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’m still in touch with M & J’s new adoptive parents & apparently they still sleep cuddled up together at the age of two, so hopefully your girls will be the same.

She is not amused @stormsandsunshine .

My three are mostly snuggled together apart from spells when they chase each other around like mad things 🤣🤣 they're coming up for 6 now 😊

That’s lovely @HouseofHolbein

Vixen will cuddle anyone who stays still long enough.

@stormsandsunshine I did not think your white cat could look any cuter but she really rocks that cone of shame. Also your stripey cat sounds like a sweetie

Vixen's eyes are a stunning colour!

She is a beautiful cat

@Breadcat24 Stripey is a funny little cat. She was the runt of the litter and had to be partially bottle fed as her mum was starving and didn't have enough milk for all of them. The foster carer described her as the boldest and most confident of the litter, but when she came to us she was very shy and took a while to adjust. She's very intense - skittish and always on high alert, very play-focused, ridiculously speedy and agile, and up till now while she hasn't minded being stroked, she wouldn't relax into it and would move away quite soon. But it's like she's had a personality transplant in the last couple of days and is behaving (at least with me) like a complete snuggle bug.

DD1 is jealous because she wants to be the cats' favourite person.

My sister had 2 female sibling cats, grey and white tabbies, very pretty cats. They didn't get on ever, and fought at mealtimes and otherwise avoided one another.
She is visiting at the weekend and is looking forward to meeting Herbie for the first time. I have warned her not to get expectations too high as he's not the friendliest to strangers! She thinks she is some sort of cat whisperer, but Herbie could be a challenge I think!
I will advise her to put some dreamies in her pocket.

Don't read if you're eating!

Is it normal for cats anal glands to leak if cat is happy or scared? Yellow liquid, no scooting, no toilet issues. Just didn't like the claw clip and dripped on me

Matilda is relaxing after her vet visit yesterday. It turns out that 300mg Gabapentin is what they usually prescribe, but they didn't have the normal capsules, so they had to give me the 3 x 300mg capsules. It's just as well I only gave her one capsule in the morning, because I'd just got her in her carrier for her appointment when the vets rang to rearrange her to the afternoon due to an emergency. I gave her another capsule two hours before her new appointment and 100mg was enough to get her into the carrier with no fuss and she let the vet examine her. It seems that it was not enough Gabapentin for blood tests though. The vet emerged looking a bit frazzled and was apologetic that Matilda was a bit bruised as she was so tense they struggled to take the blood. She now has shaved patches on both front legs and seemed a bit traumatised by the experience last night. I seem to have been forgiven today though.

Yuk! I have never experienced such a thing but that's not to say it doesn't happen.

Vixen is so beautiful. She seems to often sit there with her tongue hanging out 😄

Glad Matilda is home safe and sound from the vet.

It's warmed up a bit here and all the snow has melted so it seems like a perfect opportunity to hang out on some soggy dead bracken. This can't be comfortable, surely?? (I decided to let him out for brief periods as the birds affected by bird flu seem to be mostly geese and he won't find any geese in the immediate vicinity).

Really enjoying all the recent pictures.
A photo of Karl enclosed - for no other reason than because I think he's very cute, and he's currently sitting in the library listening to Mahler with me 🤣.

Your cats are all very musical @grumpy . Has Basil done any more fortepiano playing recently? And I meant to ask if you also have a pianoforte too?

Yes we've also got an upright piano and a virginal (pair of virginals for the pedants amongst us 😁) in the same room.
Alas I don't play, but DS1 and DS2 both do. The fortepiano and virginal both belong to DS1 who has moved out but not taken them with him...
He does come to practice every now and then though.
No other recent piano playing but Basil used to be a dab hand paw at the saxophone...

Love that photo!
We let DS choose Herbie's name and he named him after Herbie Hancock, as DS loves jazz.
DD favoured Tchaikovsky (!) as she is a classical clarinet player. We thought Herbie was the more suitable name of the two!

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Love your musical cats, Grumpy.

Usually when Kitty’s rolling around wanting to be stroked she falls off the edge of the bed. Tonight she was much more sensible & started off on the floor.

Kitty is adorable 😻

He is very cute, and such an intelligent looking cat. He's clearly benefited from being raised in such a cultural household.

We have an upright piano played by DH and DD (both very musical unlike yours truly) but Kettle shows no interest. He does tend to get up and move away when DS is practising his school recorder but I can't blame him to be honest.

Karl's brother is rather less cute 😾

Now that is terrifying! I'm surprised Gizmo ever dared to try and invade your house.😂

Kitty’s practising her cute poses tonight.

Karl’s brother looks as if he’d be an excellent guard cat.

Bah - Gizmo's told me that he was scared of nobody and nothing at the Grumpy residence.

He will strenuously defend any charges to the contrary, in any court in the land.

As long as his legal expenses are met.

Well, that's what he just said.