General Chat

*sob sob* I haven't got a cat because my mean landlord says no pets, though he allows the downstairs flat 2 of them! I have always had cats until recently, so its strange being without them. First was Pixie, I shut his tail in the door so he ended up looking like a tabby manx. I was only 2! Then Smokey, a short haired grey, who had kittens. Smokey 2, grey and white, who would chase a football across the TV screen and look for it round the back if it went out of the picture. Patch, nutter and huge tabby and white tom. King of the neighbourhood, despite being neutered. Tammy, a feral tortoiseshell who decided to become domestic. Ali, black and white, disappeared, lots of black and whites disappeared in the area at the same time, suspicious. Bobby, black and white who decided to move to the farm up the road and stay there, though would come back to check on us now and then. Tubbs, my black cat, who loved to have his bum smacked, wierdo! He died at 12 from a liver tumour The pair, Bobby, a very pretty long haired black and white, who disappeared never to be seen again, and Rio, short haired black brother to Bobby, who waked out in disgust when I mentioned the vet. Finally, Murphy, a hyperactive tabby, who soon became f****** cat!, then cooking fat, then cookie! Sadly I had to re-home him when I moved here. Actually you never own a cat, they own you. Cats don't have owners, they have staff!

Cats are a bit like children - they behave the way you allow and teach them to! Our current cat, the fifth to own us, is a sweetie. Got her from the RSPCA, 3 yrs old then, and never been outside, had no idea of what human contact or affection was, and we thought she couldn't mew because she was so silent. 5 years on she is a wonderful, loving, little furry friend, who greets us with a welcoming chirrup when we get home and is slowly teaching us to speak 'Cat' ! Her vocabulary is wide and varied - and quite different noises made depending on what she is trying to tell us. She always uses a litter tray (will come in from garden, use tray and then go out again!) never gets up on the work surfaces, and apart from the odd scratch on the wallpaper, is pretty well-behaved. Loves affection and gives it back in spades. Only drawback is all the fine white hair she sheds. Goodness knows why she isn't bald by now because I could knit several cats from the amount of hair the Dyson picks up!!! But wouldn't swap her for anything.