THE NEW CAT ROOM! (or the Cat Room #2)

the squirrels are a very very new arrival - they appeared shortly before Christmas.

We're deep in the inner city so wildlife isn't an everyday thing. It used to be an open plan estate with large grass areas, a few trees but very few bushes or wildlife havens. Then it was landscaped and the gardens fenced in. I deliberately grew lots of climbers and wildlife friendly stuff and the hedgehogs moved in after a while and lots of birds

The house at the back (it's our neighbour but set back further, so the end wall continues the line of our fence) has thick ivy covering it (grown over the last few years since landscaping) and the birds have been nesting there.

I'd seen a squirrel running the other side of the road a while ago and was amazed at seeing them in this area so far from woods.

Anyway they've moved into the ivy - 2 of them. They're an absolute delight, skittering up and down the silver birches at the foot of the garden, flicking their tails, leaping down into our crab apple tree - they've stripped the apples off the top branches! - taking flying leaps across to the ivy covered wall and coming into the garden for scones and crab apples. Himself has seen them on our doorstep but the nearest I've seen them is about 3 yards away. They prefer the scones to bread as do the birds.





these aren't very good photos but show one perched on the low fence at the foot of the garden

Vivien, Comedian Robert Klein once referred to squirrels as rats with bushy tails and good PR. I love squirrels. They are cute, and they're always busy. I hope your feline hunters behave themselves.

Thanks for the pics.

BTW, my doctors had been yelling at me for years. You're allergic to cats. You have asthma. Don't have a cat!

It's just a tad over a month since I don't have a cat, and I notice a difference! I'm breathing better. More deeply. Not coughing much. Not sneezing much. I really didn't expect to see a significant difference, but I do. Da docs was right. Go figure.

Well, Roberta, at least there is something in your life now that has noticably improved. Extremely sad circumstances, but in the long run, it's good to know that you are feeling healthier.

What about a little boid? Little boids don't require much except lots of love and attention--two things you do very well.

Yep - squirrels are cute! We don't do squirrels here

I saw some near a friend's house when I was last in London - but they apparently didn't speak Australian - I said g'day and they took off into the donga!

I fed a squiggle part of a coconut icecream in Washington.


It loved it, but found the coldness disturbing.


It nibbled from its little pawses.....then put the icecream in its mouth, whilst waving its paws around, clearly yelling "My paws!! My paws!!!" and complaining that they had gone numb.


Then its teeth got cold, and it snatched the morsel from its mouth, and complained about cold teeth.


After that, it put the ice cream down between bites, but would occasionally forget and suddenly have to wave its paws again, looking agitated.

Well, Margo, why don't you just import a breeding pair, or two. Who knows; you might end up sharing the same historical niche as the kindly person who imported the first two rabbits.

Can't even begin to find the woids to say how much I'd love to have a boid. My first love, petwise. Two problems: 1. Allergic to feathers. 2. If the bird gets sick, I'm in the same awful boat I'd be in if a cat got sick. Vet bills.

Big sigh.

Vivien, they're delightful! I love their bushy tails & the cheeky look of them. I hope the cats behave, too.
(Exactly what sort of scones are these you're feeding them? :wink: )


That's interesting, Roberta. About your vanishing allergies.
Well, fancy that. The doctor was right!

s'funny I told himself that they are just tree rats with pretty tails (Robert Klein puts it much better ) - as himself hates rats! but he's totally besotted with the squirrels.

dlowan your description of the ice cream eating is so vivid

Hmmm I too have asthma Roberta and so probably shouldn't have cats .... but I love them. I'm glad that you are breathing better though.

The scones they all love are the real cheapo (yukky) supermarket ones - the texture is what would be called locally 'clarty' - sort of sticks to the roof of your mouth! but birds, cats and squirrels love them (and himself who has not taste at all!)

It hadn't crossed my mind about there being no squirrels in Oz - but of course the marsupials evolved to equivalents of all those species we have - I remember wildlife programmes with tiny ones, the equivalent of our field mice and all sorts of sizes in all environmental niches.

Squirrels are very cheeky and move incredibly fast - in parks where they are used to people they'll often take food from your hand. If these survive Paddy the demon cat ...... maybe they might?????

Paddy by the way has a new collar with 2 loud bells on it to warn them!

I went to the coast to collect the paintings today as they need delivering to another gallery before Saturday. Tiring, but I'm glad it's out of the way. Cold, grey, grey skies, grey sea so not pretty

How is mspoppy?

I am allergic to non Siamese........I am not sure whether the Siamese protection thing extends to cats interbred with them...like Orientals...or not.



Dammit....Miranda is suddenly worse today, after a nice period where she was slowly getting better.

So I am back to the assessing thing.

I am really not coping so well with it today....I want to take a day off work and be with her, but I can't.

She still seems happy, but not as happy as usual. Damn. I am finding this one really hard.

((((((((dlowan))))))))))))) I know how you feel - it's horrible.

I do hope she'll be ok and remains happy.





Margot when I stayed in Kefalonia there was a young couple with a child playing in a plaza and if she got too far away they'd shout 'ela' (aylah) - I thought it was her name - it sounded a pretty name .... friends explained that was Greek for 'come here'


It worked on the little scrawny cats there - they'd come trotting up

Deb, Of course it's hard. Wish I could be there to give you a real hug. Sometimes virtual just doesn't cut it.

I'll be thinking of you.

I'm really hoping that Miranda's health stabilizes, Deb.
The constant waiting & watching .... & wondering if your assessment is right (or an understandably hopeful one!) can be quite wearing. I know. A big responsibility. <sigh>
This stinking hot weather we're experiencing in southern Oz can't be helping, either. Cats are never quite "themselves" in these extreme conditions, are they? (Poppy has hidden somewhere is her secret hibernation spot, to ride it out. Won't see her for a bit.) I hope your place is nice & cool for Miranda. And for you, too!
Please keep us posted.
Fingers crossed for you, Deb.



Vivien

It occurred to my last night that I haven't done a Poppy update for quite a while.
I will bore the lot of you with one very soon! :wink:

We do have possums here - sort of an Aussie squirrelly thing.

Possum-cat was named after I compared him to a hand puppet I have of a brush tailed possum. Big eyes, pink nose, and fluffy tail. This was before he was the size of a double-decker bus - and was about the same size as the puppet.

There's quite a variety of possums here - ring tails that swing around using their tails, brush-tails, pigmy possums - quite small - almost like mice rather than rats.

Possums are mostly nocturnal animals. When I worked at one of the big hospitals, there were covered ramps/ walkways to the lower wards (but open at the sides). At night, a rather large ring tail possum, with a damaged spine, used to drag herself along the ground until she got to the place where she could climb up on to the hot water / heating pipes. There she'd sit, with her tail hanging down, sometimes with a small possum with her.

Thanks for the Miranda support, folks.


I really appreciate it, though I am concerned I am boring everyone to death.


I dunno, I usually am very philosophical with all this.....been doing it since I was a weelowan....I mean I am sad and all, but clear and decisive. I am a mess with the wee Manda. Oh well.


So.....I am able to get home early today...had a cancellation.....this morning she had a new limp, different from the ongoing stagger, and seemed sort of nonplussed and semi unhappy. I cry and all.

I get home, with tempting treats, half expecting to find her dead....she greets me, loudly demanding food, and eats, with enormous gusto, a good fist full of prime lean mince which I just bought for her.

The limp is kind of gone, although she is more wambly and staggery. We have an extended love in, purring you wouldn't believe, cuddles, mutual adoration.

We will cuddle the night away.


So, I see how she is in the morning....and I have a Saturday am vet appointment.



AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHH!

Boring us? Get real, Deb. I'm with you every painful inch of the way. My Miranda was a long time in going. I know how it feels when you open the door and wonder whether you'll find a body or a living feline.

I know you want to be strong and expect it of yourself. But there's only so strong a person has to be. Cut yourself some slack.

And please don't hesitate to post here. Or send me a PM or an e-mail if you want to talk about this and worry about being boring. I'm NOT BORED. My heart is breaking for you.

So, Lou came home yesterday with a badly injured rear lower leg. It may be broken - if he's not putting weight on it today he goes to the vet. This is about the fifth time and the worst yet, so perhaps Lou's outdoor days are numbered until we relocate. I suspect someone is either trapping feral animals or he's getting caught in some sort of anti-squirrel device around a bird feeder where he may be hunting.

Oh no deb, just catching up on Miranda. Well oh no but also whew about the latest reprieve. Love-ins are good.

Perhaps there's something about the "and then there were none" (eek) aspect of this situation, that if Miranda dies that leaves an empty house rather than a sadly reduced one that makes this so much more difficult?

Sorry to hear about Lou too, cjhsa, if he's gotten through something similar 4 previous times hopefully he can do it this time too...

How is Lou today, CJ?






I am wondering if Miranda's apparent decline yesterday was because she actually DID have a limp? She has been falling over a bit (I HATE to see that, but it generally doesn't bother her!), and did fall off the bed last night. The limp seems to have gone, anyway...I was assuming it was more of the "stroke" stuff.


Anyhoo, she ate several more of the minced prime steak handsful, and remains seemingly happy, bursting with love, talking her head off, and purring.

Crossed fingers. I guess it will be a day to day thing.


Yes, Soz, I think it is partly a "the last cat thing".....and I am tossing up about whether to have another whie I live in an apartment. I don't like having a lone cat, but two is DEFINITELY too much for this space!

Lou is hiding somewhere. He's managed to make it up and down the stairs, and even refused the bowl of water we put out for him and instead managed to drink out of the toilet, which he prefers (not an easy maneuver for a cat). So he must be a little better. Thanks for asking.