Life sucks ...

I started drafting about how he came to me and found myself writing in the first person and giving voices to other animals - most odd.

The day after he bathed in my chilli, I hoovered the stairs and found a ring of dried meat and vegetables where he had groomed himself and spat out all the bits.

Bless him???
 
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Macaroni cheese tonight. Lancashire cheese goes lovely and crispy when grilled, so I will have to fight him off nicking the topping!

The drugs he is on seem to make strong scents and flavours more attractive to him - except chilli.

Wonder how he'd take to a curry?
 
I LOVE macaroni cheese if nice and crispy. Hate to admit this but altho I am a bonafide human nutritionist I still have major hankerings after good quality junk food. Er, comfort food. :lol: Yummy.

Did Dougal partake? Our cats love cheese but are very fussy, only eat what I call mousetrap stuff. Nothing exotic.

I read a grand book about Brown Jack, called, wait for it - 'Brown Jack'. They say that he too loved normal common cheese and would often share his lad's cheese sandwiches on the way to the races, or home. People actually sent him cheese from all over the place but he only ate the mousetrap stuff. I love Brown Jack. :<3:

I'm fretting now as big rangy grey stripey one is out. I like them in at night, and not like him to not make an appearance by now and tease me with whether he will come in .... or prefers to remain out. Saw him last this morning and have not seen since. Hmmm. Suppose I will be fretting all night now, worse than kids. :(
 
Hi Isi. Is stripey grey home now?

There has been a lovely big full moon these last couple of nights, so Dougal has been out to play for half the night. Maybe that was the attraction for your boy. "We cats are nocturnal, you know."

Funny how that doesn't apply on cold, wet, windy nights!

During the winter I used to watch Oscar trying to pretend that he was fast asleep and not desperate for a wee. About half-an-hour before I went to bed I used to go and pick him up to put him out. He was too polite to fight me but used to go all limp and floppy so, being a big cat, he was rather difficult to handle. I would put him outside the front door and start counting, his record was 12 seconds to scoot round the side of the house and back through the catflap ... where a cunning Redhead would be waiting to put him out through the front door again. :D
 
Morpheus, the wild and crazy stripey grey thing is still out. Grrr. Hardly slept last night, imagined up all kinds of mis-adventures for him. He was waiting at back door early this morning, looked decidedly ropey, like a dude with a bad hangover in need of a bed. Came right in and did the feral cat routine greeting of banging heads, meowing and rubbing with other 2 cats, his girls. Wolfed down breakfast. Weather looked too nice to keep him in, so I let him go back out. Eat and leaves .......

He's been out all day sleeping in one of our garden beds smashing down my bamboo. Tonight I gave him some catnip which he adores and fed him outside as I tired easily of the 'will he won't he' come inside game he loves so much. He was rolling about on the grass and last seen heading for his nice cardboard box bed and more food in the old bakehouse behind our cottage. I expect I will have another sleepless night ..... :lol:

So, tomorrow morning when he strolls in again I have to decide, again whether I shut him in, or allow him to roam. Trouble is that after a few days of roaming he seems to revert slightly and is more wild and wooly.
 
Older cats like curry - we were told to give curry to our first cat when she got older - their tastebuds get dulled and they like the extra flavours. Dont know that she'd have enjoyed a vindaloo though...
 
Curried Whiskas? He'd probably like a korma. I can just hear Isi groaning ...

They do love to keep you on a string, don't they Isi? Dougal and Tilly will come trotting down the garden to see me if I open the door to go out to the bins or onto the patio, but then stop about 2 yards away while they make up their minds whether they want to come in or not.

Morpheus sounds as though he's having a lovely time on the tear, while you're lying there imagining all sorts of awful things.

I read a quite good book on getting along with animals and helping to sort out their little quirks or bigger problems. One of the tips she gave was that if a cat is messing you about regarding coming in for the night, the evening meal should be set for a certain time and if the cat is not there for it, no dinner! Even if s/he turns up later.

That would probably be a bit harder with your feral guy as he would probably trot off and get his own, just to show you, but if you want to (try) to lay some ground-rules and get some sleep at night, the book is called Communication With All Life by Joan Ranquet.
 
Thanks Red, sounds interesting, I'll hunt it down. I like reading about animals behavior.

Morpheus turned up promptly for breakfast as he does know the house rules apply at that time, not here, no food.

He looked pretty rough after two days and nights going native. He drank a lot of water, even though he has a bowl in our outhouse. And then as I left the house he went upstairs, laid down on our pillows on the bed and snored. So funny. Was still there 6 hours later when I came home.

I just wish I could touch him, was so sleepy he let me sit next to him and talk, only opened one eye, but if I go any closer he goes unbder the bed. He is about 7 now, maybe by the time he is an old cat .....

I had a really weird little black cat called Merlin once, he ate curries, any flavour, sweetcorn with butter, broccoli with mayo and adored yogurt and cottage cheese. Oh, and marmite and butter on toast. :)
 
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Mmmmmmmmarmite. Whenever I have Marmite on toast or want to cheer them up, they have what I call "Dippies". 3 fingers (mine) lightly dabbed with Marmite. They love it.

After the first time I did it for Dougal, I gave him a dab of honey and butter on one finger, and he kept checking the other 2 fingers - because it was 3 last time!

Glad your boy is home. Sounds as though he's had a terrific time. He obviously recognises your place as "home" and somewhere safe to crash before his next adventure.

Cat snores are great, aren't they? Nowhere near as annoying as human snores. Dougal doesn't but Tilly does, with the odd little moan thrown in.

When Oscar snored I used to have a great game because if I imitated him he would respond with a louder snore. :lol:
 
Love the marmite fingers! One of our past cats (RIP) who adored the stuff was grumpy and if you had been brave enuff to do that he would have bitten you. Was really snappy. But purred like a demon when happy.

Minnie our black feral who has at last decided to be nearly tame is having an attack of cat flu. Having had it as young cats they have minor bouts now and then, never rid of it sadly. She had runny eyes and sniffles and is all sorry for herself. It;s brought on by stress and she is paranoid about closed doors. We went out all day Saturday and left the back door to house closed but conservatory open for them. This was not enough security for her, when we got home she went under bed and stayed for hours. And now she has this illness. So last night she was all cuddled up glued to me on sofa and in bed, and this morning she will not go out.

Grey stripey one is recovered and shot out like a bolt! :)

We moved form a much larger house to here and are still suffering a clear out via various boot sales etc. Last night we borught some old rugs and things home from storage to sort through. Put in middle of front room, 3 seconds later, all 3 cats sat on them. 'Mine'. So funny.
 
Oh the joys of pet ownership!

My oldest Dusty (cat) is 18.5yrs old isn't well at the moment, ate his breakfast fine tues but didn't eat anything for the rest of the day, been sick twice tonight & does not look well at all so off to the vets in the morning with him, he has done well considering he was at deaths door 3yrs ago as his liver decided to stop work properly,

I'm not feeling hopeful hence up & posting at gone 3am, although I have a packet of gingernuts keeping me company :(

Helen
 
Oh Helen, I do hope he is okay. It is such a wrench to lose them, even when you know that each day after illness is a bonus.

Hopefully Dusty has just eaten something outside that has disagreed with him and the recent humidity won't have been much help.

Isi - if Minnie has a sore throat, have you tried a bit of honey? Tilly had a cold last year and had a sore throat. She kept sniffing and gulping, so I gave her a dab of honey to help ease her throat. She loved it and it did seem to help. She had a cold again recently and practically demanded honey for her throat by sitting in front of me and gulping, quite dramatically.

Fingers crossed for Dusty, Helen.

Denise x
 
Thanks Denise,

Dusty admitted this morning, three vets had a look at him & they seem to think he may have something stuck in his throat as he is breathing through his mouth, so an xray will be done first & also a full blood screen, I'm not convinced about the throat thing but I'm not a vet, just keeping my fingers crossed
 
Dusty has Lymphoma, he will stay at the vets until tomorrow am on fluids, the vet has said he has improved since this morning but it depends on how he does at home,
he is too old for any treatment
 
Oh Helen, I am so sorry. What a terrible shock for you and your family.

Poor old Dusty.

Big hugs to you both.

Denise
x
 
Thank you all

At 18 I suppose you have to expect these things to happen but its still a shock as he has been looking so well recently,

We are collecting him at 6pm so he has a bit more fluid, he has improved since yesterday but its now a case of wait & see, if he keeps himself hydrated then thats good but if not then that is the end of the road sadly

Helen
 
So sorry Helen. It is so hard to say goodbye to an old friend, even when you know they have had a good long life.

We had one of our cats a few years ago who had cancer and was too old fort treatment. We brought him home and just spoiled him while he still felt okay and when we saw that he was not coping we had to have him put to sleep. It was hard for me not to cry all the time just looking at him, but at the same time it was lovely that he had a few more weeks with us. We gave him all his favourite dishes, played everyday and let him sleep in places he had not been allowed before!

I hope that Dusty has a little while left with you and a peaceful and dignified end.

Thanks for the honey advice Red, Minnie cannot smell anything so she just licks. I gave her it and she licked it up , bit my finger and then seemed to have a stuck together mouth. Was so funny to watch ..... but she slept well.
 
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