Saturday 9 January 2010

Colony life

It's been a day of the usual miseries of having an unpleasantly wet cold, with occasional episodes of feeling almost human, during which I do normal things like shower, dress, take dog out, eat an unfeasibly large lunch - why don't I go off my food when I'm unwell? - and read my encouraging messages of sympathy (thank you! I'm feeling rather ashamed of myself for being such a pathetic attention-seeking wimp).

I thought I would summarise the complex relationships that are forming amongst my little band of beloved beasts. I am prompted by a lovely email from Ollie, who had wondered  if the gentle-natured Lottie was affected by the new arrivals.




Well, no, not at all. Lottie is the Queen - in fact, she's Lottie as Helen Mirren as the Queen. Triple formidableness. She is also the street bully - gentle-naturedness applies only to her dealings with me - and keeps the others in check by the regular application of clips round the ear or a nasty little hiss. She is greatly respected as a result. Most of the time, she is sitting on the chair next to mine, gazing lovingly at me and purring if I just glance at her, but she also has her regular patrols and administration of discipline to attend to.

The rest is rather straightforward. Hamish and Scooter are friends. Their hobby is wrecking the furniture. And eating.









The dog is placidly resigned to the mayhem around her.  If there were no cats around, I suspect that she would die of loneliness, boredom, and the absence of little cat treats.



Millie is rather left out. She needs, and is getting, a lot of extra attention, and is slowly coming round, her expressive face telling me when she is in need of a cuddle or a game, including a scamper in the snow.



They all follow me about, dog included. They all sleep on my bed (Hamish too, as of last night; I suspect it's the magnetic force of an electric blanket more than anything else) excluding the dog, who has her basket nearby. They all watch my every move, particularly in the direction of the fridge, and they shamelessly scrounge my meals. They are in no doubt at all that they are a constant source of interest to me, and that I am their slave. I hope they know in their cool, catty little hearts that I simply adore them all.

And as an Added Extra, you might like to see the cat that I covet, but who has never set paw in my home. She lives in London, is a creature of enormous character and comic potential, and belongs to the Lovely Son:







And that's enough about cats for today. I need to get out more.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I sincerely hope you feel better soon! There's nothing like a cold to turn even the most delightful person into a miserable whiner (not that the case applies here, of course).
It's interesting to see how the relationships between your furbabies have evolved. Poor little Millie, though!
The Lovely Son's cat looks like quite a character! What an inviting belly! What is she called?

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I hope you are recovering from your cold. All of your cats are precious. I can see why you covet your son's cat. She looks like quite a character.

Kate on Clinton said...

I'm so glad to see that Hamish and Scooter have become such great buds!

I am late the party here, but why no name for the dog?

Von said...

Hope you're feeling better.The tab is very like a huge bruiser I had when I lived in London, bet this one is a relative!!
Drop by to see my current tabby, not dissimilar and our Queen or All Things That Move, an elderly Torty.

SmitoniusAndSonata said...

Get out more and do what ? Your household arrangements are perfect .
Collectively the cats are definitely the best bed cover I've seen for a while . As long as they don't , like Smitonius' cat , sleep on your head .
P.S. Feed a cold , starve a fever .... or is it the other way round ?

Marie Rayner said...

asss RAchel, your pictures and narrative have made me very "cat sick". I do miss having a cat so very much! Todd fears that if we were to get one, it would see our bird feeder a bit as a drive through feeding station and so he is against our having one... but I would so love one. Especially an orange one. I love ginger cats the most of all.

Anonymous said...

Hope your cold is on the mend now. I got one just after Christmas and was EXCEEDINGLY sorry for myself! Roll on the Spring... x

Linda said...

Your household always sounds such fun (if a little manic at times).

To Marie and Todd - we have a bird table with several feeders hanging from underneath as well, and Rupert has never gone for them (well, not with any success, anyway). He's an older cat, but still very agile, so I don't think it's that he's slow. I read somewhere that birds act as look-outs for each other, so maybe the fact that we always have lots of birds feeding is what helps protect them.

Incidentally, one cat can be just as much a slave-master as several! Rupert says the training is more specific!!!

rachel said...

D; Yes I do become a miserable whiner, believe me! But the cats & dog don't seem to mind, and I stay clear of humans...

SWB: My son fights a losing battle daily in trying to get that cat to lose some weight. It's the force of her personality, I reckon!

K in B: She's called Tosca; it's traditional to this blog that she's always referred to as the dog. She answers to anything though.

Von: have done, and left a message on the other blog too.

S&S: I was taught that it meant IF you feed a cold, you'll starve (ie kill off a potential) fever. I live by this excellent rule!

M: Just get a cat (pref. two), for heaven's sake! Put a large noisy bell on its (their) collar(s) and make sure the area round the feeder is open so that birds can spot anything creeping up! Your lives will be enriched beyond measure....

P: Thanks. I agree about Spring!

L: Let's start evangelising for more cat households. No home should be without a cat!

Fran Hill said...

Your son's cat looks really mischievous. Like Marie, I'm catsick too. My landlord says we can't have a cat in this house. Such a pain.

Susan said...

much love to all from the cats of Black Street (past & present) ...

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