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

Miss Mollie's facial expression becomes
businesslike when she's outside, as shown
here as of this morning. She's without any
doubt the outdoor cat, but she doesn't wander
the neighborhood. Our backyard garden of eden,
which attracted her in the first place,
seems to hold enough fascination for now.



The litter guy here uses outgoing kitchen bags
for litter disposal in the morning, as first order
of business after breakfast.

neko, she's demanding a little privacy as she goes about her business!

Every cat should have their own special garden of eden to hang around in, explore & find refuge in. <approving sigh> Yours are very, very lucky!

Some of you may enjoy an article I ran across in the International Herald Tribune blog by reporters stationed in various cities, in this case Rome.

I'll copy the article here, and add a link to a video about Rome's cats, and in particular the cat sanctuary at Largo Argentina, best explained in the article.

The video link: http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid627045696/bctid1325119765
The blog link:
http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/travel/globespotters/?cat=3

Nov. 28, 2007
4:56pm
Rome's stray cats


By Elisabetta Povoledo

La vita, or life, isn't always very dolce for cats in Rome.

Every year thousands are born or are abandoned by their owners on the streets where their chances of survival are slim.

If they're lucky, the find their way to the Torre Argentina cat sanctuary, which since 1993 has occupied a cavernous space next to the archeological ruins of Torre Argentina. It's believed that Julius Caesar was murdered here, because 2000 years ago this was the site of the Roman Senate.

The city of Rome has an animal rights office that protects the hundreds of feline colonies in the city, guaranteeing veterinary care and neutering/spaying for free. But with an estimated 180,000 cats roaming freely about Rome, the city depends on a rare breed, the so-called "gattare," or cat women, for more day-to-day needs.

Most neighborhoods will have a few. Dedicated cat lovers who give their time - and often money, paying for cat food and medication out of their own pocket - to care for stray kitties.

The cat sanctuary here was started by a couple of local women: Lia Dequel, a retired cruise ship boutique director and Silvia Viviani, who still runs the show.

Faced with increasing costs, the women rely on the kindness of strangers both to help out - there are many volunteers who work here in shifts, seven days a week - as well as financially. You can even adopt cats at a distance.

If you're a cat lover, the sanctuary is open every day from 12 to 18, even Saturday and Sunday. If it's archeology you're after, the volunteer staff (so not archeologists) give guided visits to the Torre Argentina ruins every afternoon except Sunday and holidays.

Thought you cat folks might like this... :wink:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xgk9ouBuj-4&feature=related

RH

This shot,taken last September
in in the garden,best captures a
moment of Miss Mollie's youth,when
she was a year old:

Lovely!

She was chasing this butterfly while I was getting set up to put in peony"Nippon Chief." It was too good a scene to let pass-- so I dropped what I was doing and got the camera.

Came out nicely, I think.

I thought that was a butterfly, neko!

Yes, it came out very nicely! How much less fun gardening would be without at least one feline companion to share the experince with us!

She's a total delight to have around, and so bright.

Oh I can see that, neko!
And I can see that you're quite smitten!

We-l-l, I wouldn't admit to being smitten, but I appreciate her company, like, she's now napping on my lap as I surf the net.

Aw, a touching bonding moment between feline & human!
Tell me, though, is nekochan jealous?

I was just thinking, myself, what good fortune to have, by sheer accident, picked up the very best cat in Melbourne to share my home.

After my surgery, I returned home last Sunday and the cats have been lovely company. I cannot imagine being home all by myself. Whenever I lie down on my side, Mysan curls up right next to my belly so that I have a purring furry hot water bottle. It is amazing - she knows that something is wrong there.

Nisse still thinks it is strange that he is not allowed to jump over my like he usually does. But he settles down on my feet...

There --- Urs says it all for feline companionship; who could ask for more ? We receive it in spades....

Nekochan has seniority here,and I enforce it. None lacks
for attention. Miss Mollie has a tendency to mask aggression with
giving Nekochan uninvited grooming--with a wrestler's headlock-- but
I manage to curb it in a tactful manner. Nekochan and Mitsu are the laid-back,
contented, adult cats; however, Mitsu is more closely bonded with Ms. Nomad.
Harmony prevails.

Which bit does your cat hate having brushed most?


With Miranda, it's the furry pantaloons and the tail......she enjoys her head and chest and neck...tolerates her back and sides, becomes rigid with disapproval and complains and glares at me about her tummy.....but, when it gets to the pantaloons and tail, if it goes on too long, I get a freezing, constant, full eye contact glare, vocal warnings, and eventually I will be bitten. Just a firm warning kind of bite, but once I made the mistake of kissing her to try and settle her while I did the bad bits, and she firmly bit my lip, which is soft and tender, and bled.

I do love her attitude, though! Such a wee scrap of fur, but she firmly believes herself to be the equal of any reigning queen, and demands that she be taken seriously at all times...except when it's mad hour, when her wee majesty allows certain liberties.

Her glare has been known to paralyse large vets.

Nisse loves it when I brush his head and neck. He likes to be brushed all over. I think he just loves the attention.

Mysan likes to have her back brushed for a short while, not the tummy, she does not like that. And she definitely decides when it's enough. She tries to catch the brush or my hand and she will also try to bite - just little nibbles to tell me enough is enough

Ah pleased to hear this, neko! (Though I never doubted for a minute things would be any other way...)

Which bit, Deb?

ANY bit!

Apparently in her previous life Ms Poppy did not become at all familiar with the brush! Which is a bit of worry, you'd agree. The only way I can brush her at all, is to sneak up on her when she's sleeping & get as as many spots done before she bolts! Sigh.

Surprisingly, she's a pretty neat & clean cat, but I do worry about fur balls, in the circumstances. She will happily be "scritched" for hours on end, but anything involving implements is an absolute no no.

Go Miranda! Way to go!

Ah, it's a treat for them to have you at home, urs!

How are you now? Feeling a bit more like your old self? (Hope so!)

Sorry for the neglect, msolga. I had forgotten I posted here.

Well, Barney was missing when I got back from the hospital, and this was last May. He was a good looking solid black cat, and quite friendly, which always seemed surprising as he was born to a feral cat at work. Since he didn't show up once since my return, it makes sense to think he found himself a home where people didn't just vanish for three weeks at a time.

Spooky was gone for several days on several occasions. Far from being despondant so far as I could tell, Nermal became much more affectionate. Maybe I was just being used. You know, a surrogate Spooky. Anyway, it's now Spooky and Nermie.