Sunday, August 31, 2008
Sentry Duty On Sunday
Thank you for the sympathy over the terrible indignities I have been subjected to lately. I am getting back to normal now, trying to forget about my shaved patches, and my appetite has returned, causing me to walk on my humans' pillows at 5.30 a.m. demanding food. I know they enjoy that.
As my friends will know, I face a constant battle to keep my personal garden clear of the Evil Intruder Kitties who are continually trying to invade it. This is not helped by the attitude of my humans. For example, my mum was gardening yesterday and a very small black EIK came into the garden and started chasing round one of the frogs from the pond. Apparently my mum thought this was "cute"! Typical.
Today I had to do sentry duty again. Remember this picture of me in my garden which I posted recently?
Well, look! Only this morning an Evil Intruder Kitty was daring to sit in exactly the same spot! (This EIK is a repeat offender - he/she is the one who keeps coming and drinking out of my pond).
I was trapped indoors, only able to glare at him/her and send telepathic messages that he/she was not welcome here!
My mum helpfully opened the patio door (where I was sitting) and I headed straight for the Evil Intruder Kitty. He/she immediately started to beat a retreat down the garden, with me in hot pursuit (not exactly running, but doing fast walking!) I pursued him/her all the way down to the shed, where the Evil Intruder Kitty escaped over the fence. This is what usually happens when I chase EIKs - I never actually have to lay a mancatly paw on them as they always run away when they see me coming!
Satisfied with my work, I patrolled the garden and then settled down for a rest near the shed. My job was done. All Evil Intruder Kitties were banished from the garden. Yep - completely gone!
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Woeful Wednesday
I am not happy.
Terrible things have happened to me today, even though I didn't have to go to the v-e-t again.
First I was held down in the kitchen and had my rear end forcibly washed, which I did NOT enjoy. Are they implying I have not been attending to my personal hygiene often enough to prevent stinkiness?
Secondly, I have been licking the sore shaved patch on my tail and made it all sore again just when it was healing up, so I had to have it bathed with the smelly stuff from the v-e-t and that stuff stings and makes me jump!
Thirdly, I had the anti-flea stuff put on the back of my neck. I mean, this happens every few weeks anyway but did they have to do it today on top of all the other tortures?
Fourthly, I was held upside down in the magic armlock position and had my pointy claws clipped.
All on the same day!!!
It is too much. Just because I am normally a mellow, laid-back kind of cat, they are taking advantage of my good nature!
Here is a picture of me despairing. My mum cannot believe how I have again managed to get myself into a position which totally disguises the shaved patch on my rear end! Heh heh. It's hidden by the cushions!
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Easy Like A Patriotic Sunday
Well, my mum is back from Cornwall. I have been a very confused kitty for the last week, what with the THREE visits to the v-e-t, then my dad going away for three days, then my mum going away for three days. I was particularly upset on Wednesday when first my mum disappeared and then my dad took me to the v-e-t by himself, which never happens. He had some trouble getting me into the Evil Cat Carrier because only my mum knows how to do this. Then we had to wait in the waiting room at the v-e-t's for over half an hour with some scary d-o-gs.
The v-e-t said that I was doing all right and he gave my dad some special stuff to clean the sore spot on my tail where I have been licking one of the shaved patches. My dad was supposed to put the special stuff on my tail twice a day, but he failed to because I wouldn't let him! No way was I letting that stuff on my tail, it smelt horrible. Luckily when my mum got home last night she looked at my tail and said the sore spot was healing up very nicely anyway. But my dad is cross because he spent money on the special cleaning stuff.
I was not a happy kitty when my mum was away. I really missed her and I didn't eat much and I sat on her pillow looking for her and I stayed under the table looking sad. My dad was worried about me. When she got home last night I was so happy and I gave her lots of kisses and licked her hair a lot (but I have to stretch to do this now because she has had it cut really short). Today I have been following her round the house and sitting on her a lot. I am happy again and ate all my food. I went outside and helped her do gardening too. We also watched the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on TV and the handing over of the flag to London - that's where I live! There was a big party outside Buckingham Palace this afternoon to celebrate London 2012 but my humans did not go to it. We did see the Red Arrows flying over London though.
Here are some pictures my mum took of me today so you can see how I am doing. 
I am very clever and posed in these pictures so you cannot see my shaved bottom, only the floofy bits!!! I still look handsome from these angles even though I look weird from other angles. I was helping with the gardening at the time. There is lots of gardening to do because all the rain we have been having has made everything grow and grow, especially the weeds. But today was sunny. And tomorrow is a Bank Holiday Monday so my dad has the day off work. Only one more week until school starts again and my mum has to start taming her new class, so we have to make the most of it!
I am very clever and posed in these pictures so you cannot see my shaved bottom, only the floofy bits!!! I still look handsome from these angles even though I look weird from other angles. I was helping with the gardening at the time. There is lots of gardening to do because all the rain we have been having has made everything grow and grow, especially the weeds. But today was sunny. And tomorrow is a Bank Holiday Monday so my dad has the day off work. Only one more week until school starts again and my mum has to start taming her new class, so we have to make the most of it! Oh yes, and we are all feeling very proud of the 19 gold medals that Team GB won in Beijing. In fact, we're feeling so patriotic today that I may just have to wave this...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Tail On Tuesday
Another picture of my tail in happier days, before the v-e-t got busy with his shaving.I am very hungry and demanding food all the time. I am off the boiled chicken and back on my regular food. Also I have started pooping again. My humans seem to think I am on the mend - so why are they still shoving pills down my throat, and why do I have to go back to the v-e-t again tomorrow evening??? Apparently he wants to check up on me. And my humans want him to see the red spot on the underside of my tail where I have been licking the bit that was shaved. It is a bit sore.
My humans are messing me around. My dad returned from Devon Grandma's house tonight, but now my mum is abandoning me to go and see Cornish Grandma and Cornish Auntie for three days! Doesn't she know I have been poorly sick and therefore need extra cuddles? I'm thinking of having a relapse just to make her feel guilty. It's raining in Cornwall anyway, she won't like it!
She is coming back on Saturday night. My dad isn't good at helping me blog so I will report back then. He has never tried getting me in the Evil Cat Carrier to go to the v-e-t without my mum's help, so that should be interesting!
Monday, August 18, 2008
In Happier Days
Here's a picture of my floofy bottom and tail in all their former glory, back in the days before the v-e-t got to work with his clippers and disfigured my rear end with his shaving. *sigh* At least my shame cannot currently be photographed as my dad has taken the digital camera to Devon Grandma's house.
This must be quite an old picture as I was still eating dry food then, pre-diabetes, and those are my old food bowls too. I think I have lost a few pounds too since the picture was taken.
I am still being forced to take the pink tablets twice a day. I have stopped being stinky in my litter box but now I haven't pooped at all in two days. Apparently now they actually WANT to see poop. There's no pleasing some humans.
Thank you for the purrs of support.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Saturday update
Thank you to all my friends purring for my poorly stomach to get better. I was a very unhappy and hungry kitty last night getting no dinner. I kept mewing at my humans and they kept saying "Sorry Eric, we would feed you if we could but we can't." When they went to bed my mum shut the bedroom door (which she doesn't usually do) because I was still a bit stinky and she didn't want me jumping on the bed in my stinky condition. But! to a hungry 18 lb mancat a closed door is no barrier and I managed to break my way into the bedroom at 5.30 a.m. screaming "Feed me, feed me!" (my humans have not yet worked out how I got the door handle open and I'm not saying!)
At 6 a.m. my mum cracked and went downstairs to start preparing chicken while I got under her feet and mewed a lot more. Finally I got some chicken for breakfast but she didn't give me as much as I wanted so I mewed some more. I was not so stinky this morning.
My humans had lots of coffee and we all sat in front of the TV for a while cheering on some heroic Brits who won medals this morning at the Olympics in the swimming, rowing and cycling.
Then, to my horror, the Evil Cat Carrier came out again, second time in two days! I was disbelieving as I was put in the car again and taken back to the v-e-t. The v-e-t does not open until 10 a.m. on a Saturday and that is when our appointment was. When we got there several people were waiting outside including the v-e-t and a man with a little dog. Would you believe that the nurse who had the door keys had left them at home and we had to wait until she had gone home to get them and come back to unlock the surgery??? Hmm. Anyway, eventually we all got inside and I was first to be seen, thank goodness.
At 6 a.m. my mum cracked and went downstairs to start preparing chicken while I got under her feet and mewed a lot more. Finally I got some chicken for breakfast but she didn't give me as much as I wanted so I mewed some more. I was not so stinky this morning.
My humans had lots of coffee and we all sat in front of the TV for a while cheering on some heroic Brits who won medals this morning at the Olympics in the swimming, rowing and cycling.
Then, to my horror, the Evil Cat Carrier came out again, second time in two days! I was disbelieving as I was put in the car again and taken back to the v-e-t. The v-e-t does not open until 10 a.m. on a Saturday and that is when our appointment was. When we got there several people were waiting outside including the v-e-t and a man with a little dog. Would you believe that the nurse who had the door keys had left them at home and we had to wait until she had gone home to get them and come back to unlock the surgery??? Hmm. Anyway, eventually we all got inside and I was first to be seen, thank goodness.
As my usual v-e-t is off work (watching the Olympics) I saw a different locum v-e-t from the one I saw last night. This one was a lady v-e-t who immediately fell in love with my floofiness and kept cuddling me and saying how handsome I was. (True). Unfortunately yet again she took my temperature in a very rude way but my temperature was still normal. She said last night's injection has helped me a bit although I am still rather gassy inside. She laughed at my shaved rear end which I found deeply offensive. She said I have to take antibiotic tablets for 4 days and go back on Wednesday evening for another check-up.
After we got home my humans cornered me and forced a pink pill down my throat, I spat it out the first time but swallowed it the second. Then I got a bit more chicken but still not enough. I am not happy with this treatment so I am planning to sit and sulk for most of the day in between bouts of mewing and scratching the laundry basket to pieces.
My dad has now gone down to Devon for a few days to see Devon Grandma because it is her birthday, so my mum is on single-handed pill-administering duty, which will be interesting.
We are thinking about Violette's family today as they hold her service. We had a sad phone call yesterday too - Mary, who was my mum's first headteacher (principal) when she started teaching and helped her a lot when she was a new teacher, has died very unexpectedly aged 60 and everyone who knew her is very sad. She had recently retired from her final headship and was looking forward to doing lots of travelling with her husband. We are thinking of him and their daughters as well as thinking of Violette today. This has been a terribly sad week. 
Friday, August 15, 2008
Not Feeling Good
I do not feel good today.
Look away now if you are revolted by yucky details.
Last night my tummy hurt and I went and did very runny poops in my litter box. Then again this morning. I got runny poop all over my floofy rear end and I couldn't clean it off so when my mum got up this morning I was very stinky. I had...err...tried to wipe my rear end on the floor in quite a few places which she had to clean up and it wasn't very nice. Then she cornered me and tried to wash my rear end and I resisted and it was all very messy. She put me out in the garden to wait until my rear end dried off (it was sunny for a change) but later I was still wet and stinky, and then she noticed some blood, which freaked her out.
I kept trying to wash my rear end but I just couldn't seem to do it, and I didn't feel good either so I went and lay down quietly.
The next thing I woke out of a doze to find myself being put in the Evil Cat Carrier, but I wasn't feeling good so I didn't put up my usual fight. Then I was put in the car and taken to the v-e-t.
I didn't see my usual v-e-t (apparently he has taken 2 weeks off work in order to watch the Olympics!!) so it was a locum. He squeezed me all over and poked me and prodded me and listened to my heart and then did something very rude with a thermometer and said my temperature was normal, which is good. Then he stuck his finger somewhere he really shouldn't have done and said my anal glands needed squeezing, which he did - not fun! Then he said I had gastro-enteritis and needed to have some medicine. He said I might have eaten something bad in the garden or even possibly caught a stomach bug from another cat while I was staying at the kitty jail recently. He gave me two injections - he said one would sting but I didn't squeak or flinch at all because I am a Brave Mancat.
Then he got out some clippers and shaved a lot of hair off my floofy rear end and shaved a big strip of my floofy tail. I look ridiculous! I refuse to show photos of this disfigurement! I was Very Very Good while he was doing this, I did not like him playing around with my rear end At All but I kept (fairly) still on the table and just gave little sad "mews" while my mum stroked my head. The v-e-t said I was one of the best behaved cats he had ever met, but I was just trying to get it over with!
Then I was weighed. I have lost some more weight. The last time I went to the v-e-t (back in December) I weighed 8.8 kg (19.4 lb). Now I weigh 8.2 kg (18 lb). This is the least I have ever weighed since I came to live with my humans (I was 9.5 kg or 21 lb five years ago).
After that the v-e-t put the Evil Cat Carrier back on the table and I RAN into it, mewing "Take me home!"
The v-e-t said my humans could give me no food, only water, for the rest of the day, and then only boiled chicken and water for two days to see if my stomach felt better. And I have to go back to the v-e-t TOMORROW - AGAIN. Oh no!
My humans were all stressed and worried about me, and I wasn't feeling good either, but one fun thing did happen. When we went back to the waiting room there was a lady there with her new kitten and guess what? It was a little girl kitten, 10 weeks old, which looked exactly like a Mini-Me! She was floofy and ginger and white like me and even had a beauty spot almost like mine! She had been rescued after being left in a box on a doorstep. The lady with the kitten said, "Oh my goodness, that cat looks just like my kitten, he could be her dad!" But my humans said they didn't think so because I had my hoo-haectomy many years ago. I wonder if we are related though?
Apart from meeting my Mini-Me the visit to the v-e-t was not fun at all. I am home now and all evening I have been camped out by my empty food bowl going "Feed me, feed me!" and my humans have been going "Sorry Eric, the v-e-t said you should not eat until tomorrow." So they are starving me AND taking me to the v-e-t again tomorrow, I don't think they love me any more!
Honestly, I am still a bit stinky and my shaved rear end looks stupid and I am hungry and I wish I had never had runny poop. This week just keeps getting worse.
Please send purrs for a quick recovery and a better visit to the v-e-t tomorrow.
Lucky Sugar's Holiday
My humans recently left me in kitty jail while they went to Norway. So imagine my feelings when I saw a story in the newspapers about a kitty called Sugar whose humans spent a lot of money taking her on holiday to Norway with them! (They also travelled through France, Belgium, Holland, Germany, Denmark and Sweden on the way). Now I am outraged. Clearly my humans COULD have taken me to Norway too! Apparently Sugar's humans wanted her to see Norway because she is a Norwegian Forest Cat...
Here is a link to the story, unfortunately in a certain downmarket tabloid paper...You should click where it says "Click here for slideshow" because some of the photos are really good.
And here is a link to Sugar's personal webpage - if you scroll down it tells you about her holiday.
I thought I was a famous and pampered kitty but clearly I have some catching up to do! From now on I will demand more from my humans!
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
I've Got Mail
You may remember that sometimes I get samples of free stinky goodness in the post from this Gourmet company. Like this one. We think they just send it to me because I am famous, because we never asked them to.
Now they have sent me a magazine to read, and some more free food! 
If you can't read the title, it says "The Connoisseur: a lifestyle guide for discerning cats and their Personal Shoppers." Then underneath it says "How I get the best from life - hints and tips from cats like you".
If you can't read the title, it says "The Connoisseur: a lifestyle guide for discerning cats and their Personal Shoppers." Then underneath it says "How I get the best from life - hints and tips from cats like you".I didn't even know there were magazines published for cats! I have been reading the articles inside, they are very interesting, especially the letters in the agony column.
Does anyone else get magazines sent to them? I may post about some of the interesting things inside later. I have not tried the food yet.
It has been raining and blowing gales a LOT here, not very good summer holiday weather, so my mum and I have been spending a lot of time watching the Olympics on TV.
Monday, August 11, 2008
Sprout
The whole Cat Blogosphere has been shocked and saddened to hear that our friend Monty Q's family have lost Violette (Sprout). She was only 3 months old.
Thinking of her family at this time and sending them many sympathies and purrs.
Friday, August 08, 2008
Souvenirs??
I have been helping my mum to unpack. It takes her a long time to get round to doing this sort of thing if she is not snoopervised. I was interested to find out what she had brought back from Norway.
I was very happy to see that she had visited a Norwegian pet emporium and brought me back some genuine Norwegian fishy treats. If you look closely at the bag you can see it says "essence of Norway". Well I tried a few sprinkled on my stinky goodness and they were very tasty. My mum says that most of the cat foods and toys on sale in Norway were the same as we have here in the UK. She met some friendly Norwegian cats and I will post pictures of them soon.
After trying the Norwegian treats I went back to helping to unpack the suitcases.
EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!!
What on earth has she got in this suitcase? Can it be...a vishus Norwegian deer???!!!
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
I'm Home!
Yay! I am out of kitty jail and back in my own home.
Well, everyone was pretty nice to me in the kitty jail and treated me like a celebrity. But 10 nights is a long time and I was starting to wonder if I was there for keeps. This morning I was just digesting my breakfast and lying on my fleecy blanket surveying the view from my cell when I heard familiar voices approaching! And there were my humans! My mum came into my cell and we had a little snuggle, I tried to be outraged and aloof but I was SOOOO pleased to see her. She told the girl who was one of the kitty jail workers that she had missed me licking her hair, and the kitty jail girl told her that I had licked their hair quite a bit. Then all my stuff was packed up like my Gizzy Quilt and my Scratchy Mouse and my feather stick and my comb and then I was packed up in the Evil Cat Carrier. As I was carried through the kitty jail we had to go through the adoption area (one part is the boarding centre and one part is the cat shelter) which was kind of sad because it was full of kitties going "Take me home too!" at my mum and dad. All the staff rushed out and said "Oh, Fat Eric is leaving! We will miss you Eric!"
As we were getting in the car one of the cats who lives there (there are a couple of permanant residents) made a spirited attempt to get taken home with us. He tried to hop in the boot of the car with my Scratchy Mouse. He was a pretty kitty with Siamese colouring and blue eyes and he gave my mum some love and then waved us goodbye.
When we got home my dad was just pulling the car up outside our house when he heard a funny noise. He said "Is the engine making a funny noise?" Then he turned off the engine and my humans realised that the strange noise in the car was actually this really loud PURRRRRRRRRRRing coming from the back seat. I was so happy to be home!
Well, everyone was pretty nice to me in the kitty jail and treated me like a celebrity. But 10 nights is a long time and I was starting to wonder if I was there for keeps. This morning I was just digesting my breakfast and lying on my fleecy blanket surveying the view from my cell when I heard familiar voices approaching! And there were my humans! My mum came into my cell and we had a little snuggle, I tried to be outraged and aloof but I was SOOOO pleased to see her. She told the girl who was one of the kitty jail workers that she had missed me licking her hair, and the kitty jail girl told her that I had licked their hair quite a bit. Then all my stuff was packed up like my Gizzy Quilt and my Scratchy Mouse and my feather stick and my comb and then I was packed up in the Evil Cat Carrier. As I was carried through the kitty jail we had to go through the adoption area (one part is the boarding centre and one part is the cat shelter) which was kind of sad because it was full of kitties going "Take me home too!" at my mum and dad. All the staff rushed out and said "Oh, Fat Eric is leaving! We will miss you Eric!"
As we were getting in the car one of the cats who lives there (there are a couple of permanant residents) made a spirited attempt to get taken home with us. He tried to hop in the boot of the car with my Scratchy Mouse. He was a pretty kitty with Siamese colouring and blue eyes and he gave my mum some love and then waved us goodbye.
When we got home my dad was just pulling the car up outside our house when he heard a funny noise. He said "Is the engine making a funny noise?" Then he turned off the engine and my humans realised that the strange noise in the car was actually this really loud PURRRRRRRRRRRing coming from the back seat. I was so happy to be home!
Since I have been home I have been making sure all my usual places are still there. I have had a nap under the yellow chair and scratched up the laundry basket and had some food and made my litter box stinky and sat under mum's chair at dinner time and been out in the garden and slept on Scratchy Mouse and had lots of laptime and cuddles and purred a LOT. Everything is back to normal!
Well, almost. My mum noticed when she was cuddling me that my fur smells like pine wood because most of the buildings at the kitty jail are made of wood (like sheds - my mum really likes the smell of sheds!) and that is what my fur smells like too at the moment. But soon I will smell like my house again.
Big thanks to all my friends who left supportive messages for me while I was in kitty jail. Tomorrow my dad has to go back to work but mum and I have plenty of time for chilling out together - she doesn't start teaching again till September 1st. I am going to snoopervise as she downloads 250 pictures of Norway off her camera. I have lots more news and pictures to come! And wait till you hear about the vishus deer!
