Cow pats on the football field...........

A day off and what am I doing? Well actually I am sitting here listening to music and relaxing! I do feel I deserve it, though, as I have been working most of last week and all over the weekend.
I do wonder how people, years ago, used to spend their days off work? I have been trying to think back to when I was younger, and what my parents did. Thirty years ago....okay, ha ha, maybe forty years ago.....shops were not open as long as they are today. Most women who had children did not work, and most men worked during the week and maybe a Saturday morning. School children did not have teacher training days, and I cannot recall as many school holidays as now, but then maybe that is my selective memory? So what do I remember about the days we spent as a family? My father mowing the lawn while my mother sat in the sunshine on a bench and my brother and I played 'tents'. Picnics at Bradbury Rings, before it was hacked about and had the archaeological dig, with lots of other friends and families. Swimming in the sea at Bournemouth Beach, and making sandcastles in the sand. Oh and eating sandwiches that always, somehow, managed to have grains of sand in them however careful you thought you were being! Visiting other aunts and uncles and playing with my cousins. Sitting in the car on cold windy days with my mother, watching my father play in his amateur football team. One great moment springs to mind of my mother, my aunt and myself sitting in the car when we ended up surrounded by a herd of cows who then decided it would be great to rub themselves up and down the side of the car. The resulting shrieks from all of us as the car rocked from side to side makes me giggle now....and yes my father's football team played in all sorts of open areas, and usually had to dodge the cow pats on the pitch! I also remember, at the end of our Saturdays out, sitting together in front of our new Parkray fire eating hot crumpets and watching the football results and then Dr Who.
All of this makes me realise what wonderful cosy memories I have, and I do wonder what memories my children have? Mu husband and I did make an effort to take them out a lot and spend time with them, but I also wonder what memories children today will have. Are their weekend memories of playing computer games? Will they only recall supermarket shopping on a Saturday or Sunday? Hopefully this wont be the case, as we seem to have become an alfresco nation once the sun comes out, or indeed in the rain during summer.
So back to my day off. Okay so I do not have young children any more. I work far more than I have ever worked in my life, and actually can see that still happening for quite some years ahead. So my day off is generally spent doing housework and catching up on bills and letters and all sorts. As I get two days off a week I try to have just one day for the 'work' and one day doing the relaxing things, like catching up with family, or generally reading. Depending on the weather this is inside or outside! Right now the weather is not warm enough for me to swing gently in the sun on my swing seat, while reading a good book or snoring after falling asleep, so I am curled up with one of the cats typing this. I am going to have a nice lunch of any bits I fancy, and a treat of a custard tart for after. The cats will probably get to share this!! seeing as Peanut likes savoury food she will most likely get a titbit of cheese, and Ripley is all sweetie addicted so I will let her have a tiny bit of the custard tart. No doubt we will all end up snoozing on the sofa for half an hour afterwards..........what a picture that will make!!

Living in Hansel and Gretel land..........

I have decided I am living the story of a fairy tale..... Hansel and Gretel to be exact! And why do I say that? Because my cat seems to think I need to follow a trail to find her. As I have said before, Peanut is getting old, and she does not seem to be well. Actually she isn't ill, just not as she should be, if that makes sense? She does weird things, like trotting around and then stopping bolt upright to gazing at nothing, and I mean nothing. There is nothing on the wall, nothing on the floor, nothing in front of her and nothing to look at. Yet she will stare very intently, with her eyes all huge, as if she cannot believe what she is seeing.....and I can't see anything there at all. Recently she has taken to leaving a trail of food all over the floor after she has eaten. Tiny weeny pieces of cat food will be dotted here and there, sometimes in a line and sometimes artistically spotted here and there. Getting caught unawares on dark morning, when you saunter into the kitchen to make a breakfast cuppa, without first putting the light on, means you can get a rather nasty shock. The resulting hopping from one bare foot to the other, as you feel the squelch of moist chunks of cat food between your toes, can be a source of amusement to all except the person experiencing it. The consequential shouting of annoyance can be even more amusing...except to the person experiencing it. I have learnt to put the light on, my husband has not! Sometimes the trail even leads into the sitting room. It could be construed as Peanut leaving little presents for us, but to be honest I think she is just old, and dribbles her food around. She ends up with it on her nose and all down her front. It is a sad state to get in, but she is amiable enough when we wipe her clean! Oh that I will be just as amiable when I get old and dribble my food..........

Even humans have miserable days.............

Has anyone ever seen a cat when it is miserable? The ears will be flat, the body hunched and the expression morose. Yes, all you cat lovers out there......you will recognise this picture, especially if your cat is stuck out in the rain (unless your cat is like Ceepha who loved rain!). Sometimes I wish my ears would go flat when I am feeling out of sorts! Dear oh dear what an image, I ask you, ha ha? Still, hopefully you know what I mean? Actually, when you are feeling like that, everything around you seems to be the same. Oh yes, that pouring rain is miserable. Indeed, that 'did fancy but have now decided you don't want it' packet of crisps' is miserable. The fact it is freezing cold in spring is very miserable. A grumpy husband is miserable. The cat sitting on your net book while you try to type is miserable. Oh heck everything is miserable!!!! I had a day like that recently and just wanted to shut myself away and hide. I didn't feel that way for any reason I could see. I just woke up miserable. What can I say? Good grief, I must have had a miserable dream??
On the plus side I also have days where everything is fantastic. Hey that sun beam kissing your skin is fantastic.Yes that 'just had to have a piece of scrumptious looking cake' is fantastic. The fact it is just like the middle of summer in early spring is fantastic. A wonderful husband surprising you with flowers is fantastic. Ripley cat snuggled up in your arms, purring loudly with happiness, is fantastic. Oh yes the whole wide world is fantastic!!
Why is it that our mood can reflect on what we perceive around us? Does a miserable mood cloud our view of what is happening? Does a happy mood mean everything goes well all day? Is this a case of positive attitude verses negative attitude? In fact are humans the only ones that this happens do? Do cats have positive moods? Well actually they must do, as sometimes my cats race around like the whole world is the most amazing place, and even chasing the wind is fun to do. I wonder if they actively act this way or is it a reactive instinctive trait? I mean how do cats know when they are miserable? Do their ears automatically go down? Why don't mine, ha ha?
Oh dear this blog is getting rather silly today, but still what fun! I can't recall the last time I have used so many exclamation marks and question marks. Hey ho, today is a fantastic day...........

Ginger cats galore.............

There is no doubt about it......I love ginger tom cats! I have no idea what it is about them, or why I am drawn to them, but sure enough I will pick the ginger fluffs out of a kitten  litter over every other colour. Most of the time ginger cats are males but as you all know I do actually have a ginger female called Peanut. She was the runt of the litter and not expected to survive, so my husband picked her out of the rest of the litter to see if we could keep her alive. She was so tiny, hence the name, but boy oh boy is she is a crotchety old girl now! Still small, but  full of grumpy personality.
I suppose the very fact that the front cover had a ginger cat on it was the reason why I was drawn to a book I have just finished reading. 'A Street Cat Named Bob' was so easy to read that it took me just one day to complete from cover to cover. I was tickled by the book cover, but what actually made me buy it was the back sleeve. There was a picture of a young man called James Bowen, and draped over his shoulder was Bob. The photograph captured the character of Bob so vividly....and of course I immediately drew comparisons with Jonesy, and how he would hang over my shoulder............that I didn't even stop. I bought the book right there and then, and read it all straight away. Okay so I know I am now officially a mad cat woman!! My family have been calling me that for a while now, ha ha, and it didn't help when I bought a book called 'Dewey' last year. Yes you have guessed it? Dewey was a ginger cat who was abandoned in the night drop box of a small town library in America , and indeed there was a ginger cat was on the front cover, and yes indeed that was what attracted me to read it! Not only that but I have a ginger 'jelly cat' on my bed. So yes, it is official....I am barking mad. Or should that be meowing mad? I don't actually mind being mad, ha ha, as it is a cosy good little world to be in...and it is full of furry ginger cats who keep me company. So there!!
Well it is Easter Sunday and I am having a chilled quiet time with my immediate family. Yesterday we visited my eldest son and his family, and tomorrow my parents are visiting for lunch. Today will be restful and peaceful I hope, just myself, my husband, the youngest son...and two slightly demented ageing female cats. We have had to hide all the chocolate Easter eggs and Easter cakes from them, though. The strange thing is that, as the two of them have got older, they seem to have developed a rather sweet tooth. Human food, and in particular sweet stuff, is not good for any animals, but you would not believe the frenzy the two of them go into if them sniff cake? I am often known to gesticulate wildly when chatting, even when I have food in my hands (must be the continental blood in me?) and that is a dangerous thing to do when a cat is perched on the back of the sofa. It has been pointed out to me, on many occasions, that I am just a hair's breath away from having the food literally snatched from my hand by a darting paw. I still haven't learnt, and in fact last night I was pounced on by Ripley, who seemed to have developed some sort of freaky dancing head movement as I waved my hand...and cake...about. The situation ended up with me shouting loudly and holding my hand high above my head while she frantically lurched about on my lap with her teeth snapping together. It is my own fault I know, but how on earth did the girls come to have such a craving for sweet foods? Jonesy would sometimes like a tiny piece of cake, but he was never as addicted as these two? Now cheese was another story, but hey ho!
Well I must say that right now, although the weather is a touch overcast and gloomy for Easter, I am now very happy to be on a weeks holiday from work. Not that I intend to do much, but it will be a rest and it will be nice to do as I wish. You know I never would have believed it but sometimes I long for the days when I was a mum-at-home, ha ha. I never had it so good. Okay back to cooking the roast leg of lamb for Sunday lunch, and back to trawling the internet to see if I can find out more about Bob the street cat. The book mentions YouTube....so watch out here I come......................

The big chill returns.....

Good grief what has happened? Last week we were in the grip of a heatwave............this week it's like the weather has turned it's nose up and laughed at our foolish gullibility!!! It is freezing, let's make no bones about it. Indeed today I have had to turn my heating back on, let alone I have a woolly jumper tightly wrapped round my body ( with it's zip done right up to my chin!). In fact I have drunk so much coffee to make me warm, that I may just spend all evening in the littlest room of the house ('toilet' for those who are mystified by my cryptic musings).
So where are the cats, you may ask? I mean we all know cats are not daft! They will not suffer the cold unless they have no choice. My beautiful ageing moggies are also not stupid. Ripley is snuggled so far into my side that every time I type her head gets bashed a little. Has she moved? Heck no way! Why move from a warm body pumped full of hot coffee? Any time I shift my arm she chirps in protest, so I am now tapping away in the most ridiculous manner with one arm high so I don't bash her....and yes, it does ache...and no, Ripley does not appear to care. talk about a pampered animal. Peanut is sprawled out on the computer. Although it has a fan to cool it down, the top is actually mildly warm when the computer is being used. It's like having your own personal cat blanket, albeit a rather hard one! You would be amazed at how much hair and fluff you get with a wriggling cat on a computer? Does she wiggle much? Not really, unless she is dreaming. Peanut is not well right now and seems to struggle to get comfortable, so we let her lay around as she wishes. Right now, for some reason, the computer seems to be the place she is happiest. Who knows what goes on in a cat's mind?
Well I am on holiday next week and it looks suspiciously like I could be digging my recently pot planted shrubs out of frost and snow. As for my poor large house plants that I carefully, and joyously, placed around my patio in anticipation of an Easter weekend of alfresco dining...well all I can say is I may not have any left to bring back into my sun lounge after the autumn, unlike previous years. Frost bite may kill them all!
Right, I think I will act like my cats for the duration of today and snuggle right down between the cushions on my sofa. It's times like this I miss Jonesy on my lap as large tom cats work like furry, purring, hot water bottles! In fact I may even indulge in a bit of self preservation by digging out the hot water bottle from under the towels, in the airing cupboard (don't ask why it is there....it seemed a good idea at the time, when I thought spring had arrived). Oh, and before you mention namby pamby wuss southerners I am off to get my dinner, ha ha...........

Old Man time catches up with us all..............

Spring is in the air and it has been the most gloriously sunny week. Indeed the just a glance of the sun makes you feel all smiley inside....and put a smile on your face. It doesn't seem that long ago that we were doing the garden last autumn when Jonesy was flitting about as he started to become ill. All of a sudden we are doing the garden again, planting pretty flowers in tubs and placing the large house plants outside. Time seems to speed past at a maddening rate these days, and it sometimes is hard to stop and take stock. Today I was fortunate to have one of those times when I could sit and swing merrily on my swing seat as I watched the girl cats, Peanut and Ripley, delicately weave in and out of the grass paths on the lawn. Ripley even had a mad cat moment where she leapt about, pouncing on nothing, and meowing wildly at the sky, while her tail ended up like a fluffy bush, all doubled in size! Why do their tails do that I wonder? It's hard for me to say this but I am pretty sure that Jonesy's mum Peanut is not going to live much longer!! She has got pretty thin and today she was definitely wobbly on her back legs. She is almost 17 years old and seems to be tired and weary. When she did eventually go into the garden the effort seemed to exhaust her. Although Ripley is the same age she certainly is far more lively and well. We are all worried about Peanut and are giving her lots of love and attention, and my husband and I have discussed taking her to the vets. But both of us have said we know what the vet will say! I cant talk about it much because I still am heartbroken about Jonesy. My husband just says he cant take her.....even though we really know we need some advice. Don't get me wrong. She is eating, meowing like normal, drinking, etc, but she is tired.....and we can see that. This is the part I hate about having pets. Part of life, yes, but not a part I like!!
So... Easter is almost here. Spring is in the air. There is much to look forward to, including my week off just after Easter, yippee. How shall I spend that week? Well I intend to do little, eat what I wish and generally doss about!!! I cant wait :-) Watch this space for my blog on how to spend a week doing nothing, ha ha........

Sunny memories.............

I always know when it is time to write my blog.....for days before hand I am drawn to the short cut icon on my net book. Its like I have to pluck up courage to write on here! How daft is that?
Anyway today has been the most glorious spring day. It has been warm and sunny and peaceful, and so calm. It's like summer is a whisper away, and the world is full of anticipation. The sunshine always seems to make people feel happy and full of smiles. The ticklish glow of sun rays touch the skin and it's like the whole world is on 'a high'. The clocks went an hour forward last night so you would think I would feel tired, yet all I feel is totally rested and relaxed. This is what a weekend off from work does to you, ha ha? Or at least it should do!
Yesterday was wonderful. My brother and his girlfriend met myself, my husband and son at my parents house for lunch. We chatted and laughed and drank wine, and generally had a great time. I even managed to interrogate my father about his past in the air force and grab a few details for my family history. Poor him!
This afternoon my parents popped over and we sat in the garden sipping tea, listening to the birds sing in the glorious warmth of the sun. My mother remarked on the trellis we put up during my last autumn holiday from work, last September. For a short while I felt sad at the memory that returned. How, as we all put up this trellis, Jonesy scrabbled about in the box it came in, and eventually curled up and fell asleep in one corner. He stayed there in the sunshine for ages while we huffed and puffed around him. Later on, after my parents left, I sat on our swing seat and rocked myself into a lull. Jonesy used to sit next to me on that seat, and place his front paws on my lap. I would read quietly and he would rest his chin on his front paws and nod off. I can smile about those times but this summer I know something will be missing, and it will be him. Thank goodness I have some very lovely memories of him, and the garden will remind me of all those happy moments.

Sunday afternoon snoozes............

It's a glorious Sunday afternoon and spring is definitely in the air! So, you may be wondering why on earth I am sitting here tapping away on my net book? Have no worries for I am seated in my sun lounge, with the doors wide open and the sun streaming in.......and this is a really good way of stopping me drifting off to sleep after a hefty lunch.
I have had the most lazy self satisfying weekend for ages and it feels good, I can tell you. to be honest I have done nothing but wallow and spend quiet time doing nothing, but sometimes you need 'nothing days' don't you? I refuse to feel guilty about days like this as I truly believe times like this are good for the soul. As I get older I find that I need to do this from time to time to re-cooperate my brain. Dear oh dear, the perils of ageing! all through my life I have been an 'all or nothing' sort of person. Either the life and sole of the party, dancing long after everyone else has collapse in a heap, or quietly reading in a room far away from anyone else. My father is like this, and apparently so was my paternal grandfather. Must be hereditary I suppose? What contrary people we must be?
Anyway, while sunning myself I have had a good look at my garden and, what a surprise, it needs sorting. Luckily hubby and I did loads of work in the autumn.....you know the stuff.....painting fences, doing a patio area, potting tubs and all that. Some of the last pictures of Jonesy were taken while we were putting up trellis and laying paving slabs, so that area will hold a special place for me as he sat and watched every day we worked. He was already showing signs of the disease, with the enlarged stomach by then, and had got lethargic, staying close to us. It makes me smile to think of those days as it was all rather peaceful, except when my father got stuck holding a piece of wood in a mighty awkward position, while the sun lounge wall appeared to collapse, as he was trying to fix it. The air was rather blue at that point.
I have also had a little peruse at the family history again. I have been doing it for a few years now and from time to time I have a mad moment and get addicted again, spending hours looking for ancestral information. Yesterday was one such day! Some of the new sites mention DNA and hereditary traits. I got to wondering if my cats have hereditary traits? Well of course they do, as I well know, from having a mother cat and her male off spring. There were remarkable similarities between them, not least the colour of their fur. Peanut is simply a very much smaller version of Jonesy, in character, as well as looks. Oh yes indeed, Jonesy was a BIG character!!
Well I should make the most of the beautiful weather while I am not cooped up indoors at work..........so enjoy your Sunday everyone, as I shall carry on enjoying mine.
PS. Even the cats are having a Sunday afternoon snooze!

Bear with me......

I just wonder if anyone reading this blog finds it rather depressing? I don't want people to think I am unhappy because I am not. I have a pretty good life...although I would like more money, lol, but don't we all.......and am content most of the time. It is only in my 'quiet alone times' that I feel a bit bereft. No I will change that word. I feel sad. just now in the bath I felt a tear trickle down my face. I know it is the sadness over not having Jonesy any more that starts it, and I do feel totally mystified that it happens after so many months. Yet this is what this blog is all about. This is why I started it. Jelly cat therapy is my way of dealing with my emotions after Jonesy's death.
I do feel terribly guilty, though, and I have mentioned this before. An old school friend of mine is suffering the trial, literally, into the death of her son. He was stabbed last year, and consequently died. In my past I have had to deal with some things I would rather not have done, and I feel an affinity with her. The trial is happening at the moment, and hopefully the person who stabbed her son to death will go to prison. She has been distraught since it happened last year. I only recently added her as my friend on Facebook and haven't seen her for years. I know how she feels because of the posts I have seen since she added me as her 'friend'. So for me to feel so sad over the loss of my cat cannot compare with what she has had to deal with? sometimes I do a certain thing and it reminds me of what Jonesy would have done at the same ytime. For example I often read a book in bed. Jonesy would sit right close next to me and place his two front paws on my left arm. His body would gently rise up and down as I turned the pages, moving my arm. He would not move and it used to make me smile that he was so comfortable like that. Jonesy would sometimes 'sigh' when I turned a page, as if it was such an inconvenience for him! Strangely enough, at the beginning of last year Ripley started to do the same thing. I would end up with both of them, side by side, resting their front paws on my left arm. It got jolly hard to turn the page I can tell you. Ripley did it last night again and it reminded me so much of Jonesy. I suppose cats copy each other and that is how they learn, similar to children? The one thing I do miss is carrying Jonesy in my arms. One of the pictures in this blog shows him with his paws on my shoulder. I loved carrying him like that and miss it madly. Weird huh? None of the other cats like being carried that way...in fact they wont be carried for long if I do try it. he would stay for ages in my arms. How much more must my friend miss holding her son in her arms for a hug? Maybe it is all relative but I also do wonder if I really should feel like this over a cat?
I do have fantastic memories of Jonesy...and my calender for this year has a picture of him on each month. I do sit, sometimes, and think about the girls though. Ripley seems pretty perky these days, at least for an older cat. Both she and Peanut are 16, almost 17 I suppose, and certainly Peanut is starting to show it. She is looking a little 'tatty', but still manages to howl the place down, as if she is starving to death, when the roast chicken is being carved for Sunday dinner! Ripley is pretty much tone deaf now. We have tested her hearing and she really cannot hear hardly anything. Mostly, the two girls sleep and eat, and meow like everyone is ignoring their needs, when they feel like it. All in all it can be pretty noisy in our house at times!!
So, is this blog helping me? Yes I think so. I don't seem to need to write every day now. Sometimes I get moments when I go over in my mind what I want to write, but often that is forgotten by the time \i get to use my laptop. Sometimes, as I have already said, I will get an over whelming rush of a memory and feel the need to write about how I feel, but again that is usually gone by the time I get to the blog. What do I expect to get out of this blog then? Hmmmm, now that's a question and a half. I suppose I want to get back into writing about my life, like I used to. I love writing, or should I say typing, lol, and want to do it more. There are many things I have memories of in my life and it would be nice to share them, but for now it is all about my cats. I know I will move on to things that interest me, like family history and all the stories that come with that. I love history, and information programs, and art and flowers, and reading and all sorts. So much to write about!!
So bear with me, and bear with this blog, please. I will try to start being upbeat, if only not to drag you all down, lol. If you read it I thank you, and I hope you will carry on. Jelly cat Therapy has loads more to offer, I promise..............

Ripley's world of silence......

Ripley is becoming a very needy cat as she gets older! Right now, as I try to type, her head is on the keyboard and she keeps nudging my hand as I attempt to type...........it makes for some rather interesting spellings of words, I can tell you!! Mind you I am deleting the mistakes as I type so don't worry, even if it means I am taking three times as long to do this blog *sigh*.I do think she is going deaf too, because she really doesn't appear to hear us any more, and sometimes she utterly howls the place down. It is almost like she is calling us but cant hear herself call so it is very loud indeed! Just as with all our other cats, we do call her back if she does this, but she never comes running so we have to fetch her. We have tested her reaction to sound in various ways and we are sure she only hears a tiny portion of sound, if any. Yesterday Ripley was seated on my husbands lap facing away from, and I called her name a few times. If you did this with any other of our cats , even if they didn't turn round, their ears would twitch in response. There is nothing with Ripley! Nothing at all....no response. If you tap her shoulder she will turn and chirp  but nothing else. How sad is this. I do think we will have to get her to a vets to verify this. To be honest I have had a suspicion for a while now because she doesn't run from the hoover any more. Ripley has always hated the hoover and has fled the room any time it was near her but now she just sits and watches it. She has always been very sensitive to sound and jumped at loud noises and been rather skittish compared to the other cats, so maybe she has always had problems? How sad it is for an animal to be in a world of silence? Obviously it is sad for a human too, but we can learn and adapt with help from others. What does an animal do? In the wild this would make the animal susceptible to danger and probably the animal may not survive for long, although there have been remarkable stories of some species of animals helping each other. There was a remarkable picture in the papers recently of two dogs. One of the dogs was blind and the other dog would always stay right next to him, in effect being this other dog's eyes. How amazing and wonderful? I think Ripley has become to reliant on us humans and I do worry how she will be in the summer when she goes out more. We live on a main road and the cars speed along. To be honest , she has never wandered far so I do think she will stay in the garden mostly, but you never know. If this had been Jonesy I would have worried even more, though. He was a roamer and being deaf would have been extremely dangerous for him. How protective do I feel over all my cats.....and yes I still miss Jonesy more than anyone knows...........

Cat cuddles rule okay!................

It's been a while since I have been here because I have been ill...again! Some nasty flu bug grabbed hold of me and left me with the cough from hell. Quite a few sleepless nights took their toll and my poor husband has got it now. Still I am back to my usual witty, frankly fantastic, self........ lol, only joking......so keep an eye out for my blog please.
While I was moping around feeling sorry for myself I got to thinking about 'cat cuddles'. I touched on this in January when I was ill last time, but searching through my old pictures reminded me of how cats have been around in my family for generations. Cats crop up in stories about the family as well. For example, when I was small my grandmother had a cat, although his name has slipped my mind for now. This cat scared the daylights out of my mother, apparently! I suppose having grown up with dogs in her family, combined with arriving in England to marry my father unable to speak hardly any English , must have exacerbated the situation? The very large tom cat used to sit on a stool and generally swipe anyone that walked by with his huge paw....my mother's words not mine! It does seem that my uncle used to tease and tease this cat so he was probably an old irritable male who simply wanted a peaceful life? I am a firm believer that you can help the personality of an animal by the way you behave towards it. For example we never ever hit our pets, or poked them, or wound them up until they were annoyed and restless. We made sure they knew....and the two girls we have now also know.....that they were loved. We petted them, stroked them, talked to them and generally loved them to bits. Maybe that is why all of our cats have been very laid back, gentle, loving animals that are friendly to everyone? Not always a good thing, as an animal like that tend to be very trusting of all humans and very approachable......as we learnt to our cost with the lovely black and white tom cat,Tank, but that terribly sad story is for another day.......! Still, on the other hand, it meant Jonesy in particular was very well known, and very well loved, in our neighbourhood. I remember taking Jonesy to the vets one day and the vet appearing to be rather nervous of him as we took him out of the basket. Even to this day I cannot understand that, because all of our cats have been so gentle, but maybe some cats visiting the vets are scared or hurt and lash out? A cat's claw can hurt real bad if it catches you in the delicate skin.
When I was married my parents acquired two kittens. Well actually what happened was that my brother said he would take one....and then had to move and couldn't keep him....and I said I would have one and then didn't want to separate them. It was a good idea because my brother and I could still see them but they lived with my parents. Good company all round! They were two absolutely wonderful fun loving black and white kittens called Nosey...because he was.......and Porky....because he was.Nosey was leaner and more aloof than Porky, who was far more genial and laid back. Both were lap cats. though, and my sons tell me they have great memories of those two pets.
How lovely it is that we have had the privilege of sharing our lives with these amazingly generous animals? These cats have allowed us to enfold them into our lives. They have shared our laughter, our sadness, our food, our families and indeed our cuddles, and anyone who has had a cat snuggle back into the crook of their neck, or arm will understand exactly what I mean when I say 'cat cuddles rule, okay'.

The grassy addiction.............

Although it is bitterly cold and frosty outside and I can't see the grass under the white crispy coating, for some reason this morning I have remembered how the cats acted around a certain patch. It was a tiny piece of what just looked like normal grass to me. All the cats would trot over to this piece of leafy strands and generally chew on a blade for a few minutes and then they would react in a variety of amusing ways. Ripley would rub her head from side to side over this part, turning her head in a rotating motion until we thought she would fall over with dizziness. Peanut just sniffed it and seemed to fall into a dopey stupor. Jonesy would throw himself into that grassy carpet with the sort of abandonment you generally see in a young kitten. He would roll his whole body around, sprawling on his back, legs akimbo,arching and looking, for all intents and purposes, like a cat who has indeed got the cream!! All this would only go on for a few minutes and then they would each simply get up and trot off like nothing whatsoever had been going on! They almost became addicted in the end, as it happened every day.
Hubby and I have looked and looked at this patch of grass. It looks the same as all the rest of the grass to us! It didn't end up the same colour because in the last summer that Jonesy was ill he used to simply lie in this very same patch. The grass ended up a sort of yellowy dullness where it never got any light! We could not, for the life of us, see what difference this little bit of grass was to all the rest. Of course we had many theories, mainly based around cat nip, but have never really investigated more. Why would our cats go into this type of ecstatic lethargy in this area? It certainly didn't act the same on humans.......not that we tried chewing it, I can tell you! The cats didn't always eat it but they did always react similarly. Having hunted around on the internet for pictures of cat nip, it is plain to see this patch of grass was not that plant. Weird! Apparently there is such a thing as wheat and oat grass for cats....or anyone for that matter!..... and although research suggests it is good for their digestion, it doesn't explain the sheer happiness they appeared to experience? Mind you a good piece of chocolate cake will give me sheer happiness, not that I rub myself in it. Ooerr!

Winter wonderland cats.........

It's minus goodness knows what temperature outside and the possibility of snow looms large! Knowing Ripley and Peanut, they will carry on just the way they have been doing in this chilly weather and stay close to the radiators, or curled up on a bed somewhere. I don't blame them one bit as I do just the same, along with cuddling a hot water bottle if I am lucky.
I must admit the girls are not even curious about snow, but Jonesy and Cepha were. I will always remember their very different reactions to the cold fluff wafting down from the sky to settle on the ground. Have you ever noticed how a silence descends on the world when it snows? I like to wrap up and stand by the open sun lounge door watching the quiet flakes float down. Jonesy liked to do this too. When ever I opened the door during a snow flurry he would come and sit next to me gazing at the wonder. His ears would twitch and flick as he looked around, but, to be honest, if he didn't have to actually go outside he was happy. Once or twice I would gather him into my arms and stand outside while it snowed, and it would make me smile to see him stare about. It was almost as if he couldn't understand what was going on....and why was it so white. I wonder if cats see in colour? Jonesy would make no effort to get out of my arms, or even struggle to get back inside, but he was clearly happier once we were actually back in doors! To be honest it was about the only time he would use the litter tray.
Now Cepha was much braver. As I have mentioned before, he liked the rain and storms, so snow was no obstacle. He would launch himself out into the snow with the kind of glee you tend to see in children. If the snow was deep he would bounce and leap about with a kind of joyful abandonment. Any drifting flurries hovering in the air would be met with his nose up, as if he was sniffing the crisp air. To say Cepha loved being out the quiet world of white wonder is not an exaggeration, because he clearly did.
It's funny how each of the cats were so different in how they dealt with the unpredictable British weather. Here, in the south, we don't get snow often enough for our pets to be used to it. Maybe that is why all of my cats behaved the way they did each time we were greeted with the winter wonderland?

Foxy encounters.............

Pets and wild animals seem to have a healthy respect for each other. Their lives skirt around each others' and they appear to try to avoid confrontation, unless it is accidental. One of the wild creatures I love are foxes but I was scared Jonesy would meet one while out on his jaunts. To be honest we tried to keep him in at night, especially when we could hear the foxes at night, mating. They were far too well fed on our discarded rubbish to be bothered by a cat, but who knows what a cornered frightened animal will do....and foxes are bigger than cats! To be honest I used to blame Jonesy for the torn rubbish bags and scattered chicken bones but having found fox dung in the garden it could have equally been one of them?
We live right in the middle of town but close to a river bank and open fields. There are foxes living in the area, and I know this because I have seen them regularly. Once in the early ours of the morning while going round the corner to our parked car, in the next road, my husband and I make a young fox jump as he stood on the pavement. Another time I was coming back from a night out, again in the very early hours of the morning, and I chanced upon a fox simply sitting in the middle of the road, again round the corner. I crouched down and talked to it in a low voice, probably hoping I could coax it nearer, but it ran off. The third time was about 8am and I was sipping coffee and looking out of the bedroom window at the garden. I could not believe my eyes as this large fox sauntered across the garage roof at the end of our garden and hopped into next door. There were clearly people around but the fox did not seem bothered. Only once was I aware Jonesy was in the garden at the same time as a fox, and that was when I heard a fox barking very close by, late at night, and within a minute or so Jonesy shot through our bedroom window. We had a flat roofed conservatory below our bedroom window, and if Jonesy would not come back when we called at night we would leave the window open. At some point in the night he would scrabble onto the fence by the conservatory, haul himself onto the roof and then leap onto the window sill. If the window was not open he would howl until we woke up and let him in. I must admit to hating it when he was young and he would be off out for hours.It was sometimes difficult to realise he was not responding to our calls or racing back home. Of course later we realised he was either being pampered down the caravan park, or being spoilt by the elderly lady in the next road, but at the time I hated it. I would pace for ages and go in and out to call Jonesy. It must have driven the neighbours mad, although a few of them also used to say they were worried when either my husband or I did this because they knew he was not home! Such was the love Jonesy instilled in the neighbour hood. Still, foxes and cats don't like each other much, so I preferred to know Jonesy was home at night.
While we were away we had the interesting experience. One night, in the early hours, we were woken by an almighty racket...the howling, yapping and barking noise of what turned out to be a fox. This went  on for around an hour as the fox simply say in the middle of the road for a while, ran for a few yards and then ran back and sat down again. Something probably was spooking this fox but it was eerie, yet wonderful, to hear such a wild animal so close to humanity. I haven't heard the foxes near us for a while but spring will be here soon so they will be around. At least Ripley and Peanut don't even move from the sofa at night so we don't have to worry about them encountering foxes!

cat rules dog!.........

Today I am off to spend a few days away with my husband. We are off to the world of Hemel to see my in-laws...and leave the son in charge of the cats. They will be howling their annoyance by the time we get back, lol. Cats are animals of habit and don't appreciate change. Move some furniture, or add a new ornament to the house, and they will be sniffing around it suspiciously within two seconds. We have always had cats in our family. My parents and my English grandparents always had cats. My German grandparents had dogs, and I only realised this when I recently saw some photos. Funny how you don't think about it until something like an old picture crops up.
Now my in laws tend to be 'dog people'. They had a cat each time, along with the dogs, but generally the cat ruled the house! My husband's grandparents always had dogs...and one cat. Funny that? I always feel cats and dogs don't get along but actually it seems they do, as long as 'boss' is sorted. Generally it seems the cat ends up boss. My in laws have not got their dogs any more as sadly they died but it was such a shock for me the first time I went to their house. Having an Alsation bark i your face as he dopiest know you....even a friendly soppy one...is pretty scary if you are cat orientated, lol? The funny thing is that when we all get together and end up talking about our pets we all sound the same.......yeah the cat sits by his food and ignores it.........yeah the dog sits by his food and ignores it........oh the cat needed his tummy scratched......ah the dog wanted his tummy scratched.....I could even see similar characteristics in the dog to Jonesy. Weird? The only difference is that cats allow you to do these things and dogs just do these things. cats are far more aloof and touchy, lol. I think that's what I like most about cats. They are independent and when they give you their love you know you have won them over for life. Maybe I am wrong but most dogs just want love full stop..........but then aren't all cats and dogs are wonderful for the affections and love they give to us humans.

Cat in a tub territory............

Right from the word go Jonesy was boss cat of the local area......except for the big bruiser of an old black and white cat who lived around the next road. My he was huge....and neither was he 'done'!!! Hence the reason both Peanut and Ripley got pregnant before we even realised they were in season. Then again, without that black and white cat we would never have had the joy of Jonesy, Cepha or Tank, and what a wonderful experience that has been. I must say that many a time we would all go running into the garden to shout for Jonesy because of the howling and caterwauling we could hear......Jonesy and that bruiser fought often and hard and there were many a cut to prove it. Actually I am surprised he never got hurt more than he did considering the size of his foe, but Jonesy obviously had guts...or the stupidity... enough to stand his ground. One day we realised the old black and white cat hadn't been seen for a while, so he must have passed away? Jonesy was finally boss cat of the area.
Being boss cat meant checking out his territory every day and Jonesy had a good routine. Wake at the crack of dawn, eat, wash and saunter off to check around. Generally he had been out for a good half an hour before my husband and I would leave for work and by that time we would usually see him sat in someone's garden in the next road, or sauntering off down to the caravan park (see a previous blog post). But his favourite place to be was next door in the neighbour's garden. Oh yes, next door marking his territory in their pot plants! I will always remember a conversation I had, over the fence, with the elderly neighbour. Ripley and Peanut never wandered far but Jonesy definitely did, and Cepha and Tank would at least sun themselves next door. The garden was their pride and joy, with beautifully kept lawn and hedges, and wonderful flowering tubs. As boss cat Jonesy would carefully make his mark all around the garden.....and sit smack bang in the middle of one of the prize tubs! It was like he knew he shouldn't but couldn't and pretty much every day we could hear the shoo shoo of the neighbour to get him off the tubs. This action prompted me to peer over the fence one day and apologise profusely about the cats and their damage. "How many cats have you got"? asked the neighbour. "Five" I replied. She almost fell over and the repeated gasp of "Five" did cause me to giggle. I suppose five cats was a little excessive?
It took years for Jonesy to stop planting himself on the beautiful flowering tubs to sleep, and years for our neighbour to become accustomed to him being around. Interestingly their relationship really developed a few years ago when our neighbour's husband died. She came round one day to tell us how much of a comfort Jonesy was to her. What a surprise, considering we had thought the cats a nuisance to her? Apparently, one day she had been alone, sunning herself in the garden. She had been feeling very lonely, and sad, and then suddenly Jonesy appeared. He lay down beside her and stayed all afternoon. Her had never done it before, and yet she told me it was as if he knew she needed company. All summer, and every summer after, he would spend his time in the afternoons with her in the garden, weather permitting.
I know my neighbour will miss Jonesy this summer.......

Cheesy Wotsits rule, okay..............

Cat's eat all sorts. The girls are no exception. Jonesy definably was no exception. By this I mean 'all sorts of rubbish'. What cats definitely don't do is eat the cat food you buy! They are devious creatures, lol, and will catch you unaware by eating the food you have bought for  few days, sometimes even a week or so...........and then they won't! The pathetic howls of anguish that you have given them the same make of food for more than two days is pitiful to hear. My cats would get all excited when the crunchie box was rattled, or the tin opener appeared. How exciting! Food was coming. Yummy. I would carefully place the bowl of food down onto the mat and stand back all pleased with myself. I have to say Jonesy cat would generally woolf it down as he was a 'gut bucket'. Peanut on the other hand, is the worst cat in the world for this.......even now she will race to the food dish, after meowing her head off that she was starving and hadn't been fed for all of ten minutes, sniff the food in the dish, and then cock her head at us, sit down and meow all over again. It was as if she is saying "How could you give me this? You call this food? I don't like this! It's the same as ten minutes ago!" Ripley and Jonesy would cotton on, and then you would have all three cats turning their noses up at the food. No amount of ignoring them and leaving the same food down would work. My husband and I would hold an amazing conversation with the cats. "It's all you are getting"....... "Meow" ....."Eat it"......"Meowwwwwww"......."There is nothing else"......"meowwwwwww, hoooowwwwllll"......This impasse would end with both human and cat stalking off in opposite directions ignoring the food. Any human sneakily peering round the corner of a door would catch a cat munching away until they realised someone was around and then it would start all over again. "Ah caught you eating it"......"Meow? I think not!"....."Yes you were definitely eating it".........."Meow, you are seeing things"........"You will get nothing more" ..... "Meowwwww" ....... Oh joy!!
Jonesy, being the gut bucket, would forage. It didn't matter that he had been given food two minutes earlier, and actually eaten it. Out he would go, into the wide world, to hunt. Well maybe not hunt! He would scavenge, generally in any rubbish bag left out by some unsuspecting person. If it contained chicken, meat, fish or any such food. One sniff at ten paces and Jonesy would have pinpointed it. We used to try and place our bin bags on top of the bin if it was full, and double bag them, to try and stop him. It never worked. Going outside would end up like the Hansel and Gretel story....follow the trail of chicken bones and you will find Jonesy at the end of it. How he didn't get a bone stuck in his throat I will never know?
Now Cepha was a whole other kettle of fish. He liked vegetables, broccoli in particular. Didn't matter if it was raw or cooked, he ate it. When we had Sunday roasts, and the cats would wander around desperate for some scraps, he would turn up his nose at the meat and eat the greens. Weird cat?
Then there is the 'junk food'. Oh yes indeed. The smell and rustle of Cheesy Wotsits would send Jonesy into raptures. He would go totally mad until you gave him one. In fact if you weren't careful his nose would end up in the packet and he would help himself. Okay it's probably not the best food to give a cat, but one now and again is okay I think? Cheeses and onion crisps had the same effect on him. Ripley still loves cake, crab sticks and cheese. Peanut likes cheese but is not bothered about the rest unless she is in the right mood. Oh yes indeed, we have junk food addict cats!!

Cat-in-a-box............

Cats are like young children...........place a box on the floor and you find one of them in it pretty soon! I have no idea why but I have a picture of me in a box when I was young, a picture of one of my sons in a box when he was young, and a picture of one of my cats in a box, so it is a true statement, I promise you.
Yesterday I watched in amusement as Ripley set about, with great determination, to get into a box. The sun lounge was warm in the winter sunlight, and she obviously wanted to laze about comfortably, so she headed for a small box tucked in by the side of a chest of drawers. This box had some plastic packing material inside so she painstakingly snagged it with her claws and yanked it out, squeezed herself in the box and snoozed noisily within minutes. Well, the box was important so I lifted her out, placed the packing material back in, and replaced the box. I had barely turned my back when she was at it again, snagging the packing material and yanking it out....and settling in the box. This little scenario happened four times before I did the sensible thing and hid the box. Poor cat! She did settle on a cushion in the end.
Funny enough Peanut never seems to have done this and seems quite content to suddenly crash on a sofa or bed. It's probably because she is so small and we would trod on her if she was asleep in the middle of the floor (and I think we have, in the past, to be honest).  Maybe she hasn't climbed into a box because the other cats always beat her to it? Jonesy and Ripley would always end up asleep in the most awkward of places....like the middle of a stair, or the middle of the kitchen floor, or on the computer keyboard. As for boxes? Leave one lying around and usually Jonesy was first to leap in. If he wasn't first, he was still soon in the box, due either to the fact he had landed on one of the others because he didn't know they were actually already in the box......or he did know they were in the box, wanted to get in the box, and wanted them out of the box!! This was generally accompanied by lots of hissing and spitting and yowling by the ousted cat, but being boss cat had advantages sometimes.
Having one cat inside a box, and one cat outside a box, made for entertainment of another kind. One cat would attack the edge of the box. The cat on the other side of the cardboard would dive for that place. Scrabbling and shredding and banging, and all sorts of growls, would sound the alarm that this game would all end in tears. Sure enough, one cat would get far too boisterous and the other one would end up having a hissy spitting fit and stalk off. Amusing for humans to watch, and annoying when the fur was flying around as you had to clear it up!
Give a cat......or a child for that matter....the choice between an empty box and some carefully chosen expensive toys, guess which would be picked? Oh yes, the box wins every time. By the way, the same goes for empty washing baskets!

Rainbow Bridge....

It's strange but I never thought a social network site like Facebook would bring a smile to my face when I am having a 'Jonesy Moment' but today exactly that happened.......... 

I popped onto Facebook this afternoon and a picture from this site https://www.facebook.com/CatsareAwesomeAnimalsDoYouAgree caught my eye. When you are cat mad.....and my sons call me 'The Mad Cat Woman', especially when I used to walk around with Jonesy on my shoulder like a baby.....any picture of a cat stops you in your tracks. I spent a short while "cooing" and "ahhhing" at the pictures, and then saw an album which brought tears to my eyes. I suppose this album made me realise that there are other people out there, in the world, that also feel the loss of their pet in the same way as I do. I am not being daft, and I am not alone. Phew....no need for me to duck the strange looks from non animal mad people then?? The picture album on the site was called ..........


RAINBOW BRIDGE...OUR KITTIES MEMORIAL ALBUM
 'This memorial album is to share our love of our furbabies who have passed over the Rainbow Bridge.


We can support each other and acknowledge our grief and our love for our kitties who have 
passed.'

I will confess to having a quiet grizzle after reading the words below but it also did me good. I had a smile on my face as I posted a picture of Jonesy to join the others and I finally feel comfortable with my grief! One person asked how long does it take to recover from the loss of a beloved pet..........I think it takes as long as you need and want. After all, those pets have shared some amazing times with us......... 

Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigour, those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent; His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

~ Author Unknown~

Psychic cats, and all that telepathy..........

What has happened? I have had this blog in my head for days yet haven't managed to post anything! To be honest I have had no time....and I have been unwell. Hey ho, lol, but today is a new day!!
I had all sorts of ideas on what to write today, but a news article caught my eye yesterday and made me curious. It was in the Daily Mail...

Is your pet psychic? A Cambridge scientist believes we have only seen the beginning of animals' telepathic powers 

• http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2084017/A-Cambridge-scientist-believes-seen-beginning-animals-telepathic-powers.html
• 
  
• It was a very interesting item and some I already knew about, like animals seeming to sense impending earthquakes, or other disasters. The bits I found more interesting were, for example, about animals knowing when their owners were due home from work, or simply being out. Animals knowing they were going to the vets. Animals knowing their owners were ill, or had died. 
• because Jonesy and I had such empathy I have tried to think about how he behaved when I was ill, or when I was due to come home. I work varied shifts so there was no way Jonesy could learn my home-coming habits. So did he know when I was due to come home? Certainly, my sons have told me, he used to sit bolt upright, and wait expectantly, when my husband left in the car to collect me....or he would sit patiently by the food bowl until we were home!! But is this because he associated the noise of the car leaving the drive with us going out, and then returning? Did we somehow have certain habits, like putting our coats on, for a cat to learn we were going out and then returning? I have no idea whether Jonesy would be prepared for our return close to us actually coming home, or wait once we had gone out, even if it was hours? 
• Jonesy certainly knew when I was ill. He would sit with me for hours, only to hop off for a bite to eat and then come straight back. But was this because he had my sole attention, even when I was asleep? I have to say that even if I was restless he would still stay with me. But then again I think he stayed with any of us if we were ill. Having a cat around when you feel under the weather is rather soothing. I know if I felt 'down' Jonesy would always be around and I think the action of stroking his fur and whispering my thoughts in his ear was mutually comforting. 
• I would like to think that Jonesy was 'psychic' and knew more than I give him credit for, but maybe I am being deluded as I miss him so much? I just do not have the same relationship with the girls, Ripley and Peanut, however much I try to cuddle and stroke them. Don't get me wrong as I adore them, but the way I felt about Jonesy was different. Maybe it's like having a favourite? On that note, do cats know they are a favourite? Oh dear....I must pamper the girls more!!!!

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Cepha, storm chaser cat............

I know I have written a lot about Jonesy, and some about the two girls, Ripley and Peanut, but we also had two other cats at the same time as Jonesy's reign. I will write about Tank in another post as we all have found memories of him, but today the terrible stormy weather has reminded me that I want to mention Cepha.
Cepha...C fa....(it means C for cat)...say it fast and it makes sense, honestly! I think we believed we were being clever when we thought up his name, but maybe not? He was definitely one laid back cat dude. He was a beautiful cream colour that I have never seen before, or since, and he was graceful and languid in his movements. In fact Cepha had a way of staring at the other cats, and even his humans, like he was looking down on them. A little like the character Lord Snooty, just so you get the idea. His nose would point in the air and he would fix you with his green eyes and boy did you feel inferior. Basically he went about his life in a very chilled out way and it took a lot to annoy him. Jonesy, of course, wanted to be 'boss cat' and Cepha was another male, albeit a pretty laid back male. You will know, from past posts, that Jonesy ordered the girl cats about. He also ordered Tank about, but he never quite could order Cepha about. For a while Cepha would tolerate Jonesy's growls, and eye balling, and general stroppy 'I want to sit right where you are sitting' moments, and then he would react like lightening. We nicknamed him 'Cepha big paws' in the end (sounds like a song title?) because he would sit, and sit, and sit, staring at Jonesy's pouncing, and boss posing, and then he would simply whack him two or three times round the head really fast, with his paw. Jonesy would be left dazed, literally shaking his head, and would slouch off in disgust. Cepha never stood up to do the paw whacks, but simply stayed sitting, and afterwards he would just carry on either washing himself, or whatever he was doing. Jonesy never learned to leave Cepha alone, and would always push the boundaries, and Cepha would whack him fast every single time!!
As I said, the stormy weather today reminded me of Cepha, because he would have been sat on the lawn in the back garden right at the height of it all. Most sensible cats stay out of the wind and rain......the girls certainly stay indoors unless it is full blown sunshine, Tank preferred an easy life which did not involve getting wet, and until the last few months of his life, Jonesy would sprint back home doing 90 miles an hour if it even started to spit with rain. Cepha seemed to love the rain. He would deliberately go outside as bad weather approached. Even if it was thundering and lightening we would have to coax him to come back indoors. He would sit there, getting wetter and wetter, and yet looking for all the world like he was in his element. We would have to actually carry him indoors quite often, although he never protested at us doing that, and rub him dry with towels. As I said, Jonesy behaved in a similar manner as he became ill. He would sit outside under a bush or a table and watch the rain, keeping dry but still in the middle of it all. Obviously the last few weeks of his life he preferred to stay close to home and keep warm in the sun, or indoors, but looking back his behaviour was similar to Cepha's. You see Cepha suffered from epilepsy, which became worse and worse as he got older. In the beginning he would simply howl as the 'episode' started and dribble and hide in a corner. It was distressing for us to watch as nothing would help. We would simply stay close and try to murmur words of comfort. As he got older his fits made his whole body shake as he collapsed, and they became more distressing. The vets were unable to help, and told us that probably we would have to make a decision to have him put down eventually. It was a constant worry to us that Cepha would one day have a major fit outside away from us, and would die, and we would not be with him. In the end, though, and very sadly, one day he began to fit and would not stop.....we raced him to the vets but he died there. We were with him right at the end, and for that we are grateful, but it was a very upsetting time. I often wonder if Cepha found the air in a storm somehow more comfortable, especially when he was feeling ill, and that is why he stayed outside? Maybe Jonesy felt that too? I suppose we will never know, but it would be interesting to hear if anyone else's cat behaved the same as Cepha and Jonesy?