Hello humans. I’m meowing this between naps, as usual. I must say I find it amazing how you humans manage to stay alive, with so few hours spent asleep. We cats can’t even begin to function properly in our few hours of wakefulness unless we sleep for most of the day. And if anything traumatic happens to us – like a visit to the vet – we need even more sleep to recover.
We were taken to the vet a few weeks ago and poor Maddie’s still struggling to get over it. I’m sorry to say I made quite a fuss myself about being shut in the travelling cage and put in the car. But Maddie gets herself into a terrible state. Mum puts a blanket over her cage which is supposed to keep her calm but it doesn’t work. As soon as Maddie saw Dad had got the cages out, she tried to climb up the wall to escape. Needless to say, she fell straight down again – and all it did was upset her even more. To be honest, the vet, once we got there, was nice enough. We got weighed, stroked a bit (which was nice), and then of course we got jabbed with the needle. I think the stroking bit was to soften us up before the needle, but anyway it didn’t really hurt.
I’ve been trying to work out what’s going on in the Great Outdoors. Since becoming Outdoor Cats we’ve experienced all kinds of conditions out there. At first it was nice and bright, and then it got really hot. There were lots of exciting things hopping and flying around for us to chase, and we were allowed out until really late at night. Now, it’s never bright or hot anymore. It’s cold, and it keeps raining. We come indoors all wet, with muddy paws, and try to jump on the sofa quickly before Mum can catch us with the towel she likes to rub us with.
Also, we’re being called back indoors halfway through the day, because night-time seems to arrive during the afternoon now. Whose idea was that? It’s annoying, because Mum or Dad call us in just as those really tasty little mice start coming out and running around. I did manage to catch one, one afternoon, and brought it inside to enjoy for my dinner. But Mum yelled at me and made me drop it. I’m not sure why they seem to object to mice or frogs for dinner. I’d have let her have a taste if she’d wanted.
I’m normally quite obedient about coming home on time. Maddie’s usually the one who has to be called two or three times before she comes back. There was one day, though, when I just didn’t hear them calling me. It had got really dark very suddenly and I was enjoying the benefit of our superb feline night vision, searching for another nice little mouse, when I finally heard Mum yelling. I strolled back to the house, only to be told off for worrying them both. Apparently Dad had been out in the garden looking for me in the dark.
‘We were imagining all sorts of awful things happening to you,’ Mum said.
I felt bad, then, because they’ve told me the sad stories of their cat who ran away and never came back, and the one who got hit by a car. Being Outdoor Cats obviously has its dangers, but it’s so much more fun than staying indoors all the time. We still have to do that when Mum and Dad go away, so that the nice humans who look after us while they’re away don’t have the worry of finding us every night. Or – as Mum says – having to deal with frogs or mice!
I have a feeling there might be some interesting news next time I meow to you. There are strange things going on. Lots of boxes seem to be arriving in the house. And a tree has been brought home and left outside our back door, but Dad says he’s going to bring it inside soon and ‘decorate’ it – whatever that means. A tree, indoors?? What for? Maddie and I think it must be for us to climb up. How exciting! I’ll tell you more soon. Sleep well, humans, and don’t stay out after dark, even if the mice do look tasty.
