I present my 'Sleepy Quartet in A flat'

Going away tomorrow for annual visit to my sis - who's recently become a great-grandmother for the fourth time over. I always emphasise that this yearly travel is more a matter of fulfilling the familial obligation of staying in touch rather than it being a holiday. My last genuine hol was now 22 years ago.

Blackso and Noodles will, as usual, be delivered to kennels - which they'll loathe, Noodles will be bellowing his head off during the 20-minute taxi ride, while Blackso will put up with it in grumpy silence.

For my absence this time last year Ginger was fed outside by 'Mr Nasty' from the flat below me but, since the major confrontation between us a couple of months ago, I'm in no mood to ask him again. So I've asked the young ladies next door to do it. (Exactly what are the relationships there? Wink wink!). But despite their assistance, Ginger's got such a loud cry that my single greatest concern while away is that he's going to be sitting outside my kitchen window wailing loudly to be let in, and maybe making himself a nuisance to the near neighbourhood. But can't put him in the kennels because he hasn't been registered with a vet. I've still no idea where he came from - possibly was kicked out as a kitten - and he's the only one of my regular visitors who hasn't been neutered. (I can't afford to get him done, even if I knew that it was okay, or to get him on the books of a vet.) He seems to have taken it for granted that this is his home now, coming in several times a day to be fed, and spending much of his sleep time here too.

Patchy is the latest to have taken up 'assumed residence' here, also coming in every day for meals and sleeping here. However, in his case I not only know where his proper home is, but only last week I happened to pass the house when the owners  were coming out. I told them about Patchy settliing in with me but it seems that he does still occasionally visit his real home as well. He is just one of several 'rescued' cats they've taken in. Presumably it was too crowded for him! So I'm not too worried that he'll have somewhere other than my place to go to and be fed and to sleep.

So here are the players:-

My dear and faithful friend, Blackso, the most affectionate of them. Now must be at least 14 years old (in human years-equivalent that's got to be even older than I am.) though, unlike me, showing hardly any signs of ageing. Always been healthy, never been sick, he's been an absolute treasure for 1/5 of my entire life.

Noodles, the 'distant' one, will be about 11 or 12. He's the only one who will not sit in my lap, and he complains whenever he's picked up. My sole function seems to be to provide his food on demand, which is more often than for any of the others. But I still think he's a sweetie, putting his aloofness down to his original owners' likely failure to have shown him proper affection.

Ginger, the 'problem' pussy. He's by far the youngest of the four - not much more than a couple of years, I reckon, though also the one with the loudest cry. He does love to be stroked and cuddled, and is very probably not getting that treatment from anyone else. I'm afraid he's going to be making his presence known outside my kitchen window tomorrow and ensuing days.

....and Patchy, who's the biggest (and fattest!) - and who just barged his way in to take up residency a few months ago, as though he were boss. But, being a 'community cat' with several options of where to go, including his original home, at least he won't  be suffering in my absence, though more than likely he'll be annoyed at my thoughtless disappearing.


So even though I don't leave until tomorrow morning, mainly because of Ginger my mind won't rest until I'm back towards the end of the week And then I'm going to have some serious blog-reading catch-up to do.