Ring Out, Wild Bells! As 2025 approaches, the Excellent Cats raise their game with a discussion on Tennyson's poetry

[TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne]

And while the cats are thus engaged, their human slaves are still finishing the turkey and Christmas pud, and idly placing bets on whether or not Kitty will use her new cat tree.

I've got the heating on but I also put the electric heater on for a bit of a warmth boost. I feel guilty that I want to turn it off now.

Oh Rum you can't turn it off.

Those poor little cats.

😂

Kettle and I are both keen birdwatchers and we were excited just now to find a flock of NMRPs in the garden. Though I fear Kettle's interest is focused more on what a nice snack they'd make (fat chance mate).

Hurrah! Am back! Been unable to comment for some weird reason for a while.
v pleased your DH’s op went well @Esgaroth!

And Rum, soz, looks like you’ll have to put shorts and tshirt instead of turning it off.

Heavens, Lost.

You weren't............. banned?

I mean "temporarily unable to post because of an administrative error".

That's happened to me once or twice

Fed up with having to watch back-to-back episodes of Vera, Linney decides to sit in front of the television in protest.

Sorry, I'm a bit late responding to your post. I also tried the homeopathic drops supplied by the wildlife charity on jam sandwiches. To my utter amazement he completely recovered with full fur regrowth. Hope it works as well for your little furry friend.

After eating almost an entire chicken in one go, two of the tribe are fast asleep.

Which wildlife charity? What drops? What flavour jam? Were they also buttered?
So many questions 😮

@RumNotRun - for goodness sake don't offer them a wafer thin mint! 🙀

@Pixiedust1234 raspberry jam and of course it has to be buttered. Foxes aren't heathens.

I love Mr Creosote! Toad would have probably eaten some wafer thin ham but he didn't get the chance.

He's as persistent as TC. Every day he comes to lurk and piss our cats off...

Grumpy, he looks sad there.
Poor little fellow.

I bet he’d love a cosy home.

Final check on Betty earlier, her family are due back this evening. They’re going to look after Kitty for me for a couple of nights in March so I hope she’ll be as well behaved and hospitable as Betty is.

Following the doings of the ginger cat with interest!
Herbie has an enemy ginger Tom across the road. They have had some nasty scraps over territory. I think herbie encroaches on his territory more than the other way round. I thought they had settled their differences, but herbie has some scratches on his neck which I only just noticed. Oddly, I never heard any caterwauling which often wakes the neighbours.
Other things herbs has been up to-stealing some corn on the cob from the kitchen! He was having a good munch on it and seemed to enjoy it!

Any idea where his original home is Grumpy ?
Extraordinary how your house attracts cats of the marmalade persuasion, has this one got inside yet?

Yes he lives on the Island on the other side of the backwater from us. I do know who his owner is.
🐈

He was back again two hours later.
He hasn't got inside yet.

I do know who his owner is.

Apparently so does Ginger but you have different ideas about the meaning of "owner". You appear to be wrong 😝

How long has Ginger lived near you? I'm wondering if TC saw him off and was trying to protect you and yours from inside the castle but you didn't listen. Now poor Lady Sybil is under threat 🙀

I contacted wildlife aid and purchased a bottle of homeopathic "medicine" from them. He was the saddest sorriest looking fox I'd ever seen almost half bald and scaly.Every night I religiously made a stack of strawberry jam sandwiches (no butter!) for about a month until the bottle was empty. Slowly his fur grew back and he ended up sporting the thickest shiniest fur. I obviously need to get a life....

Thank you sydsmum! Over the years we've had several that slowly end up half bald, and then they "disappear " never to be seen again. I went to the website and discovered something I never knew as I just assumed they hurt themselves jumping over the fences etc.

A limping fox, or a fox walking on just three legs, will often be displaying the first signs of mange.

I seem to have a lot of foxes (maximum was 8 in one night), cats owned and stray (saw 11 different ones in one night), squirrels (two families, 5), and piggies (max 6 in one night). It all started off forgetting to bring soulcats dinner bowl in one night and hearing it clanking. Mr Piggy was very happy munching away and I bought a wildlife camera (well... three). I need my innocence back!

@Grumpyoldpersonwithcats , surely you know by now, the “cat” has no “owner”!

Vixen is pretending to be asleep.

Kitty’s at the end of the bed, washing with loud slurpy noises.

Toad makes loud slurpy noises when he has a wash too. All the other cats are quiet but the noises that come from him are insane. I'm not sure if he's only started doing it recently or if I've only started noticing recently.