Like everyone else we look forward to the weekend and a couple of days off work. Sometimes though I wonder how ‘normal’ people do weekends.
We woke early …. middle of the night sort of early … to cries from Rufus saying he was locked in the bathroom. He’s obsessed with the washbasin and spends hours in there. The other attraction is that the kittens favourite toys … the ones with long strings that say “only under supervision” are stored away safely in there, wound around the hooks on the back of the bathroom door. He never learns that as he jumps up trying to get them he pushes the door closed and locks himself in.
Kind of aware as I woke again in the morning that there were fewer paws thundering around than expected. Rufus playing with Basil but no sign of Jenson. Sometimes Jen sleeps downstairs so I wasn’t too worried but then when I got downstairs there was still no sign of him. Then I remember that on Friday evening they’d been playing in the extension. The plasterer had run his power cable through the cat flap thereby wedging it slightly open. I’d removed Flipper from there a couple of times and Jenson once.
but when I looked in there there was no sign of him. Great! He’s with us for months, finally find him the purrfect new home to go to …. in a couple of hours time ….. and he’s AWOL. Move all the builder’s stuff that’s piled against the door and go in to make sure … maybe he’s got out of the cat flap that goes from extension to outside …. but I’m certain its locked … and it’s the thumb proof version after Flipper managed to open the normal locked ones. I finally find Jenson cowering and terrified behind a sack of plaster. No photo of this … we were both to anxious to do photos .. no idea how many hours he’d been stuck in there terrified. He looked like he did when he first arrived here though. Such a shame when this was his adoption day and he’d made so much progress.
Jenson on arrival in rescue
He comes out and has some breakfast and we’re back on track. Except Amber doesn’t seem very well. She’s our semi feral who can’t normally be touched. I go to look at her and she lets me stroke her. Is this good? Stress again and no photos. All fed watered and cleaned we go off to new home with Jenson. That goes well. Lovely family, excited though slightly nervous Jenson.
I get back home, call Henderson and there’s no reply. Grab some lunch. Call Hendo again and still no reply. He was like this when he first started going out .. but of late he’s normally appeared when called. Drive to Doncaster with new but broken TV. Suspect it’s been weed on (not to point the finger … but 99% of weed on things around here are courtesy of Hendo)… but still under warranty … and it appears that although I bought it from well known electrical store 5 minutes down the road from me, if its broke it needs to go an hour down the motorway.
Coming back there’s more animal stress and for once not from cats. A regular motorway commuter I’ve seen the triangle warning signs with deer in them daily for years … but in 30 years never any sign of deer. Today I’m driving home, musing about adoption plans for Jasper & Basil and suddenly 2 deer (young or female) charge out into the road ahead of me. I’m in the left lane …. I see one first …. dashed into the middle lane, panicked, turned around to run back in front of me towards hard shoulder again. I swerve towards hard shoulder to avoid him/her, only to have second one set off from hard shoulder in front of me. To my amazement I manage to slide between the pair of them. I don’t want to check rear view mirror to check other drivers been so lucky .. but I have to. Thankfully and incredibly we all came through this unscathed.
Get home, call Hendo again … and this time he appears. Collarless, with bits of fur missing, growling and seriously not happy. He slinks off into his bed and refuses to let me examine him properly. Very unlike Hendo he refuses food. I note that its just vet closing time … and have flash backs to Jango being ill 3 weeks ago at vet closing time.
I try again to not panic. Make a coffee and try to chill a bit. Then facebook pings: “Hi, I’ve got the stray caught” . To understand this message you need some background. On Thursday a friend tagged me on a facebook group post because someone was giving away some free cat food. By the time I saw it someone else had claimed it saying they were feeding a stray. One thing led to another .. a trap was borrowed ….. and …..
He’s safely here and hidden himself now. From the smell we’re pretty sure he’s an unneutered tom but not really in a position to check yet. Meanwhile … Hendo is feeling a little better … still growling …. still in his bed … but agreeing to eat specially cooked chicken …. so hopefully don’t need another trip to emergency vets. Amber also eating chicken so maybe she was just a bit overwhelmed by all the building work and ok really. We’re trying to make arrangements for Jasper (in foster care) to meet Basil (in our care) to meet as they may have a home together ….. long complicated story which we’ll share another time. At the same time Jenson is messaging as he’s met his step rabbits … half sibling adoptive rabbits ….. there’s not a simple relationship word to use.
I love the weekends but sometimes look forward to Monday so I can go back to work for a rest
8 Lives: Sheffield 8 Cat Rescue 