The One after the One where the Excellent Cats posed for a calendar

[TheBroonOneAndTheWhiteOne]

Come and join us.
All cats welcome.

Even bitey ones.
🤣

We are very lucky that although we get get the mouse alarm every night, it's always one of her toys that she's bringing up to me as a midnight snack.

She is so pleased and loud about offering me a toy mouse that if she ever caught a real one she'd be uncontrollable.

We have had a catflap installed and the new challenge is how to get the cats to use it. Or at least Snowcat - Stripey is still fearful of the outside world and so doesn't have much incentive to learn to use a catflap yet.

The trouble is that Snowcat is very suspicious of my motivations in trying to coax her into the utility room where the catflap is- she clearly thinks it is a cover up for taking her to the vet or something, because she won't follow me in there even for a Lick-e-lix. I tried putting her down right in front of the cat flap with a treat inside it to encourage her to put her head into it, but she was so horrified at being manhandled like that that she ran away immediately, and now she won't go in the utility room if I'm in there.

The status quo at the moment is that the dry food bowl has been moved into the utility room right in front of the catflap, so they get used to going into that room, and the catflap is taped open in the hope that they clock that it is a magic portal to the Outside. Obviously have to close it at night as otherwise Mr Tux will be right in to eat their food (we already had an incident today when a random NMC wandered into the house through the garden doors following Snowcat in from the garden, and got the fright of his life when he saw me on the sofa).

Any tips on catflap welcomed! Things involving treats are not proving effective - it turns out they are not greedy enough.

I don’t have any tips, but good luck! Hopefully Snowcat will gradually get the idea.

Has she recently been tricked with Lick-e-lix? Maybe she just needs a bit longer to forget.

Not very recently - though I did do worming recently so she may be a bit suspicious of me for that reason! I think they can sense when I want them to go along with something and often that turns out to be something they don’t like. Both cats being extremely affectionate when I’m not in the vicinity of the catflap!

Stripey has clocked exactly what the cat flap is - she is quite curious and went up and looked at it when she thought I wasn’t watching. Of course she isn’t going to do anything daft like go out through it…

First time for weeks Finlay has been helping with Lego tonight after a long lap session

Morning all. Can't sleep so I'm using the opportunity to catch up. Back from holiday now, where we met so many NMHCs. Rhodes is definitely the place to go if you like cats. While we were away, Walter and Benny were well looked after by my two close friends each popping in on a regular basis to feed them, change litter and shower them with attention. Not sure Benny was satisfied though, and decided to show his displeasure in an extremely disgusting way. My poor mum (not the biggest cat fan and extremely squeamish) popped in and discovered what we think was a rat, on the bathroom floor accompanied by a huge blood streak where it had been dragged along the floor. Rat had its ribs and all it's internal organs on display, including something that looked exactly like a new potato! I'd post the photo but I think I'd get banned, it's truly disgusting. I don't know why Benny feels the need to dissect his kills, it's horrible!

Anyway, @Judystilldreamsofhorses I hope Louie is okay after being stood on. I adore him! @JaceLancsi love seeing Finlay helping with the lego. I don't recognise that set, is it a new release?

Hi @coastergirl - it was a gift with purchase a few months ago - probably findable on eBay for around £20-25 - it was a very cute little build 😊

Maybe Snowcat will see that nothing bad happens to Stripey & decide to try going through?

Argh Gizmo has just taken the remains of a chicken Kiev from my plate, and dropped down under the table to eat it.

As always - proper catting from Gizmo 😻

Well both cats are quite interested in the catflap when the door is open, so that’s progress. (Or maybe Stripey is just interested in the massive bag of cat food).

........ and reading about cats ingesting garlic has put the fear of God into me, so Pa Broon suggested calling the vet for advice.

So I did, and she was very reassuring. Yes, garlic is highly toxic to cats, but the quantity in the edge of a Kiev is tiny, and nothing to worry about.

She has met Gizmo in the past and might have been saving herself from losing an arm while examining him

Good, they're making progress.

I was about to say ‘What about the garlic????’ so that’s good.

It's okay, I knew that alliums are very toxic to cats, so I did phone for advice straightaway.

I thought you would.

Kitty’s listening to a dog barking downstairs & a couple of shouty kids.

Exploring the cat flap has taken it out of them

Very glad that Gizmo will be fine. In your shoes I'd be mourning the loss of the chicken Kiev though, I love them. If anyone fancies treating themselves the posher Sainsburys ones with the wild garlic in are delicious, even better than M&S.

Ooh I have some wild garlic chicken Kievs in the fridge, from Morrisons not Sainsbury's though.

Vixen is sleeping in a very odd position tonight, with her paw propped up on the arm of my office chair.

Well, at the risk of sounding like a pretentious arse, these particular Kievs are created and sold by the Paisley butcher who delivers to our village.
Some of you may remember the chaos at Christmas time, when it looked possible that nobody would receive their turkey, due to various ferries being unable to run.

Touch and go, friends!

Ooh and there's been an update. He now delivers every week, instead of every fortnight. Yay that butcher!

The Asda ones are glorious!

Kettle and I are enjoying a beer in the garden because it's my last day of work tomorrow before I go properly off for the summer hols and the last day doesn't really count, does it?

Kettle's been hard at work catching flies and has eaten at least two daddy long legses (is that the proper plural?).

The 'kittens' are keeping an eye out from the bonnet of the car this evening.

Did you buy the car to match the cats, or the other way round?

So many beautiful kitties on this thread 😍