Off to Paris again on Sunday to watch France v Italy, at the Stade de France. We are leaving at the crack of dawn to get the train in Limoges and coming back very late on Sunday evening. I am really looking forward to it as we haven't been to a rugby match since last September. We used to be season ticket holders for London Irish back in blighty and used to go every other week and scream ourselves hoarse, drink Guinness (compulsory) and sing 'Field of Athenry' at the top of our voices. They didn't always win, but the atmosphere was fantastic.
The only problem we have with going away for a full day is the cats and chooks. Our friend who lives 1 minute away is coming to feed them, and I have been typing an instruction manual for her! I have cut it down to ten pages and OH says I should cut it down further! You see it's not as if has never looked after an animal before - she has dogs, horses, chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs. But, being a true animal lover I molly-coddle mine. Misty and Jemima like to have their food in dishes on the table. After a while Misty likes me to hold her dish for her. Josh likes to be watched whilst eating and you have to tempt him to eat by sniffing the food in his dish and making 'Mmmmm' noises when you put it down for him. Jemima will only eat tuna and dry cat food, Misty likes kitten food in gravy, Rosie and Josh hate gravy and like food in jelly but only fishy varieties! Sounds like I pamper them a bit?!
Guest chickens like a warm breakfast of pasta, leftovers, rice and sunflower seeds. They don't like corn, not keen on blé, and have gone off their pellets. Our chooks wander round the garden but like a handful of rice and pasta.
Luckily she know us well enough to say that she will turn a light on for them and put the TV on in the evening, so they don't get lonely.
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cats. Show all posts
Friday, 7 March 2008
Saturday, 1 March 2008
Acquiring cats
After reading an entry on Maggie Mays blog http://granniemay.blogspot.com/ I thought I would write about how we got our cats.
When I was living in Durham in 1992, I drove a housemate to someone that had kittens to give away. I knew that I didn't want one, after all I wasn't that keen on them, and we had dogs when we were children, first a golden labrador then an alsatian. Well, while she was making her choice a little ball of fluff bumped into my ankle, as I picked it up and looked into its eyes, I knew I was hooked. So Josh aged 6 weeks came home with me, and Jigsaw went home with my friend. Josh came everywhere with me. I would travel to Buckinghamshire to see my family and he would come along happily sitting around my neck like a scarf. He is with me still, he will be 16 in June.
After a couple of months the lease on the houseshare was up, and Josh and I moved to Stockton on Tees. I decided that he needed a friend and contacted the local RSPCA. After a week or so I got a phonecall saying that they had a 13 week old male kitten, and was I interested. Well, I went to the cat sanctuary and caught a glimpse of a silver grey tabby as he darted for cover behind a box. Apparently they had taken 30 cats and kittens from on old lady somwhere. She hadn't mistreated them, just couldn't look after them. So Bobbin, which later became Bobby came home with me. He was very timid and spent the first month living under the duver, only coming out for meals. He and Josh became great friends. He had a wonderful swagger and looked like John Wayne walking down the garden. Sadly he died in 2003 after a very short illness.
In 1999, OH decided that he would like to buy a nice, black sports car and I decided that I would like 2 black female kittens! OH didn't want anymore cats, 2 was enough he said. One of my clients at that time was doing some work for the RSPCA and knew someone who ran a kitten orphanage. I asked her to let me know if they got 2 black females. Well, in November of that year I got a phone call to say that they had just taken in 2 black females, sisters and they were 14 weeks old. They were not vaccinated and I could take them for a small donation to the RSPCA. I told OH that while he was going off to look at a nice black MR2, I was going to look at them, borrowed a cat box from my in-laws and off I went. Well, of course I came back with them just as I had intended, and he was not very pleased. They had been called Noodle and Dumpling in the orphanage as one was thin and the other a bit chubby. We renamed them Rosie and Tabitha. They were jet black apart from half a dozen white hairs on their chest. Rosie is still with us aged 9 this August. Tabitha went out on New Years Eve 2007 and never returned. We were totally devasted, me more so as she was my cat. She had always been a bit wary of men and would sit next to me and sleep next to me.
2001 saw the arrival of Jemima Puddlekitten. We had not intended to get another cat, and I was perfectly content with my 4. A colleague at work told me that her sister had found a tiny kitten and didn't know what to do with it. I told her about the kitten orphanage and that I would take it there if she wanted. Well a week passed and eventually I was asked to take it. Even when I collected this little kitten I was certain that I didn't want another one. Well, I got it home and it was put in the spare bedroom with litter tray, food and toys. I was all set to take it to the orphanage the next day and had phoned to let them know. OH kept popping upstairs to play with it and make sure it was ok. Each time he came down he would tell me how playful it had been and how cuddly it was. Then he suggested keeping it at our house for a couple of days as she had really hated being in the car. The next night each time he came downstairs asking how much neutering costs, and how old they had to be. Then he brought her downstairs and showed it all the around the kitchen, and finished up by saying to it: ' this is where the other cats eat, and this is where their bowls are kept. What's that? There's no bowl for you. Ok, Debra will get you a bowl tomorrow'. And that was that. Jemima came to live with and she is OH's cat. He carries her around on his shoulder and she adores him. She is now 7 years old.
In the autumn of 2003, we took in two 13 year old sisters. Pooh (jet black short hair) and Piglet (pure white long hair). Their owner (one of my clients) was moving abroad and was having to re-home her 7 cats. These 2 were the oldest and were both ill. They both had thyroid problems, Piglet would only drink cat milk and eat dry food, and was terrified of everyone, Pooh was very friendly. At the clients house they were bottom of the pack of 5 big males. If they had gone to the cat shelter it would have been very unlikely they would have been re-homed. The client said that she would pay their vets bills for the rest of their lives and they came home with us. Well, they absolutely blossomed! Away from dominant males Piggles became confident and extremely friendly. Sadly she died a couple of months before we moved to France in 2004. Her sister Pooh came to France with us and loved it here. She died in the autumn of 2006 aged 16.
That brings us to the latest of our cats, Misty. She is my little treasure. She came from a house in the village. She was the runt of the litter and was getting smaller while her siblings got bigger. When I got her at about 6 weeks she was a quarter of the size of the other kittens in the litter, and probably wouldn't have survived much longer. She has mended the hole that Tabitha left. She is so full of fun and mischief. The house is full of scrunched up bits of paper and feathers for her to play with.
I can't imagine life without my cats. The bring joy (and mice) into our home and leave gaping wounds when they leave, but I wouldn't be without them.
When I was living in Durham in 1992, I drove a housemate to someone that had kittens to give away. I knew that I didn't want one, after all I wasn't that keen on them, and we had dogs when we were children, first a golden labrador then an alsatian. Well, while she was making her choice a little ball of fluff bumped into my ankle, as I picked it up and looked into its eyes, I knew I was hooked. So Josh aged 6 weeks came home with me, and Jigsaw went home with my friend. Josh came everywhere with me. I would travel to Buckinghamshire to see my family and he would come along happily sitting around my neck like a scarf. He is with me still, he will be 16 in June.
After a couple of months the lease on the houseshare was up, and Josh and I moved to Stockton on Tees. I decided that he needed a friend and contacted the local RSPCA. After a week or so I got a phonecall saying that they had a 13 week old male kitten, and was I interested. Well, I went to the cat sanctuary and caught a glimpse of a silver grey tabby as he darted for cover behind a box. Apparently they had taken 30 cats and kittens from on old lady somwhere. She hadn't mistreated them, just couldn't look after them. So Bobbin, which later became Bobby came home with me. He was very timid and spent the first month living under the duver, only coming out for meals. He and Josh became great friends. He had a wonderful swagger and looked like John Wayne walking down the garden. Sadly he died in 2003 after a very short illness.
In 1999, OH decided that he would like to buy a nice, black sports car and I decided that I would like 2 black female kittens! OH didn't want anymore cats, 2 was enough he said. One of my clients at that time was doing some work for the RSPCA and knew someone who ran a kitten orphanage. I asked her to let me know if they got 2 black females. Well, in November of that year I got a phone call to say that they had just taken in 2 black females, sisters and they were 14 weeks old. They were not vaccinated and I could take them for a small donation to the RSPCA. I told OH that while he was going off to look at a nice black MR2, I was going to look at them, borrowed a cat box from my in-laws and off I went. Well, of course I came back with them just as I had intended, and he was not very pleased. They had been called Noodle and Dumpling in the orphanage as one was thin and the other a bit chubby. We renamed them Rosie and Tabitha. They were jet black apart from half a dozen white hairs on their chest. Rosie is still with us aged 9 this August. Tabitha went out on New Years Eve 2007 and never returned. We were totally devasted, me more so as she was my cat. She had always been a bit wary of men and would sit next to me and sleep next to me.
2001 saw the arrival of Jemima Puddlekitten. We had not intended to get another cat, and I was perfectly content with my 4. A colleague at work told me that her sister had found a tiny kitten and didn't know what to do with it. I told her about the kitten orphanage and that I would take it there if she wanted. Well a week passed and eventually I was asked to take it. Even when I collected this little kitten I was certain that I didn't want another one. Well, I got it home and it was put in the spare bedroom with litter tray, food and toys. I was all set to take it to the orphanage the next day and had phoned to let them know. OH kept popping upstairs to play with it and make sure it was ok. Each time he came down he would tell me how playful it had been and how cuddly it was. Then he suggested keeping it at our house for a couple of days as she had really hated being in the car. The next night each time he came downstairs asking how much neutering costs, and how old they had to be. Then he brought her downstairs and showed it all the around the kitchen, and finished up by saying to it: ' this is where the other cats eat, and this is where their bowls are kept. What's that? There's no bowl for you. Ok, Debra will get you a bowl tomorrow'. And that was that. Jemima came to live with and she is OH's cat. He carries her around on his shoulder and she adores him. She is now 7 years old.
In the autumn of 2003, we took in two 13 year old sisters. Pooh (jet black short hair) and Piglet (pure white long hair). Their owner (one of my clients) was moving abroad and was having to re-home her 7 cats. These 2 were the oldest and were both ill. They both had thyroid problems, Piglet would only drink cat milk and eat dry food, and was terrified of everyone, Pooh was very friendly. At the clients house they were bottom of the pack of 5 big males. If they had gone to the cat shelter it would have been very unlikely they would have been re-homed. The client said that she would pay their vets bills for the rest of their lives and they came home with us. Well, they absolutely blossomed! Away from dominant males Piggles became confident and extremely friendly. Sadly she died a couple of months before we moved to France in 2004. Her sister Pooh came to France with us and loved it here. She died in the autumn of 2006 aged 16.
That brings us to the latest of our cats, Misty. She is my little treasure. She came from a house in the village. She was the runt of the litter and was getting smaller while her siblings got bigger. When I got her at about 6 weeks she was a quarter of the size of the other kittens in the litter, and probably wouldn't have survived much longer. She has mended the hole that Tabitha left. She is so full of fun and mischief. The house is full of scrunched up bits of paper and feathers for her to play with.
I can't imagine life without my cats. The bring joy (and mice) into our home and leave gaping wounds when they leave, but I wouldn't be without them.
Friday, 8 February 2008
Misty update
Well, Misty was spayed on Wednesday. We took her in at 8am and collected her at 5pm. She was very groggy from the anaesthetic and she has a huge bandage all around her middle, like a girdle. She looks really funny. We we got her home she laid on me for a hour or so a slept, then wanted to go downstairs and she slept in front of the fire for a couple of hours. After that there was no stopping her! I know that the vets always tell you to keep them quiet, but try telling that to a kitten!
We are going back to the vets this morning to have the bandage removed/changed and for them to check the wound and stitches. When we had Rosie and Tabitha done in the UK, Tab took her own stitches out!
She has been very cuddly all through the night and has been getting under the covers with us. We have had to keep her in our room with us during the night as we have not let her go outside yet. She woke me up this morning by trying to dig to the centre of the earth in her litter tray.
We are going back to the vets this morning to have the bandage removed/changed and for them to check the wound and stitches. When we had Rosie and Tabitha done in the UK, Tab took her own stitches out!
She has been very cuddly all through the night and has been getting under the covers with us. We have had to keep her in our room with us during the night as we have not let her go outside yet. She woke me up this morning by trying to dig to the centre of the earth in her litter tray.
Thursday, 20 September 2007
Time - wish I had more of it!
It's like the line in the Pink Floyd song - 'And then one day you find, 10 years have got behind you'. I don't know where the time has gone, but none of it has been spare. I haven't had time to have spare time.
What have I been doing, well without wishing to bore anyone, the last month or so has been:- work, visitors, work, food poisoning, work, tax course, visitors, work, cold, work. Although that sounds pretty dull (well, the food poisoning bit was awful) we have found time to go to Paris twice to watch rugby matches. We went for the opening ceremony which was great, and watched France lose to Argentina and England lose spectacularly to South Africa. Paris was lovely, we had great weather for both trips and walked for miles around the city.
My Auntie Joan came over from England to cat sit for us while we toodled up to Gay Paree on a Friday morning and toodled back Saturday afternoon. Luckily the whole time she was here the weather was around 28 degrees, so she went back with a tan. The cats all adore her, especially little Misty who is still full of cuddles.
Tuesday, 17 July 2007
Wanted - A season ticket to the vets.
Why is it that you don't need to go to the vets for years, then you seem to be going every week? First we had a health check for Misty, then Josh had bronchitis and needed anti-biotics. Jemina has been poorly, lost masses of weight and has hardly eaten so has had blood tests and anti-biotics, now Josh has had an overnight stay as he hasn't been eating at all (not even his favourite ham). He has had an x-ray of heart and lungs, which have shown some shadows, a blood test for a thyroid problem and needs his teeth cleaned and possibly some removed. Poor little soul, at 15 all he wants to do is lie in the sun.
I am pleased to report that Misty's squits have gone. Yesterday at the vets I asked him to recommend some food for her. She is now eating Royal Canin 'weaning' dry cat food. She seems to love it and all dodgy tummy problems are a thing of the past.
Apart from cat worries we have had a great week. The weather has been glorious, and some friends who have a holiday home in our village, were over from the UK for 10 days. They are great company and we love seeing them. We all forced ourselves to drink good French wine, delicious food and put the world to rights- isn't life tough!
Why is it that you don't need to go to the vets for years, then you seem to be going every week? First we had a health check for Misty, then Josh had bronchitis and needed anti-biotics. Jemina has been poorly, lost masses of weight and has hardly eaten so has had blood tests and anti-biotics, now Josh has had an overnight stay as he hasn't been eating at all (not even his favourite ham). He has had an x-ray of heart and lungs, which have shown some shadows, a blood test for a thyroid problem and needs his teeth cleaned and possibly some removed. Poor little soul, at 15 all he wants to do is lie in the sun.
I am pleased to report that Misty's squits have gone. Yesterday at the vets I asked him to recommend some food for her. She is now eating Royal Canin 'weaning' dry cat food. She seems to love it and all dodgy tummy problems are a thing of the past.
Apart from cat worries we have had a great week. The weather has been glorious, and some friends who have a holiday home in our village, were over from the UK for 10 days. They are great company and we love seeing them. We all forced ourselves to drink good French wine, delicious food and put the world to rights- isn't life tough!
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