The Very Eventful Lives of the Excellent Cats

[TheShellBeach]

Calling all cats and their overworked slaves - join us as we grudgingly accept that every day is National Cat Day as far as our moggies are concerned.

Goliath living up to his name there! What a magnificent puss. As is Linney, who I think fully deserves the title of Magnififloof.

Munchkin does look terribly cheesed off in photos but rarely in real life. She's just survived me hoovering without scuttling under the bed so I'm calling that a win.

@TheShellBeach your blue themed tree is lovely and it looks like Linney approves. 🎄

And what a 'Goliath ' he is!

🤣🤣🤣

Oh poor Matt! Hope the vet can find the solution. I thought Matt tolerated the dog? It's so hard for you Papergirl1968, trying to manage this difficult situation.

I also love updates about Velvet, Cecile, and you have so many other interesting cat chronicles too.

That photo of Linney and the Christmas tree would make a lovely attachment for any Christmas greetings, Shell. Goliath looks as if he is about to create mayhem.

Back from the vets with Matt.
I just don't see a solution. Matt was happy being an Only Cat and then dd1 acquired Socks and very soon after sold her to me. After that she acquired the dog off travellers who were apparently going to shoot her, and the dog was promptly dumped on me too. No way can she go back to dd because I believe she is a drug addict and she'd sell her for crack. Besides which dog is very bonded to me.
Matt and dog have always fought and dog tries to play with Matt and winds him up but Matt generally has the upper paw. Dog occasionally chases the cats off or snaps at them if they get too close to her food or food that I'm eating that she's got her eye on.
I don't know why after four years or so Matt is getting these spasms from stress. I'll have a proper chat to the vet tomorrow but I guess it's because he's now getting older and older male cats are particularly prone to them.
He's currently curled up by me asleep.
I was nearly in tears at the vets telling the receptionist I'd had a shit year and couldn't hear to lose Matt too. I couldn't bear to lose any of them. I was crying the other night while writing a Christmas card to my DM, who has dementia, and the dog was immediately by my side, comforting me.

Right third time lucky. Here's my two darlings.

It's worked. By Jove it's worked!

Oh bugger Paper that sounds really rough. Give Matt a cuddle from me.
No advice I'm afraid, other than is there anything you can do to keep them apart more?

Oh Papergirl darling. What a difficult situation. I'm so sorry.
I have no advice but I wish I could think of a solution.

Oh Papergirl1968, that is so difficult. It's because you are lovely that Matt and the dog both want to be with you. If you weren't they would probably avoid each other more. I wish I could think of a solution.

Oh Paper I am so sorry

Matt is currently lying on the radiator so the dog has snuggled up against me. It’s a big house for one person and three pets but Matt and dog both like to be with me. Socks only want to be with me in bed so I usually have the dog one side and a cat or two on the other.
All of these pics of your gorgeous cats are cheering me up so keep them coming.

Poor @Papergirl1968 , that’s a difficult situation with your DD and your animals.
This might be a difficult decision to make - in fact I’m sure it will, but if you’ve got any family members who could take Matt on could they? Either that or - and I know this is SO sad - a rehoming or rescue centre? We rescued two consecutively from Battersea Cats and Dogs Home who had been exhibiting challenging behaviour in homes where they weren’t only cats, absconding and weeing on furniture respectively, and once in a quiet environment where they could be endlessly spoilt without the stress of an energetic dog or child they both perked up, got fat and happy and relaxed fully. I know Matt isn’t the problem and it’s possible his behaviour is just an older male cat exhibiting the feline equivalent of prostate problems, but it’s there as a last resort. My heart really goes out to you about your situation.

I don’t know if this is recycling a photo because I take so many of her, but have a couple of Velvet. The brave little one has been outside twice today AND come back in! We do have to sellotape the catflap open because she appears to lack the IQ to work out how to push it herself (the only things she pushes are doors that are open on her side, resulting in her accidentally closing them, silly thing) but hopefully she’ll get there. But she had a lot of lovely Dreamies for her exploits. The diet can start next week (she’s getting spherical).

Ahhh she is so beautiful isn’t she!

It's snowing here in Cornwall today. Munchkin briefly looked at it out of the window but then did the sensible thing and retired back to bed. Wish I could join her!

Not snowing here - but a heavy frost. Awaiting snowcat photos 😁.

Velvet sadly went out before I woke up and ran straight back in again, so I can’t send snow leopard in frost photos (yet). I won’t be able to find these either because it was so long ago, but in a very heavy snowfall about 15 years before now, one of our Siamese insisted on accompanying us out when we went sledging. She could walk on the drifts! But she got utterly exhausted and had to be carried home.

Today's excitement was that after two months, my new chairs were finally delivered.

After an initial deeply suspicious sniff and several hours of ignoring them in favour of going back to my bedroom to sleep, Daisy was the first to try one out, while Mum was off having a shower. Rather surprising, I'd have expected Phoebe to be first.

Props to Daisy for getting in there first! While the cat’s away, the… other cat can play.

DS would be jealous too - he was on the 8:30am bus to uni in that weather 🙈

Cats and new chairs, eh?
I wonder we spend so much money on them when their only purpose is to provide a nice, comfy seat for a cat or two.

Why else would we spend money? Our only purpose is to provide comfort for our furry overlords.

I got halfway to work on horrid slushy roads before deciding it was madness to continue. Now back home, safe and warm with a snoozing cat on the bed behind me.

No snow or frost here but there are men with diggers destroying the road. There's one which is a digger on a truck that takes the earth from the road and puts it in the truck (I'm sure it has a technical name) and it's making a lot of noise. Ghostie is NOT impressed.

@Papergirl1968, just an idea:
On the principle that DDogs can be trained, and DCats can't, could you perhaps teach DDog somehow that Matt is more important than he is? eg if he and Matt both want to sit near you, he has to give way to Matt and sit on the floor instead? Then perhaps Matt would be reassured that he comes first?

If Matt isn't there, obvs DDog could sit near you, but would have to move if Matt wants to instead?

In today’s Amazing Adventures of Velvet, she has been out again, attempted to consume the Financial Times (with the greatest of respect, I’m not sure her intellectual capabilities quite match up with it), rolled in the litter tray - this is why I conceal my security blanket from you, Miss Velvet, but to be fair it’s only after it’s been cleaned - and her training at how to hunt things really badly has continued. Her impressive abilities to lose interest and wander off, as well as to believe not only that a bicycle wheel or chair leg will completely conceal her and she needs to hide behind them before each pounce continue to astonish me. I’m trying to teach her not only that prey will patiently wait for her as she makes up her mind how and when to pounce and camouflages but also that her essentially giving it a hug and a quick wash when she catches it will convince it to die.