front porch -- as did the rest of the neighbourhood, of course.

I hied myself toward the unearthly racket and found the residents standing in the driveway, looking up and talking about calling the fire brigade. One of the neighbours offered a step-ladder, and we took it up to the top of the fire escape. As he held the ladder, I climbed onto the very top (hanging onto the bargeboards and in fear of my life) and wheedled and coaxed until the damnable cat came over to investigate. I grabbed her, but could not climb down safely while holding her. So I passed her to the kind man who owned the step-ladder, and as I began to edge back to terra firma the cat broke loose and took off.

When I got home (after a full slate of apologies), she was sitting on the porch rail as if nothing had happened.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 05:35 PM

Oh my goodness Charmion, that was extremely brave of you! And what a little Madam, leading everyone such a dance! Typical Siamese behaviour.

I was on the phone to my sister up in Scotland this evening. She was proudly telling me that this morning she'd managed to put up her enormous 6ft real Christmas tree and decorated it. Then, in mid-conversation she suddenly bellowed, "Mela! No! No! Get down you naughty girl!"
Of course, her cat was halfway up the tree trying to dislodge a nice red bauble.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Dec 18 - 05:40 PM

By the way Charmion, I see on another thread that you're not very well.
It must be horrid to have bronchitis and to be bored and feeling poorly.
I do hope you get better very soon.

'Oi hoop yer corf goos away roit kwik, and dew yew keep a-troshing mawther!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 16 Dec 18 - 09:24 AM

Lost track and not sure what I’m repeating here any more but...

Another thought with what may start off as a cat’s meow is that I think their voices develop as they age and are perhaps influenced by us trying to imitate their sound back to them. Of the more extreme examples I can think of, Mewan became a definite (and repeated) “Eek Eek”. Starboard (and Oedipus to a lesser extent) “Wee-Oww”.

Although not that old when he died, Worthy was probably the most effective at letting you know (intensity of meow combined with facial expressions) how urgent he considered his request/demand was. You’d know eg. I need the toilet NOW.

Very short time with Furball but he was unusual in that he used quite a variety of Prrrt/Chirrup sounds. I had the feeling they were all supposed to convey different meanings but I never got beyond that with him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 16 Dec 18 - 09:24 AM

Thanks, Eliza; that’s so kind. I turned the first corner yesterday, from dreadfully ill to convalescing, so the drugs are doing their job. Now, if only I could stop hacking so we could all get some sleep!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 16 Dec 18 - 10:45 AM

My British shorthair Muriel (because she was grey) spent the first half of her life as a flat cat, on tenement top floors. All that time she never purred or meowed, and the main noise she made was a very realistic quack when birds flew past outside. It was as if she hoped it would be a lure.

Within weeks of moving to a cottage with a garden, where she could go outside, she learned to purr. Kept up the quacking all her life though.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 16 Dec 18 - 11:53 AM

SmokeyPokey has a very wide range of sounds, and can almost talk!
When he's very cross and we're not taking enough notice, he bellows at the top of his voice (BBRRRRRR WAAAAAHHHHHH! BRRRRR WAAAAAAAAH!) It's ear-splitting and one is compelled to attend to him.

When it's a 'pitiful' request, he just opens his mouth and howls, but not quite so loudly as the cross one.

He sometimes pokes me with his paw (hence SmokeyPokey) and says, "Ah-oo wah? Ah-oo-wah?"

If Sam the Skull is in the vicinity
he does a sort of chattering sound, "rrrrudder rrruddder rrruddder!"

But we still love his very best trick. When you ask him what he'd like for Christmas, he always replies, "Laptop!"
(I actually reckons he thinks 'Christmas' is another word for 'chicken'!)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 18 Dec 18 - 08:59 AM

I had a cat Natasha who had the same trick as the real Saint Nick.
She would leave gifts of coins in my shoes stuffed with socks.
The real St. Nick had a large inheritence he gave away with haste.
For ladies with no dowry he placed gold into their stockings.

Its been 1,500 years and I wonder why no one has asked what he was doing in ladies underwear drawers in the first place.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 20 Dec 18 - 01:13 PM

Fortunately cats are better at making sense of human talk than humans are at making sense of cats. But they manage to train us to get by eventually.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Thompson
Date: 20 Dec 18 - 01:33 PM

Considering that most ladies in the time of St Nick owned only one pair of stockings, his placing gold in them is even more questionable.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jan 19 - 08:46 PM

Well, Donuel and Thompson,
when I read further on St. Nicholas, what I read is
that he placed the gold in the ladies' BOOTS by the door,
and not indoors in their stockings --
but am I mistaken?


Anyway, please resume gossipping about your pet cats. I miss them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Jan 19 - 03:49 AM

When I draw the sitting room curtains at 6am, there sits Spirit on the bench. I put my hand on the window and he puts one paw up against the pane where my hand is. It's like a cat version of a 'high five'!

I let him come inside (just in the hall) and he has his snack on the mat. The other two are plastered up against the radiator behind the TV in their new bed (very soft and comfy - they love it!) so there's no trouble. They're shut in the kitchen all night and can't wait to get to the sitting room.
Murphy is up and down health-wise. He seems to have put on a tiny bit of weight, and he's eating, drinking and using the litter tray as normal. We've decided to wait before having him put to sleep, he's not in any pain and cuddles on my lap in the evenings (much to SmokeyPokey's disgust) We're monitoring the situation.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 08 Jan 19 - 03:51 AM

Hahahaaa! My last post was number 666!!! Mwahahaaaaaagh! :)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stanron
Date: 08 Jan 19 - 03:53 AM

Don't worry. This beast is feline.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 08 Jan 19 - 11:43 AM

Anybody know a Ragdoll?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 19 - 07:31 AM

Not personally, Mrrzy, but I know what they are.

I find it a little odd that breeders would perpetuate a dangerous trait like the Ragdoll’s limpness on being picked up. Not everyone is kind to cats, and they need the ability to squirm loose and light out for the territories. As do we all ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Jan 19 - 07:57 AM

If anyone managed to pick me up, they'd get a hernia!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 09 Jan 19 - 08:05 AM

We had a big fluffy Ragdoll (called Phoebe) for a short while. She didn't go floppy, and was quite lively and affectionate. The problem was that she had no idea about where to pee. She would just sit up straight anywhere (like on our bed), adopt that faraway stare, and pee on the spot. We called her Peebee while she was with us.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Jan 19 - 09:15 AM

This one washed up under our house this spring. Now he's close to 1 stone and still kittenish. Ok, so, he's a dog, to quote Bill Murray.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 09 Jan 19 - 11:01 AM

Sixteen pounds of kittenish tomcat is a big deal. I can imagine the thumps and banging when he pursues the phantom mouse right into the baseboards, as happens here when our overaged kittens get going. I've never seen a dog climb the curtains or stop his claws on the back of the sofa, though.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 29 Jan 19 - 01:58 PM

It's cold. We need more news
about our furry friends.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 29 Jan 19 - 02:05 PM

Cat free zone here X. I can still shed a tear over Furball, Pip/mum still misses Mewan (and collectively there are a fair few before but not as much in memory) and as things stand PussPuss could be counted as "missing presumed dead" but you never know with him...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Feb 19 - 05:29 PM

I still miss the cats.
The cats, knowing them, don't miss ME,
but I still miss the cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 03:29 AM

Sam The Skull is still faithfully hanging around every morning waiting for a snack.
I lifted him up recently, and he weighs a lot more than he used to. Being a British cat (an orange-eyed white) he naturally grows thicker fur during the winter months, and I wanted to ascertain whether he was also heavier - he is!

I sadly have to report that Murphy is deteriorating rapidly now, and I think we'll have to have him put to sleep quite soon.
It's heartbreaking - every evening before I usher the two of them into the kitchen and snuggle them into their beds on the counter top, he climbs into my arms and stretches out across my chest with one paw on my face. He's so thin and light, and every time I feel we're saying 'goodbye' to each other.
It breaks one's heart doesn't it? :(

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 09:16 AM

Oh, Eliza, yes it breaks the heart. That’s the last thing they do for us.

Watson climbs into my arms like that. He takes a position on a counter or piece of furniture and leans meaningfully, meowing loudly, until I come close and stoop toward him. Then he puts his hands on my shoulders and waits for me to scoop up his hind end.

When he was younger and thinner, he would fling himself straight up in the air in the general direction of my chest, expecting me to catch him. This practice took quite a toll on my wardrobe.

We had friends in for dinner last night, and Watson entertained the company by ankling everyone during the cheese course. (He likes cheese.) Fortunately, the guests did not arrive until after we had flung him off the table for the last time. Isobel made a fleeting appearance — most unusual for her. I think she lets her brother take all the risks, showing up later when the tumult and shouting are over to nab the best spot on the sofa.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 10:36 AM

Pleased to read the "intruder" is still doing well.

Perhaps fading memory (I mean I can't remember when you first mentioned it) on my part seems to suggest that Murphy has had a pretty good innings since you decided TLC was all that was left. Maybe that's a consolation but still, the decision is going to be hard when you reach that time.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Feb 19 - 11:33 AM

Yes, Murphy is fourteen Jon, which is quite elderly for a Siamese. His late brother Minty had medical problems too. Their genetics were probably flawed - sometimes pedigree cats haven't enough 'out-breeding' and it weakens the strain. Their breeder was very reputable though.

I remember buying them as kittens, two tiny litter mates at £300 each (!)
I nearly bought their brother Kinky as well, but that would have been not far off £1000 - and Kinky had a kink in his tail.

I think SmokeyPokey realises something's wrong with his pal. He snuggles up to him in their bed and licks the top of his head quite tenderly.
Our churchwarden came round to see us a few days ago, and SmokeyPokey instantly climbed on his lap and wrapped a friendly paw round his leg. Luckily, the chap adores cats (he has one of his own) and was enchanted. Phew!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Special12K
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 11:44 AM

Me and my wife have one cat named Bombay Sapphire. We used to have another cat that was named Jäger.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Feb 19 - 11:53 AM

Those are very impressive names Special12K. They make my feeble efforts over the years at naming cats (Smokeypokey, Minty, Murphy, Sam, AndyPandy etc) sound pathetic.
I actually sat on The Bench out the front this afternoon. The sun was warm (hooray!) and there was no wind. Sam the Skull amazingly sat on my knee and dozed off, after having hoovered up a snack.
He's quite heavy now and looks in very good shape.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 08:35 AM

I had a cat named Garlic...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 10:13 AM

My cats have always had names typically given to humans. They sometimes acquire a nickname -- Gabriel became Grabber because of his behaviour with respect to ankles on stairs, for example -- but I like them to have the same dignity of identity that I expect for myself. Isobel, currently in residence, came to us with the name of Cupcake, which we changed because we thought she would grow out of it fairly quickly. She did.

I'm glad Sam the Skull is fitter and less stressed. Every cat should have a knee to snooze on.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 11:34 AM

Going back 40 years you probably had a cat on top of the TV getting warm.
But with the death of the cathode ray tube, cats can't warm up on a modern thin TV. After all small animals lose heat more quickly than large ones.

So I give you the 'Cat Throne' that looks like a padded serving tray with a safe heat source for our modern day cats in winter and has a clean designed décor.

We used to say "she was warming her liver" when asleep atop an old TV.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Feb 19 - 12:52 PM

Abraham Lincoln's favorite animal was the cat.

food for thought

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Feb 19 - 03:46 PM

Our cat basket spends the winter atop a forced-air heat vent on the sitting room floor. It is occupied pretty well all day by one cat or the other, often by both. At night, of course, they sleep with us.

The demise of the cathode ray tube deprived many a house cat of a rightful perch. I never owned a television large enough to accommodate a full-grown cat, but my first colour computer monitor was a behemoth that provided both snooze space and an observation post where the cat could supervise me at my work. That was a great arrangement that pleased both of us.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Mar 19 - 04:35 PM

Edna the cat, who made the national news broadcasts when
she was evicted from the San Francisco fire station and
its paramedics/EMTs who rescued her,
was particularly partial -- even when she was a feral kitten and
hid from humans --
to Station 49's ambulances. After they had come back from being driven all night,
Edna would march over to them, climb on top of them,
and absorb the heat from the ambulance engines.

Station 49 complied with the eviction notice from the boss,
by the way,
as one of the paramedics took Edna home,
where Edna is warm, well fed, and loved.

It's the EMTs and staff members at Station 49 who are miserable.

I ought to make a blue clicky link to the article with
footage from New York Fire Department's Station 57.
Theirs is also a female cat, and she is called Killer
because she is a proud hunter of mice and rats.

And her Meow, on video, made me crack up laughing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Mar 19 - 06:58 PM

I hope you can hear Killer the cat meow

in this video on her Instagram account.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mrrzy
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 09:18 AM

There was a House episode about a cat that stayed warm...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 09:32 AM

Well, I don't recall that episode,
but I have had real life experiences with
cats in the engine fan belt of an auto.
And then there are wheel housings.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 12:59 PM

The fatal attractions of cats to motor vehicles are among the many reasons why our cats live indoors, never going out.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Mar 19 - 07:51 PM

Now, Senoufou/Eliza,
I suspect it is difficult for you to resist lurking
on thread about cats and about
those of us who have a, shall we say, weakness for cats.

It's your call entirely,
but when your Murphy needs you to do that very last thing for him,
you know where to find us --
and we want to know when it happens,
so that we can send you all the long-distance affectionate intentions
that we wish for you.

Of course, if you post to us BEFORE Murphy declines any further,
that's more than all right with us!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Mar 19 - 06:12 PM

keep those cats and kittens coming

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Mar 19 - 12:13 PM

Come back, Senoufou, come back . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Mar 19 - 07:06 PM

Thinking of Senoufou's Murphy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stanron
Date: 16 Mar 19 - 06:30 AM

Just noticed, for UK cat lovers mainly, Horizon at 9 pm BBC2 tonight. 50 cats were fitted with small cameras on their collars and their movements were traced and analysed. Shock and horror in feline suburbia.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Mar 19 - 03:18 PM

Indeed, Stanron, I have no doubt
that cats get to places
that most of us humans
don't even think of as places . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Mar 19 - 04:54 PM

A moment of meditation and prayer
for those Mudcatters
who had to say goodbye to a beloved cat in the last year or so.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 19 Mar 19 - 06:01 AM

our cat is named Brexit

He meows to go out but when we open the door he just sits there undecided.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 Mar 19 - 06:41 PM

parody from the Prairie Home Companion:

To all the cats I've known before
Who wanted to come in my door
And then they turned about
And wanted to go out
So they could come back in some more ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Apr 19 - 12:24 PM

I miss hearing about your cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 12:23 AM

We have a 19 year old Tuxedo Manx, Evie. She is sweet and affectionate, and as typical of her breed, bonds with her owners, and, as dogs will, she comes over when you call her name.
-Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Apr 19 - 10:14 AM

It's spring in Stratford (Ontario, that is), and the squirrels and birds are brisking about the life. Our two house-bound cats spend hours at the windows, taking in the show and making comments that probably amount to "Possibly tasty" or "Looks too much like work".

When the door is open, however, one cat never approaches it (despite her avian threats), and the other may stick his nose out but rarely tries to do more.

I think they prefer fantasizing about the havoc they might wreak, and manipulating their human staff.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Apr 19 - 01:46 PM

here, kitty kitty kitty . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Apr 19 - 10:05 AM

What's the story with the Manx tail?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Apr 19 - 06:16 PM

come out, pussycats, come out …

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 01 May 19 - 12:48 PM

Permission has been granted me, through a PM from
Senoufou / Eliza, to pass on the news.

Murphy has been put out of his misery. He was just too poorly, so they said their goodbyes to him.
Everybody is grieving the loss of Murphy,
especially the last of the three Siamese cats, Smokey,
who is being extremely vocal about his distress.

In the meanwhile, every morning at 6 am,
"Spirit" aka "Sam, the Skull" waits outside at The Bench
at Senoufou / Eliza's home. His skinny days are long over and he looks quite plump.

Senoufou does not use the word "vulnerable" to describe
her feelings, that word is my interpretation.
"not in a good place" is how she put it.
You may rest assured that she lurks at the Mudcat
but still doesn't feel like posting.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 01 May 19 - 04:05 PM

Sorry to read that, k . I know Sen has known this point has been approaching for a fair while but it’s still difficult and I’d imagine the loss of Murphy leaves a bit hole. Glad Spirit is doing well though.

–
We are still “catless” here (and there has been no further sighting of PussPuss). Mum sometimes talks about getting on older rescue cat but I’m not sure that will ever happen.

The closest to a pet we have at the moment is a cheeky and sometimes noisy (European) robin who I’m sure would have something to say about cats. It will often approach the porch door when it opened and sometimes try to sneak inside. More commonly it perches close by, expecting to be given some morsel and is quite fond of a tiny scrap of cheddar cheese.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 03 May 19 - 11:22 PM

We have a tuxedo Manx named Evie. She is 19 years old, sweet and affectionate. With age, she has switched from being and outdoor/indoor cat to indoors almost exclusively. She has a lot of "executive time" sleeping and resting during the day, and has become more nocturnal, roaming the house at night. We will miss her greatly when her time runs out, but she is in good health.
-Chanteyranger

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jos
Date: 05 May 19 - 06:28 AM

>^. .^<

I don't usually do 'smileys', but this is a special one for Eliza.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 May 19 - 05:04 PM

Nineteen years old is one venerable pussy-cat.
Senoufou / Eliza only has got Smokey left,
not in the best health,
and if I remember right,
even he is not nineteen years old.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 May 19 - 03:03 PM

Senoufou's Smokey, although still vocal with distress about
losing his fellow cat-mates in the house,
has completed a course of veterinary antibiotics,
Senoufou reports,
and is physically much more stable for having done so.
Which is reassuring after the recent loss of Murphy.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 May 19 - 05:55 PM

"When you notice a cat in profound meditation,
The reason, I tell you, is always the same:
[his / her] mind is engaged in the rapt contemplation
Of the thought, of the thought, of the thought of [his / her] name:
[his / her] ineffable effable
Effanineffable
Deep and inscrutable singular Name."
-- T. S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats


killercat (I'm a girl)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 May 19 - 05:59 AM

What cures cat constipation ??? Vet bills are soaring over $400

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 16 May 19 - 03:08 PM

Just as with humans, treatments for feline constipation depend on the cause of the condition and the condition of the cat. Again like humans, those most vulnerable are the elderly and those who have trouble eating, and they also have to be treated carefully for fear of causing worse trouble.

Because cats are "pure" carnivores, their digestive tract is very short, as it is not designed to process vegetable fibre. Also, cats have a strong vomit instinct (as I'm sure you've noticed), so when they eat something inappropriate, they usually cough it up promptly. So constipation is a sign that several aspects of the patient's digestive system are not up to par, and therefore worthy of a vet's attention.

Sorry it's so expensive.

Let me tell you about Cecil, a delightful little black tomcat cat who developed pancreatic disease and stomach ulcers, thus lightening my wallet of a couple of thousand bucks before popping his clogs and breaking my heart. The diagnosis was made on necropsy. And then there was Alexander the Great, a large biscuit-coloured individual who died of kidney failure caused by crystaluria after several hideously expensive treatments that did absolutely no good at all.

Cats. One way or another, we pay for the privilege of their company.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 16 May 19 - 03:19 PM

In a cascade globe, I have 2 otos/dwarf sucking catfish!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 May 19 - 01:41 PM

keep the pussycats from dropping off the page …

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 20 May 19 - 06:31 PM

The Grumpy Cat has died (aged seven years, I have read).

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 May 19 - 09:17 AM

Poor thing. She was no grumpier than any other cat, until she developed an untreatable urinary tract infection.

Her proper name was Tardar Sauce (sic) and she was born with a form of dwarfism that affected her face. Her humans seem to have treated her lovingly, and I doubt she was aware of (or cared about) their exploitation of her unusual appearance in captioned photographs.

As I type this post, I am hindered by the entirely normal Watson, who is climbing up my left arm in order to perch on my shoulders. This behaviour was unbearably cute when he was a four-month-old kitten, but now that he is nearly six years old and a tomcat of substantial size, it's perilously close to just unbearable.

Unlike Tardar Sauce, Watson always looks satisfied with life and is, therefore, unlikely to become an entertaining meme from which we can make our fortune. Pity, as his last dental bill put quite a crease in our bank balance.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 21 May 19 - 02:26 PM

Charmion,
Watson is the one who leaps at you and ruins your clothes?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jos
Date: 21 May 19 - 02:34 PM

I used to have a version of Watson who would drape himself around my neck like the 1930s-style fox stoles I remember old ladies wearing in church when I was a child. He was quite heavy. He would arrive around my neck when I was working, and very pointedly if I answered the telephone, as if he was jealous because I was talking to the machine instead of giving all my attention to him.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 May 19 - 09:42 PM

Yep, that’s our Watson. He used to launch himself straight up in the air like a small, black, furry jump jet, but his centre of gravity is a bit low for such larks these days.

Jos, I imagine your cat would purr pointedly when you talked on the phone? That’s a well-known hinting technique. It’s part of the distraction repertoire that also includes sprawling on the computer keyboard and sitting in front of the telly screen.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 23 May 19 - 06:35 AM

Natasha would fill my empty shoes with spare change overnight

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 May 19 - 10:50 AM

Latest report from Senoufou / Eliza:

On sunny afternoons, she is to be found sitting on The Bench.
For company she has SmokeyPokey and Spirit aka Sam-the-Skull.

Spirit / Sam is the one in her lap, she says.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Jun 19 - 12:41 PM

What's doing with all of you and your pussycats?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Aug 19 - 03:39 PM

Here's the latest from Senoufou/Eliza
(the Mad Swans update goes on a different Mudcat BS thread).

Once a year, Senoufou's beloved husband
joins his blood relatives in West Africa for an extended visit;
he is there now. His widowed mother alone is a strong draw for him.
Sad to report, he is miserable!
(not the company, but the lousy weather and primitive lifestyle)
Husband and Wife commiserate long-distance over the telephone.

The last remaining Siamese tomcat, Smokey,
desperately misses his "Daddie" and
is given to inconsolable howling.

All is well for white 'Spirit' aka 'Sam the Skull,'
but one of his housemates ... is another matter.
Last week, a smaller cat who lives at that neighboring house
got run over by a car,
and Senoufou grieved along with the other humans.

She didn't say, however, what the weather is like there.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Sep 19 - 05:46 PM

A good day to all the Mudcatters' cats,
newly arrived,
long installed,
and everyone in between.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 01:00 PM

A moment away from the pussycats
to report on Eliza/Senoufou
regarding the upset victory in which
the Norwich Canaries defeated Man City.

Senoufou's husband, by this time, had returned from visiting his family in Ivory Coast.
He had an unpleasant visit, she reports:
the compound was flooded in sewage, and consequently
the rats were even worse than normal.
He fell ill upon arrival, which did nothing to help matters.
Then his return flights were cancelled,
and he had to fly home on Brussels Airways by way of Ghana.
He made it home alive, but in a state of exhaustion.

The husband rallied for the Norwich - Man City game,
wearing his best Norwich City top.
Both husband and wife broke out dancing
(she mentions The Floss)
with the whole village making collective joyful noises -- "ecstatic," Senoufou says.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Sep 19 - 02:14 PM

LilyFestre’s family is the greater today by one small ginger kitten, now named Leonard, who was spotted at the side of the road by her husband Pete (good eye, Pete!), and whisked to safety.

The refugee has been vetted and fed, used the litter box, and started to purr.

A good thing is happening in Pennsylvania.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Sep 19 - 07:27 PM

Come out pussy cats come out to play

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 23 Sep 19 - 02:07 PM

Welcome, Leonard, and don't lose the cattitude.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Sep 19 - 06:51 PM

Don't know how many Mudcatters are familiar with
Diana Gabaldon's Outlander books series of historical fantasy,
if that's the term for it.

The television adaptation of these books is being filmed and broadcast on cable network,
and the show has met with some success;
the books are hugely successful in themselves.

The series of books isn't yet finished,
and there is one more book at least to come, if not more.

The television show is behind the book series, several books behind.
But the show has now caught up with the books sufficiently
to introduce THAT CAT.

Yes, there is a cat, as well as a dog,
who play supporting roles (memorable character acting) in Outlander.

The dog turns up earlier in the books (and the adaptation).
Now the cat has arrived, as a stray kitten.

One of the human characters, a cradle Catholic,
recalls a cat from childhood, in which the character's mother
named the pet cat "Adso"
for Saint Adso of Melk, whoever that is.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Oct 19 - 04:39 PM

It's autumn heading for winter,
and high time for more news
about the permanent fur coats
with pussycats inside of them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:04 PM

... I see,
the pussycats aren't going to come out because

Senoufou's beloved Ibrahima is not here
singing
"Chicken!
Chicken!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:36 PM

He has just been cutting up some 'cheeeecken' for SmokeyPokey and Sam The Skull, who still haunts us. AND there's another cat hanging around - a little black and white fellow, quite young and absolutely starving.
I think he lives in a house behind our back garden, and is eating huge plates of Purina best-quality cat food, tins of tuna and cheeeeecken.
I call him Binky (the name of my first ever cat when I was four years old!) I worry that Binky isn't being fed often enough, but he's putting on weight now (hardly surprising!)
Husband says "Thees 'ouse eez un restaurant for poooossies" and imagines all the cats in the neighbourhood ringing us up to make a booking!
Just bought a huge box of 60 sachets (£24!!) for all these felines.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 19 - 05:51 PM

Eliza/Senoufou is here,
feeding all the stray cats,

and all is right with the world.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 12:18 PM

Hey, Keberoxu: The real Adso

The cat known as Adso of Melk is a rare example of Gabaldon failing to check her sources. His literary predecessor is the novice who accompanies William of Baskerville, the detective monk protagonist of Umberto Eco's novel "The Name of the Rose".

The name "Adso" refers to the Latin phrase "Adsum Domine" (I am here Lord). The saint took his name from Isaiah 6:8, in which the prophet receives his marching orders from God. "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”

But every cat I have ever lived with would walk up to me at some point in every day to announce, "I am here!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 12:20 PM

I failed to greet Senoufou! So glad to see (read) you! And it's good to know that Sam the Skull rates a share of the chicken, and Binky has found his way to your door.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 03:32 PM

And here are some pictures of the Outlander kitten
with the character of Jamie Fraser,
that is, actor Sam Heughan in costume.

I favor the photo where the kitten shows its teeth,
crying at the camera.

Caitriona Balfe, who plays Claire,
has admitted that
the kitten has gotten its claws into costumes
with ruinous results.
It doesn't much like being on camera.

Outlander's Newest Furry Cast Member, ADSO

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 05:21 PM

With reference to another thread about the clocks going back an hour, SmokeyPokey can't understand why we're not getting up at exactly the same time as before. He's howling and yowling as he's still apparently on British Summer Time. Funnily enough, Sam the Skull is doing the same thing outside our bedroom window. They don't realise that the clocks have changed!
Also, some fireworks were let off yesterday evening, but poor old SmokeyPokey is very deaf now and I don't think he heard them.

(I'm hiding safely on this Cats thread where there isn't any sniping hee hee)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 19 - 05:22 PM

By the way, why has a huge gap appeared in my last post? I didn't do it, honest! Is it so that an advert can be put there?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Nov 19 - 09:03 AM

Those gaps appear in many posts, Senoufou, and they seem to be random.

I thought I might be hitting the Enter key in my sleep.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 02:40 PM

Hope Donuel and his cats are well.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 03:24 PM

Ah, thanks Charmion. I see that the gap has magically closed now.
It's a bit like my memory. Gaps appear at random, then I later call to mind what I was trying to think of.

I'm rather worried about the little black-and-white young cat Binky (I actually think it's a female). It's spending the entire day sitting on our damp lawn gazing wistfully at the kitchen window. The poor little thing was soaked to the skin, so I invited it into our study through the conservatory door. It was thrilled and spent about fifteen minutes rubbing its little head on every vertical surface (including Ibrahima's legs!) But this was silly of me, as now it thinks it lives here I expect.
It's eating vast quantities of food (worms?)
Any suggestions what I should do? I'd hate the owners to think I'm stealing their cat, but it's obviously starving hungry and lonely.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Nov 19 - 03:25 PM

Gaaaaah! Another huge gap! Whatever's going on? The Gap Monster?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Nov 19 - 12:11 PM

Have a thought for Mudcat Member Mrrzy,
whose posts to the thread "Empty Nest Syndrome"
(begun years ago by a different Mudcat member)
chronicle the latest challenges ...
on top of which,
Mrrzy's pet cat was taken away
against Mrrzy's wishes -- infamous.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Nov 19 - 10:28 AM

My cats are objecting to daylight savings time since it effects their feeding times.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Nov 19 - 01:58 PM

We are now two weeks into Standard Time, and our cats are still insisting that four o‘clock is treat time. This is not promising.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 11 Nov 19 - 04:55 PM

uk CATS ARE IN FOR A COLD WINTER
Jet streams will be the cause

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Nov 19 - 10:40 AM

In Stratford, Ontario, we are already nigh on knee-deep in snow. It's been years since I saw so much snow this early in the year.

Our cats spend most of the winter alternating between the sofa and heat vents in the floor, especially the one under the sitting-room window where I park a cat cushion. The bedroom is a bit parky for their taste, unless we are in it, of course. The comfy chair appeals to them when they both get the urge at the same time and curl up together, or when one of us is already sitting in it.

This year we have a humidifier, so their fur and skin are not drying out as they did last year (come to think of it, neither are mine). On the other hand, the windows get steamed up, which rather impairs their bird-watching opportunities.

It will be a long haul to Spring.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Nov 19 - 11:56 AM

Check out 'Quilty,' the shelter-born pussycat in Houston, Texas.

This cat has a mission: Let My Pussies Go

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Nov 19 - 07:12 AM

Our cats are most vivacious at 65 F, at 59 they retreat upstairs where it was warm,

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Apr 20 - 07:11 PM

Eliza/Senoufou's sister is in hospital,
and she is the one with a rescue cat.
Hopefully the niece is looking after Mela.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 02:28 AM

Oh my word keberoxu, I'd completely forgotten about little Mela!
Sybil (my niece) lives a long way away from her mother, in Edinburgh.
Dundee is quite far, (about an hour-and-a-half) and niece doesn't drive. No visitors are allowed to Coronavirus patients in hospitals.
I'm sure the kindly neighbours will take care of Mela. She has a catflap, so food can be given outside the door.
I'm so glad to have Sam the Skull and BinkyWinky around still, they're very affectionate and consoling.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 09:45 AM

This morning my wife tripped a bit on the carpeted cat tree, so Lioness jumped from the top of the cat tree sending it into the grow lights and in turn knocking down a hibiscus tree into another potted hibiscus tree and into a lamp.

All is restored with an extra weight lifting weight to anchor the cat tree.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 10:16 AM

https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/3893490-music-notes-cat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 07:01 PM

People complain about dogs in the house,
knocking things over, Donuel, and they forget
that cats in the house
can cause just as much mischief and mayhem!

I can just picture what you describe,
like so many dominoes.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Apr 20 - 07:42 PM

From what you say, Senoufou,
your sister's wonderful and solicitous friends and neighbors
will likely supply Mela with what she needs.
Cats being cats, Mela will probably relish having the home to herself --
like 'Liberty Hall'!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 02:25 AM

Haha Donuel, that' just the sort of chain of destruction our cats used to indulge in. As keberoxu says, it was like dominoes!
My niece has been in touch again, and that wonderful lady vicar is sorting out Mela, my sister's cat.
The only problem I can foresee with Mela is that apparently she's an Olympic Gold Champion at hunting, and daily brings her trophies into the house. As the vicar mustn't enter the property (risk of virus on surfaces etc) and just puts the food/water outside the catflap, I can imagine my sister's living room carpet is like a butcher's shop!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 10:53 AM

Eliza, fingers crossed for your sister.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 07:35 PM

Yes, Senoufou/Eliza, exactly so:

Mela is the Mighty Huntress
and Queen of her Territory,
so of course she brings the remains and displays them.
Proudly, no doubt!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Apr 20 - 09:41 PM

Bronx Zoo tigers have covid 19
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/06/science/tiger-cats-coronavirus.html

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Apr 20 - 03:37 AM

Mela apparently always eats the meaty bits from poor creatures, then leaves a nice selection of guts, tails and heads on the floor. By now it should look like a charnel house!
Naughty naughty Sam the Skull came to our BACK door this morning. That's BinkyWinky's terrain. Hr had such a smirk on his face. I got a dish of food and waved it in front of him to get him into our kitchen, through the house and out the front door. If not, there'll be a terrible fight when Binky comes forth in about an hour. Sam is a savage gnasher of any rivals.
I then put out some bits for the birds on the lawn, and a huge selection of my avian friends arrived. Crows, starlings, blackbirds, a robin, the fat wood pigeons.
Husband calls it my zoo!
Speaking of which, I heard about that poor tiger with Covid in the zoo Donuel. Interesting but very sad.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Apr 20 - 09:39 AM

My aunt's cat, Allegro, was a mighty hunter who ate the entire corpse EXCEPT the gall bladder, which he would leave in a high-traffic area apparently on purpose. Allegro was famous for having slain a weasel that got into the house, and -- again -- eating much of it. The weasel was a bit much even for Allegro's appetite so, as well as the gall bladder, the head remained to allow identification of the victim.

Our cats adapted easily to our shift from full-time employment to pensioner status and, now that the isolation rules have us at home all the time, they are self-appointed keepers of the household routine. Watson (with Isobel in reserve) gets Himself up at or before the crack of dawn, depending on when he detects the first twitch of an eyelid and, if the smell of coffee doesn't extract me from the scratcher, either Watson or Isobel returns to the bedroom at about seven o'clock to do the job.

I have a big, fat book manuscript to edit, so I spend the day battering the keyboard. Watson comes to the study at five o'clock if Himself has not already delivered the afternoon treat, and again at six o'clock to bring me downstairs to make human supper.

I think he might have been a foreman or maybe a sergeant in a previous life.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 02:24 PM

I wonder, Eliza/Senoufou, now that your sister is recuperating at home,
if she found that her Mela had turned the home into a trophy lounge ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Apr 20 - 02:48 PM

Amazingly keberoxu, Mela had left only one mouse's tail and its ears (yuk!) on the wooden floor in my sister's hallway. Phew!
I spoke to her an hour ago (not Mela, I mean my sister!) and the little cat is more cuddly than ever and snuggles up on the bed all night. She's nine years old now, and we reckon she really missed her live-in servant!
Thank goodness for village shops, because my sis can get cat food and treats just a short walk away. She doesn't feel up to driving just yet.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Apr 20 - 12:49 PM

It's grand to hear that your sister can walk a bit outside,
especially after being almost at death's door.
Charmion says the cats are helping her and Himself sit and read.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 30 Apr 20 - 11:12 AM

refresh.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Apr 20 - 04:50 PM

Sam the Skull lives with two other rescue cats, and I noticed this morning one of them was keenly watching from way up the road opposite as I popped a dish of food onto the front doorstep. Sam wolfed it down, and his little mate (black with white feet) was most interested. I hope I don't end up with a horde of blooming moggies in a queue at the door each morning!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 May 20 - 11:35 AM

Time for a check-in for the Mudcatters' cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 09 May 20 - 12:36 PM

After almost two months of isolation, with both of us working at home (you in your small study, and I in mine), Watson (black tomcat) is now the factory timekeeper. He gets us up in the morning, informs us when it's time to stop reading the paper and get to work, and then at five o'clock starts yelling to announce the cocktail hour. If I'm still at my desk at six, he starts relentlessly nagging, standing on the desktop in front of the monitor and scrambling over my shoulders.

His vocabulary is limited, but he never fails to get my attention.

Sister Isobel (also black, rather smaller and much quieter) stands by and gracefully accepts the benefit of timely meal delivery.

Most of the migratory birds have returned from their winter quarters, so the cats spend much of their time chittering at the mourning doves that hang about on the back fence. The rabbits grazing on the lawn don't excite them nearly as much; I guess the cats consider the rabbits a bit out of their weight class.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 May 20 - 12:56 PM

The mention of rabbits reminded me of my fathers cat, Spot. Dads house was two storeys at the front but three at one side and the back. Thus the door from the basement led out onto the garden and then fields.

Spot was a large Tom-cat he used to catch rabbits, presumably ate the majority of them but ALWAYS left the back legs on the steps leading from the basement as a "present" for Dad. He did this every week, sometimes on two or three occasions.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 09 May 20 - 01:30 PM

My indoor cat does the same with my socks on a daily AM basis.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 May 20 - 04:10 PM

When we had five cats in our last house, (a mixture of three Siamese, a pedigree British Black Shorthair and a poor tabby stray) they all used to roam about in our large garden and over the ditch into the farmer's fields. The cat-flap was never locked, so they could come and go all night as well.
The 'offerings' that came through that cat-flap were mind-blowing. Poor terrified living creatures, dead ones, guts and bits. We had harvest mice, rats, a large pheasant, baby rabbits, wood pigeons, slow-worms and so on.
I rescued many of these and put them safely back into the field. But some sadly needed dispatching, which was very distressing. And others scuttled into other parts of the house. We had a mouse hiding in the dining room, a rat under the fridge, a pipistrelle bat clinging to the curtains. It was utter madness and I was ashamed at the carnage, being a member of the Norfolk Wildlife Trust.
In our bungalow here in this village, we didn't let the three remaining cats out at night, and they grew so old and decrepit they hardly went out at all except to sit with me on The Bench. So no gruesome offerings, thank goodness.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 May 20 - 07:23 PM

Yes, Senoufou, I recall a post --
was it from you, or from another person owned by cats? --

describing how all the cats in the house
assisted the cat that went out hunting, and
brought a trophy back to the house,
but found it too large or difficult to get it through the cat-flap;
so all the cats gathered around the cat-flap,
indoors and out,
manoeuvering the prize through the flap and into the house ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 11 May 20 - 07:27 PM

Today’s pleasure was watching the cats watch a pair of grackles tangling with the resident robins on our patio. Better than any movie I’ve seen lately.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 May 20 - 02:48 AM

I just looked up 'grackle' and it's a very handsome bird isn't it? Looks quite cheeky!
Yes keberoxu, that was our band of marauders posting an adult pheasant through the cat-flap by pushing from behind outside and pulling from the front inside the house! And carrying a huge rat like two men with a stretcher (seen by the furniture-restorers at their unit quite far from our house) Also poking and tormenting Hissing Sid, the 5ft long grass snake, as he lay curled up behind my neighbour's patio plant pot.
Not to mention Simon the seal-point Siamese in the house-before-that, who often stole items from clothes lines, and particularly loved bras!
Brought me several through the cat-flap, and I had to go round the neighbourhood with a very red face, trying to find the owners!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 May 20 - 09:57 AM

Grackles are very cheeky indeed. They are large and noisy, and I rather suspect the robins were tired of sharing a tree with them.

The cats think it's all a wonderful drama, staged just for them.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 25 Jun 20 - 08:55 PM

Commiserations to Mudcat member Bat Goddess.

I hear she had to perform
the ultimate mercy
for one of her cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Jun 20 - 05:34 AM

As it started to rain I saw a frisbee sized terrapin turtle making his way down our backyard sidewalk. The cats are more intrigued by teasing squirrels.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 26 Jun 20 - 06:51 AM

So sorry Bat Goddess. I completely understand the necessity to do the right thing when the time comes, but I also sympathise because the grief is terrible. I'm still not over losing our SmokeyPokey - had to be done, and the vet was lovely about it, but tears still come at odd times. Sweet little memories...
A big hug to BG. xx

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Sep 20 - 08:35 PM

Is it time for a Mudcat cat update?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 03:54 AM

We've had a very worrying time with 'Spirit' aka 'MickeyPickey' or Sam the Skull. He's refused any food for days and was getting thinner and thinner. He sat on The Bench in the pouring rain soaked to the skin, so I lifted him into our sitting room and put him on the sofa on a thick warm blanket.
He seemed so weak, so I rang our delightful neighbour's daughter (the veterinary nurse) and she came round (socially distancing of course)
She kindly carried him back to his house up the road, but no-one was in.
Yesterday I noticed he was lying on his side in the road gasping. I hurried across and lifted him onto the pavement. He couldn't stand up, and he's just skin-and-bone.
The vet nurse went out later but he'd vanished, yet his owners were still out. She's tried messaging them but no reply so far. We're both very worried and a bit angry at such neglect.
May have an update later, but we both think it's the end for the poor chap. Oh dear :(

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 07:25 AM

Poor Sam/Spirit. He should be in a warm nest at home, not out in the street.

In other news, we had a (socially distanced) tune session at our house the other day, and Watson appeared to check out the guitar player’s ankles. He did not approve of the fiddle, which I think is too loud for his taste, but took his time to assess each player. Then I suspect he repaired to the bedroom to report his findings to Isobel.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:32 AM

Perhaps a gut reaction on Watson's part?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 08:36 AM

Haha Charmion, Watson sounds such a scream! Cats do like to sniff feet. Our Siamese would probably have done a passing wee on each player's leg, just to be friendly of course.
No sign of MickeyPickey/Sam today, and I just hope he's either passed away or has been taken to the vet. He couldn't have gone on in that state. Although he wasn't actually my cat, I do miss him already. And I hope his last few months over the summer were happy ones on The Bench at my side. (gulp. tears)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Sep 20 - 10:20 AM

Har, har, Andrew.

Likewise, Eliza. Cats don't stay where they're not content, so I think you can be confident that Sam was happy with you on The Bench. And he is now and always has been his own cat, so he dispenses his presence where he pleases.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 11:55 AM

The saga of Spirit the white tomcat,
who seems to have felt crowded out of the household
that he shared with humans and numerous other cats,
has enlivened Mudcat threads no end in recent times.
It sounds like "Sam the Skull" 's story is near its end.

I too wonder at the disregard and indifference of the humans
who are responsible for their pet cat.
Thank goodness that the tomcat lives in a neighborhood
where there are compassionate neighbors when he is in need.

I never shall forget Senoufou/Eliza's account of the night
that the bedroom window, screen-free, was open,
and Spirit/Sam jumped up to the window from outside
and down into the bedroom
and scared the heck out of her.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 12:49 PM

Hee hee keberoxu, he certainly did! I'm finding comfort in remembering our little moments in the sunshine outside on The Bench, and the hundreds of plates of best cat food I gave him, plus bowls of milk etc and diced chicken. The trouble with pet-ownership is their lives are naturally much shorter than ours and we have to brace ourselves for The End every time.
I've just spoken with our lovely neighbour's daughter the Vet nurse, and she still hasn't been able to find out what happened to Spirit eventually, but she too thinks he's no longer with us.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: rich-joy
Date: 11 Sep 20 - 11:44 PM

Well, it's been 9 months today (the 12th Sept, Down Under), since my beloved tuxedo cat, Hector Lysander, returned to Source to be with My Beloved Paul (77 months today, since he departed :(
- and even though I haven't finished decluttering and cleaning the house by a long shot, I am really hanging out for my next feline companion.
I even went to meet one this morning (I want a chunky ginger Tabby tom!) but we weren't the right fit.

My Hector loved to be held with his arms draped around my neck (actually, anyone's neck would do - especially blokes' :) and I need a cat that likes cuddling!!!

Someday My Prince Will Come, perhaps ..... surely that's not only in Disney cartoons :) - but it keeps the thread musical on Mudcat, haha!

Cheers, R-J

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 11:13 AM

Rich-joy, if my experience is anything to go by, the Universe is working on the challenge of putting the right cat in your way.

It is entirely possible, however, that the Universe is more interested in finding a human who’s right for a certain cat than in connecting a certain human with the cat of his/her dreams.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 12:21 PM

The universe had better not forget about
Mudcat member Ebbie,
who has a dog-shaped hole in her heart that needs filling.

Sadly, Mudcat BS threads about the joys of being owned by a dog
tend to get flamed by dog-haters ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Sep 20 - 01:41 PM

Poor Ebbie,it's heartbreaking to lose a pet, dog or cat. It hurts so much.
A lady came to our door this afternoon. She lives opposite Sam the Skull's owners. She told us that the poor little thing died at 2am this morning. The chap who is the owner's boyfriend found him dead beside his water bowl. He thought it could have been kidney problems, and has buried him in their garden.
I'm afraid I cried, imagining the little animal in the night suffering and no-one coming to help.
However, he was very old, and perhaps this is for the best. I don't think his owners were exactly perfect cat-lovers. Husband is very sad too. Ah well...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 13 Sep 20 - 02:54 PM

Newtonian Cat Doors
Did Newton bridge the worlds of the indoor cat and outdoor cat?

When he wasn't envisioning space cannons and figuring out what holds the universe together, Isaac Newton applied his considerable intellect to other problems -- such as ways to keep the cat from scratching on the door.

Newton never married and cultivated few friendships, but he did make room in his life for cats and dogs. Sources vary on exactly how this relationship played out. Some contemporary historians label him an animal lover, while other accounts tell doubtful tales regarding a pet dog named Diamond. Some historians even doubt he owned pets at all
The story goes that at the University of Cambridge Newton's experiments were interrupted constantly by his cats scratching at his office door, so he summoned the Cambridge carpenter and had him saw two holes in his door: a large hole for the mother cat and a small one for her kittens. Of course, since the kittens simply followed their mother through the larger hole, the smaller hole remained unused.

"Whether this account be true or false, indisputably true is that there are in the door to this day two plugged holes of proper dimensions for the respective egresses of cat and kitten," wrote a Newton contemporary some years after the scientist's death [source: Wright].

The jury is still out on this story. Newton could have invented one of the world's most popular cat accessories -- or somebody at Cambridge just liked to drill random holes.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 03:50 AM

If any cat has a choice of two cat-flaps, a large one and a small one, it will invariably pick the larger one.
But how funny that a scientist should design such a thing to let a cat out! Rather sweet of him.
The problem with cat-flaps is that they let other cats IN, and we sometimes had 'visitors', much to the indignation of our resident cats.
Our neighbours have a high-tech system - each of their three cats has a collar with some sort of electronic 'key' on it, which allows the flap to open. I believe this can be achieved using the micro-chip which vets put under the skin of various pets.
That tame red deer in our village ('BamBam') has been microchipped!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 04:41 AM

I had to change our two cat flaps for Worthy/Snotcat. He was a bit too big to manage the standard cat ones we had before. I think the only “foreigner” we had through ours was Furball who decided he could let himself in and out before he decided he would settle here but that was fine.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 07:27 AM

Ancient Egypt invented the ultimate final cat flap into the afterlife. More than any other animal, cats were mummified.
hundreds of thousands of them.
There are millions of human mummies. Grumbracher used to grind up mummies for a pigment called mummy white in oil paint for artists.
We used to have a tube.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mooh
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 10:32 AM

Not anymore. George left us last month. No more biting my feet as I slept, no more pissing in random bags/kits/purses left open, no more pissing in random shoes, no more pissing on the bathroom floor beside a clean litter box, no more chasing the 90lb dog from his bed, no more biting the dogs in their sleep, no more friends arriving and making sure George wasn't present before they'd enter, no more vet visits where they had to call in extra staff to handle him. All that said, he did have his own je ne sais quoi, a style of his own, both endearing and maddening.

No condolences required, he was that one most challenging rescue. The exception that tests the rule.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 14 Sep 20 - 10:42 AM

Hey, Mooh -- great to see your name on the board again.

We had a tomcat like your George. His name was Bill, and he was both a biter and a pisser -- preferring doors and baseboards to bags, and responsible for the destruction of rather too many books on bottom shelves. But definitely just full of je ne sais quoi.

Bill was the source of a family joke, the one about the "free cat". He came into our lives at the back door, at which he pounded when he finally decided to get off the street, and cost us thousands over the 13 years he lived with us, not only in vet bills (nearly $1,000 in his first two weeks) but also to repair the havoc he so casually wrought.

Peace to you, too!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 08:12 AM

In this mud cat box
I'm posting this
to cover all my leavings

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Mooh
Date: 15 Sep 20 - 10:04 AM

Charmion, thanks.

I haven't been around Mudcat much, not on purpose, just sort of drifted away as the guitar threads and Canadian content seemed to diminish, and some of the general humour lost. I do peak in for a read sometimes.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Naemanson
Date: 18 Sep 20 - 06:12 AM

Two in the house and two in the sad little cemetery under the mango tree.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 05:41 PM

We need to hear from
Mudcatters owned by happy healthy pet cats
on how their four-legged friends
are helping keep them safe and sane during the pandemic.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 07:00 PM

Lucy and Lionus were annoyed when cooped up in one room while a new water heater was installed. I was annoyed when the old one leaked a bit.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Joe_F
Date: 12 Jan 21 - 10:35 PM

I have a yellow plaster cat permanently climbing the corner of the bookcase on my desk. I inherited it from my father, who brought it home from France in the 1920s. He treated himself to a year there after he won a prize for a book he had written. In France, it was (perhaps still is) traditional for farmers to decorate their roofs with plaster animals.

I see that we can't call the 1920s the '20s any more.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: The Sandman
Date: 13 Jan 21 - 04:14 AM

one

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 06 Jun 21 - 09:16 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jun 21 - 08:33 AM

Watson and Isobel have reconciled after several days of estrangement caused by Watson's overnight stay at the cat hospital. It was nice to have my lap so thoroughly occupied (kinda like France circa 1941) instead of the swearing and clashing of claws on ceramic tile that indicate feline hostility.

I assume that this return to bliss will last only until Watson has to return to the vet to find out whether the new prescription diet ($$$) is solving his crystalluria problem.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jos
Date: 07 Jun 21 - 09:09 AM

Maybe Isobel didn't recognise Watson when he came back from the cat hospital, as he won't have smelled like his old self at first.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 07 Jun 21 - 07:08 PM

I’m sure he did not smell right, Jos, but Isobel has other senses fer goshsakes! He still looks like himself, and sounds like himself … especially when he’s informing me that I have not put nearly enough dinner in his dish …

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Jun 21 - 08:00 PM

Well, Charmion, there you go --
Watson wants some more of that expensive new food.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Jun 21 - 01:48 PM

After not having an aquarium for decades, as well as Amano shrimp and a few tropical snails, I have Otocinclus - dwarf sucking catfish.

On the positive side, they seem to have a good life in my tank but, on the negative side, they have to be imported all the way from the Americas, during which many may suffer or die..?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Jun 21 - 02:37 PM

Either way, otos, although very skilful swimmers and feeders, don't play the fiddle.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 08 Jun 21 - 03:50 PM

Well Walkabout, given that the thread is about Cats what the **** do your last two posts have in common with the thread?

Just asking like ...................

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 08 Jun 21 - 04:33 PM

What do cats on Mudcat have to do with the price of fish, Raggytash?

I've got eyes - that's a catfish playing the Italian fiddle/violin (perhaps straight out of a mudbath) NOT a cat!

Next thing you'll tell me is that it was all going swimmingly, I suppose.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 08 Jun 21 - 05:31 PM

b that as it may...its June and all the cats around here are well fed with crustaceans on the wing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Vincent Jones
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 10:21 AM

Don't have a cat, but there's plenty of mud at my allotment.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 11:08 AM

I've seen plenty of muddy dogs but muddy cats?
Nope,
ceptin mebbe a tiger.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 11:42 AM

Crustaceans don't have wings.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 04:40 PM

hahahahaha you don't get it. Ciccadas are related.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 04:54 PM

Cicadas are insects and insects are not crustaceans, not by a long chalk. As ever, 'tis you who doesn't "get it." The default with regard to any assertion you make is to distrust it utterly.

By the way, I now have a cat. She's a rescue tortie called Polly and is a gentle and characterful beast. Beautiful too.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 04:59 PM

On the tele, I've seen catfish successfully hunt pigeons, not quick enough onto the wing - but they were not mudcats...it was somewhere in Europe, I think.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 05:06 PM

Our family had a cat which didn't hunt as well with a bell on its collar.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 06:16 PM

Whatever you say but they are so related that people here are advised if they have a crustacean allergy they should not eat ciccadas.
loosen up you're too tents.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Jun 21 - 06:29 PM

You purport to deal with scientific topics yet you are regularly called out for blatant inaccuracies. Not good enough. Check your facts before you post is my advice. It's a credibility thang. Focus on that.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Jun 21 - 06:05 AM

No its not. Its a deep seated pervasive personality problem.

Regarding cats; https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/deadly-fungi-are-the-newest-emerging-microbe-threat-all-over-the-world/
there is a feline specific fungal infection in Brazil that is horrendous. Regarding people, a word to the wise.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 10 Jun 21 - 06:23 AM

I've seen plenty of muddy dogs but muddy cats?

I've seen cats that I guess have got into fights come home muddy and bedraggled a couple of times.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 10 Jun 21 - 09:13 AM

When we had a working tomcat who beat the bounds of his territory and defended it from all comers, I knew he was losing his mojo on the day he came home covered in mud and reeking of somebody else’s piss. The contents of his bladder is part of the fighting cat’s armament, and poor old Bill had taken a broadside. The mud came from the flower bed in which the battle was fought, and the piss, of course.

Washing Bill was a mob-handed job, but that time he endured our ministrations in the kitchen sink almost meekly until the worst of the mess was out of his fur. Then he erupted like Vesuvius and shot out of the kitchen, making straight for the sofa where he left a large wet spot that took hours to dry.

Typical.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Jun 21 - 09:19 AM

"mob handed job" :^/

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 12 Jun 21 - 04:36 PM

Charmion, this isn't the first time I have known you to mention Bill. Isn't this the cat
whom the two of you referred to, ironically, as "free"?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 13 Jun 21 - 10:52 AM

Yes, keb, Bill was the original "free" cat.

He arrived on our doorstep on the fourth day of April 2000 after surviving the entire winter on the street, and crossed the Rainbow Bridge on 16 April 2013. He was a very fine cat indeed, worth every penny.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 13 Jun 21 - 10:44 PM

Eliza/Senoufou,
what is the latest on Archie,
the foundling kitten rescued by
the veterinarian next door?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion's brother Andrew
Date: 14 Jun 21 - 08:39 AM

For any of you not up on the art history of the Great War, Old Bill was a character that appeared in the cartoons of Bruce Bairnsfather. A fitting name for a dear, embattled tomcat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 05 Jul 21 - 09:03 PM

I still want to know about Archie.
Last Eliza/Senoufou reported,
he was clambering about on rooftops already.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Jul 21 - 08:54 PM

Archiiiiie . . .
here, kitty kitty kitty . . .

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Jul 21 - 05:55 AM

Hello there keberoxu!! Sorry for the long absence.
Archie has now grown into a cheeky, inquisitive and feisty little character. He's huge, and has fallen in love with Pippin (female cat that lives behind our houses) He's been neutered though, so no action in that department!
His housemate Delilah is a gentle, affectionate cat, and sits with me on the front bench, or rolls on her back at my feet. Their owner, the shepherdess, has taken in more rescued sheep into her sanctuary, which she runs with her gay partner. I have great hopes that they may get engaged soon. Lovely pair of ladies.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 31 Jul 21 - 08:39 PM

Now, Senoufou, I may have this all wrong, but
is "Pippin" the cat that you used to call "Binky"?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 01 Aug 21 - 02:50 AM

Ah no, keberoxu, Binky was my very first cat (when I was about three years old!) He was a British Black type of cat. The first in a long long long line of cats over the years.
There's an advert on TV for Dreamies (cat biscuits) and the chap shakes the packet to entice his neighbour's cat/s into his house for 'schnuggles', saying,"I am a cat borrower!" (He has an Eastern European accent) It makes me smile because I'm now a 'cat borrower' too!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Sep 21 - 03:43 PM

bring back, bring back, oh,
bring back the Mudcatters' cats, their cats ...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 24 Sep 21 - 04:13 PM

I'm still giving Pippin small snacks (the very best Purina sachets, plus 'real' food such as roast chicken, tuna, carefully boned salmon etc) She chirrups so sweetly and seems to be always very hungry.
Archie is often scrambling across our roof doing his 'mountaineering' hobby, and seems to be madly in love with my very black husband. He waits for his return from work (around 9pm) and rolls about all over his feet. Husband speaks lovingly to him, "'Ello my leetle Arrchie! 'Ow are you dis evening eh?" I don't know how the little cat can see him in the dark, because his cleaner's uniform is all black (and so is he). All you can espy is a large set of very white teeth floating in the air! But they seem to be very close friends.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 01:54 PM

We've just ordered an outdoor winter cat shelter for one. It's self-heating (!), it's slightly off the ground, it has a cat flap and a privacy window that can see out but not in. Wacky or what. It will sit next to our south-facing house wall in a very sheltered spot. We get light frosts only in winter and not many of them. We had three or four nights of-6C last winter, which was unusual. We've had cats for most of the last 45 years and they have always stayed out at night. No smelly litter trays for us. It's pretty safe for cats round here. We've always provided heated shelter for them, but this cat house is a first!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 03:15 PM

That sounds really cosy Steve!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 05:43 PM

Speaking of a long line of cats over the years the ancient Egyptians found cats more than useful and adored them unto death and mumified their kitties.
Cats were first domesticated in the Near East around 7500 BC. It was long thought that cat domestication began in ancient Egypt, where cats were venerated from around 3100 BC. As of 2021, there are an estimated 220 million owned and 480 million stray cats in the world. As of 2017, the domestic cat was the second-most popular pet in the United States, with 95 million cats owned. In the United Kingdom, 26% of adults have a cat with an estimated population of 10.9 million pet cats as of 2020.

Dogs on the other hand, already by 11,000 years ago -- before agriculture, and before any other animal had been domesticated -- dogs had not only been domesticated, but they had already diversified genetically and likely spread across large parts of the world, according to Anders Bergstrom, lead author and post-doctoral researcher in the Ancient Genomics Laboratory at London's Francis Crick. In Europe dogs are losing their genetic diversity.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 08:18 PM

The question is sometimes raised,
from what exactly did the cat evolve.
Compared to the dog, which evolved from the wolf.

One theory is that a particularly small species of leopard
may be the ancestor of the cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 04 Oct 21 - 08:57 PM

My theory is derived from island dwarfism evolution. Island dwarfism was respondsible for dog sized adult elephants, why not cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 08:39 AM

Island dwarfism requires isolation. Dogs are too variable in size to meet that criterion, and the "domestic" cat (Felis felis) did not emerge from isolation; the species appeared simultaneously in many areas on the fringes of Old World wilderness.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 09:51 AM

It's easy enough to look up the evolution of the domestic cat. The immediate ancestor of all domestic pussycats is the African wildcat, Felis sylvestris lybica. There are eight separate lineages of the cat family, Felidae. The domestic cat belongs to the Felis lineage and is classified as the species Felis catus (clumsy or what). Although all members of the cat family ultimately have a common ancestor, the other lineages of cats (such as lions, leopards, lynxes and pumas, etc.) have been separated from pussycats for ten million years or more. Looks and size don't mean everything, but phylogenetic and DNA studies do...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 10:42 AM

Cats being partly high strung, cunning and paradoxicly sleepy makes them fine comedians imo. In fact early 1900 animation featured cats most often, not the mouse. Felix came first and Sylvester later. Felix refined cartoon animation technically and in story line. They were the cat videos of that era. Many cartoon cats are gone but not forgotten:

The Aristocats

Mufasa

The Cat in the Hat

Nala

Snowball II
the Simpsons

Penelope Pussycat
Reluctant object of affection for Pepe LePew

Simon's Cat

The Pink Panther

Cartoon Characters You Never Realized Suffer From Mental Disorders

Marie

Kiara
Daughter of Simba and Nala, she spends her days playing around Pride Rock. When trying to hunt on her own, she fails miserably yet was still determined to continue. She has a stubborn streak a mile wide and disapproves of her father constantly sending people to spy on her. It only leads to more rebellion as he continues to do so after promising not to. Despite the bratty, inconsequential manner she has at times, she is kind-hearted and easily befriends Kovu when cubs. When reunited as young adults, he criticizes her hunting skills and she dares him to teach her how to do better, which leads to their friendship blossoming into romance.

Shere Khan

Top Cat

Scratchy

Scar

Thomas O'Malley

Toulouse
Duchess' orange son, Toulouse is the painter, but likes to jump in on his brother's compositions every now and then. He tries to play tough, practicing biting and clawing, in case they ever meet an alley cat. So he looks up to Thomas O' Malley greatly.

Snagglepuss - exit stage left

Nermal

Meowth

Berlioz
Duchess' black son, he is the pianist of the three kittens, and is always trying to out-do Marie. He immediately bonds with Scat Cat and the rest of the band.

Luna

Tony the Tiger

Mr. Jinks

Tigress

Kovu
Youngest of Zira's three children and hand chosen by Scar to be his successor, he was just a baby when Simba banished Scar's pride to the Outlands, but was raised to believe that Simba was their enemy. He had a brief childhood friendship with Kiara, and then his training intensified until he was a young adult. Zira's plan was for him to "rescue" Kiara, earn Simba's trust, and then kill him when they were alone. Once in the pride, he teaches Kiara some hunting tricks and their friendship blossoms into romance.

Si and Am
Laday and the Tramp

Mittens

Sagwa

The Most Unforgettable Hanna-Barbera Characters

Scat Cat

Azrael
The Smurfs

Salem Saberhagen
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch

Stimpy

Heathcliff

Lucifer

Sgt. Tibbs
from 101 Dalmatians

Jiji
from Kiki's Delivery Service

Clawhauser

Alex the Lion
TV Cartoon Neighbors You'd Happily Live Next to

Artemis
Guardian and Adviser to Sailor Venus. He is Luna's mate, and father of their kitten Diana.

Diana
The daughter of Luna and Artemis, Diana is named for a Moon Goddess, and hers is the Roman version of Artemis. She is the guardian and adviser to Chibiusa and speaks in a very high tone voice.

Nyan Cat

Sylvester Jr.

Zira
Leader of the Outsider clan, Zira is full of hate and spite towards Simba and the members of his pride. She had faithfully followed Scar during his rule and believes that he had the right to the throne. Mother of three: Nuka, Vitani, and Kovu, she shows no gentleness or motherly regard. They have grown up in a barren wasteland, always hungry, and fighting for survival. She uses Kovu's budding friendship with Kiara as a pawn to move him into Simba's Pride and attack, and even threatens to kill Vitani for not following her orders. Only as Nuka lays dying does she show a moment of softness, regret, and then instantly hardens and blames it on Kovu.

CatDog

Cringer
from He-Man

Cake the Cat
from Adventure Time

Klondike Kat

Mao Mao

Most Badass Evil Cartoon Pets

Wild Bill Cat

Pete The Cat

Mr. Kitty
from South Park

Leodore Lionheart
from "Zootopia"

Vitani
The only daughter of Zira, Vitani is seen as her Right-Hand in the pride. With electric blue eyes, she stands out among them. As a cub she was undersized with a slightly larger head, mainly due to lack of food and water. Having a brash and vicious personality with a mocking attitude, she easily outwits her older brother Nuka, and goes toe-to-toe with Kovu. At the climatic battle at Pride Rock, she realizes enough is enough and there is no more need for bloodshed. She is the first to step away from her mother and join the Pridelanders, at which Zira says she can die as well, and that turns all the rest of her pride away from her.

Sebastian
Josie and the Pussycats

Get Fuzzy

Happy The Exceed

Pete Puma

Cartoon Characters You Never Realized Suffer From Mental Disorders

Arlene
Arlene is Garfield's on-and-off girlfriend who can successfully crack jokes at the expense of Garfield regularly. She is a slim, sleek, long-tailed, pink-furred cat, with a narrow neck and big red lips, which seems to be the only one of its kind living in the world. Earlier in the strip run, she also had a big gap between her two front teeth. In the cartoon, she has three fingers (including thumb) as Odie, but in CGI movies & The Garfield Show, she has four fingers. Since 2007, Garfield and Arlene's relationship has become a bit more serious than before.


Spot
from Hong Kong Phooey
Courageous Cat

Sawyer

Super Snooper
from Snooper and Blabber (part of the Quickdraw McGraw show)

Opalescence
from My Little Pony

Chococat

Danny
from Cats Don't Dance

Manchas
from "Zootopia (2016)

Nuka
The oldest son of Zira, flea bitten and scrawny, Nuka holds a grudge against Kovu for being Scar's chosen predecessor. Despite being thin and malnourished, he is lithe and has enough strength to hold down Simba during an ambush attack. He's always wanting his mother's approval, going to great lengths to earn a word of praise. It goes to fog his common sense as he declares Kovu a traitor without waiting for his mother's explanation. He bullied his younger siblings as they were cubs since he was born during Scar's reign and overlooked by him. His dying words to his mother were more like an apology, yet still thirsty for attention.


Battle Cat

Punkin' Puss

Lippy the Lion & Hardy Har Har
Seen here with his hyena friend, Hardy Har Har.

Dragon

Claude Cat

Mehitabel

Catbug (Bravest Warriors)

Mooch
from "Mutts"

Cool Cat

Cat (Peg+Cat)
The Indigo feline companion to a little girl named Peg. He accompanies her on her many adventures and is often inspiring her to solve a problem without realizing it, leading her to call him many complimentary things.

Annie Nollette added
Black Cat Sheriff

Princess Carolyn

Fat Cat Steve

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 11:15 AM

Felis catus? My bad; I should have looked it up.

Meanwhile, back in the suburbs, my house panthers are shifting gradually into their cool-weather activity pattern. Well, not exactly "activity" pattern; it's really about where they choose to snooze -- i.e., on the bed and in the comfy chair instead of on the hardwood floor. When winter sets in, they will move back to the floor, in a cat-basket set on top of a heat vent. They tangle themselves together so snugly it's hard to identify the point where one cat ends and the other begins.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 11:59 AM

That's OK. I thought it was what you said 'til I looked it up! (I'm a botanist, you see...)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 02:56 PM

quick video on origins

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 05 Oct 21 - 06:29 PM

Rather superficial popular science which at least comes to the right conclusion! :-)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 07 Oct 21 - 07:23 PM

All in all carnivorous cats make better pets than bears. ":^/ Bears are known to eat people.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 08 Oct 21 - 07:06 PM

Our new(ish) pussycat, Pollywollydoodle (short for Polly), now has three houses apart from the main residence. She has a catden just outside the front door, which we call the pollytunnel (see what I did there?), great for summer use, with an open front. She has an indoor fluffy cave which we will remove as soon as we start lighting the wood stove. Finally, we have the newly-installed winter retreat, as I mentioned earlier, the self-heating one. We're very pleased with it, though she is highly suspicious, for now. It's amazing what you can achieve with a cat via a scant handful of cat biscuits, however...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Oct 21 - 04:13 AM

You must be that chap on the Dreamies TV advert Steve!
I love Polly's full name - wish I'd chosen more imaginative names for all our cats over the years (Smokey, Misty, Minty, Sam, Murphy, Solo, Gussie, AndyPandy etc) But I needed names you can call outside in the garden to get the little blighters indoors.
I read on another forum that a lady proposed to name her cat 'Jesus' (!!!) Her friend pointed out that she would look an absolute fool standing outside calling "Jeeeesus! Time for bed Jeeesus!" hee hee

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Oct 21 - 05:57 AM

Polly is her official full name, Eliza. But you know how it is. It soon gets transmogrified (transmoggyfied?) over time. It's "PollywollyDOOdle!" at the back door, and "Pol" or "Pollywol" in the house...(The "DOO" part, by the way, is done in a loud, high falsetto: we have no neighbours...)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Raggytash
Date: 09 Oct 21 - 06:14 AM

Back in the 70's my good lady used to "cat-sit" for friends in Liverpool. The only name the cat would respond to was Bollocks.

So you can imagine my good lady standing at the front door of their terraced street shouting out Bollocks! Bollocks! to attract the cat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Oct 21 - 06:37 AM

Our cats have been called Pud, Sago, Fig, Toots, Mousse, Monty and Polly. Before we got married, Mrs Steve had a cat called Thick... :-)

I might have mentioned it before, but Toots and I once got our photos in the Guardian Saturday magazine in the This Is My Pet column. Also in the column that week was Catherine Zeta-Jones and her horse... :-)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 09 Oct 21 - 11:56 AM

We did rather add bits on to their names:- SmokeyPokey, MintyPooPoo (he had a lot of diarrhoea as a kitten) MurphyPurphy, SimpsonSamson and so on. (I often call my poor husband (Ibrahima) "IbbyBibby", much to his disgust!)
I do love the name of the neighbours' cat who visits me, she's called Pippin. And our other neighbours have Delilah, Tiger Lily and Archie.
My pedigree British Black Shorthair was officially called Ashmere Augustus by his breeder. I won a Premier Medal when showing him at the Cat Fancy shows. But I called him Gussie!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 11 Oct 21 - 06:40 PM

Ashmere Augustus Aurelius is better than Wild Branta Canadensis Purrsuit. Our most talkative Siamese cat was named Kevetch.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Oct 21 - 04:11 AM

You've taught me something Donuel. I looked up kvetch and it's yiddish for 'to complain'. Oi vey!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 12 Oct 21 - 08:34 AM

Kvetch is an excellent name for a Siamese of a certain disposition.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Oct 21 - 11:17 AM

It is indeed Charmion!
Someone posted a funny cartoon on our village Facebook.
First picture, timid little cat emerging from a cat-basket, saying "Oh, th...th...thank you s.s.s.so much for rescuing m..m..ee!"
Second picture, headed 'One month later..', cat sitting arrogantly on sofa while new owner enters "How dare you, you peasant! On your knees! I am the Lord of this house! Fetch me some roast chicken and a bowl of cream! Now!"

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 12 Oct 21 - 11:20 AM

I'm a sucker for pets with pets. There are tons of pics with dogs and their cats napping together. Even gorillas love cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 15 Oct 21 - 08:03 PM

In the music section I have started a thread which is actually
about the point of view of a cat, in a poem from the 1800's.

The thread is titled
Trans Req: Warum kuessen sich [die] Menschen? which is
the subject of a tomcat's speculation:

Why do human beings kiss each other?
The poem is originally in German, hence the 'Trans Req'.
I recommend this excerpt - very witty.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 17 Oct 21 - 08:17 PM

I have often seen cats touch noses in greeting, keb. I think cats understand kissing just fine; the songwriter, however witty, might have been less clued in to cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Oct 21 - 04:00 AM

I popped next door yesterday afternoon to post an envelope through our neighbours' door. (I donate to their daughter's 'sheep sanctuary' from time to time.) They have three super cats. The eldest ('Tiger Lily') was sitting in their window, watching me and smiling.
Sadly, their letterbox is rather fierce, and I got my hand trapped in it. Nobody was in, and I tugged & tugged, trying to free it. Tiger Lily watched with great interest, and I swear she was actually laughing!
I envisaged spending the rest of the day with one hand poking in through their front door, but fortunately I eventually extricated myself.
Tiger Lily looked a trifle disappointed!
Honestly, cats do actually smile and laugh if one understands their body language and facial expressions.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 20 Oct 21 - 01:57 PM

Linus (Lion Ass) had a nightmare and woke up to springing 3 feet in the air of the end of my bed. I do not know the kind of monster he was dreaming of but it must have been fierce. He cautiously scouted the room for almost 2 months before he returned to snooze on the bed.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 09:36 AM

I may have posted this before but a brother and his cat did have a real shock with lying on the bed one night. It came in the form of a 6' carpet python. I think Tim got bitten but was otherwise unharmed. I gather the cat stuck very close to Tim for a long while after this encounter.

I believe Tim does have a tendency to leave his house open to all sorts though. I doubt it's still around but he did have lizard (blue tongued skink?) that I think liked cat food as a regular visitor.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 11:26 AM

Good heavens Jon, a six-foot long carpet python (called Monty?) and a blue-tongued skink? I suppose this was not in Norfolk!
Reminds me of Hissing Sid, a very long grass snake that our five cats cornered in our neighbour's back garden. It was coiled up under a large plant pot supporter, hissing like anything, while they all stood round fascinated, poking it with tentative paws. Neighbour and I gently got it onto a big shovel and popped it into the ditch, after I'd shepherded the five miscreants indoors. They didn't half give me some dirty looks for spoiling their fun!
Grass snakes, although about five feet long, aren't venomous, but can give a nasty bite. This one had been eating my neighbour's koi fish in her pond. It may have been a female, because we found some baby grass snakes in a puddle later that year. We left them to shuffle off. (It's illegal to kill native reptiles in UK)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Jon Freeman
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 11:37 AM

No, not Norfolk, Sen! Queensland, Australia.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 12:57 PM

Oh phew Jon! we often have our window open at night, and I don't fancy waking up to find a carpet python in bed with us!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 04:41 PM

The time we visited Oz in 2006, I was walking along this road near Perth when I spotted a bloody great big huge monster of a lizard jobbie, staring balefully at me from the undergrowth. When I related this, terror in my eyes, to the rellies, they laughed at me, saying that these dinosaur-manquées (can't remember its name now) were everywhere and were completely harmless, unlike that redback spider that I found hiding under a bog seat, waiting to bite me arse...

I'm stayin' 'ere...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 05:45 PM

In deep winter, I have been known to grumble that my ancestors picked the wrong destination when they left their various old countries. Then I read something — pretty near anything — about Australian wildlife, especially snakes, and promptly start counting my blessings.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 21 Oct 21 - 06:13 PM

Like everywhere, it's never as bad as the stories you hear...

A few weeks ago I was weeding my greenhouse when a huge great big ground beetle nipped my finger. Unheard of, I hear! It WAS my fault...

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 22 Oct 21 - 04:06 AM

My fearless husband always picks up gigantic spiders from our bathroom with his bare hands and pops them outside. Meanwhile I'm running round screaming in terror. Once, a particularly large and ferocious-looking specimen actually bit him. I expressed great concern, but he merely shrugged and smiled. He's my absolute hero.
When staying alone in Senegal many years ago (in Casamance) I kindly offered to put their goats away for the night in their little stable under the water tower. As I was patting them and saying goodnight (in French Goatese of course) I suddenly noticed a huge hairy bloomin' monster of a spider beside me on the wall. It moved, ready to jump I think. My goodness, I fled screaming and the African owners fell about laughing.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 27 Oct 21 - 07:53 AM

Candidate for NYC mayor Curt Sliwa, advocates for cats to be taken off kill lists to be euthanized. He says Cats solve the rodent problem, lowers our blood pressure and interact well in our society.
He also believes you can't be a peace maker with a 9 milimeter strapped
on your hip.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 27 Oct 21 - 11:22 AM

Those are interesting statements for a public figure to make, Donuel, but not enough to indicate that he would be a good mayor.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Oct 21 - 08:23 PM

He has been in our news for 50 years https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Sliwa

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: JennieG
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 02:26 AM

Yes, we here in Oz do have things which will kill you......but show me the country which doesn't.

I have lived in Oz all of my (long-ish) life and only seen one snake in our garden, the year we first moved here - 2010 - it was a brown snake, one of the deadliest, although a young one. It moved quicker than we did, let me tell you. We are careful not to leave footwear outside overnight, as that could be asking for a bitten toe in the morning; some spiders do like a nice cosy shoe.

On our various visits to Canada we have lost count of the number of folk who have said to us "we would love to go to Australia, but you have things which will kill you".....to which we have replied "well - you have bears which aren't always friendly, and moose which can kill you on the road too! And those big whales, orcas....."

Here's a song for you, Steve......Redback on the toilet seat

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 08:49 AM

The thing about dangerous Canadian wild animals, Jennie, is that most of them are pretty big, and you have to be blind drunk as well as stupid to miss them when they’re close enough to take exception to your presence. A moose on the highway, a bear helping himself in the veggie garden — not hard to spot. Also, the most threatening beasts avoid humans, and most Canadians are city-dwellers who have to travel a far piece to get up close and personal with one. Stay off their doorstep, and they stay off yours.

Note that raccoons, skunks and coyotes do not belong to this class of wildlife. Living as I do in delightful, suburban Stratford, less than 1,000 metres from cropland, I keep the garbage under close arrest and the garage and garden shed firmly shut to discourage those species from visiting my patch for more than a cursory look around.

Oh, and the cats stay in, not only to keep them out of the line of fire but also to prevent them from messing with the many birds that live in my hedge. Their job is clobbering any mouse that dares to venture into the house, which they handle with enthusiasm and dispatch.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 09:13 AM

Australian spiders!

Earlier in the century a friend's teenage English nephew was visiting & was worried about all our dangerous wildlife, so Auntie & her songwriting partner re-wrote the 12 days of Christmas & laminated pics of each creature which we held up as we sang the verses. The poor lad is probably still getting psychiatric help!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 11:20 AM

Jennie, the tale of the redback spider is more than a song, it's an epic of several cantos!

It confirms my conviction that, despite its usual population of heavy-lift mosquitoes, a Canadian backhouse crapper is a more reassuring comfort station than its Australian counterpart.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 12:03 PM

Sliwa founded the "Guardian Angels," an ad hoc group of public defenders in the New York City subway system. I saw them a few times on their rounds - and was not particularly pleased by their presence. He has political history with Rudy Giuliani but hates Trump. Sliwa on Wikipedia. Wacko. But he apparently loves cats.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 29 Oct 21 - 04:00 PM

As a wacko he will get the 20% wacko vote.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Oct 21 - 03:35 AM

An outside toilet here in Norfolk is called a 'thunderbox'. ("Bucket and chuckit") The chap who used to come round to empty the buckets thereof drove what was called the Honey Cart.
I'm still missing all our cats, especially SmokeyPokey. I find myself saying 'goodnight' to an empty space on the sofa. Don't they get into your heart eh?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 30 Oct 21 - 11:00 AM

I have rarely observed altruism in cats - generally they're a selfish grabby bunch. But recently we've noticed a good example of it. I often put a dish of food out for Pippin, a lovely female cat who hangs around in our back garden. The folk she belongs to feed her (I suspect) on dry biscuit food, and she prefers our offerings.
But lately a little black boy with white paws, looking rather thin and scrawny, has taken to hanging around too. He belongs to the same people who owned Spirit (AKA Sam the Skull) and they aren't exactly fabulous cat-owners. He gazes longingly at the dish (sometimes roast chicken pieces, or tuna, or Purina best-quality sachets) and Pippin waits kindly while he fills his boots. I reckon it's a motherly instinct (he's under a year old I think), and there's never any fighting or growling.
Once he's slipped back home, I put out another dish for the gentle Pippin.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 31 Oct 21 - 01:57 PM

So have you given the little black fella a name yet? Your description reminds me of a piano player by the name of Gloves McGinty who worked the Ottawa Valley bar circuit back in the day.

Saying "good night" to absent cats -- the gig at my house has never been vacant over some 35 years, but I know what you mean. I still absent-mindedly check the tops of bookcases where a long-gone puss named Batsy used to hang out.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 31 Oct 21 - 06:32 PM

I love the name McGinty - thanks for that Charmion! He can be (Gloves)McGinty from now on. My nickname to most of my friends is Paddy, and there was a lovely song by Val Doonican called Paddy McGinty's Goat.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cat songs ?
From: Donuel
Date: 02 Nov 21 - 06:25 PM

With 2 cats in the yard life used to be so hard but now exerything is easy cause of you.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 02 Nov 21 - 08:32 PM

Ah, Eliza/Senoufou, you do have a layered and curious relationship
with the neighbo[u]rs who neglected, excuse me, adopted "Spirit'.
Why will people insist on taking cats in
and then insist, equally, on neglecting them?
It beats the heck out of me.


So, Charmion, I looked online for Gloves McGinty
and found myself confronted with the name
Alexander MacLeod,
and it seems he had a brother named Reid who was also musical.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 02 Nov 21 - 09:58 PM

Yep, that was the man himself. He did a honky-tonk act in a striped blazer, straw boater hat, and white gloves.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 21 - 04:00 AM

I agree with you Keberoxu, it's a mystery why people 'obtain' animals (cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs etc) and do not care for them properly, either through ignorance, lack of empathy or just laziness.
The owner of McGinty (the late Sam the Skull's owner) has also obtained a big dog. Her new boyfriend drags the poor beast around on a lead and treats it very harshly. I don't know a lot about dogs, but this doesn't seem right to me.
My lovely lovely neighbour, the veterinary nurse, is the most compassionate animal-lover I've ever met (and absolutely obsessed with cats!) She can't see either why people 'get' a cat and then toss a few dry biscuits down for it, while not seeing to worming, de-fleaing or necessary injections. I'm so glad she lives next door to me, and her gay partner (another vet nurse, and co-owner of their Sheep/Chicken Sanctuary) is also a joy. (I might buy a posh hat, as I hope they might get married any time soon!)
Just before writing this, I put down some treats for Pippin and McGinty. Chopped tuna, a Purina sachet, (which contains essential taurine, that all cats need) a bit of butter and a little knob of Philadelphia cream cheese! They're both out there now, licking and munching together like old pals.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 03 Nov 21 - 06:57 AM

Make sure any tuna you feed to cats has no added salt and don't overdo it... Not the best thing...

I once saw a cat being slowly killed by its misguided owner persistently feeding canned tuna to it, thinking it was somehow superior to much cheaper cat food...

Waitrose "Essentials" skipjack tuna in oil has no added salt and is fairly cheap. The expensive stuff in little pots, similar. But every other brand of tuna in oil that I've checked out has added salt (which I can't stand). I haven't looked at the tuna in in springwater as I regard such things as inedible abominations... :-)

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 03 Nov 21 - 09:45 AM

You're right Steve, but I use weeny tins of tuna in oil, and only a small teaspoonful on the side of a dish (just to have a lick/taste) next to the whole Purina sachet (various flavours, they of course prefer the chicken one!) plus small pieces of roast chicken breast if I have any.
They're both out there again in the pouring rain looking wistfully through the conservatory windows. Why oh why don't their respective owners give them what they need : company, affection and food other than dry biscuits? I feel a bit guilty being a 'cat borrower' like that Dreamies bloke on the telly, but I'm a pushover I'm afraid.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 09:19 AM

I just broke up a serious cat-fight between 'Gloves McGinty', Delilah and Archie. D & A live next door, and they defend their territory alarmingly. Fortunately, McGinty ran away.

I must just post this:-
Our village Facebook often has reports of Mr Barrett's sheep/pigs having escaped from their badly-fenced field. One lady posted this today:
"Sheep out on Cadders Hill, on a horse so I couldn't herd it back into its field." (She owns a lovely mare called Eleisha)
I couldn't resist replying: "Never seen a sheep on horseback before. No wonder you couldn't catch it!"
This village gets ever madder.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 05 Nov 21 - 08:18 PM

Three months ago up the road a piece, 22 Zebras broke out of their pen from a private farm. To date only two are left wandering free but several have died. The owner back from holiday is up on charges.
Authorities have asked the public to please stop feeding the Zebras.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Senoufou
Date: 07 Nov 21 - 11:51 AM

Oh that's so sad Donuel. Do you know why several have died?
I visited my lovely vet-nurse neighbours yesterday evening to give them a small cash contribution for their Sheep Sanctuary, and they showed me photos of Archie's siblings. (The feral mother cat was shot by a heartless farmer, and all four kittens were saved and bottle-fed about a year ago) They've all flourished and look very alike, and live with cat-loving friends in our part of Norfolk.
While I was there, I was amused to see Tiger Lily, Delilah and Archie each at the top of their individual sitting-room cat tower (a sort of pole with various levels, each with a little hidey-hole bed). They looked as if they ruled the roost (which they almost certainly do!)
It's a good job I'm not in the least squeamish, because the two nurses told me about their studies and practical progress, and proudly showed me pictures of their successes in castration!! Several removed testicles of various species of animals! I began to see why the two of them are fiercely Vegan!

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Nov 21 - 05:43 PM

Well, I wondered how Archie was keeping, Senoufou,
and now I know:
fighting off Son of Sam, oops, I mean McGinty.
I imagine Archie can really fight,
judging from your description of him on the rooftops.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Nov 21 - 06:49 PM

Do you all know of the
James Herriott book that brings together all his stories
in which cats are the main non-human features?
It's a delight.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 26 Nov 21 - 03:27 PM

Perhaps you could call him the modern father of cat lovers. He originated in England at the turn of the century and can best get to know him by watching "The electrical life of Louis Wain".
It took his wife and Peter to make the man a legend who saw the connection between people and cats and vice versa. Silly, cuddelly, curious, frightened and brave.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Nov 21 - 02:26 PM

Charmion, how are your two "house panthers" keeping
now that the snowplows are loose in the streets?

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 28 Nov 21 - 04:23 PM

Louis' CATS


WHAT WAS YOUR BOOK CALLED KEB.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 28 Nov 21 - 05:21 PM

The title is
James Herriot's Cat Stories,
the publisher is St. Martin's Press.
There is an illustrator's name, Lesley Holmes.
First edition dates back to 1994.
161 pages.


The story about the cat named 'Oscar'
got so much attention that it now has
its very own separate book version,
marketed I think to children.
Also published by St. Martin's Press.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: NightWing
Date: 01 Dec 21 - 02:15 AM

I've never been a cat person. Always liked dogs better, but the apartments I've lived in for the past mumbledy years have all been very small: too small for a dog.

Early in June this year, a thunderstorm came through my little town. Pretty impressive one: rain pouring, wind roaring, lightning flashing, and thunder crashing.

I like storms, so I had the door open, just the screen door shut to keep out the bugs. In the middle of yet another crash of thunder, a voice cried from my porch. I opened the screen door and in marched a TINY, little, bedraggled, and soaking wet, yellow kitten. I wrapped her up in an old towel and she curled up and went to sleep ... and hasn't left and doesn't look like she intends to.

After a week of calling her "Dweebus" because I couldn't think of anything better, I was listening to 70's music and heard a particular song by Queen. She was immediately christened "Sumbuddy". More completely:

Sumbuddy du Luv, Queen of Mercury

Very quiet: never meows, just little "mrrp"s. Other than that one original cry for help in the storm, her purr is literally the loudest sound she makes.

Oddly, she doesn't like it when I sing. Immediately jumps off my lap and wanders off. No, people DON'T do that!

BB,
NightWing

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 01 Dec 21 - 03:54 AM

Our newish cat (rescued last April) can't be doing with my harmonica playing. She leaves the room...

Unlike yours, she's very vocal. Sometimes it's like having a conversation with her....

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Charmion
Date: 01 Dec 21 - 08:43 AM

I took up the mandolin instead of the fiddle in deference to feline taste.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: Donuel
Date: 01 Dec 21 - 09:40 AM

My cat Yaz would also prefer fretted instrument practice over the cello.

Subject: RE: How many Mudcats have cats!?
From: keberoxu
Date: 03 Dec 21 - 08:12 PM

Nightwing, I love that account of a kitten claiming you and your space
as its home territory.
Cats do that, don't they: they stake their claims.