h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I've never seen a fox 'in person'. Though I remember seeing racoons when I lived in Bristol - wow, they are BIG!

Meanwhile, Nimbus continues to hiss at me! What an ingrate! This morning he must have been quite hungry because he ran circles around me while I found his food dish (which normally gets blown away somewhere overnight) and filled it up. But he alternated between low menacing growls and hisses all the while.

Now that my landlord is back from holidays I'm concerned he is going to discover Nimbus (and the dishes) up on the top roof and tell me to stop feeding him. And, technically speaking, the tenants aren't allowed on the top roof anyhow as it is being rented by the mobile phone antennae company. Well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it, but if Pepe says I can't feed Nimbus on the roof, well, it *is* his say and I won't be able to argue.




az

Az if he does point out the advantage of haveing a resident ferral cat keeping the pidgeons away, being far more destructive than he is. that is untill you try and cuddle him

Cuddle him???

All I get from Nimbus is angry/afraid yellow eyes and lots of hissing and growling.

On occasion I have felt a bit nervous because he almost looks ready to pounce! (seriously) We're talking a very wild cat here.

I keep up a constant chatter with him while I'm up on the roof and act as nonchalant as possible, but he really is not 'user friendly', if you know what I mean.

Though I'm still curious about the two times Nimbus has called down to me for food. Again, if he did this to anyone else in the building (there are four light/air shafts) he might get the landlord up there with a big stick to chase him away. And I wouldn't even put it past Pepe to put out poison to get rid of him. When I showed Pepe the bat nest he said - 'just close it up!'. And when I said there might still be baby bats inside he said - 'ah, so what?' At least Pepe has agreed that the bats are 'my problem' and this has nothing to do with him. But a wild cat on the roof? Hmmmm, don't know.

az

very unlikely to pounce ,flight or fight is flight side thats heavly
favoured with most cats specialy in open spaces,hissing and growling poss because you are looking into his eyes, with yours wide open,that being threatening gesture to most animals, all the hissing
and growling is bravado,mostly!!some where or other in the bowels of my other computer have pictoral frames of the whole process,henry is great at owl imatations, followed up by the squash himself up on tippitoes on a sixpence arched back head side on, indeed, and those gutteral growls exorcist,sounds tame compared to his performance. the fact that he is allowing you within three or four feet make me think, mother may have been house type cat.The smell of your two cats is prob what drew him to your window.

As well as pointing out the value of a pigeon-munter, you can point out that, by enticing him gradually into your home (whether or not you actually intend to bring him in) your landlord doesn't have to try and capture him, thereby possibly getting himself ripped to shreds....

Pigeon-hunter... yeesh

Pidgeon-munter.


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It could also be what is making him hiss at me.


az

az

My Charlie hissed at us for the first 3 months he lived with us...there's hope yet!

We've just overcome that scary hurdle of going away for a few days and leaving other people to look after the cats - the first time we've left Tasha. We got back last night and she hasn't left my side (or front and back!!) ever since. Every time I turned over in bed last night she would fall off her perch (on me) and just climb back on again!

Now she is sitting right in front of me and forcing me to practice my touchtyping because I cannot actually see my keyboard!

No doubt that when I go to the loo she will follow me there too.

Cats. Sheesh!

hi Lady,

Charlie hissed at you for three months?

I went up for a chat with Nimbus this evening. Didn't bring more food (am trying to get him used to only one meal a day from me so far, in case things change, so he doesn't get too dependent on only me).

So, he hissed at me for awhile and I sat down and talked to him. Then he sat down and started 'moaning' - weird thing he does. And whenever I said something to him he would moan back.

He seems to only hiss when I am standing up. When I crouch or sit down he feels more secure with me, I think. He almost looked like he wanted to come closer, but ended up sitting a few feet away and *moaning* at me.

Meanwhile poor Tasha - poor abandoned kitty! I know whenever I go away my cats go weird in their various ways. Well, with Lua she would just get extra cranky. But Sunny - being a dog - would practically leap into my arms (Walt Disnsey style) when I walked in the door. And Azar would look for some way to take revenge - usually by peeing in my suitcase, which to him was obviously the *thing* that took me away.

Yup, cats! Sometimes you just gotta go

az

The night before I left for Greece, back in High School, Macavity left a little "gift" of the more solid variety in my suitcase.... I ended up having to leave behind a lot of my more suitable clothes, as a result.

When ever I have gone away on holiday, on my return my cats have ignored me for a couple of days, as if to say 'see how you like it'. But Cassie stuck by me for two days after my return and when she did go out, brought a mouse back in for me each time!

Had to put the duvet on the bed last night for the first time this season and this reminded me so much of Lua sleeping next to my head in cooler weather. Well, a lot of things constantly remind me of Lua, but I must say I really miss putting my arm up over my head during the night and finding her curled up there. My most beautiful girl.

Nimbus is really filling out these days - he is not longer a skinny thing and, in fact, I think he is quite a fully grown cat. At first I thought he was a kitten as he was all skin and bones, but now that he has fleshed-out he is actually quite big.

Now that the landlords are back I have a new routine of going upstairs with a dustpan full of cat sand that I pour over his *stuff* and then sweep it up. I hope this will keep his presence undetected.

But I really don't see ever taking him in. Though if he ever does become a bit more 'user friendly' I will look for someone else who wants a cat. And someone with a garden, because I really can't see Nimbus ever becoming an 'apartment cat'.

Also, I just don't think my flat is actually 'big enough' for three full-grown male cats. Lua was always very special in that her presence was - how can I say? - quite small and unintrusive. Or just somehow very polite? She was always here but never demanding. In fact, I often had to go looking for her in order to try and give her a cuddle.

Meanwhile, the two boys remain *very* demanding, as usual. They also manage to take up half the bed space at night! Meanwhile, Lua never took up any extra bed space at all - she just always found her little spot next to my head. And I never minded sharing my pillow with her.

I still miss her so much!


az

az

You will always miss her - just with not quite so much pain each time.

8 months on and Jake is still a missing piece of my puzzle. We were talking about snoring cats here a few days ago and I imagined could hear him so clearly.

Thank you so much for the Lady, much appreciated.

I know you know how I feel about Lua. She's still here but not here. And she will always be my most beautiful girl. But yes, the pain gets less. Often now it is more like a fond remembrance. With a lot of *missing her* still happening.

These days, whenever Noggin and I go out for a drink we always raise our glasses and say - 'to Lua'.

And we still refer to the extra room as 'Lua's room'. That's the one I am teaching in now. The one she made her home in the last week she was alive. I have her photo in there. And I still miss her so much but I think I am getting to a place where I don't feel so sad and can just appreciate all the years we had together.

I've got Sunny trying to climb onto my lap at the moment, while I'm typing. I must say that the two boys keep me very aware that I still have two very gorgeous creatures to love.

And also that one upstairs.


az

So i take it noggin is an ugly creature but you still luv him, or was he just up stairs, with nimbus, just thought its over 15 months since hannah went, henry all though same colour, twice the weight,
half as intelligent,know what you mean bout not feeling sad how can you when all she did when with you was make you smile.

How have the two boys taken to nog ,or not been long enough for them

You still miss Hannah so much, don't you logicus?

Yeah, Noggin is totally ugly ; yet another stray I have taken in.

About ten times more intelligent than me but he still hasn't learned how to purrrrrrrr.


az

ps
the boys love him!
(and he loves them too!)

Truth be known miss all of the cats i have lived with, specialy hannah as she was more human than most humans i know,plus the fact she went every where in cars shops open days visiting freinds,first footing ect, at home where ever she was taken within mins.

then their was Q (named after rula lenska from rock follies) long haired black cat one of the first cats i used to bath since would go hunting in cow fields often crawling through fresh pats to catch the sparrows feeding dont need to explain what she looked like after succesfull pounce.

I still miss Sooty who died 30 years ago! But what a cat she was, long haired black and very beautiful.

In fact I miss all my cats, but not with pain though.

It does help a lot, hearing from all of you who still miss 'ex-cats' but now without so much pain. I am getting there with Lua. Mostly I am fine but some days it still feels very sad. There are still *moments* where it feels like she should be there, and she isn't. Anyhow . . .

Nimbus update. The landlady came to see me today to complain about 'my cats' going upstairs and sh*tting on the rooftop. I calmly explained to her that my cats never leave the flat but Carmen just said - 'it's YOUR job to clean that up!' - and walked away.

If I thought Carmen capable of being subtle I would think this was her way of telling me that she knows all about Nimbus but that I was responsible for cleaning up after him. And this might be the case. At any rate, I now know I have to be more diligent about cleaning up the cat crap on the roof.

Meanwhile, so much for me being 'tough'. Nimbus is now getting two full meals a day - one in the morning, one in the evening. I can't help it! Whenever he hears me in the kitchen cooking the evening meal he starts meowing away - even if I keep the kitchen windows closed. *sigh*

He still greets me with hissing and his weird low moaning and I say to him - 'oh stop that moaning already, what do you think I'm doing up here anyhow?' But he really *is* totally hungry again in the evening and wolfs down his biscuits and lets me sit just two feet away from him while he eats.

The past few days it's been very rainy, quite torrential rains! And I was worried about Nimbus until Noggin and I went upstairs and saw that on the rooftop just over the way there are actually three little sheds that look quite cosy. And after one rainy morning I went up to feed Nimbus and he was only slightly wet on his back - so he must have his little bolt holes that he takes shelter in.

Wish he'd stop hissing at me though! But this almost seems like a greeting these days. First he hisses like mad and then he starts in with the moaning. Anyhow, I've started buying the BIG bags of Whiskas dry food for him, much more economical, since I reckon he will be around for awhile.

az

You are a softie, az....

Speaking of softies..... Noggin, old bean, how are you??????