Country Living

It was a good weekend. We did the country thing.

We made a mournful visit to see our friends who lost their cat (below). I still didn't know how to talk about it. There's the scare behind the accident that haunts all cat (and pet) owners and as can be imagined, with her looking out for the remaining kitten, heightened to extreme . It was a week ago now and at night so the surviving one is confined to quarters after dark now. I don't know how long that will last; there's a fine line between denying your cat its freedom and what makes it cat and looking out for its safety.

Anyway, I'm glad to say they're taking it better, more rationally, constructively, than I might have done. That will be good for the future, for the remaining cat and if they do get him a playmate - which I think they will - them as well.

The Suffolk countryside was vivid and this period of late spring / early summer has brought back the scrubbed light that seems to so characterise the area (to me at least). Binks is gradually getting better at the whole thing; travelling, settling in and going out on his own. It's still noticeable that he prefers the city but I think we're breaking down his resistance.

I learnt today that a close friend has lost one of her cats.

Her kittens were a month or so younger than Binks although they had been with her a little longer. They were brothers. On Saturday one of them was hit by a car and killed.

I called Jean up as soon as I got the email this morning. I couln't really frame the reply - I hope we'll be able to see them this weekend. I have a mental picture of the remaining kitten, inconsolable and not understanding of the loss of his brother. Our friend is riven by her own emotions and thoughts; should she try to get a partner for him? Is that just like treating her cats as commodities? I don't know what to say to her.

Jean and I spoke about them both as Binks played in lunatic fashion this morning; there were games we were going to try with them to see if it were our cat or all cats. It seems unreal now.

Back to Normal

I'm glad to say that he's shrugged off the sneezes.

It's all a bit of a mystery; he doesn't seem to get fully fledged cold symptoms but he clearly couldn't breathe properly and wheezed slightly - every bit like hay-fever. Searches for allergies didn't throw up much but one colleague of Jean's said that she pulled up all the yellow flowers in her garden in similar circumstances.

It didn't get him out of being taken to the country either. He had a mixed weekend there; good journeys, keen to explore the night we arrived but very tentative to go out during the day. That was especially true of Sunday when he hardly went out at all until just before midnight. It was a noisy day and windy throughout and that may be what he likes least of all. He's very much a city cat and would trade bushes and grass for a wall to perch upon any day. On Saturday night he was up on the neighbour's flat roof, actually, even above it. For he landed with a thump - he's not the most delicate descender anyhow - from the pitched tiles above the extension they use as their kitchen. I'm glad they were in bed, even so, they must have wondered exactly what it was.

Binks is getting better with people too. He doesn't really take to them, even 'cat people' but at least he was civil to my mum this time. And guests on Monday even got to play the string game with him (that's where he holds the balled end and you shake him with the other). They felt highly honoured.

Poorly Again

Yes, he's snuffling again.

It started on Saturday, five days ago - one moment he was sleeping while we read the papers and suddenly he was sneezing. He was still full of beans and after a bit of nose-wrinkling and washing, the sneezes got less frequent. Sunday he was much better but still sneezing occasionally. That made us think is was like last time when he had a sneezy few hours and no relapse. I've never known a cat to sneeze more than once or twice, ever, let alone many time is succession. It didn't seem to effect him and his eyes were still clear so we'd said we'd just monitor.

But he was much the same yesterday and now his eyes were watering slightly. We had investigated allergies but my guess is that he's got a cold. Curiously we've both been down with the same, Jean this week and myself about a fortnight ago. Of course he could be making a pre-emptive strike against a long weekend in the country. But it's all just a little bit worrying and a visit to the vets is in the offing.

Just another day

Where to start? At the beginning I guess.

We're all supposed to be going on holiday. In fact we were bound for the country today. Actually make that yesterday or even the day before. We can't blame the Binkster for the first two days delay but today... We were finally packed, almost. His nibs had yet to be introduced to the carrier and we were just packing foodstuffs from the refridgerator (to give you an idea of the lateness of the exercise) when we notice his paw.

It looks as if he's wearing an oven mitt.

We call the vets. They can see him in four hours or we can go to the emergency centre. We monitor. Curiously it seems as if he's oblivious to the injury. He's walking alomost without a limp despite one foot being almost three times the size of the other. It seems to get no worse, he washes it but not obsessively, he lets us examine it. Four hours go by and we go to the vets.

The antipodean vet (and pasty faced student) call for an x-ray. He can feel something at the elbow. He is suprised at the swelling and concerned. The x-rays seem a day or two away until we mention that we can go elsewhere as we're off with Mr. Binks. The vet consults schedule and says he can do the x-rays now. We leave without a cat.

Ninety minutes later we call, he's coming round and the vet needs to talk with us. But on arrival the receptionist wants to book another visit in five days time - we hope for the best. Indeed, immediately we're in the consulting room the vet says nothing is broken and we go through the radiographs together. He has beautiful feet.

So what was wrong? An insect bite is the prevailing theory - quite possible. It's warm in the sun and there are a few early bees about. He goes in and out so quickly it's hard to know when he might have done it.

Anyway, that wasn't quite it. As there was no food in the house (we were overdue two days now by anyone's reckoning) we went out for a curry. After making sure that Binks was settled on the sofa of course. On our return we were greeted at the front door. Far from being subdued by his experience, he had, for the first time ever, worked out the way round the street from the back garden to the front. And even found his own door - or else recognised our voices over the roar of the tracffic as we walked up.

And that wasn't quite it either. After being rewarded with a few more biscuits he was out the back carousing with the cat from two doors down. You could see him in the gloom, a white patch balancing on top of a thin garden trellis, ten feet up. Still swollen foot and all.