The Invisible Dog

Meg the dog is not fond of men (except for Robbie who doesnt seem to count as a man in Meg's world). Her least favourite man is the vet, she perfers the female vet, but given the choice she would prefer not to see any of them at all! She knows where she is going before we even leave the house, it is the only time she is not keen to have her lead on and from that point on she tries her best to be invisible. By the time she gets to the surgery her tail is clamped under her chin and she seems to physically shrink. She is very good in the surgery, but when they put the kennel cough vaccination up her nose she makes absolutely sure that the vet ends up wearing it!

This time the vet had to check a lump for her and he took cells from the lump. She was deeply unimpressed at having her undercarriage and her tail remained firmly under her chin until she got home, then she cheered herself up by giving the cats a hard time! She is happy again now, she is sitting in her favourite spot and demolishing a bone.

Dave's Anniversary

It is a year since Dave the cat joined our family. Last November when we first found him living in our paper recycling box he was in a terrible state, he had badly infected open sores on his feet, a huge matted scar on his face another on his tail and he absolutely stank. When I took him to the vet I was almost certain that they would say he had to be put to sleep, and it was certainly discussed, but the vet said we could perhaps try to treat him and give him a chance to recover. It took months of treatment, a couple of operations, and quite a lot of money, but a year on he is a different cat. He is healthy with a lovely shiny coat and he has a very happy life with his friend Oreo. His manners have improved, he still eats whatever he can get his paws on, but he doesn't swear anymore (I wish I could say the same about Robbie!) and he is very gentle - except when he has to see the vet! Dave was an unexpected addition to the family, but he has become really special he is a very affectionate cat and I couldn't imagine life without him.

Moth Hunting

Dave the cat has been like a bear with a sore head recently, well to be more accurate he is a cat with sore feet. His pododermatitis has got worse again and he has an open sore on one foot. I hoped I could get it to heal up again but it is proving stubborn and I think we will have to go back and see the vet. He can still walk on his foot but he grumbles and swears and lashes out at Oreo if he gets too close, poor old Dave, he's a lovely cat.

Oreo has a new hobby – moth hunting. For some reason we always get a lot of moths in the bathroom, they don't really bother me as long as they don't try to get in the bath with me. They may not be as colourful as butterflies, but they have beautiful markings and they are fascinating to watch. Oreo also seems to find them fascinating, he loiters in the bathroom and leaps around trying to catch them. This morning I caught him sitting in the sink, he had obviously decided that he needed to be higher up if he was going to catch a moth. He is not supposed to be in the bathroom, but it is difficult to get cross with him when he looks so cute.

Claustrophobic Cats

Dave the cat doesn't go outside because he is an old man and he has a nasty skin condition on his paws. After months of antibiotics and various procedures we have finally got his paws to heal, but they will away be at risk of breaking down again so we have to be careful with him. He is very much part of the family now and he likes to be fussed and stroked, but only on his terms, if he is not interested he will make his feelings abundantly clear. He gets on very well with Robbie and recently he seems to be taking on some of Robbie's traits - they both share a passion for food! Robbie made all that fuss about being claustrophobic a few weeks ago and now it seems that Dave has decided that he is claustrophobic too. He has the enclosed type of cat loo and has always been a very clean cat but several weeks ago we noticed that he kept using his tail or his head to hold the door open while he 'did the deed'. Then we had a couple of mishaps and it was clear that he was trying to avoid going inside. I decided to provide him with a basic cat tray instead, and he is much happier with that. There is just one problem, our other cat Oreo thinks it is the ideal place to sleep! Why is life so complicated?

Decisions 17.11.07

It seems that the size of our family is to increase. Just over a week ago we became aware that a cat had moved into our paper recycling box which is kept outside at the front of our house. At first we only saw the cat from a distance because it hid under the micra when we were close by. Gradually he let me get closer to him and I realised that he was in a very sorry state and he appeared to be injured. He didn't belong to anyone nearby and I thought the very least I could do was to feed him. On Thursday I was able to catch him, he stank of infection and he was so dirty that it was impossible to see the extent of his injuries. I was either brave or stupid, but I gave him a bath in warm salt water and I managed to clean off the worst of the dirt. His back paws were horribly swollen and bleeding, there had been some sort of injury to his face and his fur was matted in places. Despite all this he had a lovely nature and he was obviously house trained, I doubted that he had much chance of survival, but I had to do what I could. I rang the RSPCA and they arranged to fund his initial veterinary care, so on Friday lunchtime the cat and I headed off to see what the vet had to say. He has a condition called pododermatitis, this had led to ulcerated back paws that are badly infected, in addition he had an ingrowing claw, an old injury to his face, he was malnourished and he had fleas. The vet said that he was fairly old and he only had four teeth, but at least everything internally seemed to be in working order. The RSPCA agreed to fund treatment to his feet and he stayed at the vets to be sedated and to have his feet sorted out. I collected him later (minus the fleas!) and he seemed to have tolerated the experience quite well, he has to go back on Tuesday to be checked, but until then I have the challenge of giving tablets to a toothless cat twice a day. He is not chipped and we have done everything possible to find his owners, but it is looking increasingly unlikely.

If the cat is going to stay it needs a name and it has provoked considerable debate with the children. Sam chose the name Richard but I thought he should have a good strong name like George. Laura favoured the names Pedro or Dave (imagine explaining that to the vet!) and Emily mentioned the name Otis, I quite liked that but nobody else did. Robbie had some surprisingly wise thoughts to contribute to the debate, he said we should try not to give the cat a complex about his name because he has already had quite enough to put up with in his life. I think we will just have to wait and see what suits him best.

Being Followed 25.09.2007

Oreo has been having problems with his tail today, he has chased it, caught it and even tried to kill it, but it managed to get away every time and it just keeps on following him! He decided he was getting bored with kitten sized crunchies so he decided to tackle a whole ginger nut biscuit - watch out Robbie, you have competition. I hope you like the photos.

Meet Oreo 05.09.07

Meet the newest member of the family, he arrived today - much to Meg's disgust. He is called Oreo (which the children tell me is a black and white cookie) he already had his name before we got him, needless to say he is black and white. He is 12 weeks old and is fairly laid back until he sees Meg, then he swears and arches his back. Robbie didn't want him, he is worried that we will all love the cat more than him! Actually he is brilliant with animals and I am sure he will love the kitten as much as everyone else does.

The Case of the Briefcase 25.02.07

Robbie did not go as far as saying that I was responsible for the loss of his pager, but the implication was there in the constant questioning and the inherent threat of thumb screws. When he eventually found the pager he was rather quiet about it, in fact I would go as far as to say he was evasive. When faced with a direct question about where it had been, he was forced to admit that he found it in the front pouch of his laptop bag - obviously my fault then! I am surprised that the thing didn't make it's presence felt when he was at work, it is very noisy, it drives me mad. Robbie collected his beloved briefcase yesterday, it had been to the menders to have a very expensive new clip fitted. He has missed the briefcase far more than he would miss me if I went away for a fortnight! At least the pager will be able to travel to work in style again.

Laura's guinea pig Saffy died yesterday, she was very much one of the family and we were all sad to loose her, but she was quite old. Sam was especially upset and he set about persuading me to buy a new one. The children agreed that if we had a new pet it would be Sam's responsibility. Eventually I was won over and we found ourselves at the pet shop, they had no guinea pigs, but Sam fell in love with a large and fearsomely endowed rat. I know they make good pets, but I couldn't face looking at that every morning - a horse would have been proud to own that equipment! Sam left the store in tears, claiming that I was the worst parent ever. The wailing continued until we reached the garden centre, and by this point I was ready to harm him, so Laura and Robbie took him to the pet department. He emerged with a smile and a black guinea pig, she is very cute and friendly. Her name has not yet been announced but it is almost certain that it will have a super hero theme.