What is the difference between a cat and a comma? One has the paws before the claws and the other has the clause before the pause.

Not long after getting married in the 1970’s, we decided to get two kittens.  Ben came from our local pub landlord and Bill  from the RSPCA. Ben was mostly white with ‘tabby’ bits and Bill was ginger.

It soon became clear that all was not well. Ben was growing and thriving, whilst Bill seemed to be struggling just to stand still. Several trips to the vet brought no joy and if that wasn’t bad enough, Ben disappeared one day, and was never seen again.

Read the rest of this entry »

He blinks upon the hearth-rug

And yawns in deep content

Accepting all the comforts

That Providence has sent.

Read the rest of this entry »

We first met Jackson when he was about 4-5 years old in the summer of 1994. A full tom cat prowling round the neighbourhood with that regal confidence that cats seem to have. The trouble was, Jackson didn’t look like a king or a prince, he looked more like a compost heap!

Read the rest of this entry »

Having rescued Grover from the fridge and placed her safely in her basket, we turned our attentions to Linus. Peering down the hole with a torch, gave no indication of where he might be, other than under the kitchen units which we already knew. We tried calling and  coaxing but no success. At one point I found myself lying face down on the floor with my arm fully stretched down the hole, right up to my shoulder, waving a piece of fresh fish, but not even this moved him. He must have been terrified, not to mention freezing cold.

Read the rest of this entry »

About 6 months after the episode with the noose, I got a ‘phone call at work one Thursday morning. It was Peter to say that he’d found Dulcie on his way to work, and it looked like she’d been hit by a car. I dropped everything grabbed my bag and keys and headed for the door. Fortunately my colleagues knew me well enough to understand the garbled message I muttered over my shoulder as I was leaving. When I got home Peter had managed to get Dulcie indoors and rung the vet to let him know we were on our way.

Read the rest of this entry »