The One where TC moved to Scotland and joined the Excellent Cats

[TheShellBeach]

Failte gu Alba!

My safety tip for the day is...
Don't search on the Internet for what your pets may do if you die in the house.
Cats, dogs and even a hamster 😱

This really made me laugh. Thanks!

(and I think I'll now forget the natural burial and go straight for "she wants to be a giant Dreamie" when the time comes 😆)

She made me give keys to a neighbour and let her know their details so she can get them to check on me the cats if I disappear

Fixed that Rum 😂

Yes 😂

I'm a lurker not a poster, but had to delurk for this conversation, it really made me smile (which I thought impossible at the moment). My contribution is that I have epilepsy, and one of my cats seems to sense when I am going to have a seizure (I have no prodromal phase/sense myself) as she will randomly come sit with me sometimes and is still there when someone finds me. I confided in my epilepsy nurse, worrying I was imagining this but she said it is a recognised fact that some cats can indeed sense impending seizures, but cats aren't used in the way assistance dogs can be used for sensing seizures.

She obviously tactfully kept back that the reason for this is that cats are just hoping for a potential giant Deamie  whereas dogs are actually hoping to be kind and helpful.

Now, I would normally feel honoured to be a giant Dreamie, but sadly now have two extra worries  Firstly, that one of them (who is basically Thug Cat/Gizmo with additional rage and greed issues ) won't wait until I'm a dead giant Dreamie, and will start while I'm just an unconscious giant Dreamie. Secondly, I'm worried there will be lots of cat fighting over "sharing" the giant Dreamie and wouldn't like to think of the smallest timid one being left out. (She is the one that senses the seizures though so hopefully will have first dibs )

Sorry I can't pay cat tax as try not to be too outing, but will say at least I have a carpet with a substantial soft layer of long haired cat fur, and they could whip up a very thick matching shroud in about two minutes.

I love this thread, so thanks to all posters as well as cats, it really is my favourite thread on Mumsnet, especially at the moment.

Oh, welcome ThugCatAdmirer.

I'm sure your cats will divvy-up the giant Dreamie appropriately. 😆 ( Honour amongst thieves cats and all that)

I like to think that all of mine would get some of the "giant Dreamie" as there is too much of me for just one cat 😁

@ThugCatAdmirer I absolutely love that your little cat not getting her share of your unconscious bod is your main worry about being eaten. We are all totally mad here, aren't we? Must be that brain worm...

Hello @ThugCatAdmirer

You're right about Gizmo. He has taken to lurking outside our bathroom, to bite our feet when we come out of it.

Leroy gives absolutely zero fucks if I have a seizure. Although quite frankly DH & DS do enough flapping so he probably just wants to stay out of the way. I do get an aura though - I get a 10-15 minute 'warning'. Wooftie-woo 😒

Oh believe me my Greedy version of Thug Cat could easily polish off one person of any size! Whilst fighting off all potential sharers.
Naturally she will complain loudly afterwards, as obviously Dreamies are officially just treats, so where is her main meal?

Yes these are indeed concerns worthy of consideration (although I do hope my posts are taken as light hearted, I wouldn't want anyone to find them tasteless or insensitive, please tell me or PM me if anyone thinks they are)

Another benefit to being a Giant Dreamie would be that it would definitely shut down any family "discussion" (aka certain people putting pressure on DH, even though I already have an Advance Care Plan and he and my DC are happy with it) to have an open casket wake. I'm not even having a headstone etc, but now I'm genuinely considering "Honoured to be a Giant Dreamie" as a little memorial plaque/sign type of thing by a plant/flower bed at home. I actually think DH and DC would love it Catmint could be a very suitable plant, I feel?

Yes, if I recall, Leroy already has a very fetching coat, so would make an excellent assistance cat - totally ignoring the situation would be my ideal seizure assistance Leroy is clearly acting in your best interest here, also by ensuring he is not in the way, don't you think?

Gosh that ended up as a little bit of a vent and I am a bit off my head on new meds so I apologise if it was OTT going on about caskets in on the cat thread

Shall we return to why we all love our cats, without having to say "because they'll ensure I can't have an open casket"? I love mine because they have such little distinct personalities. And also we have a family group chat now the DC are older and the cats are endless entertainment for it and a way to keep in touch with older DC in a no pressure way, if that makes sense?

Open casket is one thing. XH one time said he was going to have me preserved and prop me up in a corner. Needless to say the first thing I did after divorcing him was to fill in an organ donation form.

Why do we love our cats, furry little fiends that they are? Well, the late Oscar was a bit of a terror in his way. I used to call him poxy cat, and say he'd be better off as a pair of gloves. DS would then stroke him in a way that no-one else would dare to, and say "But look at his little face!". And I did, and forgave him everything. That's it, isn't it? Their little faces. And their little paws. And their bright eyes. Their gently waving tails, sinuous movements, their little squeaks and chirrups. They're perfectly designed by Nature to appeal to us. I think of them more as symbiotes than parasites, although there are dishonourable exceptions.

Their little faces. And their little paws. And their bright eyes. Their gently waving tails, sinuous movements, their little squeaks and chirrups. They're perfectly designed by Nature to appeal to us. Nailed it @Anniegetyourgun !
Though I will add silky soft fur 😻

Belly floof! Especially if they like having it stroked. And the incredible softness of their "arm pits", which Boycat used to love me stroking.

All the things Annie said above, but most of all their little feetsies 😍💖 And the sheer elegance of their movement of course. I wish I had their "don't give a fuck" attitude, and their unshakeable self confidence (well some of them anyway).

I left the fur out of it because: exhibit A, Lexter, who everybody loves!

My little Pud liked a belly rub, would stretch out and I would end up at his armpit which he also liked. Can't find a 'smug' emoji but that's how I felt when others said they can't go near their cat's beautiful fluffy tummy...I could get right in there!
(Edited for typos)

We can stroke ours as long as we don't expect to keep all our skin.

I'm afraid little Izzy has let the side down. She likes to sit on my desk and watch stuff on the screen. This evening I put on a video of the Chancellor delivering a speech in the House of Commons, and she jumped off the desk and mooched away. Clearly she is not a political animal. Still, she's only 2, guess there's time for her to learn. Meanwhile, here she is appreciating something more to her taste.

@Anniegetyourgun Lexter thanks you for sticking up for the less furry 😁 What fur he does have though is very silky smooth and he has very soft skin too. If his claws weren't so vicious he'd be perfect for snuggles.

There's a pub in Birmingham which has resident cats - Malt & Hop. Apparently the brewery has told the landlord that he has to get rid of the cats as there have been complaints and it's against H&S.

I don't know if my screenshots will work, if not the article was in the Telegraph. I have tweeted my disappointment but will also be writing to the brewery tomorrow. I thought some of you may also join the support for Malt & Hops.

A) It's disgusting to try to force anyone to give up pets, especially when rescues are full to the brim as it is. B) the pub doesn't serve food so what is the Health & Safety concern? C) even if the pub did sell food, cat cafés exist, plus a lot of pubs let dogs in and, even worse, let children in. They are definitely a Health & Safety risk. D) apparently the pub advertises that there are cats there so if someone is allergic/hates them/is a miserable idiot, just don't go!

So how come the dogs can go to so many places serving food and there’s no H&S concerns while the cats seem to be a problem in the pub?

Don't forget the rodent protection aspect of having cats. Especially if there's a beer garden, as people go out there with bar snacks like crisps and nuts so there's always the odd rat or mouse looking for a meal even if they don't serve proper food.

There's a pub in Edenbridge right in the middle of the town that has a gorgeous resident ginger cat. In sunny weather he has been known to sleep just inside the open doorway, and you would see patrons casually stepping over him to get in and out. And I've been in many a pub that serves food which has a resident dog.

I’ll be emailing the brewery in support of Malt and Hops. Poor cats.
My little Socks appears to have caught my stomach bug and has diarrhoea. I didn’t realise cats can catch it from their owners but Google tells me they can.

I didn't realise cats can catch illnesses from their owners although I am convinced that at times Frankie and I have passed a cold between us.

Linney has just kindly brought us a dead mouse so that we can have an early lunch.