BS: A poignant cat story

Subject: A poignant cat story
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 30 May 01 - 06:39 PM

From Tuesday's Guardian:

When animal lovers Janet and Michael Gilroy heard a plaintive miaowing they were certain that a cat had somehow become trapped under their floor.

Carpets were peeled back and floorboards ripped up at the couple's home in Chelmsford, Essex, as they spent two days trying to pinpoint the origin of the noise.

They tried to tempt the animal out with food and drink and in desperation called out the fire brigade three times as well as alerting the RSPCA. They even searched a neighbour's home.

Finally, however, Mrs Gilroy realised yesterday that the noise was coming from a pile of unopened birthday presents. When she unwrapped the gift, Mrs Gilroy, 67, found that the sound came from a novelty biscuit barrel.

She said: "I unwrapped the present and there was a barrel for cat treats made in the shape of a cat which miaows as you lift its head and open it. As we had been moving the bag around the room the head had lifted off.

"I felt absolutely awful and so did my husband," she added. "We had to get our neighbours to phone the RSPCA and fire service, we were so embarrassed."

Nearly all the floorboards in the couple's lounge and dining room had been lifted. Mrs Gilroy said: "One fireman went under the floorboards looking for the blessed cat and he was 6ft 6in."

Mrs Gilroy, who has not yet told the friend who bought the gift about the escapade, said: "I felt like throwing it as far as I could. I shall never forget this birthday in a hurry. It's been bedlam."

A spokeswoman from the RSPCA said: "We are very grateful to the Gilroys for putting up with everything they had to because they thought an animal was in danger. They are very caring to go through all that to help what they thought was an animal is distress."

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Sorcha
Date: 30 May 01 - 06:47 PM

How incredible! I think it's rather sweet. Wonder if they need help with the repair expenses?

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: gnu
Date: 30 May 01 - 07:02 PM

awwww... that's sweet. Yeah, I know - hard to believe a good ol Kent County boy would drop a sappy tear over a cat... sod off. I just feel bad for the old dear worrying about the kitty for all that time. I know how she felt. I had a stray with kittens living in my woodpile in the winter. The storey gets worse from there, so I'll keep it to myself, except to say that I saved three of the kittens.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: catspaw49
Date: 30 May 01 - 09:52 PM

Nice story Mac......I hope someone helped them out with repairs. Cats are lovable little things or huge pains in the ass, but we will do the damndest things for our cats won't we?

I had a cat with serious bowel problems and my vet suggested a 1/2 teaspoon of gasoline fer chrissake! I admit that I thought the guy was nuts, but it did work, sorta. The real problem of course was that it ain't too easy to get a half teaspoon of gasoline down a cat's throat, but when I did, he liked to tore me to shreds getting away. He blasted around the room about 3 or 4 times, ran up the hallway, up the stairs, back down both, and into the den, leaped on the drapes and ran to the end of the curtain rod where he stopped and fell to the floor. I thought I'd killed the poor thing, but it turns out he'd just run out of gas.

Spaw

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: JeZeBeL
Date: 30 May 01 - 10:00 PM

It's not fair, I want a cat. that story was sooooo sweet!! When I move to Hexham in a couple of years time, I'm going to get a cat....they're the best things on this planet!!

Emma xxx

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: GUEST,Mickey191
Date: 31 May 01 - 12:01 AM

I bought it, hook, line & sinker Catspaw49.Good one!

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Justa Picker
Date: 31 May 01 - 12:14 AM

Does Your Cat Own You ??!!

Do you select your friends based on how well your cats like them?

Does your desire to collect cats intensify during times of stress?

Do you buy more than 50 pounds of cat litter a month?

Do you scoop out the litter box after each use?

Do you wait at the box with the scoop in your hand?

Do you think it's cute when your cat swings on the drapes or licks the butter?

Do you sleep in the same position all night because it annoys your cats when you move?

Do you kiss your cat on the lips?

Do you have more than four opened but rejected cans of cat food in the refrigerator?

Do you watch bad TV because the cat is sleeping on the remote?

Will you stand at the open door indefinitely in the freezing rain while your cat sniffs the door, deciding whether to go out or come in?

Would you rather spend a night at home with your cat than go out on a bad date?

Do you give your cat presents and a stocking at Christmas?

Is your cat's name included on the Christmas cards you send out?

When someone new comes to your house, do you introduce your cat, by name, to them?

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Lyndi-loo
Date: 31 May 01 - 05:20 AM

Yes Yes Yes yes Yes yes yes and yes

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: GUEST,Challis
Date: 31 May 01 - 05:32 AM

Aaah! .. little Freya-Rose (9 weeks/smokey grey) is trying to eat the "mouse" as I 'm reading it..

Lol, Hille

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: GUEST,Roger the skiffler
Date: 31 May 01 - 05:32 AM

Ths story amused me when I read it. Not being a cat person I was tempted to sneer at some of the cat-lover posts but then I remembered we give names to the goldfish in our garden pond so I'm just as sad!
RtS

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Quincy
Date: 31 May 01 - 05:57 AM

Great story McGrath......slightly similar story but different "animal".
On Animal Hospital a while ago there was a woman that was convinced there was a bird stuck in her roof space due to a "chirping" sound she could hear.

RSPCA were called and searched everywhere and it turned out to be a low battery warning from her smoke detector!!

best wishes, Yvonne

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Steve Parkes
Date: 31 May 01 - 06:59 AM

It's hard for some people to find the right pet for them; a cat might be too aloof, a dog too fawning ... I always remember what my Grandfather used to say: "A dog will look up to you and a cat will look down on you, but a pig will always treat you as an equal!"

Steve

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 May 01 - 09:48 AM

My nephew is dropping little hints about taking the new kitty wit him to his apartment when he moves. She adores the guys, greets them when they come home, sleeps with them at night and barely tolerates me. My fear is she will grow fat on beer and pizza with those two. We'll see...
Nice story. Nice people. I needed that.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Charley Noble
Date: 31 May 01 - 11:06 AM

Here's another one from my family's archives:

Grendal and the Milk Separator

Father never liked cats, nor was he especially fond of Grendal our newest little gray kitten who was always getting into everything, and then would try to climb into Father's lap. As I remember it we were all having breakfast in the farm kitchen and Father was pouring milk into the big milk separator in the corner of the room. Milk separators are machines designed to separate milk into cream and skim milk by centrifugal force, sort of like a particle accelerator; ours was a modern one run by electricity. Anyway, father flipped on the switch and sat down for breakfast when one of us noticed Grendal disappearing under the machine. Mother immediately got down on all fours and tried to grab her tail but she was already climbing out of reach, amidst the grinding gears. Mother was about to pull the plug to stop the machine but was stopped by Father who was justifiably concerned about ruining a morning's work for some rude little animal, and besides he hadn't heard a single screech. So we all continued eating our breakfast, with an occasional glance at the machine, whirling out its cream and skim milk. Father was whistling a cheerful tune, which I think was "Dunderbeck's Machine." When the machine had completed its cycle, father got out his screwdriver, removed the side cover plate and there was Grendal siting in the drip pan, somewhat greasy but none the worse otherwise, still staring at the maze of gears. From that day on, Grendal was inseparable from her favorite hangout whenever Father was processing the milk.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: black walnut
Date: 31 May 01 - 12:53 PM

McGrath,

My unfriendly biting independent monster of a cat, Elderberry Ninepatch, is ONLY nice to a human being when we open the lid of her meowing cat treat box! Then she comes running and purring and meowing and smiling and those big green eyes and looking so sweet and cute.... In fact, we can now get almost the same reaction out of her by just singing the 'Meow' song ourselves, without the lid.

In other words, I loved your Meow box lid story.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: RichM
Date: 31 May 01 - 01:29 PM

My wife works in a large complex of buildings in Hull,Canada, right across the river from Parliament Hill.
One day she reported a gull in distress to the building management--but it was merely a recording of a gull in distress! The object of course, is to discourage gulls and other birds from the vicinity.

Rich

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: SINSULL
Date: 31 May 01 - 01:38 PM

Last winter, on my way to work, I saw a gull who had become entangled in fishing line and then caught on an electric wire. To my astonishment, a fire truck and police car appeared with a ladder and cage, caught him and cut him free. Made my day...and probably kept me from electrocuting myself.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Julie B
Date: 05 Jun 01 - 09:03 AM

Re. cats responding to sound of Meow cat treat box:

Our late dog Shandy (she died last Nov at 15 years) could always hear a tin opener, or the top being removed from a beer bottle (her favorite!), from a mile away. You could never open a can/bottle without turning to find Shandy grining hopefully at your feet. We also had a guine pig who had the run of the house in the evenings (dog and pig got on fine). He knew the sound of the fridge door opening and would scuttle through to the kitchen to demand celery/lettuce leaves whenever he heard it!

Julie B

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Jacob B
Date: 05 Jun 01 - 10:19 AM

I'm surprised that this thread has gone on for this long without anyone commenting on how unusual this particular poignant cat story is. After all, most stories about poignant cats end with the teller wondering what they are going to do with the kittens :)

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: DougR
Date: 05 Jun 01 - 01:16 PM

Spaw: you got me!

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: Ferrara
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 01:45 AM

Oh, Justa Picker and Electricity, you made me happy with your list and your story! -- I especially like the image of the father whistling "Dunderbeck's Machine" while the separator runs!

I used to like to watch my aunt work the manual cream separator on the porch of her farmhouse.

Subject: RE: BS: A poignant cat story
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Jun 01 - 01:56 AM

Sorry Doug..........But that's really a favorite of mine.

Spaw