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.