How many Mudcats have cats!?

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 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 - 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 - 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 - 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: 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: 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: 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 - 07:09 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 - 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: 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: 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: keberoxu
Date: 18 Mar 18 - 11:47 AM

We need updates on the cats.

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: 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: Senoufou
Date: 14 Mar 18 - 04:40 AM

Yes Raggytash and Steve, how's things catwise?

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: 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: 11 Mar 18 - 10:51 AM

waiting for updates from
Raggytash and Steve Shaw.

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: 09 Mar 18 - 03:00 PM

here, kitty, kitty, kitty . . .

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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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 - 06:22 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 - 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 - 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 - 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: 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: keberoxu
Date: 02 Mar 18 - 04:07 PM

black book ??

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: 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: 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: 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: 27 Feb 18 - 11:02 AM

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

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: 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: 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...)