So here we are another week gone by with everyone staying home together but this week was again a cause for celebration. This week my little baby sister Angelin celebrated her 1st birthday. I remember my first birthday, much like Angelin I was lucky enough to celebrate my first birthday here in my forever home with mummy and daddy, Peppar and Mia who has now crossed over the rainbow bridge. Thinking back to those times I’m sad that Mia isn’t with us anymore but she will always be part of the family and her crossing over the rainbow bridge meant that Angelin and Millie were able to become my little sisters and find their forever homes much like I did. Thank you Mia.
Anyway, back to our birthday celebrations, Angelin’s birthday was a good excuse to get away from the day to day routine and for us to have something special. As it was her birthday she got a birthday present, as with all us cats the best thing about that was the box that it came in. As she was the birthday girl we let her have the box all to herself, just as a special treat us cats call this a box pawty and any cat wherever they are in the world knows how fun these can be as we all share the same fascination with cardboard boxes.
We had some special food as a real treat, we got smoked salmon for breakfast and steak for dinner – it was yummy. I played some games with Angelin, we really like to rough and tumble and with us both being street cats we can get really feisty when playing, we both know some tough street fighting moves. Then with full tummies and energy drained we were tired out and settled down for a cat nap.
The weather has got warmer this week and so were all a bit out of sorts and don’t quite know where to put ourselves to keep cool. Whenever mummy or daddy go anywhere near the kitchen or bathroom I go running to get a game of damp hands to help cool my fur, it’s such a fun game and feels so good that I meow and yeowl and purr at the top of my voice and so loudly that mummy and daddy laugh and rub me all over with their damp hands. Daddy says that he is washing his hands about 10 times more each time just to satisfy my need to play. It’s just my way of keeping cool but also making sure he washes his hands enough to keep the nasty bugs away and keep him safe. I think that this is what you humans call killing two birds with one cat 😺.
Walkies is a bit more sedate when the sun is out and the temperature rises as it’s just too warm to be running around. I might be from Cyprus but I much prefer the cooler weather for going walkies in, the hot, sunny weather is only good for snoozing and lazing about in. When it’s hot though mummy takes me out a bit later once the sun has moved round then it’s much more fun and I can run about and chase everything that I find, insects, birds and there’s a lot of buzzy bees 🐝 around to run and jump about after. I know I shouldn’t catch the bumbly bees as they can give you a nasty sting which I remember from before. I’m getting better at chasing the pigeons and if mummy wasn’t so slow then I’d definately catch one and have it for my dinner.
As well as walkies I can spend all day out on the balcony sitting in the sun, watching the birds and smelling the flowers. I often sit in the planters, one of them gets the morning sun and so the stones are lovely and warm if you want to soak up the sun and recharge. The other planter doesn’t get the sun so the stones are nice and cool so you can sit on those to cool off and chill out if things get a little to warm. Sometimes I just like to sit out there on my own and get some peace and quiet, when the others are inside. As you know I have amazing hearing and when it’s a busy day can get a bit overwhelming, mummy and daddy say I can get a bit cranky and up tight when this happens. Going out onto the balcony where it’s peaceful, quiet and without any of the indoor noises of the tv and mummy and daddy’s work noises, talking on the phone and to each other means I can just relax, unwind and calm down for a bit. Sometimes mummy will come and sit with me and we just spend some quiet time together.
One of the things I love to do when out on walkies in the warmer weather is roll around in the dry mud, I love to roll around, it feels really good but I have very particular spots that I like to do this in. Not just any old spot will do, it has to be just right, I have two spots that I like, one is sandy and near to where the foxes live, the sand is cooler if I dig down a little bit, I use my front paws to move the top of the sand and push my tummy along so I can feel the cooler damper sand on my tummy. Mummy says it looks like I’m swimming through the sand, I don’t know what swimming is but if it like this then I’m sure I would like doing it.
The other spot is by a tree and it harder and drier, this one is much better for rolling in, rolling feels good, and it’s even better if mummy joins in and rubs my tummy or my chin, as I’m rolling I meow to her to let her know just how happy I am. Then when I’ve had enough of rolling mummy rubs me all over as she says I’m dirty and covered in mud and bit of grass and leaves. I don’t think she minds though as she laughs when shes doing it, I think she enjoys it as much as I do. The other reason for rolling is that I know from the smells that there are other cats and animals that live around here and they really do need to know that these are my rolling spots and walkies area not theirs. I don’t mind sharing as long as they let me roll and run around with mummy when we’re on walkies, they can use the gardens when I’m not there. When I’ve been running about chasing things I need a little rest before carrying on so sometimes mummy and I will sit on the warm metal covers – mummy calls them manholes which seems strange as I don’t know why there would be a man in a hole , daddy has never sat in a hole! Anyway we sit on these together and I roll around and nuzzle mummy with my head and she in turn rubs my chin and strokes my tummy. I never used to do this with mummy but now I really enjoy this time in between me running around and chasing things.
As you can see, being blind doesn’t hold me back – I know I’ve said this before but I still can’t believe that I get to do things that some sighted cats don’t even get to do. Angelin is still just a baby but she will in time learn to realise how lucky she was to become part of a family who celebrate and embrace differences and assume we can do everything rather than assume we can’t. Happy birthday my sweet sister Angelin.
Jenny’s Story 