On Cats

[Classsix T]

I had been able to view it since posting, now it's disappeared!

 

Cat picture not available, have we broken the internet!?

 

C6T.

[Hobby]

It's appeared now! Nice selection of colours! :)

[alastairq]

I reloaded the reload!  Using imgur, I'm not certain which bit of the selection of options  available, to use for this particular site?

The two younger kitties spend more time with me than they do with 'next door'....In fact, i'm pretty sure the young tabby with white socks female has 'adopted' me? Or at least, adopted the cushion on my settee. She now tends to 'come indoors' around 9 pm, and go 'straight to bed'..till morning. They can all get out, but  the catflap is bust, so only works one way. The little lass headbutts the cat flap continuously, and the rattling can be heard even over the telly, so I let her in.

I don't mind....but I called 'enough' when next door's goat kept getting into my back garden.......and one of their posh sheep.....and any one of their 4 hens.

The goats have gone now...too much trouble to keep in...Now they  live elsewhere, taking their trouble with them...and another posh sheep has been added.

I don't have a rodent problem.....

Unless the little lass brings one indoors, still wriggling!  

[Il Grifone]

Just before they left for their 'forever' homes, one of our guests brought in his first kill - an unfortunate gecko. He was very proud of it and wouldn't let anyone near!

We did manage to dispose of it before it got eaten....

We now only have the three kittens as guests. They have settled in very well and come running when they see us (I suspect the attraction is really food!

The distaff side have just come home. The dogs rushed to greet them and found the kittens in the way. They were very good and carefully stepped over them. We on the other hand get trodden on.

Edited September 14, 2022 by Il Grifone

[eastglosmog]

I well remember New Years Day 2011 as Badger and Tilly proudly deposited their first dead rat on my front door mat!  They were 9 month old kittens at the time.  It was the first of many.

[Il Grifone]

It's a love gift!

We have to pretend it's just what we always wanted!!!! (and then dispose of it quietly, without them seeing....)

 

We get a continuous stream of birds, mice, and assorted reptiles!

 

We still don't know where the skink? came from or went to.

It was somthing like this one, but more silvery and with shorter legs:

https://clarknow.clarku.

Edited September 15, 2022 by Il Grifone

[NeilHB]

Compared to our previous cat Zeus, Tigger thank goodness is a useless hunter, and only brings things home very infrequently. With Zeus if he’d only brought one bird/mouse home a day it was a slow day!
 

Tigger has a wonderful tendency to run after birds miaowing at them. Given that he’s ginger it’s not exactly a stealthy approach! 
 

Anything brought home is exchanged for a couple of dreamies and all is right again in the world. 
 

Too cute for his own good bless him. 

[doilum]

Of the twenty or so cats that have shared our lives only two or three can be described as serial killers. Most bizzare was the first who only hunted during the harvest and , for several days, would have a dozen or so dead mice lined up on the kitchen hearth for inspection. Then, nothing until next year. Guinness was a prolific present bringer. Her party piece being to bring my wife presents whilst she enjoyed a long bath. Live blackbirds, mice and even a large rat were released back into the wild using the hair washing jug. Fortunately she grew out of this and her final 18 years were peaceful.

The most prolific is our present feline lodger Teaser. Apart from an odd fledgling she brings home mice. Live for release ( I will play with you later), dead as presents or dinner. It is a poor night if she catches less than three. She shouts to let us know we have incoming presents and at four shows no sign of slowing down anytime soon.

[Michael Hodgson]

2 hours ago, doilum said:

Her party piece being to bring my wife presents whilst she enjoyed a long bath.

 

Not as entertaining as the cat that jumped in !

[doilum]

24 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

Not as entertaining as the cat that jumped in !

Guinness was known to carefully sit on her whilst she enjoyed a soak and a read. Presents were dropped live into the water. For those who cannot understand why the door wasn't locked: like most old houses in coal mining areas, gentle subsidence meant that few of the door frames were actually square. Door bolts had been removed to prevent children from accidentally locking themselves in which would have resulted in the destruction of an original door. A good shove from a five kilo cat always gained entry.

[eastglosmog]

As a kitten, Badger often used to come in whilst I was in the bath and walk around the bath rim.  Until one day he found he had grown too wide for the wallside traverse and tumbled in with a great splash.  Was he worried? Not a bit. MaineCoons don't mind getting wet!

[Hobby]

 

Wellington pub, Birmingham, the cats are Malt and Hops!

Edited September 19, 2022 by Hobby
Better link.

[Michael Hodgson]

On the radio this morning I heard a report that there has been a run on black cats in London over the last few days and you can't get one for love nor money.  My partner heard exactly the same.  But I think we must both need hearing aids, as they were apparently talking about black hats.  😳

[Compound2632]

21 minutes ago, Michael Hodgson said:

they were apparently talking about black hats.  😳

 

My wife's family, when I first knew her, had a black cat whose pelt my father-in-law-to-be would affect to covet for a hat.

[Il Grifone]

Sofia has just appeared with an almost full grown kitten in tow. It was a bit nervous at first, but was soon assisting Sofia to deal with the food we gave them. When I looked a bit later there were just two empty plates left - no cats, no food.

[Il Grifone]

I've just looked out of the back door and saw an admiring audience (1 large brown dog and 4 cats) all intently watching Dylan dealing with a mouse he'd just caught.

This must have reminded them of food, because the next thing we knew was a collection of cats in the kitchen all requesting a second helping of breakfast....

[Il Grifone]

Dylan the intrepid hunter has been busy again, (with the assistance of girl-friend Rowena*)!

This morning I had to rescue a young grass snake (natrix natrix cetti) from his jaws. Cat treats made them lose interest for long enough to put the snake on the wall out of the way. It didn't appear to be have been harmed, though it was immobile. When I returned a few minutes later, it had gone, so I assume all was well.

* Or it could have been Chloë. They are hard to tell apart, both being all black. (We should be very lucky having three black cats, but it doesn't seem to work.... Perhaps the good luck refers to the privilege of being permitted to be the cat's custodian?)

 

https://www.google.com/search?q=SARDINIAN++SNAKE   

 

Not being a herpetologist, my identification of the victim is not 100% certain, but it looked like this: (sorry in Italian). (Trust our cats to catch something rare!)

 

https://www.sardegnaforeste.it/fauna/biscia-dal-collare

Edited September 23, 2022 by Il Grifone

[alastairq]

Bliss?

One of the Not-my-cats, who, along with the other young kitten [year old?] seems to have made my home its primary residence [but pops home for the cat food, before coming back  here]...

 

A very noisy [vocal. enjoys a conversation, even if consisting of small talk] young tom....

 

[Michael Hodgson]

On 23/09/2022 at 16:29, Il Grifone said:

(We should be very lucky having three black cats, but it doesn't seem to work.... Perhaps the good luck refers to the privilege of being permitted to be the cat's custodian?)

 

 

It's bad luck that comes in threes!

[Il Grifone]

Curiosity (and nothing better* to do) led me to further investigate the grass snake.

It would appear that it was discovered in 2017 that there are in fact two species natrix natrix and natrix helvetica, so this one must be natrix helvetica cerri.

 

http://www.karch.ch/karch/Natrice-dal-collare-elvetica  (Italian but French and German are available).

It's not quite the same (this is the British/Continental version), but  it looked just the same.

 

Arran and I found another adult one yesterday*. Unfortunately it had suffered a close encounter of the fatal kind with a motor vehicle and was rather two dimensional. Arran, being Arran, had to be stopped from eating it!

 

Panic! Raphael (our large male tabby point Siamese - we have two - the other is  'Ariel' small and female) arrived in the kitchen with a lizard** which required rescue. It's lost its tail (it'll grow back) but should be OK.

 

* It could have been this one https://www.galluradisinfestazioni.com/pests/green-whip-snake/hierophis-viridiflavus

'Biacco' in Italian, it is allegedly non-venomous though it behaves as though it is. I read  an article the other day which suggests it actually is, but it has to bite for five minutes to have effect - obviously I can't find it!

 

**One of the first few here (they look very similar to me) https://www.inaturalist.org/check_lists/2545538-Sardinia-Check-List?iconic_taxon=26036

Edited September 25, 2022 by Il Grifone

[Andy Hayter]

Grass snakes tend to take aggressive poses when confronted.

 

Many snakes are labelled as non-venomous but I have read somewhere that all snakes are venomous.  However the quantity and potency of the venom in many snakes is not sufficient to harm humans.  That however may not apply to smaller mammals like our cats.  So while I have no problems with snakes it is wise to ensure that our pets are protected - often from themselves.

[Free At Last]

Cat for sale.
Unused.
In original packaging.

 

[SHMD]

[Mark Saunders]

2 hours ago, SHMD said:

Are you sure it not designed for the afterlife! Ancient Egyptian style?

[Il Grifone]

The toy mouse is missing!