On Cats

[petethemole]

Back in the '90s I had a grey cat who was a right character. Unfortunately I don't have a picture available.  If I ever took one it's in a box in our storage lock-up.  At the time there were several households of local archaeologists in quite a small area.  One group of three female colleagues had several cats and happily fed various strays in the neighbourhood.  One of these, the grey, stuck around and effectively moved in.  He was named due to his appetite "J. Edgar brackets as in Hoover close brackets".  The ladies passed him on to a trio of male colleagues who lived opposite me and he lived there for a while and I got know him as I often visited.  After a while they moved to a no pets house so I adopted J. Edgar.  He was a very friendly cat and knew all the local places where a bowl of food might be accessible.  He used to visit his old house opposite if there was a window open, and also knew a route up onto their roof, so I would occasionally see him strolling along the ridge tiles opposite.  He  had a cat flap so was in and out as he liked, and would wait on the street corner when I was due home from work, run to meet me and try to rub his head on the moving bike as I slowed down.  He would follow me when I went out in the evening , sometimes for some distance, and would often meet me somewhere on the way back, occasionally with a mouse, usually still alive, that he would try to bring into the house.  He would follow anyone who was friendly to him, particularly students, who might think they were adopting him.  On several occasions he came in wearing a collar that someone had bought him.  He was adept at getting collars off, so I had given up on them after a while.  I had him 1991-98 and he was at least 4 when I got him. One day in summer '98 he didn't come home.  Not a problem at first, he might have got himself 'adopted' again, but after a couple of days I assumed the worst.  His idea of crossing a road was to sit down in the middle for a wash, so he may have not made it. 

 

The next year I married, and we adopted a cat that had belonged to friend in Bristol who had died.  She didn't settle and also went missing.  A year or so later we found her living a few streets away.  She had been adopted from a local rescue centre that I had been unaware of, so I think that somebody thought she was a stray and took her there.  I think that may have been what happened to J. Edgar.  We didn't get another cat until Tigger.

[eastglosmog]

18 hours ago, J. S. Bach said:

What a nice looking freeloader!

He is the complete cuddle bunny, the quintessential cat who tries to have multiple homes, never takes no for an answer and considers all food is his!

He is outside at the moment trying to get at Tilly's dinner (for which he is out of luck as Tilly has eaten it all).

[didcot]

It's a hard life!

[big jim]

Our latest foster, only here for a few days, this is Bruce, so called as he looks like he’s got a batman mask on!

 

 

all being well once we get his medical results back tomorrow he’ll be off to his new home

[newbryford]

This is our menagerie.

All (sort of) rescue animals.

Barney - 16 years old, Benji - 3 and Bruce - 8 (I think without checking)

 

 

Barney is "my" cat, having picking him out from a litter, his brother Leo was Junior NB's and they were pretty much inseparable until Leo was unfortunately run over by a car. Bruce is the replacement and is nigh on impossible to photograph. Benji was found in a stable after mother had been "rescued" by the local cat home, not realising that there was a litter. When they were informed a day or two after, they had no more room at the sanctuary.

 

Even at his grand age, he never fails to amuse. He is the softest animal you can come across and still loves being picked up and hoisted over a shoulder "fireman's lift" style. He is the only cat that one of my anti-cat mates will allow near him. He has only scratched me once and that was by accident. He has had his fair share of scrapes and I'm sure has quite a few less than 9 lives left.

 

A very handsome beast.

 

All over black cat Bruce (the light flash is a ray of sunshine) is certainly a "cat of two halves". Very friendly most of the time, but is known to suddenly sink his claws in.

 

The latest addition is Benji. Originally vetted as male and given the name Benjamin, it was only when the pre-op was being done for the neutering that the same vet realised their mistake.......

 

She regularly disappears for 2-3 days at a time -I'm sure she has a second home.

She's not averse into finding her way into places that she shouldn't. She's climbed through the gap in the stair handrails supports and is balancing on the door bell and door frame.

 

A typical attention seeking cat - when it suits her.

 

 

Edited August 31, 2020 by newbryford

[Michael Hodgson]

She'll soon move when somebody rings the front door bell

[big jim]

Thought this would be more your style Mick? 
 

[Metr0Land]

No that's newbryford's cat

[big jim]

57 minutes ago, Metr0Land said:

No that's newbryford's cat

 Newbryford = Mick 

[Metr0Land]

11 minutes ago, big jim said:

 Newbryford = Mick 

 

Tks, I didn't know his real name

[big jim]

Actually he doesn’t like people to know his real name is yellow McYellowface!

 

thankfully he was named after his favourite colour, not after his original layout ‘blackmill’

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2020 by big jim

[Sidecar Racer]

 

 This just had to go in this topic .

 

 

 

 

 

[big jim]

Sad news to report, clooney the rescue cat who is pictured a couple of pages back has had to be put to sleep this evening, he had to be put down as his internal organs had finally failed 

 

he’s the 13 year old black cat who used to belong to a druggie who had to be shaved as he didn’t clean himself (the cat not the druggie) and became matted, he had not been himself for a couple of days apparently and when he went to the vet he had to be put to sleep for the best  

 

we are so glad the grand old boy managed an extra 8 or so months more than we expected, when we got him in February he was in aright state and he was very nearly put to sleep then as it looked like there was no helping him, 13 years, not litter trained, no fur, one tooth, damaged by illegal drugs etc but lockdown happened, he was stuck with us for the foreseeable future and he bounced back to have some form of normal life, and his final few months were spent with us in foster getting better (and loved) and he got a couple of months with his new family living like a lord in a Cheshire Manor House! 
 

The day we got him, all shaved and one tooth left after he had the rotten ones removed 

 

and after going to his foster home for his last few months

 

 

 

 

enjoy it over rainbow bridge old man 

[J. S. Bach]

Too bad that there is no "tears" or "crying" button.

[Craigw]

This is our dear old Burmese boy coco in the pool with my son.

Coco lived to 19 years of age and was diabetic for the last 4 years. I gave him daily insulin shots and he would just sit there.

When he went to the vets for a blood test  they would open the carrier and walked out and sat there while they took blood.

 

He used to sleep with me every night until our Oriental girl put a stop to it. She owned me and if another cat got to close she would bite them.

 

Coco had a great life and it was a pleasure to have the journey with him

 

Craig W

[big jim]

One of our biggest pet hates at home is cats on worktops, for obvious hygiene reasons.

 

fae has been pretty good and no longer climbs but hank is an absolute sod for it, as soon as he jumps up we get him and throw him down (gently of course) with a solid NO, if we see him about to jump again it’s a NO and he will look at us and not jump up until he thinks our back is turned 

 

anyway this morning, got up for work and went into the kitchen only to bust the pair of them asleep on the tops, it’s not a food prep area but all the same despite fae bing in a few sleep I had to get them off, moved them to what I would say is a far comfier sofa! 
 

Busted! 

much better

[Tony Teague]

3 hours ago, big jim said:

One of our biggest pet hates at home is cats on worktops, for obvious hygiene reasons.

 

 

I agree with your sentiment but I can't help thinking that most cats are cleaner / more hygenic  than some of those humans who used to frequent model railway exhibitions ! (back in the day when we had them).

[kevinlms]

3 hours ago, big jim said:

One of our biggest pet hates at home is cats on worktops, for obvious hygiene reasons.

 

fae has been pretty good and no longer climbs but hank is an absolute sod for it, as soon as he jumps up we get him and throw him down (gently of course) with a solid NO, if we see him about to jump again it’s a NO and he will look at us and not jump up until he thinks our back is turned 

 

anyway this morning, got up for work and went into the kitchen only to bust the pair of them asleep on the tops, it’s not a food prep area but all the same despite fae bing in a few sleep I had to get them off, moved them to what I would say is a far comfier sofa! 
 

Busted! 

much better

But they are cats, so whether a sofa is more comfortable or not, is entirely irrelevant. They will do as they please!

[big jim]

21 minutes ago, Tony Teague said:

 

I agree with your sentiment but I can't help thinking that most cats are cleaner / more hygenic  than some of those humans who used to frequent model railway exhibitions ! (back in the day when we had them).

yeah but cat hair sandwiches aren’t that appetising!

[Fenman]

On 31/08/2020 at 21:42, newbryford said:

...

All over black cat Bruce (the light flash is a ray of sunshine) is certainly a "cat of two halves". Very friendly most of the time, but is known to suddenly sink his claws in.

...

 

I love both cats and dogs (I have a couple of very “keen” rescue greyhounds right now, so unfortunately it isn’t possible also to have a cat), but most of my previous cats have had the same changeable behaviour. I enjoy it. 
 

But it does make me wonder why anyone would keep “tame” lions or tigers: you just know the day will come when they will suddenly attack. Just because they can. 
 

Paul

[Re6/6]

This is my late old cat Suzie. She was a kitten from a feral family that my late parents took in back in the nineties.

 

She was around 25>26 years old, a remarkable age. She passed away peacefully at my feet one morning a few days after the photo was taken. She was the oldest cat that the vets had on their books. She thought that her longevity was probably due to genes from her feral ancestry.

 

In earlier times. Keyboard sitting was a regular position when I was at the computer!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 10, 2020 by Re6/6

[Nick C]

3 hours ago, big jim said:

yeah but cat hair sandwiches aren’t that appetising!

You mean there's any other kind? Ours don't go on the wokrtops at all (for which I'm very glad!), but we still seem to have fur in almost everything!

[Bernard Lamb]

Today I will work on the scenery. The servant thinks he can use the grass mat in the garden but I will guard it.  On the other hand I might just catch up on a bit of sleep.

Lego doing what she does.

Bernard

 

[kevinlms]

28 minutes ago, Nick C said:

You mean there's any other kind? Ours don't go on the wokrtops at all (for which I'm very glad!), but we still seem to have fur in almost everything!

We're catless now, but the dog is just as bad, for hair dropping NOT bench climbing!

A Bearded Collie drops so much hair, I'm surprised he's not bald!

[petethemole]

I believe bearded collie hair can be turned into knitting yarn, also long-haired cats' fur.