So much has happened I’m not sure where to start but here goes…

Mummy has had a really tough time at work recently so we’ve all been doing her best to take her mind off things and find fun things to do. I’ve been taking mummy out on some loooong walks and I knew just the thing to do, so one evening when it was nice and sunny I said “come on mummy, let’s go up the lane” and so off we went, when we got to the lane we wandered up as usual but then I could hear the sound of the long grass gently rustling as it swished about. It’s funny you know coz most of the time mummy thinks she’s taking me for walkies but really, I guide her as much as she guides me. So I quickly wandered off towards the swaying grass meowing to mummy to follow me. It was hearing the sound of the long grass from the moment we turned the corner onto the footpath that gave me an idea. As soon as mummy followed me into the field I just turned into a complete goof ball, running and jumping through the grass like a crazy cat and doing my happy meow and happy tail to mummy as she blundered along behind me. I jumped and ran and hopped this way and that bounding gracefully through the field although mummy seems to think I was more tigger than gazelle. Either way I made mummy laugh and that’s what mattered we had such a fun time together even if we did look a bit crazy to anyone watching.

I love my walkies time with mummy and I know she loves out time together too, sometimes we chat to each other, sometimes we laugh and do silly things and sometimes we’re just quiet appreciating each other and the nature around us, enjoying the peace and quiet together. Sometimes we don’t need words.

So I’ve been making sure mummy and I go off to our favourite Walkies places and daddy has been helping and letting us walk for as long as we want to so we could enjoy our time together. Long walkies means we get time to stop and explore too, find new trees to climb and wander a bit further this way and that and really have a good ‘look’ around.

We’ve had some really fun and beautiful walkies together and met some new furriends along the way too, although mummy isn’t too keen so I said I’d protect her as I’m not scared of the cows anymore. They do though seem intrigued by a cat on a lead in the woods but I’m sure they’ll get used to it.

That was at least whilst the sun was out saying hello and before all the rain started, days and days of rain, the loudest I’ve ever heard with loud banging thunder and Millie and Mona Lisa telling me there was lightning too. Mona Lisa and I hid in the cons club under the table with mummy talking to us (well shouting really coz the rain was so loud) it was Mona Lisa’s first proper storm and she wasn’t really sure what to make of it. Daddy was looking after Millie and Angelin in the living room who seemed to take it without any bother at all. I hate the loud bangs and so hiding in the cons club with the loud rain almost drowning it out whilst still deafening was the best spot for me. Then as the bangs finally passed over we all curled up in our various beds and on mummy and daddy’s laps in the living room and exhausted, drifted off to sleep.

Then there was Mona Lisa’s adoptaversary, can you believe she’s been a year since this scared bundle of mischief became part of the purrfectly imperfect crew! It’s been a bumpy ride and we’re still not there yet but we’re making progress and in that year Mona Lisa has learnt to play, to snuggle, to run, to be happy, to be confident and above all she’s learnt that she is loved, she is safe and she’s is home – mummy and daddy have kept that promise to all of us. She’s still learning how to be a sisfur, it’s a work in progress but we’ll get there, it just takes a bit of patience and us kitties aren’t always good at patience – unless it’s when we’re trying to ‘play’ with the birdies and mice, then we can be very, very patient.

Then one evening as mummy and daddy were sitting eating dinner mummy glanced out of the window to see Mona Lisa making a getaway attempt and very casually walking along the top of the fence in the catio! I’ve never heard mummy move so quickly! Mona Lisa was quickly sent indoors with stern telling off but much like when I climbed the ‘cat proof’ netting and explored the roof of the house there was an element of pride in mummy’s voice that told me she was slightly impressed by Mona Lisa’s efforts. The next day was a carefully supervised visit outside when mummy found how Mona Lisa made it to the fence top!

This however then lead to days of house arrest whilst the catio was fortified (again) before we were allowed back out unsupervised, and typically whilst we were on house arrest the weather was just purrfect for hanging out in the catio but all we could do was sit at the door willing it to open. That didn’t work though but we did get some supervised time outdoors and if Mona Lisa was sleeping the daddy snuck me, Angelin and Millie out for a little outdoors time. Just when the fortifications were complete (under my helpful supervision) in went the sun and back came the rain and clouds and showers but we don’t really mind that much we just like being able to go out. Even the rain doesn’t stop us, we might end up a bit damp and fuzzy but that’s ok coz then we get a brisk rub down, a cuddle and a warm lap or bed to curl up in.

So as you can see we’ve been busy, busy, busy but we’re all fine and just getting on with living life to the best as always.

Loves, Jen Jen

OK so it started off as an ordinary walkies but things aren’t always what they seem. Today was something different, we went out into the garden and it was a lovely warm evening and the sun was shining and the birds were singing so mummy said “shall we go down the footpath today Jen?” Oh yes mummy I meowed and so she scooped me up onto her shoulder and off down the road we went. Sometimes I walk along the pavement and sometimes I hitch a ride, if there’s a few cars then I prefer to travel in style on mummy’s shoulder.

Once we were near the turning, which isn’t very far I meowed to be let down so mummy popped me on the ground and off we headed towards the footpath. I like walking along the footpath with mummy, we don’t meet many doggies here and it’s nice and quiet so we can enjoy ourselves without being interrupted, just the two of us together. There’s also lots of fun and interesting trees to try climbing, everything from trees so big I can’t even get my paws round a little bit of their trunks to little trees that can barely hold me up. So off we went, sniffing all the scents and listening to all the birds on the way, it was such a lovely evening that the birds and animals around us also seemed to be enjoying their evening too. There was quite a chatter going on. This time though as we got to the furthest point we’d been before, where one of my favourite climbing trees was we got there and the tree wasn’t there anymore! It wasn’t the only tree missing from the route, mummy said there were a few missing, the only signs they were ever there was some fresh tree stumps and branches piled up on the side of the pathway. “They must have been blown down in those storms Jen” mummy said but she also told me that the piles of branches will provide homes for some little animals and the leaves and branches will eventually rot away and provide nutrients for new trees and plants to grow from. Shall we find a new tree mummy I asked and so we just carried on up the path in search of a new climbing tree for me to explore. The ground changed from the hard kind of rocky surface which mummy said looked like I was walking on the moon to something softer, something less worn, there was grass and I could hear the sound of trickling water.

Mummy here…the footpath is a working footpath, used by a local farmer to access his fields and move cows and sheep around. It’s quite sheltered by the big trees so is often quite wet and churned up by the tractor and quad bike tyres and cow hooves. The farmer has laid some rubble (broken up bricks etc) along the worst parts of the path to reinforce it and fill in the deep track marks. Whilst it’s a bit craggy, it’s better than wading through squished up mud and preserves the path for everyone to be able to use. Anyway back to Jenny…

The sound of the noisy crows squawking from the tree tops was now far away in the distance, replaced by the much more tempting tweets of smaller birds flitting from tree to tree. I could smell the sweet smell of grass and feel the sun on my fur as we were no longer under the canopy of the big trees. As we walked up the path sometimes I led the way and sometimes mummy took the lead, we took it in turns as all good partners do.

I love trotting along in front, I always know that mummy has always got my back, if I was to go slightly wrong then she’s there to stop me running into something but my super blindie senses serve me well, I know to keep to the path and can tell if I veer off as the surface changes, I can feel the blades of grass at the edge of the path brush my whiskers or my fur and hear them rustle in the slightest breeze. I can also feel mummy’s guiding hands, somehow she kind of steers me, I’m not sure if she does it on purpose or if it’s just part of how we work together, perhaps by now it’s kind of second nature for mummy to move the lead a bit this way or that way to help me keep on track. We’ve been going walkies together for so long, every day for nearly as long as I’ve been part of the furramily, we don’t really think about how we’re doing it, we just do it, it’s like we’re one unit rather than a cat and her mummy. It’s a bond we have, I often wonder if every mummy and kitty has this type of close bond or if this is something extra special between me and my mummy. I’ve heard of humans talking about something called soul cats and wonder if this is what I am to mummy or if what we have is just normal and all cats and their humans have this close linked, entwined relationship.

We were having so much fun we just kept on walking and walking until we found a little clearing with a huge tree stump for me to climb.

Whilst I was testing out my tree trunk mummy looked off to the side and all I heard was “wow!” What mummy I meowed, “well we’ve walked a long way Jen I can see home way over there in the distance but the house looks so small from here. Do you think we should go back or carry on, we must be over half way along the path by now.” We had a little chat about it whilst I sniffed the breeze from my tree trunk and we had a little photo shoot and we decided to carry on. And so we did, off we went again but I hitched a ride for a bit as mummy said we needed to pick up the pace and muttered something about me slowing her down as I have to sniff and explore everything but I don’t mind I get a good ‘view’ from mummy’s shoulder and I get to chat to mummy along the way. But when I heard the familiar sound of tree leaves rustling above my head I wriggled to get down so I could explore some more.

We walked and walked and walked, the ground changed again under paw and there were new smells too as we went further and further along the path. There was crunchy leaves, soft grass, bare path, long grass, short grass but always a path to take us from one wood to the next, it was like our walk had chapters like a book mummy said. Each part had its own unique scents and sounds and each section was as pretty as the next. I could feel the dappled sunlight on my fur, it made my inner soul sparkle and my inner adventure cat tremble with excitement and anticipation. Come on mummy let’s go I meowed excitedly and slightly impatiently.

Still, we kept going, with mummy and I wondering where the next chapter of the path might lead us, how many chapters are there and where might we end up?

So for the first time ever on walkies mummy took out her phone, not to take a photo of me as usual but to look up where we were on the map, she had a rough idea where the path led but wasn’t quite sure as we had never walked this far before. There was another “oh wow!” moment. Mummy said we had walked a really, really, really long way but if we walked further and reached the end of the path that the only way home from thee was along a country road. Normally this wouldn’t be a problem as we walk to the other woods along a road but when we do that I’m safely tucked up in my backpack and as we didn’t plan to just keep walking all evening we hadn’t brought that with us. “There’s only one thing for it Jen, we’ll have to turn around and walk the same way we’ve just come to go back home.” Mummy called daddy to let him know what was going on and so he didn’t worry about us. “Take your time” daddy said “Enjoy the walk and I’ll see you when you get back, there’s no rush.”

So, we turned round and back we went the way we’d just come. “Get a wriggle on Jenny, let’s go! I know daddy said we could take our time but I know what you’re like ambling along, wanting to stop and sniff everything or climb every tree but we want to get back before dinner time at least so let’s pick up the pace and head back.” Mummy kept trying to give me a lift but I kept wriggling and squirming every time she picked me up so she gave in and let me walk instead, but with a stern warning that I had to be quick. So off I wandered this way and that, sniffing everything, checking out each and every tree, then I found another little stream so I wanted to check that out as well, “oh come on Jen, we haven’t got time for this, I know it’s a lovely peaceful walk but we can come back again to explore some more, we’ll bring you’re backpack as well, just in case.”

She did give in and we had a couple of photo shoots along the way and as we headed back towards our regular bit of pathway and walkies route I was leading the way and mummy said something that I thought was a bit odd, she said that she sometimes forgets that I can’t see and she wasn’t quite sure how I seem to just know the way even if we’ve only ever been down this path once before. Oh come on mummy I meowed, you should know by now that my super blindie senses more than make up for my lack of sight.

Then, before we knew it we were back home and mummy set about getting dinner ready, it had been an epic two hour adventure hike that we’d been on! I can’t wait to go back again and explore the path again, perhaps we might make it all the way round next time.

Mummy and I both slept well that night.

Oh and I nearly forgot…Happy birthday mummy.

This April fools day is dedicated to my little sisfur Millie, the crazy ginger goofball who holds us all together. The biggest, floofiest , silliest girl who is so warm to snuggle up to but who also wants to steal your bed.

She’s the first one to put us in our places but also the first one to defend us against anything, even when she’s the most scared and she’s not scared to use that bionic paw of hers to put us all in our places. She’s a mother to us all and isn’t afraid of washing those parts we just can’t quite reach, she’s often licking in our ears or making sure we’ve washed our bottoms properly, there’s isn’t a place that Millies nose hasn’t been to check we’re all clean and tidy.

She has no dignity whatsoever and has no shame in flaunting her floof for all to see but be careful mummy and daddy don’t tickle that tummy as it’s just a trap!

I couldn’t think of anyone else who has a more appropriate birthday than The Millster! She’s our fool, she’s our furramily she’s the mischief maker, she’s the crazy to our calm, the ying to our yang ☯️ and we love her dearly.

Happiest of birthdays to you Millie.

Where to start? Where to start? There’s been so much going on here that I just don’t know what to tell you first.

Well, perhaps start with me, it is my blog after all. I’ve been having problems with a swelling in my eye socket, nothing unusual and back when we lived in our old place it used to happen from time to time. If ever it happened mummy would give me some yummy medicine and after a bit the swelling would go down and nothing would happen for ages. Recently however it started back up again and no matter how much medicine mummy gave me the swelling would reappear after only a few days. So mummy colluded with the v-e-t and it was decided that I needed an operation to se what was going on, they suspected that there might be a remnant of a tear duct still there that was causing problems (I had the same in my other eye years ago) and perhaps over producing some fluid. So with an anxious flutter in her tummy, mummy dropped me at the v-e-t one morning and with a parting ‘take care of her for me’ I was whisked away. The v-e-t’s all loved me and said what a brave, clever girl I was and they did look after me very well, they even helped me have a really long nap and when I woke up I felt very happy, dry chirpy but one side of my face felt odd. It felt chilly and slightly unbalanced but never mind I was just happy, happy, happy. I didn’t even mind when they put me in my carried and it was just after that when I heard the familiar sound of mummy’s footsteps and her voice and I let out a big meow to say hi mummy. Mummy said “oh, look at you Jen, you’ve got a cute little baldy patch”.

We went home and all the way mummy was telling me what a good, brave girl I was and then, once we got home mummy did the most despicable thing, she put me in the dreaded cone of shame. Last time I had a cone of shame I seriously flipped out, I ran and crashed about, jumping and leaping and then I got the cone off and it chased me all round the house! It was so scary and so I didn’t have to wear it after that. This time though mummy said to me that the vet had told her she must try to get me to wear it so mummy and I had a little chat. She said “it’s for your own good Jenny, we don’t want you to scratch your stitches and get a nasty infection, it’s nothing to be scared of and you must give it a try.” She told me this wasn’t one of those nasty plastic ones, but it’s one that Millie wore for her operation and it’s fabric so it doesn’t distort the sounds around me so much. Cones on blind kitties are much more disruptive to the senses we rely on so much, they distort sound and stop us feeling with our whiskers and eyebrows! Oh yes eyebrows, that was that weird lopsided feeling I got, they shaved off my eyebrow as well as my fur! How embarrassing!

So I gave the floppy cone a try, it felt ridiculous but meowmy and daddy were determined so I played along and as it turns out I rocked the floppy blue cone. These days mummy and daddy aren’t often surprised by what I can do but they had a full 10 day masterclass of what you can do with a cone on, as you know I’m not one to let my disability stop me from doing what I want and I was sure not doing to let that cone stop me from enjoying myself. So apart from doinking into a few things I just carried on with life as normal, first me and my cone went for a run on my wheel, mummy said I looked like a lolloping nodding dog that she remembers from an advert on the telly. Then I fancied a climb so up the cat tree I went, cone and all (mummy helped a little bit) and then to top it all off, once I got used to the cones wobbliness I kept mummy company as her bath buddy, me and my cone strutting our stuff along the catwalk (the side of the bath). Now that did impress mummy and she gave me a little round of applaws when I dismounted safely onto the bath mat. Looking back perhaps she was just happy that I didn’t wobble into the bath with her!

I had a couple of days rest after my operation but then I was shouting at the back door for walkies so I got some supervised cone free time outdoors with mummy each evening. There was a positive side to things though as the cone also acted as a food shield so I could eat in peace.

Oh so going back to my op, they found that the swelling was a cyst which they removed, they found that my optic nerve was all yucky so they sorted that out and most unexpected of all they found a big hole in the back of my eye socket, big enough that the v-e-t could have fitted her finger through (she didn’t try that though). So she sowed the hole up, removed the cyst and that was that. We’re not sure if the hole is something new or if I’ve always had that there. The v-e-t asked mummy to keep a watch on me in case I demonstrated any unusual behaviour (my brain is right behind the hole) and all mummy said rather unsympathetically was “but Jenny’s always a bit weird”. Thanks mummy! So we shall just wait and see what happens but for now I’m feeling much better and whilst my fur and eyebrows are still growing back.

So take it from me you might not think you can do something but just give it a try, you might just surprise yourself.

Then there’s Mona Lisa who has blossomed into a sunflower

Since she arrived she’s had a very sore bottom, it’s linked into the abuse she suffered before she was rescued. Mummy and daddy have been giving her medicine for it but it just didn’t seem to make it much better, they have tried all sorts after many conversations with the v-e-t about what they could do to help her. Then one day daddy had a flash of inspiration, he said the penny dropped and it was me and my cone that inspired him. Little ML’s bottom is sore so she licks it to make it better, then it heals a bit and the scab is itchy so she licks it and it never really gets the chance to heal and daddy said it’s a vicious circle. We need to break this cycle he said and that’s when daddy said well Jenny’s had the cone on, what if we got ML one of those doughnut collars to stop her licking and then we could get some cream to put on her bum to help it heal. Bingo! A call to the v-e-t to talk it through and get some cream, and an online order later and within 24 hours there was a sunflower in the house. Much like me Mona Lisa isn’t letting the sunflower stop her, she’s running and playing and pouncing as normal, still being a terror but paws crossed her bottom is, according to daddy, starting to look better.

So, spring has really sprung in our house with a little yellow flower power peril running us all ragged.

Oh and the third thing is that on Thursday it was my 7th Adoptaversary. Who knew all those years ago that this is where I’d be now. The founder member of the purrfectly imperfect crew, back then I thought I might be the only member of that crew but here we are years later with 4 fully fledged members and one angel member (Lil P). Isn’t it amazing how life turns out, from street cat to adventure cat and Queen of the clowder.

I’ll leave you with a funny video that a furriend made for me, mummy funds it hysterical but our furriend though the words summed me up purrfectly. So I hope this makes you giggle and smile and cheers your day up just a little bit.

I’m sorry, I know it’s been a while but things round here have been a bit busy. We’re still trying to find our new normal as our sisfur Mona Lisa tries to find her place in our furramily. It’s not been easy and we’ve had our ups and downs but we’re getting there slowly. Mummy and daddy know that me, Millie and Angelin aren’t fighters, we’re just chilled out girls who when something happens we just run away or in my case duck and cover as mummy describes it, for us it’s our flight instinct that’s strongest. Perhaps because as a blindie or tripaws running isn’t always the best option coz your at a disadvantage, even my super blindie senses go a bit awry if I’m in a panic mode and that means you doink into things, get your escape angles wrong or miss where the escape route is. Thats where the blindie duck and cover strategy comes in, that and meow really loudly, I mean scream meow to just scare away whatever is scaring you, that’s my tactic. Angelin however is almost entirely silent, I think I could count on one paw the number of times I’ve heard her really meow, but she was rescued very young so maybe she never had to learn my tactic. Fighting for us is just not something we do, except in play when we all know the rules.

Mona Lisa on the other paw, when she gets scared her first instinct is to fight rather than flight and she’s scared of so many things but as it seems it’s us kitties that she’s most scared of. My duck and cover and scream the house down seems to have worked for me but Millie and Angelin are still working things out with her. Mummy and daddy say we must be very patient as he fears are deep within her and it’ll take time to tease them out and change how she feels, show her that we’re nothing to be scared of, we’re just little rescue kitties just like she is. Mummy and daddy told us that whilst us three went through some hardship on the streets what Mona Lisa went through is just something that doesn’t bear thinking about, that will take time to heal and learn to trust us.

Poor Angelin has taken the brunt of Mona Lisa’s fear attacks and has had a cut tongue and a cut tail too and Millie keeps getting chased and jumped on but don’t worry they’re both fine now although they are both quite scared of Mona Lisa (especially Angelin). So Mummy and daddy have decided to take a few steps back with the introduction process, before we were all free roaming together after Mona Lisa was let out of her room but whilst I’m confident enough to roam the whole house with Mona Lisa about, Millie and Angelin aren’t ready for that yet. So whilst we’re supervised during the day when we’re all together at night we’re separated, Mona Lisa goes to bed with mummy and daddy and we stay together in our side. I really miss taking mummy to bed and snuggling up with her, along with our walkies it was our time together and I love keeping her company and being there when she woke up but I know Mona Lisa needs this time with mummy and daddy more than I do at the moment. She needs to feel safe, build up trust and have some quiet time.

As well as having our own spaces at night whilst Mona Lisa is napping during the day we get to swap sides and spend some time in the other side of the house to explore and make sure our scent is getting everywhere. Since Mona Lisa arrived she thinks everything is hers, they’re her litter trays, her floor, her sofa, her bed and we’re here to show her that’s not the way it is here, we all share everything and we’re all allowed everywhere, bit by bit she’s gradually learning. She no longer charges to ‘defend’ the litter tray when she hears one of us in there which is a pawstep in the right direction as we all need to be able too 💩 in peace and there’s plenty of litter trays to go around!

Whatever is in that little head of hers is in there very deep, it’s probably been ingrained into her for as long as she can remember. I remeber when I was first rescued and came to my furrever home it took me ages to be able to turn my ears off, they were on constant alert, always listening for that scary sound, that sound of danger that sound that meant I had to move quickly or duck and cover. It takes time to get over these things.

It’s not all doom and gloom though and we know there’s a sweet little kitty waiting to get out. Mona Lisa and I have our moments, she’s learning to play a little bit and I’m trying to make her understand that playing isn’t the same as charging at something, playing is a fine balance and it takes time and respect to learn the play boundaries. As the queen of our purrfectly imperfect clowder I guess it’s my job to help her understand the play rules and we’re getting there bit by bit, I’m not the most patient teacher and can get bit grumpy when I get my tail swatted or jumped out on but I do my best.

Mummy has also noticed that Mona Lisa seems to have a bit of a fascination with tails, each time she tries to jump up at Millie it’s coz her tail has been swishing and when she’s jumped at Angelin, her tail has been hanging off the back of the sofa. A few times, as I’ve walked past she taps at my tail too. Maybe she’s jealous of our tails, I mean Millies is just superb, big a floofy and oh so tempting but my long noodle tail – I’m not sure what the fascination is with that but I suppose if you haven’t got one perhaps it’s quite bewildering to see a tail in action, perhaps she doesn’t understand the tail warning system and obviously Millie can’t see how she’s feeling either. I love giving the floor a good thwack with my tail when I’m feeling a bit frustrated or annoyed, it feels so good and I guess it’s tough if you can’t express yourself like that. I hadn’t really thought about that before, how good it feels to be able to to show how you feel with one swish and if you can’t do that your feelings have to come out somehow as us cats don’t bottle things up like humans do.

It’s not all doom and gloom though and whilst I’m miss snuggling up with mummy in bed at night I also like being in the room with the warm fire, comfy in my snuggle bed and helping Millie and Angelin feel better too. I do still get to snuggle with mummy in the evenings and it’s those times that we all realise that Mona Lisa isn’t a bad girl, she doesn’t hate us as she sits and cuddles next to me and mummy with Angelin and Millie close by, the whole family together, happily, sometimes even with touching paws.

Deep inside that tough exterior is a scared little cat that’s trying to work its way out, come on little kitty you can do it.

I mean even I have to admit she’s a cutie and how could something that cute not be good?

It’s a tough life being the head of the household, trying to keep everyone happy and whilst it’s still hard going, Mona Lisa is my sisfur and mummy and daddy made her a promise that she was part of this family and she is and will be forever, whatever it takes Mona Lisa we’re in it for the long haul and we’re not giving up. As you know us blindies see with our hearts and we can see that inner light in you, even if you can’t see it fully for yourself just yet, we know it’s there getting a little brighter each day as you realise you’re safe, you’re loved you’re home.

It all started when mummy rushed home from work and without so much as a hello I was bundled into my backpack and I thought mummy and I were heading off to walkies in the woods which was a bit unusual at this time of year as we don’t go there after it gets dark.

Maybe I’m going back off to the v-e-t again so she can stab me in the neck and give me medicine that makes me feel super happy and very, very excited. That’s what happened earlier in the week so perhaps I’ve got to go back again to be poked and prodded. Every so often I get a lump come up where my eye would be, normally mummy gives me some yummy medicine and it goes back down again, last time it was coz I jumped through the spikey hedge and caught a blackbird! This time though mummy hadn’t seen me do anything unusual like that or run into anything but she can spot the signs, I don’t want to go on long walkies, I get slightly disoriented and just generally a bit out of sorts. So mummy took a close look and sure enough there it was a squishy little swelling just above where my eye would be. She hunted out the magic medicine which worked for a little bit but then back the swelling came with a vengeance. I was hiding under the bed and wouldn’t come out, when mummy or daddy tried to pick me up I just sat there like a lump, then back into hiding and shouting at everything. So mummy gave me some calming oil on my fur which helped and my medicine which helped further but I was still poorly the next day so I was rudely bundled up and whisked off to be checked out.

A jab in the neck, some horrid tablets and the yummy medicine later and I was one happy, happy kitty. The v-e-t said the pain medicine she jabbed in my neck would make me a bit dopey – oh boy was she wrong. I was away in happy Jenny land, there were twirlies, there was rubbing, there was crazy scratching, nuzzles, nose boops, chin scratches, chirrups, meows and also some sitting in the middle of the room just staring quite happily at nothing.

It made mummy and daddy laugh as they’ve never seen me quite like this before and said I was just so happy but completely full on. I remember nothing! 24 hours later and I was back to my normal self again. So when I was bundled hurriedly into my backpack with my harness on I just thought we were back to the v-e- t for a check up but then daddy came out of the house with us and he never comes with mummy and I…unless…we’re going to the pub! Yey! I figured it out, that’s where we were going a family trip to the pub but wait we never go to the pub together when mummy has been on a go to work day as it’s normally a bit too busy for me so there’s still something odd going on.

A quick ride in the car with much protesting from me on the way (I don’t like cars or corners) and we arrived, mummy put me on her front and I could hear the noise of the pub before we even opened the door and then it was like a wall of sound hitting me like a wave, it was busy, busy, busy. Mummy perched me on my bar stool and said “it’s ok Jenny, we’ve just got to wait a little while and it’ll be our turn. We’re first in the queue.” Our turn for what? I meowed, what are we queuing for? We come to the pub to chill not to queue. Then Aunty Beki came over and whispered “Come on Jenny it’s your turn, Santa Paws is waiting for you.”

SANTA PAWS! Did you say SANTA PAWS! We’re meeting SANTA PAWS! Oh my cat! Oh my Cat! It’s Santa and I get to meet him and can I sit on his lap mummy and will he give me a little stroke like he did last time? Can I tell him what kind of gift I’d like for Catmas? Oh no! What if I haven’t been good this year! Have I been good mummy? I had so many thoughts rush through my head all at once. What if I’ve been more naughty than nice? I haven’t been very nice to Mona Lisa yet but I did give my Catmas pawket money to the animal charity so does that balance out enough? What about all those times I’ve been grumpy to mummy and my sisfurs, what about when I was sicky on my wheel and ran on it and got it everywhere and daddy had to clean it. What about when I went up the tree and wouldn’t come down and mummy had to stand there for ages waiting for me or when I hid under the bush when it was raining and mummy had to stand there and get wet?

I was like a giddy little starstruck kitten and a gibbering mess. Come on Jen pull yourself together I meowed to myself and just say hello to the big guy. I was a bit nervous at first as Santa sat on his chair especially with all the noise going on around me but I had a little wander about and then had a good sniff of everything. Santa smelt of dogs but that’s ok, the doggies aren’t as clever as us kitties and they don’t realise that Santa Paws is for all animals no matter what he looks like. I know underneath his floppy ears and giant paws he’s a kitty kinda guy at heart. I was right, he realised I was a little nervous so he got off his chair and sat on the floor with me. He knew just how to make me feel at ease and his big furry paws were so gentle and calming as he stroked me gently and meowed to me to let me know it was all ok.

Once I’d realised that it was all fine and I’d explored all the piles of presents I meowed at mummy to ask if I could hop up on Santas lap so I could whisper in his ear and tell him how good I’d been this year. Santa got back on his chair as that’s the proper place to hear kitty wishes and mummy popped me on his lap. I had a good head rub and he knew just where us kitties like to be rubbed just at the back of the head but avoiding my ears and that was just so lovely. I had a little chat with him and then mummy said that it was time for the doggies to meet Santa as he had lots of animals to see tonight so I meowed goodbye to Santa, told him I loved him and hopped in my backpack so mummy took me back to my bar stool.

We stayed for quite a while and I listened to mummy and daddy chat with their furriends and every so often a hand would reach in and give me a little stroke or head rub and mummy or daddy would say “you ok in there Jen” we moved to a table where we could all sit together with Rex the dog as well and I was allowed to have my backpack on the table – apparently theres a sign to say no dogs on the furniture but I can’t see that and technically it’s my backpack on the table not me (Aunty Beki said it was ok and she’s the boss). Despite all the noise I had worn myself out with all the excitement so as mummy opened the front door on the backpack so she could keep stroking me I curled up and drifted off to sleep, dreaming of Catmas day, Santa Paws and piles of presents and treats.

This was way more fun than going to the v-e- t.

We might have had rough starts to life but we’re here to show you that no matter what life throws you’re way you can do whatever you set your mind to. We are so blessed with our lives and we couldn’t want for anything more than we have, a loving furramily, a wonderful home and a fun, caring, happy place to just be ourselves.

We hope that you too have your fairytale ending. Merry Catmas from us to you.

As the days get shorter and the nights get longer and the suns warmth fades and is replaced by wind and rain which seems to last forever you know that autumn is here and winter is on the way.

Autumn means crisp mornings and crinkly leaves to play with along with the birdies who are flitting about getting themselves ready for the cold weather to come. I love playing with the birdies in the hedges, they flit this way and I follow them then just as I arrive and settle in to play they fly back to where they were before, off I trot to finds them and then they fly off again! Mummy says they’re teasing me but I don’t mind it’s a fun game to play and every so often one comes just close enough for me to almost touch it with my paw. This kind of game keeps my senses well trained, they might have small wings and timy feathers but I can hear them, I can even hear the sound of their claws as they land and grip onto the branches and fidget this way and that, it seems like they never keep still for more than a second, always on the move, always chatting to each other and all trying to get the best spot to queue for the food mummy puts out for them.

This is the kind of weather I like, not too warm and not too cold, enough wind to get zoomies but not too much that it squiggles my senses. I’ll happily sit outside in the catio all day, sitting on my log pile to get the best vantage point, just listening to the world go by. Then taking mummy out for her evening walkies when she gets home. This time of year also means mummy starts to have baths to warm up after being out with me and so that means I get to be mummy’s bath buddy and keep her company as she lazes in the warm water until she’s (in her words) cooked through and through and has turned all wrinkly.

I love mummy and me time but it’s being interrupted recently by Mona Lisa who follows mummy round everywhere and is still trying to get to know us in her own over excited way. I’ve never met a Werecat before but im pretty sure that’s what she is really. She howls at us and chases us and really doesn’t seem to know how to just be polite. Mummy says it’s coz she’s scared of us and I know us three are very close in our little clowder and that we’re all lovers not fighters but I don’t think she realises that just yet. It doesn’t help blindie relationships when thunder paws is having mad, mad zoomies around the house at top speed, up and down the corridors, through the living room and cons club, out into the catio and back round and through the kitchen and dining room. She really does sound like a whole heard of mini elephants but mummy says that she runs differently to us, mummy and daddy think it’s because she doesn’t have a tail to balance her as she runs so she runs with her front paws wider apart than we do which makes her look much more stocky as she runs and sounds much firmer.

It seems that there wasn’t much autumn this year, not so much time to play in the leaves before the cold of winter turned up. Winter sounds different, the noises of the cars driving past are much noisier, there’s no leaves left to soak up the noise and they sound cold and harsh and their sound seems to carry further. The grass is cold and crunchy underfoot and as I run around I make little paw prints everywhere. The scents of the other animals are much clearer and I know winter is really coming when I hear the snuffle and rustle of the leaves under then hedge when I’m on walkies and get to say good evening to Quilliam and as we know now Mrs. Quilliam 🦔 as they come for their evening meal.

Normally they come along when we’re all tucked up in bed but as the cold night come, I get to meet them again. I love our hedgehogs and sit and listen to them as they come through the hedge, I make sure they’re ok, say hello and then let them carry on. Mummy is always watching to make sure I don’t scare them but I find them quite fascinating. For such small creatures they make a lot of noise huffing and puffing as they walk around and then such loud crunching noises as they munch on the dinner mummy puts out for them every evening.

As the days get colder our walkies get shorter but I always get to go out and it doesn’t matter if it’s not for long, there’s no hard and fast rules for walkies time. It’s just a bit sad that I don’t get to go to the woods at this time of year as I love the woods but mummy says it’s not safe to go there now as it’s too dark for her to see everything that’s going on and spot any creatures that might come out to play when it gets dark. . “It’s ok mummy, I can’t see and I do ok, I always know what’s coming before you do anyway, you can just follow me!” Mummy just laughed and said I know Jen, I always rely on you to know when something’s coming but I need to make sure you’re safe and we don’t get hurt. It’s bad enough that when we go out in our garden that I (the sighted human) have to be guided by you (the blind cat) as it’s dark and we’ve got very little light in the village. I meowed as I hadn’t thought of it like that before, normally I follow mummy’s guidance on the lead so I know which way to get back to her but I’d never realised she did the same thing! What a pair we are!

Just coz there’s less walkies it doesn’t mean I’m not getting my exercise, it just means I get to do more workouts on my wheel covering many, many miles from the comfort of home. Run, run, run, faster and faster and faster, meowing with excitement and to encourage myself to keep going, meow – look at me mummy, meow – look at me daddy. Mummy and daddy always tell me what a good and clever girl I am and when mummy sits next to my wheel and says Go! Go! Go! I run as fast as my little legs will go and then jump off with a purrfect dismount and meow ta da! Then I get cuddles and scratchies and a big fuss made and off we go again. Normally I just run really fast but don’t get up to proper full speed but the other day I went all out and for the very first time broke into a full on full speed proper all out run with both back paws going at the same time for extra momentum. It was like I was super charged! I was excited, mummy was excited, daddy was excited, we were all excited and I got extra hugs, scratchies, bum pats and lifted into the air like a true champion.

After such a thrilling, energetic run it was time for a few cool down laps on the wheel, then a little snack to fill my tummy before relaxing by the fire and snuggling up on mummy’s lap. Whilst it’s colder outside and we’re not able to explore as much one advantage of these shorter, colder days is the warm, cosy fire. We all gather round and spend the evening together napping, snuggling and watching tv.

One happy purrfectly imperfect furramily. That is until Mona Lisa decides Millie shouldn’t use ‘her’ litter tray and briefly turns into a mini werecat again, then mummy and daddy calm us all back down and we’re back to happy nap time.

I’m so sorry it’s been a while since Ive put paw to iPad but it’s been busy round here to say the least.

It’s only been just over three months since the little polar bear bunny cat tiny terror joined the purrfectly imperfect crew but it seems like so much longer. Our lives have been turned completely upside down and sideways and shaken up as she has progressed through her journey of becoming part of a furramily. Things started off ok when she had her own room as we still had the run of all the rest of the house but as time went on and she was gradually let out more and more her territory expanded and ours shrunk. Everywhere smelt of Mona Lisa, everything smelt strange and as her confidence with exploring her new home grew so did her energy. The sound of a mini polar bear bunny cat running full speed up and down the corridor is uneasy for a blind cat, it’s the sound of rushing and running and the know,edge you can’t run away as fast as they are running towards you. It was scary times. Still, over time as the excitement of having so much space to run and explore dwindled I started to remember what I felt like when I joined this furramily, a complete and utter sense of freedom, like nothing I had ever felt before, like I had just found out what it’s like to be me for the first time ever.

Everything was new, interesting and exciting and there were so many things that I could never have dreamt existed, like warm, soft beds, toys, carpet, play, safety, fun, food, kindness, snuggles, boxes, laps, catflix, rain, brushes and of course most of all unconditional love. Every one of those things that other ‘kitties’ have grown up with and taken for granted are all extras for us, before life was about survival not fun and it takes time to adjust to this new found sense of being happy and finding this sense of happiness and who you really are and can be causes uneasiness for those who are already settled and have discovered who they truly are.

Then there’s the language barrier, us blindies can only go by what we hear, smell and feel, we can’t pick up on those intricate kitty body language cues that is used so much in cat language. I can’t tell if Mona Lisa is demonstrating her best witches cat impression to warn me she’s feeling uncertain so me and Angelin just carry on as normal which is confusing for Mona Lisa and if we then accidentally go towards her space then she feels threatened and she doesn’t understand why we did it when she gave us all the songs that she was feeling scared.

Likewise when Millie says she’s really frustrated coz when she’s staring at Mona Lisa to let her know that she’s the top cat between them and Mona Lisa tries to do a slow blink to let Millie know she likes her that doesn’t quite work coz Mona Lisa can’t blink properly coz she has a paralysed eye and so that gives very strange and confusing signals to Millie who then also gets very mixed signals about what Mona Lisa wants to do and a little scared. Plus she hasn’t got a tail to swish about to show how she’s feeling, when I’m annoyed I love to thwack my tail on the floor and everypawdy can see and hear exactly how I’m feeling, I can make that very clear, likewise when I’m out on walkies and at my most happy I can hold my tail upright and strut my stuff and do my happy dance but for Mona Lisa sadly she can’t show her feelings in this way. As mummy says it’s all very confusing as we’re all talking slightly different languages and we don’t quite understand each other yet. We’re getting there though but it’s a slow process which needs lots of patience on all sides.

Then as the kitty dynamic works its way through there’s also some first times for us as well, not quite the same as Mona Lisa’s first times but more us (well me) getting back to doing the things we used to do such as going into ‘her’ part of the house, as I said before it all smelt of her but as she’s moved into our part of the house scents have started to mingle and as mummy has moved some of Mona Lisa’s stuff out of ‘her’ room. I’m starting to remember how nice it was to have bathroom loves with mummy and daddy, escort them to bed and sleep on the bed with them for the whole night and helping mummy get ready for work in the morning. Mummy says that I’ve made the first step in getting back to what was normal.

Sometimes though there’s a little breakthrough, Mona Lisa plucking up the courage to discover how fun boxes can be, the first time she wasn’t scared of a toy, the first time she didn’t sleep in ‘her’ room, the first time she ate from our bowls, the first time she used our litter tray, the first time she ran through the play tunnel, the first time she played with the red dot, the first time we all shared treats and most exciting of all the first time she jumped onto the sofa, the first time she snuggled with mummy. Hopefully there’ll never be a first time she gets on my wheel coz then there really will be trouble.

My slightly grumpy nature of growling and shouting at the top of my voice when something new and scary comes along seems to be paying off as this seems to be language that Mona Lisa understands. Of all of us remarkably it seems that I’m the one that’s getting back to normal quickest, every other time I’ve always been the last to come around to any newcommer. I wonder if as life on the streets can a very lonely and scary place if perhaps Mona Lisa hasn’t had any kitty friends before and she doesn’t quite know what to do with us, I fink because of her awful start to life and how scared and vulnerable she must have felt being alone and in pain on the streets she doesn’t yet know how to be nice to us, how to play with us, maybe as she doesn’t know us yet she thinks we’re going to hurt her like the other cats might have done. We’re not like that though and perhaps she just needs some extra time to realise that in this furramily we’re all lovers not fighters and there’s nothing to be scared of here.

But don’t you worry little polar bear bunny cat you might fight us every step of the way but we’re in this for the long term. As mummy says to us every night “you’re loved, you’re safe, you’re home” and we’ll help you find the love no matter how long it takes. The love of playing with and chasing your sisfurs, the love of snuggling into Millies warm snuggly (although slightly tickly) floof, the love of trying to beat Angelin at wrestling and the love of making a biiig furry snuggle puddle on a lap or by the fire. I would say the love of zoomies but I think from the sound of the paws thundering backward and forwards through the living room and cons club that you’ve just found the love of this for the first time now so that’s another one off the ‘firsts’ list.

Well done little sisfur, I know it’s a long road with a way to go yet but you’re getting there, one pawstep at a time.

And of course I didn’t forget…happy birthday to daddy. He looks after us every day and is doing a great job at being a referee and our guardian whilst we find our new dynamic. Mummy says him and Angelin also double as a bond villian.

Most people think that just because you don’t have something you are lesser or disabled, well I’m here to show you that’s just not true. Us blindies and purrfectly imperfect kitties are just as capable and able as any ‘normal’ cat, besides what’s normal anyway? As most of you know I lost my sight at a very early age and so I don’t really remember being any other way, I only ever remember being blind, to me that’s just normal. When you’re on the streets there’s no time to feel sorry for yourself, you’ve just had to get on with life, the way it was dealt to you. I learnt to follow my clowder round using my other senses to understand what was going on in the world around me. That’s how I developed my super blindie senses that help me be the adventure cat I am today.

I think that I even manage to do some things that ‘normal’ cats can’t or don’t want to do like going for walkies and exploring new places and yes, I know I always have mummy in tow but she’s just along for the ride really, I’m the leader of the adventures.

So just remember this when I tell you what I’ve been up to, in my mind I’m no different to any other kitty.

Mummy and I were out on our daily walkies in the garden and as usual I was listening to all the birds flitting about in the hedge, I love listening to the birds and trying to join in with their games but they don’t really like letting me join in. Still I play with them every day and secretly, whilst they don’t let me join in, I think they find it fun playing with me. Why otherwise would they fly away when I come towards them, then when I run the other way back to them they fly back to where they were to start with. I know they’re teasing me and mummy says it’s like a game of kitty in the middle. Every so often one of them gets close enough for me to try to play tag with it and as I listen to their little wings move and the branches twitch as they hop about I make my move and leap into the hedge but theys always just out of reach. Well, that was until one unlucky blackbird thought he could get the better of a blind cat, it thought that just because it was on the other side of the prickly hedge that I couldn’t reach it but it was oh so wrong! One big pounce and I had a mouthful of feathers, tickling my tongue and my nose, which was very lucky for the bird as one sneeze and it was free, it flapped off to the safety of the roof where I think it tried to get over its embarrassment of being caught by a blind cat whilst I could hear all the other birds watching on from around the garden. I bet they were giggling to themselves. I on the other hand was very proud of myself as was mummy who said she was proud and angry in almost equal measures. I think she was just mad with herself as usually, as I pounce, she’s there locking the lead and spoiling my fun.

I could play tag with the birdies all day long it’s so much fun.

Today was a little different though, mummy didn’t know it yet but as I was sitting there with my head in the hedge listening to the birdies there was a different sound, a sound that I recognised, a sound I’d heard before. So I started a new game, mummy was standing around letting me play laughing at my bottom sticking out of the hedge and saying how unladylike it was. I ignored her silliness and focussed all my attention on this new sound, this was serious business, I had found a new playmate.

As I patiently listened moving my head ever so slightly this way and that to focus my ears on the tiny little rustling sounds, I worked my way through the leaves, adjusting my feet ever so slightly to get the best purchase on the ground as the sound moved this way and that, just to say I wasn’t just wiggling my bottom like mummy said. I then deployed my whiskers forwards as much as I could within the hedge to help feel even the slightest movement of a leaf or branch. I slowed down my breathing so that I could hear better and with every deep breath I could detect the scent of my new playmate, I knew if it was getting close enough to play tag with and in that split second that everything lined up purrfectly I pounced.

Then as I backed out of the hedge and turned around I heard mummy gasp! Jenny, you’ve caught a mouse.

Then the real fun started as mummy tried her best to capture this historic moment on film whilst I tried my best to not let her take my new furriend away from me. Sadly for me I know mummy isn’t afraid of mice and so I knew there was no way she was going to let me keep my new furriend but I was going to enjoy having him whilst I had the chance. As mummy tried to wrangle both me and my lead whilst trying to prize my jaws open I was equally as determined to keep my jaws firmly as they were, right around the head of the little mouse. As I felt his fur on my tongue as mummy’s fingers clenched round my teeth I felt its little whiskers quiver and tickle my cheeks and his little mousie breaths waft across my tongue and in that split second I thought what it would be like to be in that situation, how scary it would be and just at that moment I released my grip, my mouth popped open and out dropped the mousie.

Despite being a bit damp having been sucked and slobbered on a little bit it was fine and scampered off up the path to dry off in the sun. I was desperate to say hello properly to my new furriend so I tried to run after it but mummy still had my lead locked so all that happened was me running but not going anywhere at all! Then off it scurried back into the hedge. I hope I meet it again soon, it was fun playing with a new furriend.

So I might be blind but I’m still all cat and if anypawdy ever tries to say that you can’t do this or you can’t do that then just think of me and just say to yourself, you know what I’m just gonna ‘be more Jenny 😺’

Well mummy is still keeping her promise to me and finding new places for us to explore together. This week just when I thought we were going on one of our normal walkies I heard the familiar noise of my backpack coming out. Now normally this means a ride in the car (which I don’t like very much) to get to some of mine and mummy’s favourite walking spots but this time it seemed mummy had a different idea, instead of being strapped into the car we walked and walked and walked, with me jiggling to mummy’s familiar footsteps every step of the way. It’s a funny feeling being juggled but it’s kinda fun too. Then eventually I felt mummy fidgeting with the backpack which is normally followed by a gentle thud of the backpack coming to rest on the ground, then the zzzzzip of the lid, the clip of the lead and I’m freed.

This place smelt different, a whole host of new smells and I could hear people in the distance, children laughing, the wind whispering through trees, insects buzzing and birds flapping, all to the background noise of mummy’s feet as we started off exploring. As usual I led the way with mummy following on behind as we ventured further and further the sounds of the people faded into the distance and were replaced with beautiful silence with only the sounds of Mother Nature for company. I could tell from these sounds that this was a wood and a big one but different to the ones I’ve been to before, this one seemed more spread out, we could wander with our foot and pawsteps crunching through the carpet of crispy leaves that were once way up high at the top of the trees before they flutters down to the ground where we were enjoying walking through them now.

There was so much to explore I didn’t quite know where to start, as we walked I thought it would be fun to find a tree to climb but not any tree but the biggest one I could find. I could tell that there would be plenty to chose from but there’s always one extra special tree in a wood, you’ve just got to be patient and search it out. So I listened very hard, tilting my head up towards the sky to listen to all the leaves dancing on the ends of the branches, listening to each one and working out which one was the furthest away and would then be at the tip top of the very tallest tree. And there it was, waaaay up in the distance, one little leaf fluttering away on the highest of all the branches. I walked mummy towards the noise and then she said “wow Jenny, that’s a giant tree”

Of course I just had to spend some time exploring this huge, majestic tree so mummy and I stopped our adventuring for a little bit to have some fun in the tree. It was so big my little legs didn’t even make it part way round the huge trunk so mummy (unusually) gave me a little, rather unceremonious bunk up, I then scrabbled and clawed my way up to a perfect perching spot. From way up here it seemed like I could hear the whole world, what a vantage spot. As the breeze blew, the scents of the forest wafted like waves past me, giving me the chance to understand what animals live here in this beautiful place. After we had chilled for a bit mummy helped me down and we carried on walking through the wood, having smelt the scents up in the tree, back down on the ground I could really hone in on those interesting smells.

There was so much to explore in the woods but eventually mummy and I had walked so far that I suddenly felt the warm sun on my fur as we entered a little grassy patch. Then back into the cover of trees again but this part wasn’t the same as the other, the wood was smaller and the trees closer together, more like the woods mummy and I have explored before. I could tell the trees here were smaller than the other ones, a bit more Jenny size so I gave one a try with a quick little up and down climb. There was a new smell here, a fresh smell, the smell of water, mummy said there was a little nearly dry stream running alongside us. There was a lovely little clearing that we took some time to just explore this a little bit before heading on along the path again. This was a lovely little wood and mummy chatted away to me whilst we walked along saying “I wonder where the path leads” and then before we knew it we reached the end of this wood as well!

At the end of the wood was a strange thing that seemed very odd to me, there were some steps but not ordinary steps, these ones had some strange barrier next to them, mummy helped me explore this strange stairway which she called a stile. Mummy said our footpath carried on over the stile but we’d already been walking for quite a while so it was time to head back and maybe we could explore past the stile another time.

As we headed back I thought that all the real excitement was over but on the way back there was even more, more rewards for us that the woods was hiding away, little creatures buzzing around mummy’s head which sounded super scary, she called it a dragonfly which sounds like a fiercesome but exciting beast although confusingly quiet and a little creature trying to hop away from me that mummy said would turn into a prince if I kissed it but sadly it jumped away before I could pucker up.

We can managed to find some exciting things on the way back, somebody had built us a fort to play in and I gave it a thorough inspection, maybe mummy and I could hang out in here next time we come to the woods. We could use it like a base camp to explore from there and set out on a new exploration in a new direction each time we visit. Rom the sound of it, it could take me and mummy a long time to explore the entire woods but that’s ok coz I’m happy to come back here as much as mummy wants coz it’s just such a wonderful place.

All too quickly, although mummy says we’d been walking for a couple of hours, it was time to head home where I could tell my sisfurs and daddy all about my exploits and the magical new place mummy found for us to go. So mummy popped me into my backpack and we hot footed it back home safely, jiggling all the way. I know that I will sleep well tonight and dream of great explorations.

Just think, if a little blind cat can be an adventure cat and explore the great outdoors and new places then just imagine what you can do. Don’t just dream it, do it.