For two days now, the sky has been cloudless and almost colourless.
It’s the sky I associate with extreme heat, though this morning I actually felt chilled.
It is the only kind of sky I don’t like. Without cloud or colour, there is no definition. Just glare.
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It doesn’t help my challenged vision.
Brain is being most uncooperative these days when it comes to processing visual information.
It likes to play games:
“It’s a bird!”… “No it’s not!”
“It’s a leaf!”…“Is it?”
“Nope. It’s a…you’d better go and see.”
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“It’s a horse!”
The discrepancies are not yet quite this extreme.
This is 30-year old Buddy. He is retired, we’re not sure where from, but he lives contentedly with some other horses just down the road.
Which may be where His Nibbs is from.
We’re not sure about that either.
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“I am sure”, said Willow:
“That boy sat on my bag!”
.
“Squashed it flat!“
“Poor bag!”
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The bag is Willow’s favourite thing. A little bit safety blanket, toy, and a means of communication.
She hides inside it, plays with it and she taps on it. She learned very quickly that cute behaviour gets attention.
Now, I can be fetched from another room by her tapping. I must see what she requires!
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But she is quite undemanding. She wants no cuddles, no grooming, not even much attention.
But she lets me know when it’s time to say hi, to tickle her tummy (cautiously).
To simply acknowledge her and if no other cat is around to interrupt, she likes a game.
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She can play happily by herself:
But she quite likes if I watch and applaud.
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I wouldn’t call Nibbs ill-mannered.
He’s just a youngster and full of life.
“There be no toys down t’ stables.”
He knows not which to play with first.
Muffin isn’t sure she approves.
“Just you tidy up, young man!”
.
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Nibbs really fancies the blue mouse.
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When Nibbs is done, tidying up is not something he cares to consider.
He just demands we open the door, and off he goes.
One begins to feel slightly used.
But, well, he is a cat.
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Whether it’s to do with the bag or not, I couldn’t say, but I have observed of late that Willow seems to be taking notice of His Nibbs.
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Sometimes she sits at the door looking at him intently.
It’s hard to work out if she is interested in him or if she is just warning the boy:
“Don’t you dare come in here and sit on my bag!”
.
Willow seems generally more interested in looking outside lately.
Grant thinks she would like to join in with his other “walkers”.
Willow was a stray when she came to me but she never appeared keen to go back out.
Now, I sense that she would like to see what most of her companions enjoy every day.
Am I being selfish and unreasonable by denying her this? The likelihood of anything happening to her during a supervised outing, surely not that great? Right?
My heart says don’t do it.
Oh go on, let her out!
So, Willow’s paper bag is like a service bell 🙂. Haha, His Nibbs is VERY comfortable in your house … and I have news for Muffin, he’s like the kid next door – he just comes to scratch around and then he leaves again (probably after getting some treats of course) !
I would also say, let her out. Life is all about taking chances, and she has to take hers with the rest of them, or never know what she might have missed. But your cat, your decision.
Best wishes, Pete.