We got locked in again yesterday. On of the slaves was doing some pointing in the bedroom around the window when a car stopped outside the front gate. At first he ignored it as they seemed to be lost and were trying to work out where they were. Then he heard someone mention cat and point as a huge load of motorbikes were going past. So he rushed out and there was one of the poubelle clan lying in the road. As he ran towards it, it got up and ran back up the road, hiding under the silver car. The slave helped out the lost people who were miles from where they thought they were, thinking the poubelle cat would stay under the car. But it didn't. The poubelle cat then ran off and the slaves tried to find it to help it. They couldn't and were quite upset and so they picked fizzy of her bed in the garag and locked us in to keep us safe from the traffic. But then today, the same cat went past our place and it was OK. It looks like the bike just dazed it a bit and didn't do any bad damage. Nevertheless, we were locked in until after dark and then again today. The slaves are really paranoid about the traffic now.
Coco was called Sally number 2 when the slaves first saw her about 5 years ago. Apparently they knew a cat called Sally a long time ago. They often saw her over the road in the fields and sometimes they went out to shoo her off the bird table.
Then, two and a half years ago, an old ginger tom came to them in the middle of winter needing a hand. He had lost the hunting knack so they gave him some food. Then, early in the spring, when one of the slaves was putting out some food for 'Good Ginger' as they called him (Bad Ginger was the one that kept beating up Tollie), Coco appeared from nowhere and dived into the food as she was desperately hungry.
She kept coming back and after a couple of weeks, Good Ginger headed off somewhere. But Coco kept coming for food. It turned out she was pregnant and was struggling to find enough food for those inside her. She soon learnt the flap because she was fairly smart but a bit scatty and more or less moved in.
She disappeared for a day or two here and there but after she had the kittens, she was back every day.
Sunday, 31 August 2014
Thursday, 21 August 2014
Rubbish Summer ...
It rained again yesterday evening but at least we got to see Jaffa. She has taken to living in the garage roof now and so we don't actually see her unless she is passing through the garden.
The summer has been rubbish for three reasons, the weather, Rose has started self-harming and 2 of my friends have been killed by traffic. Basil was the first as you know. Coco was second and we think that Jaffa might be living in the garage roof in the hope that she will turn up at some point.
Just after Lexie died (which was a couple of months before I moved in), Basil apparently took over her job of annoying the slaves when they were eating tea on their lap watching telly. He used to jump up between them and try to poke his nose onto one of their plates and ended up with his tail in the other! He was a class act. He was also very good at playing with shoe laces as the slaves were trying to tie them up - on more than one occasion, he succeeded in undoing the laces that had been tied. String was one of his things though. Rose said that her youngster, Pip, was a bit of a string thug. She used to spoil it for Fizz when she was chasing string on the rug. But Basil was bad too. Whoever was enjoying a string chase was always pushed out by Basil if he was around.
He had a great technique when he wanted food, he would wrap himself round a slave's feet until he got some Bozita or some biccies. The rest of us are a bit shy of doing that because of the possibility of being trodden on. Basil seemed oblivious to that.
Next time, I will tell you a bit about Coco.
The summer has been rubbish for three reasons, the weather, Rose has started self-harming and 2 of my friends have been killed by traffic. Basil was the first as you know. Coco was second and we think that Jaffa might be living in the garage roof in the hope that she will turn up at some point.
Just after Lexie died (which was a couple of months before I moved in), Basil apparently took over her job of annoying the slaves when they were eating tea on their lap watching telly. He used to jump up between them and try to poke his nose onto one of their plates and ended up with his tail in the other! He was a class act. He was also very good at playing with shoe laces as the slaves were trying to tie them up - on more than one occasion, he succeeded in undoing the laces that had been tied. String was one of his things though. Rose said that her youngster, Pip, was a bit of a string thug. She used to spoil it for Fizz when she was chasing string on the rug. But Basil was bad too. Whoever was enjoying a string chase was always pushed out by Basil if he was around.
He had a great technique when he wanted food, he would wrap himself round a slave's feet until he got some Bozita or some biccies. The rest of us are a bit shy of doing that because of the possibility of being trodden on. Basil seemed oblivious to that.
Next time, I will tell you a bit about Coco.
Thursday, 7 August 2014
Poorly cats ...
Fizz didn't come back home during the night so we were all a bit worried as no-one could find her. Eventually, during the evening, one of the slaves managed to get her to come out of her hiding place. She was quite weak but had stopped throwing up. She only complained a little about being captured and locked in. She didn't seem to want to eat much ... great, that means more for me! I like my food.
Rosie seemed a bit off-colour as well, but at least today she only bit her tail the once. She came in last thing, went to bed and has stayed there ever since.
Anyway, back to Basil. Tollie reckons he only came in because of Rose's two young girls, Pip and Fizz. I never knew Pip, she got ill with something he said was called pyothorax and died quite young. He soon lost interest in them after he went for the snip! Tollie said he got on quite well with Bas and liked him being around, although he was a bit of a wanderer. He used to go out on walks with a slave up the road next to the chapel and often went up to the poubelles with them as well. Out in the garden, he used to love jumping out on the rest of us and making us run, after the inirtial shock of 'who's that attacking me', it was quite good fun really. The only one who didn't appreciate it was Fizz, who is a bit of a loner really. Having said that, she is quite happy to snuggle in to the rest of us during cold winter nights. Basil used to bully her a bit in the winter, when she was settled on the setee, at the end nearest to the fire, he used to jump up and attack her to make her move. He preferred that spot. I don't know why, but he always tolerated me pinching it and went to the second best place at the other end.
That's it for today, there are mouse holes to watch and butterflies to chase!
Rosie seemed a bit off-colour as well, but at least today she only bit her tail the once. She came in last thing, went to bed and has stayed there ever since.
Anyway, back to Basil. Tollie reckons he only came in because of Rose's two young girls, Pip and Fizz. I never knew Pip, she got ill with something he said was called pyothorax and died quite young. He soon lost interest in them after he went for the snip! Tollie said he got on quite well with Bas and liked him being around, although he was a bit of a wanderer. He used to go out on walks with a slave up the road next to the chapel and often went up to the poubelles with them as well. Out in the garden, he used to love jumping out on the rest of us and making us run, after the inirtial shock of 'who's that attacking me', it was quite good fun really. The only one who didn't appreciate it was Fizz, who is a bit of a loner really. Having said that, she is quite happy to snuggle in to the rest of us during cold winter nights. Basil used to bully her a bit in the winter, when she was settled on the setee, at the end nearest to the fire, he used to jump up and attack her to make her move. He preferred that spot. I don't know why, but he always tolerated me pinching it and went to the second best place at the other end.
That's it for today, there are mouse holes to watch and butterflies to chase!
Tuesday, 5 August 2014
Another day ...
Jaffa was fine and did a huge poo at the vets! She is really fed up as she has to wear a collar and stay in for 10 days until she has healed and the stitches removed. She hates the collar as much as being stuck inside.
I had a chat with Tollie as he has been here the longest, 11 years with the slaves and 5 years in this barn - he said he fancied emigrating from England and brought his slaves with him.
He remembers seeing Basil pass through the garden as a youngster and said he was actually quite jealous of Basil's big fluffy tail. Tollie's tail isn't bad but Basil's was just amazing, it was about half the width of his body! He had beautiful blue-green eyes and didn't really meow, he clucked! Apparently, the slaves had also seen him passing through the garden but one day, he just came into the garden and sat on a slave's knee and said that he was thinking about moving in. He learned the flap by watching the others and was soon popping in and out for a plate full of Bozita or some biccies.
But he didn't really move in properly until the weekend that the tour de France finished at Besse. The slaves had been out to watch it and when they got home, Basil came down stairs on 3 legs - he had been in a fight at some point and had been bitten on his back leg, right on the joint and had an abscess. They took him down to the doc's on Monday and they fixed him up. After that, he stayed, apart from a week or so when he disappeared completely. One morning, he just appeared in the kitchen as if he had not been away and was there every day after that.
Fizzy didn't seem to well today but she is a bit independent and sloped off into the undergrowth after she had been sick, a kind of yellowy mucus. Yuk! We all hope that she comes home soon and lets the slaves sort her out. Rose has gone into Fernande's garage once again and seems destined for yet another lock-in.
I had a chat with Tollie as he has been here the longest, 11 years with the slaves and 5 years in this barn - he said he fancied emigrating from England and brought his slaves with him.
He remembers seeing Basil pass through the garden as a youngster and said he was actually quite jealous of Basil's big fluffy tail. Tollie's tail isn't bad but Basil's was just amazing, it was about half the width of his body! He had beautiful blue-green eyes and didn't really meow, he clucked! Apparently, the slaves had also seen him passing through the garden but one day, he just came into the garden and sat on a slave's knee and said that he was thinking about moving in. He learned the flap by watching the others and was soon popping in and out for a plate full of Bozita or some biccies.
 |
| Basil being bad on the kitchen worktop! |
But he didn't really move in properly until the weekend that the tour de France finished at Besse. The slaves had been out to watch it and when they got home, Basil came down stairs on 3 legs - he had been in a fight at some point and had been bitten on his back leg, right on the joint and had an abscess. They took him down to the doc's on Monday and they fixed him up. After that, he stayed, apart from a week or so when he disappeared completely. One morning, he just appeared in the kitchen as if he had not been away and was there every day after that.
Fizzy didn't seem to well today but she is a bit independent and sloped off into the undergrowth after she had been sick, a kind of yellowy mucus. Yuk! We all hope that she comes home soon and lets the slaves sort her out. Rose has gone into Fernande's garage once again and seems destined for yet another lock-in.
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