Sheffield

So frazzled from lack of sleep, jammed in the dreaded middle bank of seats with the person infront reclined, we finally landed in Manchester a week ago today. Switched on phone to grab the airport free wifi and was greeted with the news that Tilly had had just had her babies. The thought of giving birth to 6 babies kind of puts an uncomfortable flight into perspective.

It’s a little cliched I know, but despite all the beauty of China, the Snake Pass under blue sky and sunshine with heather in full bloom ……….. wow! However the focus was on getting home to my precious Sooty. I don’t have favourites amongst the residents, however my old deaf lad is the most clingy and present of them, so it seems natural that his presence is missed the most whilst I’m away. Pulled onto the drive to be greeted by Bosca (the usual lookout), and then Honey, Jango, and shy Amber. Rushed into the house to find Sooty but no sign of him. Dashed round the house again, and again, and then more slowly looking more carefully but still no Sooty. You know that awful heart sinking dread and anxiety? Yup, that’s the one.

It was 1pm. I unpacked, with half an eye hopefully on the cat flap. No sign. I made a drink, settled shattered in the chair, snuggled Honey and Jango. It was 2pm. Still no sign. I trawled round the garden, up the road, down the road, and back round the garden. Still no sign. Back round the garden and under the bushes and checked over the fences into neighbouring gardens. This is the cat who is never out more than 15 minutes at a time. Calling for him (ok I know he’s deaf, but I challenge you to search and not call) produced Flipper from the allotments but no Sooty. It was 3pm. Damn! … I’m shattered and desperate to sleep but no hope of it with missing cat. Get allotment key and trawl the allotments. No sign. It’s 4pm. Surely if I just try and chill and go and have a bath he’ll be back before I’m finished. It’s 5pm … I’m clean but utterly frantic. I text Moggy Maid : She’s taken brilliant care of them whilst I’ve been away – just as she did last year – I’m certain of this. She tells me that Sooty has been present for every meal whilst I’ve been away, but was absent this morning. However as she turned into the next road on her way home, Soots was there sunbathing in the middle of the road! I die a thousand deaths, despite her telling me she stopped the car and moved him to the the kerb. It’s 6pm, I’m using a stick and torch to search through overgrown verges in case he’s been hit by a car and knocked into the side of the road – in between sobbing hysterically and vowing never to go on holiday again. It’s getting on towards 7pm and Moggy Maid phones me, despite my assurances that I’m not holding her responsible for his disappearance, and my warning that I’m not fit to be seen, she tells me that she’s coming over to help me search for him. It’s going dark but I go off again with torch in search of him, armed with dish of sardines hoping the smell will be heard where my frantic cries won’t.

Moggy Maid and partner arrive, usher me into the house (hysterical menopausal cat woman), take up the torch and sardines and set off in search of him. I cling to poor Jango and sob some more. Five minutes later partner knocks on door “we think we’ve found him”. Frantic mind pictures him lying in a gutter somewhere, but scene reveals my hero Moggy Maid walking up the road with my Sootkin in her arms.

very slightly contrite & “found” Sooty

Hugely grateful to Moggy Maid ….. I paid her to look after them whilst I was away and she did a very good job of it. Her continuing care when I arrived home and was desperate that I’d lost my baby was unpaid, but so badly needed and sooooo very welcome.

So we left China and went back to my friend’s home in Singapore. Things got a bit more catty then because my friend has been without cats for a while but finally in a place where she could think about adopting. I was interested in what rescue was like in another country, so we went off to the SPCA together. The staff there were lovely and clearly cared about the animals though it was painful to see cats living in small cages, some of whom had been there for months or in a couple of cases over a year. The ones who got along well with others had a larger room to share, but new arrivals who needed to be kept separate and those who didn’t socialise well had very little space to move around in.

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Many of the issues are the same: animals not being neutered, left to stray, abandoned. In this respect Singapore could be Sheffield, but many degrees warmer.

It was interesting to be on the other side of the fence and be the ones choosing cats rather than hoping they would be chosen. And hard to not push my friend to adopt the long timers like Lucius who has been there too many months:

In the end Charm and Risen were chosen. A ‘typical’ young mum, about 18 months old who had come in with kittens and stayed on after her kits had been snapped up. And a 10 week old black kitten who had been found as a stray, on his own in the city.

Charm

Risen

They’d both quite obviously taken a shine to my friend, so it was heartbreaking to leave them, wondering if they knew they were “reserved” and we’d be back for them, or if they just felt they’d been rejected again. But we were off to go shopping for them. Perhaps its because Singapore is a very small island compared to the UK, but as with the rescue, space in the pet shop was at a premium. Forget the space in Pets at Home where you can comfortably pass others in the aisles with your trolleys. In this pet shop we had trouble just squeezing past each other! Nevertheless, a couple of hours later we emerged with a frightening number of carrier bags containing a reasonable set up package for two cats. Having lived for some years in a house who’s residents are predominantly feline and who have gradually filled the house with their stuff, so gradually that you hardly notice, it was a bit of a shock to be in the position of buying a whole set up in one go and see just how much stuff they actually need.

and this was just to get them through the weekend!

It was lovely to return to collect them the following day. I don’t think they knew what had hit them at first. Then it gradually dawned on them that they had several floors of house to chase up and down and a pair of humans who adored them already.

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Such lovely and lucky kitties.

Despite there being times in the run up to it when it felt like it could never possibly happen, we’ve been away for a couple of weeks. The odds certainly felt stacked against it with various health problems – human and feline, and then discovering Tilly was pregnant and due to give birth whilst we were away. A combination of good friends, lovely adoptive parents, and an excellent cat sitter made it possible to actually be at Manchester airport at the appointed time, more or less sane and prepared.

The bookends of the holiday: On arrival in Singapore airport a little video pinged onto my phone – Mog having a cuddle on the lap of one of new humans. Long suffering followers of the blog will know just how wonderful this was to see. On arrival back at Manchester an email to say that Tilly had had 5 kittens, all happy and healthy – though a couple of days later than we’d guesstimated. On arrival at airport carpark, a second email to say she’d had 6! not 5. She’s still in the care of a friend so no photos until the weekend – sorry.

It’s a strange feeling, having been so caught up with cats at home to suddenly not have them. Kind of double edged / bittersweet. I always say that I look forward to missing them. The break is good but its odd to not be organised by a feline committee throughout the day. It’s good to simply walk from room to room without being tripped up by furry people hoping for treats and cuddles, and wonderful to sleep in a bed in whatever position you chose without playing some nocturnal version of twister with them. However, by day two – despite the delights of travel – hands start to feel empty and some of the meaning goes out of life.

China is perhaps not the best place for a cat lover. None were sighted in Beijing. One big ginger tom lorded it over Gao’s house in Xi’an, a few cried outside the great mosque, tugging at heart strings to go rescue. It was hundreds of miles later and up a mountain in Longsheng that we finally made contact with a cat.

She’d managed to install herself in the hotel and happily approached and seduced diners into sharing their supper with her. It’s hard to imagine how far away her nearest family planning clinic was (we’d climbed a couple of hours from the nearest road) but sadly she’d not found it as yet, and I doubt her kits will find it either.

We found another young man in a small village but he was busy guarding his sign

What it would have been better to not see on leaving the Terracotta warrior site in Xi’an was a stall selling fur. Most of the cats we saw in China were white with coloured tails /ears etc. Many of the furs for sale were white with coloured tails / ears etc. We didn’t look too closely and didn’t take photos ……. but the vague image kind of lingers ….

This is the most recent team to go to their new homes, with Nala only have gone a few days ago.

Nuala & Nimrod (two of the kittens) went first. It was funny to watch the first hour or so of them settling in. Mum had done a sweep of their room and cleared things she thought might get broken. Twenty minutes after their arrival, she did another sweep and removed photo frames and several other things from thee window sill. Just before I left she was clearing yet more stuff out of their way. I could see them either a) ending up in a padded cell or b) arriving back here before midnight complete with ASBOs. Thankfully something appears to have been sorted and the little monkeys are now enjoying exploring their new home.

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Nacho went next. Interesting to see how she managed. She was going alone, but a more feisty determined little madam we have yet to meet. Within the first day she’d scared her (fully grown) step brother, bless him. Hopefully mummy and daddy are talking to her about how to be nice to other people as we write.

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And then Nala, the mummy, went off to her new home too. Of all of them, she was the most nervous. However she’s had the hardest life. Bless her, she’s protected her kits from the difficult bits. She was a stray but found herself a safe temporary space before the little ones were born. While they were still small and oblivious to the dangers of life, she hissed and growled and protected them when she first arrived here in rescue. They’ve never had to worry because mum has kept them safe. She crawled under the sofa when she arrived, almost risked coming out but then saw her reflection in the litter bin and dived for cover again. I had to lie on the floor and reach under the sofa to say goodbye, but was delighted to have a message the following day saying that she’d already learned to play a mean game of “snap”

This is the biggest team we’ve had in rescue here. Never had a litter of five surviving kittens before, and never had a dad / uncle / boyfriend / new man cat arrive along with pregnant mum before. Nevertheless, Mowgli has delighted many people by his (sometimes clumsy) efforts to assist Lyra in bringing up the kittens.

It was a bit scary when Mowgli turned down the offer of a lovely home for himself, because he wanted to stay with Lyra. However, as luck would have it, a couple came to meet the kittens with a view to adopting, and fell in love with Lyra & Mowg instead. They were a bit nervous when they arrived in their new home. Lyra dived under the sofa whilst Mowgli went under the drinks cabinet. It was very touching when they started calling to each other, taking it in turns to check out more of the house whilst checking in with the other all the time. Very soon they were relaxed and confident and loving their new life. Wonderful to hear of them chasing each other across their new garden and finally crashing out on the sofa together.

Their little ones have done well too. First to go were Lily & Lenny, the most confident of the crowd. To this point, quite quiet, they chattered and complained loudly as they travelled to their new home. Once there, they explored more confidently than we could have hoped for, and amazingly employed the same technique of calling to each other whilst they did so.

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We thought the second pair might find it a little harder as they were less confident. But again we were proved wrong. Here’s Largo & Legato taking control of their new home

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And last of all, little Loki. She’d been the smallest of the litter and I’d have been most concerned about her had she not been going to some lovely friends of mine. Normally a very quiet and timid kit, she quickly established herself as a noisy and assertive young lady.

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We seem to have got bogged down in stuff a bit recently and not got around to sharing some of the good news. It’s a few weeks ago now since the whole of the A Team settled themselves into their new homes.

Arwen went first, and despite all her talk about the kittens being a nuisance, she was actually quite anxious about having left them. She soon settled though and started to enjoy her new life.

Aoife and Alfie went next. They’d already spent quite a bit of time with their new family, as the family had been visiting from the time they were only a few weeks old. They came out their carrier and without a moment’s hesitation began exploring and generally taking charge of the house. They’ve persuaded the humans that they’re helping with the household chores …. we know different of course, but wouldn’t want to spoil it for them.

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The off went Albert & Aslan, bravely though a little less confidently. Young Albert had been in his new home less than half an hour when he removed the coals from the real effect gas fire and paddled around the room leaving sooty paw prints. I left as the humans were working out how to prevent him racing up the chimney. They’re happy young men now, though their humans might be surprised to discover that I’ve had a message from them asking for Aoife’s contact details so that they can work out how to get the sofa all to themselves.

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All this warm sunshine has been so lovely its put us in a summer cleaning mood. We’ve caught up with all the washing, taken down curtains in the cat rooms and washed them. and then put everyone’s bed through the wash as well. We don’t expect any gratitude from the felines, no cooing and purring about how spring fresh their beds now smell. However we hadn’t quite anticipated the level displacement and disgruntlement this act would give rise to. No one seemed to know which bed they belonged in, or what to do with themselves. After about half an hour of grouchy milling around in the kitchen they all went off to find places to sleep – none of them in their usual places – which was a little disconcerting:

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The furry people who enjoyed this cleaning spree the most were the kittens. They have stacks of interesting and fun toys – but nothing comparable to a little pile of curtain hooks, or the pleasure of helping me re hang the curtains. Bless em …. nothing quite like trying to hang a curtain that has a gang of kittens, like tassels, hanging from the hem of it.

We’ve commented before about how the leaving do’s of various cats has reflected their personalities. It’s quite a long while ago now, but I remember young Gizmo and a gang of his kitten friends got high on catnip and smashed a pot I’d had for 30 years. A week later Marmalade quietly hid in a cardboard box whilst the party went on around her.

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Loki is a little sweetheart but was the smallest of Lyra and Mowgli’s kittens and has remained quite timid. I’m delighted that she’s going to live with some lovely friends of mine – they’ll take care of her and help her come out of her shell. She’s off there tomorrow so we celebrated this evening with a sardine supper. Watch how its completely taken over by Aslan & Albert celebrating having been offered a home to go to next weekend.

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A&A Bros – an exciting and lively new company (est. 20 March 2014) are currently recruiting permanent full time staff. The role offers a breadth of opportunity to become involved in catering, entertainment, hygiene and purchasing – all of which are vital to the day to day running of the company.

The successful applicant/s will be required to manage health and safety, to contract an external body to monitor and review health at least annually and most importantly to make arrangements for family planning advice prior to the brothers commencing their business trips this autumn. A good sense of humour, and ability to tolerate complete lack of managerial support is essential. A full drivers licence, safe garden and large comfy sofa are also very desirable.

Basic hours: 5am – Midnight however you will also be expected to be available on call approx 7 nights each week.

Salary: 50K purrs per month plus daily cuddles, minimum, rising to 80K in the presence of Dreamies. There is the possibility of bonus rodents once the brothers expand their business beyond the house.

To apply please send Dreamies attached to your CV to eightlives@outlook.com

Further details of this position are available at: https://8livescatrescue.wordpress.com/albert-aslan/

Please note – only applicants who are prepared to make a lifetime commitment need apply.

Nala has been for her spay today, so in the time honoured tradition of 8 Lives, the older kittens have been baby sitting to give mummy a rest after her op. It’s been interesting to watch their different reactions to being asked to do some work. Loki is quite shy, but bravely did her best with all three little ones at various times during the evening.

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Albert and Aslan were particularly interesting. We’ve done quite a bit of grumbling this weekend about people wanting tabby kittens but not black ones. They’re both lovely lads, but several people have offered a home to Aslan but don’t want Albert …. we suspect because he’s black, because to all intents and purposes they appear to be the same personality (purry, full of life and mischief, and very loving) in two different coloured jackets.

Albert & Aslan

However the babysitting has found the difference between them. We half suspected it over the weekend when Albert met Nimrod very briefly and quit the rough play and let her pounce on him. It’s confirmed this evening. Both lads were interested in the little ones, but Aslan was quick to lose patience and have a hissy fit.

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Albert on the other hand seems to have styled himself on his beloved uncle Mowgli, and loves furry children. The picture below evoked so many feelings. So reminiscent of Mowg sitting with his little ginger kittens …. however this is young Albert taking on Mowg’s mantle and sitting chatting to little Nacho.