Tales and Tails and NMCs - the Excellent Cats March On

[TheShellBeach]

Join us as 2024 starts and our cats continue to run our lives for us.

She would be a gold medallist at the Blepympics.

I've decided today that she was a Labrador in a former life. She is a nightmare for counter surfing. I made fried eggs, bacon, and mushrooms earlier and left the pan on the hob. When I came back into the kitchen, the little madam was washing it for me by licking it clean.

Vixen is even better at blepping than Toni and Las. Which I didn't think was possible.

Spent all day fruitlessly scouring shops for cat porridge, I blame Brexit.

Rescued an ancient very holey Burberry.

Prince arranged the leaves himself.

I am most impressed with his design flair and execution 😊

@Supersimkin2. If you want further decoration, I'll send you Sybil to walk up and down on your Burberry.
She's really lost the plot with the porridge bowl today 🤣.

Sybil is really licking her lips there.

She’s really keen on a healthy breakfast. And welcome to sit on an old camel hair 🧥 just like Mohammed’s cat. Don’t ask me to chop the arm off though.

For the first time in what must be six months, London was sunny and glorious today. Sprouting blossom trees bright white and candy pink along the Victorian terraces, proper cobalt sky, pugs on leads frisky and silly.

It's been quite pleasant here in Cardiff today. The furry ones have been sunbathing on the windowsills and my bedroom floor.

Mr SB claimed it was "almost life spring" today.

He must've been in a different village to me.

It was quite nice in Kent. I popped out to get some cat litter and didn't even wear a coat.

It may have been unwise to buy a packet of dried prawns as well. Not all cats are interested in dried prawns, but they were a hit with these two. However, they still didn't snatch them with claws or fight each other, and when I stopped giving out treats they wandered off. Still wondering what kind of cats they are. One of them has a shaven patch where the battery must have been fitted. Could robo-cats be programmed to like prawns?

They're now allowed upstairs although not in every room. Periodically they disappear upstairs accompanied by heavy galloping sounds. Then they tiptoe downstairs on dainty paws again. Who, us? Nah mate, must have been the elephants. We passed a herd of 'em in the hallway.

The supposedly timid Izzy has taken to winding round my ankles at feeding time, and we've even managed to get the odd stroke in. Thrifty, always more tactile, likes a good fuss before settling down to eat. I said to DS today, why did I take so long (about 4 years) to replace our departed old cats? He said because if we had done it earlier it wouldn't have been these two. Fair point.

Finally, here's a snap of Thrifty getting kind of wild with a catnip toy, hand made by the excellent volunteers at Rolvenden, while Izzy takes notes.

Almost LIKE spring, obv.

Hello, hello.

Sorry I've been a stranger again. Life is so busy! Occasionally I pop on and try to add a photo or two, the app says no and I give up altogether. Tonight it says yes! I seem to only have photos of Benny recently, last night attacking my arm. Walter is all good too though.

Thrifty and Izzy look adorable. Welcome!

Hi Coaster - how ya doin'?

May have been nice in Kent when you went out Annie, but despite the sun glaring into my eyes trying to blind me on my way to work there was spattering sleet at 7:30 am.

Tobias is anticipating dawn a little early again these days, waking me up with noisy galumphing and enthusiastic scratching (mostly the hall and stairs carpets) at around 5:30 am. Such a happy, playful little chap 🙄

It must be something in the air @Allergic . Tobias (he's being naughty so gets his full name) has been bouncing around like Tigger on speed this morning, following me everywhere, getting in the way and just generally being irritating. I've tried to get him to play with his toys but he prefers launching himself at my desk and running across the keyboard while I am trying to work.

I've been lurking here since around the time Benny arrived, @coastergirl, and am obviously a fan. Hasn't he grown! But still so, so cute.

Thrifty did that thing this morning that new cats always do at least once: not turn up for breakfast so I feared she had either escaped somehow or randomly passed away overnight. I knew perfectly well she was probably just not hungry and was being silent under the recliner again, but there's always that what if... and then of course she turned up and was fine (and polished off breakfast in record time). Reminds me how vulnerable we make ourselves when we allow fuzzy little life forms into our lives and hearts.

I'm good thanks Shell. Ah Annie, it's nice to know he has a fan. He's grown so much! Spends a lot of time terrorising poor Walter. Makes us all laugh with his antics. My 8yo calls him a kitty landmine, which I think is brilliant, especially when he's lying in wait at the bottom of the stairs for whoever (human or feline) appears next. 🧡

Monster! 😸

Benny is so large and lush! Such a darling face.

Thrifty so clever and good.

Linney is writing a book. Perhaps the other Excellent Cats can contribute further chapters.

The Excellent Cats' Guide on How to Cat Successfully

Chapter One - Vomiting

If you are outside and you feel sick, return to the house immediately, and seek out the newest, cleanest and most expensive piece of carpet. You should avoid vomiting on surfaces which are easily cleaned.

When you've found your best spot, make sure your owner can see and hear you.

Performance vomiting is recommended. Try to replicate the sound of your owner using a sink plunger in reverse, for as long as you can manage it.

When you've finished being sick in one room, run off to another room and find another spot which the owner cannot easily reach for Round Two. Bonus points if two people have to move a piece of heavy furniture to reach the vomitus and clean it up.

You can leave the house again once you've stopped being sick all over it.

(N.B. If you're producing a hairball, it's good practice to do so in front of an inexperienced owner. They will invariably think you've brought up some poo and get very, very worried.
This can backfire though, if they then book a vet's appointment for you. Try to encourage them to use Google to avoid this eventuality)

                                                     -oOo-

<<<inspired by Linney actually doing most of this today - apart from the hairball scenario - we have seen too many to be fooled nowadays>>>

N.B. If you're producing a hairball, it's good practice to do so in front of an inexperienced owner.

I remember the first hairball DH saw... 🙈😂

OMG yes - Mr SB was utterly horrified when he saw his first hairball.

It had been left on our dining room table overnight (thanks, McVicar) and Mr SB didn't believe me when I said it wasn't poo.

I had to show him a series of Google images before he reluctantly understood.

Yes, that was a grim breakfast indeed.

(edit to add - that looks like we ate McVicar's hairball for breakfast - let me clarify that we absolutely didn't)

Toad says to make sure Linney puts a bit in about doing very noisy vomiting at stupid o'clock in the morning, but it's ghost vomit and nowhere to be found when your slave gets out of bed to clean it up. Bonus points for then stealing the warm place in bed.

Socks would like to contribute some thoughts about being sick on human's bedroom carpet in the middle of the night. Human slightly rouses, and sleepily thinks "the cat's been sick, I must make sure not to step in it," then gets up in the dark an hour later for the toilet and completely forgets until bare foot makes contact with vomit...
Funnily enough I don't think one of my cats, including the ones I had when I was younger and living with parents, have ever produced a hairball. What a treat I've missed!