Tuesday 1 September 2015

Some recent pussy pics - after being chivvied along to post some.

These pictures were all taken within the last three months.
After going through busy periods in my home 'drop-in centre' when there could be as many as seven or eight different neighbouring pussies coming through the window for a snack, these three are the only ones in my life at present, which is quite enough! I dare not think what became of the others though I do know that at least one was run over on the road, a sorry fate which was quite as possible for all the others.

The first two here are the old stalwarts, Blackso and Noodles, who've been with me 15 and 8 years respectively. Blackso has got to be at least 16 years old, maybe 17, and Noodles around 13-14.

 Blackso now starting to lose fur on his back and hind legs but other than that he's doing very well for his age. No sign of any pain or suffering in any respect - and he's never once been ill. Very occasionally he'll bring up food when he's eaten too much but I think that's quite common with cats.

Noodles spends his entire life sitting and looking out of the kitchen window or sleeping there. Starting only in the last few months, whenever I go into the kitchen for any reason he'll stir himself and cry for food, any time and all the time, despite there being, more often than not, anything up to half a dozen open trays of food available on the floor of food for him, Blackso or 'visitors'. He must think I'm made of money. I throw more cat food out than is ever consumed by any of them. As with Blackso, Noodles has also never been ill or suffered any injury.



And then there's Patchie - whose home is actually around the corner, where they have several more cats, but like my above two he's made it absolutely clear that he wants to move in with me. He already sits Buddha-like, supervising who's allowed to come in and out, and for some months now has started sleeping all night in my bed with me, usurping Blackso's right of privilege. He's unusually fat-bellied though it's not through over-eating. He actually consumes far less than the other two. I think there's something peculiar going on physically with him although he's not noticeably suffering. He's bigger than the others though probably quite a bit younger than them. His owners know he's here and I suppose they're glad to have one less mouth to feed, while it's me who has to pick up the bill.





Now in the final picture, please don't get alarmed, but this is what I have to put up with what Blackso does, especially in the Summer, going and lying in the road in the most heart-stopping places. He really does sometimes turn my nerves to shreds. Is it any wonder I so dislike going out for any reason? - and when I do all the time is spent worrying about him. I suspect he does it deliberately to taunt me, the little scoundrel!

(I don't know why this picture came out dark. It's actually brilliant, warm sunlight, the only conditions in which Blackso does this.).

So that's my family as at now. If there are any changes or additions (I hope neither) I'll do another post - then, if not before.

21 comments:

  1. Gosh, those cats are adorable! And I, too, would nearly faint seeing one of the cats laying behind a car!!!

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    1. Bob, Patchie's also now taken up Blackso's habit of lying in the road next to or under parked cars. As if one wasn't enough! They really are intent on driving me round the bend.

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  2. As you've probably already anticipated, I love this post and I appreciate this "introduction" to your trio of kitties. They are all adorable. It's amusing to think that you have an open, "drive-through" window for hungry cats. Too bad you can't charge admission!

    It definitely gets very expensive to feed cats. It wasn't much of a problem when I only had one, but now that I have three it's a different story. Sometimes I think they eat more than I do.

    It's so frightening to see Blackso casually lying on the street with the traffic! Cats definitely like to taunt us.

    At the present time my two youngest kitties, Bosco and Scruffy, are wandering around on my desk as I'm writing this, and I'm nervously anticipating one (or both) of them to leap onto my computer keyboard and destroy this comment. They done it numerous times before.
    I'd better quit while I'm ahead.....more later.

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    1. In my first sentence I probably should have said "assumed", not "anticipated". I can never concentrate when my kitties are annoying me.

      Blackso looks similar to my cat Bosco, but Bosco is only a year old (actually 1 year 4 months).

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    2. Jon, feeding these three costs twice as much as it does as buying food for myself. I know 'cos I do the calculation every week. At least I do eat all of my own food, whilst having to throw out most of the cat food that they turn up their little wet noses at. Here's me making sacrifices in my own nourishment while they act as though their food grows on trees and is ready for picking - and for free!

      Like your own Bosco and Scruffy, Patchie, and sometimes Blackso, also has a tendency to jump up here while I'm typing on the keyboard, but has only rarely spoiled something I was writing, though it has happened. Like all cats, whenever they knock something over or push something off a shelf or desk, they seem maddeningly indifferent to the effects of what they've done. as long as it returns to quiet then that's okay with them.

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  3. we have a kitten that has started to visit our driveway. she/he sits in the walnut tree and meows at us. darent get any closer in case she runs into the road. she is a beauty. I am afraid someone will try and steal her. she is a gold colour but looks like a siamese cat with beautiful eyes. I will try and get a picture of her.

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    1. Yes, I'd like to see that, Sol. No feline picture is ever wasted on me.
      There's also a magnificent black-brown-gold patched specimen living just down the road from here. Such a handsome one. Might try and get a pic of him/her too.

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    1. Noodles is the most challenging one, Sol. He's never forward with affection, unlike the others. Blackso every day seems to be thanking me for taking him in whereas with Noodles seems to think it's my 'duty' to feed him and give him shelter. He won't let me carry him, never stays or jumps into my lap and only purrs when I give him a once over with a flea comb, and even then it's a very soft purr as though he doesn't want it to be known.

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    1. They'll be grateful for your blessings, A.M., and appreciative too - well, maybe not Noodles but I'll tell them all anyway.

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  6. A handsome bunch! Blackso looks very much like our Bert (or is it the other way around? Bert is about ten now).

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    1. Walt, if all black cats look the same, even though they don't, they all have utterly different personalities. Blackso has always been really sweet and loving all the time, as I hope your Bert is being towards you.

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  7. Oh I enjoy hearing about the cats.
    I am particularly fond of black cats; if I get another it shall be black.

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    1. Oh, I do look forward to that, Dr Spo, IF it comes about. I'd love to see a picture (maybe with it in your lap?) and reading about its traits and personality, attractive or otherwise.

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  8. Thanks for sharing your cats. In our house we still reinact the behaviour of the last fat cat who antisocially allowed us to live with him.

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    1. I can well understand what you say. It's as though we are the ones being chosen to give the 'honour' of feeding them and making them feel at home - and precious little thanks we get for doing it, aside from their 'being there'. Still, their mere presence is, for me, compensation enough.

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    2. I agree; I hope we get adopted again soon.

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    3. I think that once the cat-buzz has got around that you're a non-threatening big softiie like me you'll soon have one or more of them demanding to be looked after. Good luck!

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  9. So glad you posted these pics and shared some news. I've missed your kids!

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    1. I always feel a bit guilty that I don't do this more often, Mitch, but it's only the tedium of loading pics from camera to computer, sometimes with related problems, that puts me off. I'll make a resolution to do it more regularly from now on.

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