A very emotional time for me personally and the the mogs. Sadly I lost my Mum at the beginning of August just days before the Covid restriction were lifted. Then there was a 5 weeks delay before we could hold the funeral. During these weeks I lost my oldest residen, Vicki, (mummy cat). So, no more grey cat in the house, except, along came a cat called Fish, a beautiful silver grey kitten. Fish was a stray and the couple who fed her couldn’t keep her, so, home with me! She was quarantined in the spare bathroom and then we waited to see if we could find her a new home. Sadly the only person looking for a kitten didn’t want a boring grey one. There is absolutely nothing boring about Fish. She got her name as the couple had called her Silver and I grew up with Silverfish living in bathrooms. Silver became Fish, which she answers to and has a brilliant recall. The Vet thinks her mum had a chance meeting with a British Blue, so, another counterfeit cat!
In October I went with Anita to visit another refuge to see if she could help a very sad, frightened and almost totally deaf Mudi. Needless to say, after several visits the Mudi joined Grande Daze and Mili, an old lady feline, with arthritis following pelvic and hind leg injuries which had no treatment, came home with me. (look out for Shota”s (pronounced Show-ter) story next month).
Mili is semi long haired and, in her prime, would have been a big cat, probably a rag doll cross. She had been found in the street in very poor condition. However, she hadn’t lost her attitude and greeted me with a very raucous meow and hugged my neck with her front paws. Her chances of being adopted were very slim but, me, I’m a soft touch! After several visits to the vets, to get her arthritis treatment sorted out, there’s been no looking back. She now has a monthly injection and when she wants to she can get a good turn of speed on and good jumping abilities, but only if she thinks you’re not looking! Her favourite meal is boiled chicken and the others don’t get a look in. She doesn’t put up with any nonsense from other cats or dogs and will tell me where to go if I persist in grooming or moving her. She kindly lets me share my bed with her.
Once again the house was full, as Splodge decided winter 2021/2022 sleeping indoors made sense to him. Thugly became a house-cat, “Thank you very much but don’t touch me human!”. Feeding several village residents continued. The arrival of spring saw several new faces on the block; plus Splodge’s brother, looking very much worse for wear. There was no chance of getting hold of him but over this autumn he has picked up again. After making inquiries and finding no owners three more stray cats have been neutered and let go to continue on their merry way. The most beaten up of this mottley crew decided to hang around. Enter Grey a very uninspired name for a grey tom cat. Anita thinks he should now be called PudWud. After being neutered and the vets kindly sorting out all his knots and bumps while under the anaesthetic, he got bolder and bolder. In the fine weather the door stays ajar, so, in he came and mooched about if he thought you weren’t looking. He put on good weight and grew back a soft fluffy coat, which always looks untidy. The only worry was his wonky eye; the vets had looked at it and didn’t think it was causing him any problem. The eye had either been a birth defect or an injury, as it was sunken in, small and milky with the third eyelid permanently across it. This caused the eyelid to became very red looking at times and after several episodes of weepy, gunky discharge and consulting with the vets, out it came. What a changed fella, never made any attempt to rub or scratch the stitches, did wear a donut collar in the beginning. Took his pills like a gentleman and has adapted so well, much more at ease and sure footed around the house. He is totally indifferent to the other cats and I don’t think he has a mean bone in his body, though he did take some time to stop hissing at the dogs if they got too close. He doesn’t go in for cuddles but likes to be around me and sleeps in doors now. At his last weigh in he was 5.5 kgs, another big boy in the house, a very sweet boy. Well that brings us a full year in the crazy cat lady household, and with it some highs and lows. We also lost my lovely brother in law in June; he and my sister had been visiting in 2019 when we found Mischief on our last walk before they returned home to the UK.
In Memory of
Doris Reeve – 02.01.1926 – 07.08.2021
Robert Alexander ‘Bob’ – 30.10.1947 – 02.06.2022
grandedaze.com 