For the first time yesterday I missed my Humphrey update.  I gave myself the day off since it was Easter Sunday.

We’ve been talking about Humphrey’s behaviour since Portia died and wondering if he’s older than we think him.  Because of him being a stray, we’ve never been sure of his exact age.  But in recent weeks we’ve watched him almost age in some respects.

Maybe he now can spend more time in the house because Portia is dead and that’s more comfortable for him.  Maybe he’s feeling threatened by the younger cats.  We don’t know.

What we do know is that Toby cat from next door is making efforts to come in – it’s apain not being able to leave the back door open.  Several days last week he hung around.  James who lives next door works till about 5pm and Toby is out for the day.

Having made several attempts one afternoon, Toby then made the mistake of coming when Humphrey had decided to sit on the doormat.

Fur flying all over the place!  No signs of ageing then.

Fidgety cats fidgety cats

Racing round in the garden, nipping legs, rolling over in the sunshine.

It’s been a glorious week and Humphrey has finally responded to Spring days by leaping around the place.

My sister has been pruning and planting this week and Humphrey’s had a lovely time again.  Usually helping most by sitting on the new tender shoots she’s planted.

It’s a long standing argument about cats in gardens.  We have a lovely herb bed outside the kitchen door.  Makes a perfect place for Humphrey to settle down in the summer.  Once the herbs have grown up, especially the lavender and sage bushes, it’s almost impossible to see him.

The only evidence is after he’s left when you see the flattened section!

Still he looks decorative on photos.

Humphrey’s crisis

I was having my lunch in the dining room on Wednesday and Humphrey was curled up in his favourite easy chair.  Then like he’d been shot he dashed past me and out of the back door.

For two seconds then he was back in and racing for the living room again.

Then back again into the kitchen… at which point he ended up squeezing down the back of the fridge.

It took me several crunchy biscuits and a lot of coaxing to prise him out of the tiny space and a little longer to work out what had spooked him.

Now you know that cats generally don’t care for the noise of machines and Humphrey always high tails it when we switch on the vacuum cleaner.  So his first dash for freedom was because he thought I’d started the cleaner up.

His dash back in the house was because he discovered that the noise was worse outside than inside.

It turned out that one of the street/gutter cleaners was working its way down the street and for poor Humphrey there was no escape.

The rest of his afternoon was spent curled equidistant from the back door and the living room, sitting under the dining table.

Poor Humphrey.

Well this should be called Portia update.  Our little black cat disappeared on Wednesday.

Out and about as normal in the morning, she didn’t come back for lunch.  Then not in the evening.  Of course we worried and went to look in all her favourite spots in the garden.

Come Thursday morning we went out and searched all round about but no sign of her.  We called her but since she was deaf that didn’t help her.

So it’s now been 4 days and we have to accept that’s it.  She was elderly, eating but still thin, and not good on her pins.  All winter we’ve wondered how long she had left. We want to think that in the wise ways of cats, she went and found the perfect place to die.  Of course we still have that nagging doubt – what if she got hurt.

Either way we can’t do any more for her, just be grateful for her company for the last 15 years and the pleasure she gave us.

Feisty, loved men, and beautiful.  Oh that we were all like that!

And Humphrey – well other than not being very keen on outside this week he’s fine.  Does he know she’s gone?  I’ve no idea.  They didn’t spend too much time together.

Now there’s nothing to stop him being top cat.

The saga of the other black and white cat has continued all week.

Humphrey’s torn between defending territory and keeping warm.  I don’t think he cares much about protecting Portia to be honest.

It just amazes me that cats don’t get the message about her.  Poor old thing.  She sits under a planter and glares at the intruder but being deaf she has to read the body language, not hear what he’s saying.

It was so cold last week that Humphrey spent a lot of time in the house.  One of his favourite places is by the radiator near the door to the hall.  But he lies with his bottom stuck out into the room and it’s a great place to trip people up as they try to open the door.

Then we’re glared at as we nudge him with our feet when we’re stepping over him.

He’d be warmer on the chair especially during the day when the heating is off.

I think he caught a bit of cold because he would be out on the wettest night this last weekand then came in and slept all day.  It’s difficult when he does that because then he wants to be out later in the evening.  I know he has places in the garden to shelter but still I don’t like him out when it’s below zero.

Hope the weather will improve this week – at least the days are lengthening now – and he’ll go back to his normal routine.

When Humphrey comes in and sleeps during the day, then you know it’s cold.  And he’s been in so many times during the last few days.

He’s a better weather indicator than seaweed!

At the moment he’s under a chair in the living room curled up tight.  He has been out this morning but that didn’t last long.

But while he was out there was a confrontation with the big bad tabby.  So in defence of our homestead I took up the brush and chased the cat out of the garden.

Still it’s important for Humphs to scent his territory every day – can’t have the tabby thinking he can have the run of the place.

It’s been good over the past week with Humphrey sitting close to me if not on my lap.  He makes a lovely hot water bottle even if he sheds fur all over me.  I have different wardrobes like most women but one of mine is what’s fit for Humphrey to sit on.  It doesn’t matter how many time I brush him he can’t help shedding.

Or coming in dirty.  Last night he had a late run out then came back in with dirt all round the ruff at his neck.  He must have been rolling around somewhere.

Oh well let’s see what the next week brings with the weather.  From the long range that I’ve seen I think Humphrey will be spending even more time inside.

Last night we were just about to sit down to our meal when Humphrey appeared on the window ledge.  He sits there or Continue reading →

I had a moment of pure pleasure this week when I saw

Continue reading →

I came across a quote recently – on catquote.com about the way cats look at you.

I was reminded of it when I was telling Humphrey off this week about wet paws on clean kitchen floors.  I think to be honest that his expression mirrored what happened when I was told off at school for not wearing some item of uniform.  I must have looked downright mutinous because I then got a comment from the teacher about dumb insolence.

That’s always struck me about cats.  Dogs often hang their heads when they’re told off.  Cats never.

And unlike me with the teacher, often with cats there’s a comeback.  I might have gone away muttering about all the things I might have said, but didn’t.  Cats usually find a way of getting back at you.  Like they store things up till you’re in an unsuspecting state.

Then they pounce.  Sometimes literally.  From a great height.  My other cat, Sam, the one before Humphrey, used to enjoy leaping on my naked shoulders as I sat on the edge of the bath.  Very painful.  And what do you do with four claws when you have no defences!

The ultimate defence is a closed bathroom door maybe you’re suggesting.  Yes but how did I stop him yowling all the time I had a bath.  Mistake when they have the run of the house isn’t it.

Till next week

Humphrey’s taken to being outside more at the moment because Continue reading →