When mummy and I were out on our walkies earlier in the week, we were sitting just chilling out under a tree when mummy told me that she needed to talk to me about something. Well, mummy and I always chat when we’re outside, mummy always says together we put the world to rights.

I was having fun rolling around on the grass, it felt good and as the grass is all crinkly at the moment coz it’s so hot, it’s extra fun rolling coz I get a tingling feeling all over from the spiky grass. Then mummy said to me, “come on Jen stop fooling around I really want to talk to you.” Well that was unusual so I stopped fooling about and curled up under the tree with mummy. She gave me a stroke and started to tell me about why we’ve got so many boxes in our flat.

“Jenny” mummy said “We’re going to go and live in a new house, somewhere with a garden and where you girls can all have lots of space to run around in and daddy’s going to build you a catio so you can spend as much time outside as you want.” Oh mummy I meowed that sounds so exciting, a garden of our very own and a catio to chill out in, we’re so lucky. “The thing is Jenny, it’s a long way away and even before we leave there will be lots of people coming to put all of the boxes into a big truck. There will be lots of noise and people coming and going and a whole heap of disruption. It’s going to be quite scary for you girls so I need you to be really brave and look after Millie and Angelin too.” But you and daddy will be there to look after us though won’t you? “We’ll be right there with you girls Jen, but we’ll be busy too so we’re going to have to put you in our room as much as we can to try to keep you away from all the noise and keep you girls from supervising the people moving all the boxes. We don’t want you to accidentally get boxed up!”

Then we’ll have a night all to ourselves and then, once all the boxes have gone, we can head off to our new home mummy said, then she said but…

What do you mean but mummy, we’re coming with you aren’t we, you’re not going to leave us here are you? “No, of course not, Jen, I’ve always said to you that we were your furrever family and that is completely true but you, Millie and Angelin will be heading up in your own chauffeur driven transport. You’ll be going up with the lovely people who brought you to us and they’ll take really good care of you.”

Mummy went on to explain that they really weren’t looking forward to putting us in the van but they thought it was the best way for us to get to our new home as it would take us most of the day to get there. Apparently I’m a stress bunny and Millie hates travelling so mummy and daddy thought it would be better for us to travel in style in a van that was properly fitted out to transport kitties, rather than hours and hours in our small carriers. “Jenny, you need to be brave, you need to be the confident, strong, adventure cat Queen that we love, you’ll need to help Millie and Angelin and make sure they’re ok and keep Millie calm so she doesn’t get sick. It’s a big responsibility but I trust you and I think you can do it. Can you do this for me?”

It sounds very scary, I didn’t like the last time I travelled but as long as I know mummy and daddy will be there at the other end and I’m with my sisfurs then I’ll try my very best to be as good as possible and set a good example. Hopefully I can use the time travelling to imagine what our new home will be like and think of all the new places to explore and new adventures I can have. Maybe this is the start of a new and exciting chapter in my already exciting life.

Then mummy gave me a kind, gentle, reassuring chin rub and I laid my head in her hand knowing that I trust her completely. I know that her and daddy love us more than anything and would never do anything that they didn’t think was in our best interests.

That’s what mummy and daddy have started calling our flat! They’re everywhere now and multiplying more and more, mummy says it reminds her of something from the television called ‘tribbles‘ I don’t know what those are but I bet we’ve got more of them than the TV did. There’s also some things that are covered in this fun popping stuff and when we walk over them it makes crinkle noises but also fun little popping noises. Apparently this isn’t very helpful of us but sometimes helpful is boring and we want fun instead.

I have been helping though as have Millie and Angelin and mummy says in a funny voice it’s coz of our help that she’s not going completely insane. Just the other day I was inspecting the boxes and making sure they were up to standard and thought it would be fun to play hide and seek with mummy. The game went on for ages and ages, first mummy joined in looking for me and when she couldn’t find me daddy joined in too. When he couldn’t find me either they started calling and calling, trying to trick me into revealing my secret hiding spot, well you can’t fool me, I kept completely quiet. Then I heard mummy saying she last saw me on the balcony and was getting worried that I might have ‘done a Millie’ and I heard the familiar sound of mummy putting on her shoes, she was talking to daddy and they both sounded worried so I thought I had better come clean and revel myself so I crept quietly out of my box and very casually just walked out into the hallway like nothing was going on. “There she is” said daddy, “Where on earth we’re you Jen?” said mummy “I was just about to go looking outside for you.” In hindsight maybe I should have actually told mummy I was playing hide and seek with her 🤔. A few days later mummy spotted me playing hide and seek again and climbing into my box, “Aah, so that where you were, what a clever girl you are finding that empty box way up there.”

All these boxes aren’t so bad after all. They make a great adventure playground, you can have a nice cool nap on them when the weather is warm, they make fun noises when you walk on them, you can use them to have a good scratch or have a wash on. They really are something for all occasions. We already know they make great forts which is Angelin’s favourite thing to do with them, oh and of course they are a great place to sleep too. I’m beginning to think that all we and really need in life is cats and boxes oh and food and walkies of course.

Then something strange happened and one day mummy took me for a special walkies, and afternoon walkies and it wasn’t even the weekend. As we were on our walkies and we were sitting together on the grass under a tree mummy said that she had to go away for the night. She told me that I was in charge of Millie and Angelin and had to look after daddy. She said that she had to do a long journey to go and see my grandpawents and visit our new house. “It’s a long way Jen” she said “so I’ll have to stay overnight but I’ll be back tomorrow. I wish I could take you with me but I’ll be coming back on the train and I don’t think you’d like that very much as there will be lots of people on it and it’ll be noisy.” She explained she wouldn’t be gone for long and that she’d be back before I even realised she was gone. Well I knew that wasn’t true as I always miss mummy when she’s not at home but I promised I’d do my best to look after daddy, Millie and Angelin. Good girl said mummy as we headed back indoors. Hang on mummy…did you say new house?

Then a little later and she was gone, we missed her but whilst Millie and I sulked in the spare room a bit miffed at mummy going away when there was already so much disruption going on. Angelin was keeping daddy company and then before we knew it mummy was back and taking me out for a late walkies. I had missed her so much and we played and played lots of apple football together and then mummy carried me back indoors as we had pizza on the way (my favourite). Whilst she cuddled me I purred loudly to show mummy how much I liked having her home and she whispered quietly to me “missed you Jen.” The world was back to normal again – well as normal as it is at the moment round here.

Then later on I overheard mummy telling daddy about this new house she had mentioned. She was saying that there were trees with birds chirping and fluttering around. She also said that there was definitely a great space for a catio for us outside, this sounds really intriguing and I can’t wait to find out what this is. Then she said that she thought daddy would love it but also that we would love it too as there was just so much space for us to run around it and enjoy. Then she said something really exciting, she said with a little bit of work we would all be able to be outside together, safely. Wow! Imagine being able to relax all together outside, listening to the world go by. Now I’m really quite excited about our next adventure and I went off to my quiet spot on our balcony to think about what it might be like to be outside as a furramily together, no harnesses, no leads just us all together. That night I dreamt of how the next part of my life might be like.

There’s boxes everywhere, I think Angelin’s boxes have been multiplying overnight and suddenly the whole place is filled with them, they’re everywhere and it’s making it very tricky to get around, not because we’re blind but because there’s no space to move anywhere! It’s single file down the hallway and no snuggling up on the spare bed coz that’s full too. There’s just about room for a snuggle bed on the bottom corner but that’s all!

Now you all know how much us kitties love boxes but this is too many for even the biggest most raucous box party I could even imagine. There’s definately something suspicious going on. Then mummy and daddy sat us all down and explained that we needed to be big, brave girls as there would be some disruption over the next few weeks as we are going to go and live in a new home. Wow! That was a bit of a bombshell as I thought we were in our furrever home, here all together. It’s ok girls daddy said reassuringly we’re all going together but it’s going to be a long adventure when the day finally comes but it’ll be worth it I promise. You’ll have much more space to run around in and there’s even a garden and I’m going to build you your very own catio to play in. Now, I’ve never heard of a catio before but it sounds like it’s something special just for us cats, then daddy explained that it’s like our balcony, somewhere where we can go and chill outside with shelves and different levels to sleep on and climb and listen to the world go by, which you all know we all love to do on our balcony.

Daddy also said that we will meet our human grandparents for the first time. Apparently they are really excited to meet us all as they’ve heard all about us but have never been able to meet us before as they live such a long way away. Soon though they’ll live much closer and so will be able to come over and play with us. Mummy told me that they read my blog every week, every story since the very beginning and they really enjoy hearing all about what we get up to and they’re my biggest fans and can’t wait to be part of the story for real soon.

Mummy’s been crazy busy, opening all the cupboards, putting things in boxes and moving stuff around. Daddy’s been helping too but he caught the nasty virus 🦠 that mummy had a while ago so Angelin has been on cuddle duty to make him feel better. Then mummy deserted us all for a day yesterday, daddy was upset coz he couldn’t go with her, he said that mummy was going to see her family who live down by the sea but also say goodbye to her mummy and daddy who are in a something called a cemetery where they have been for a few years now, mummy explained that they’re angels like Peppar so they are with her wherever she goes but that there’s a special place where she can go and visit them. Somewhere peaceful and quiet where there are lots of birds, squirrels and other animals, trees and flowers and everything that makes mummy feel calm and frees her mind so she can remember the fond memories of her mummy and daddy. To me it sounded like our gardens and I thought I would really like that kind of place, and just as I was going to say to mummy that it sounded like the purrfect place she said “Jenny, I wish you could come with me as it’s just the kind of place you love to explore.” She also said that this is where the ashes of my angel siblings Piper, Misty and Mia are and where their spirits became free so mummy was going to scatter angel Peppar with them too so he can be reunited with them. Daddy was sad that he couldn’t be there to do this with mummy, to say a final goodbye to them all. Knowing that she may not be able to visit that beautiful place anymore made mummy’s eyes all watery, I don’t like it when mummy’s sad and I wish I could have been there with her so I could have comforted her and made her feel better.

Then eventually she came home although it was far too late for walkies but I didn’t care, I’d missed mummy whilst she was away, it was only a day but it felt like forever. Then she headed for the front door again, I thought I was going to be really lucky and get a late walkies after all but then she went back out again! what! Where you going this time mummy I meowed after her. Then not long after she came back and oh she smelled good, mummy had brought back chicken and there was enough for all of us, now give us the chicken, the yummy, yummy chicken, it smells soooo good. Millie and I surrounded daddy, he always saves us something and he’s much more susceptible to Millies big, wide ‘Puss in Boots’ eyes than mummy. Come on daddy share with us, we’ve been good girls all day. Needless to say both mummy and daddy gave in and we all went to bed with full, happy tummies. All is forgiven mummy.

The next day after mummy had done lots more of putting things in boxes mummy took me out for an extra fun walkies. We ran around loads and played apple football and I chased leaves and birds but I also did lots of little happy dances as I know mummy likes those and also made sure that I gave her lots of kisses to make her feel better after being so sad yesterday.

Life in a flat is tough sometimes, oh how I wish I could just go outside whenever I want, to lie on the cool grass and in the shade of a tree. Catching the warm breeze on my fur and just listening to the world go by. Hey, even a blind, rescue kitty who has already had her dreams fulfilled by being rescued and finding a furrever home still has dreams. Since that’s not happening we’ve been doing the best we can to stay cool, pass the time and keep out of mischief as much as we can. So I spend most of the day wandering around the flat trying to find a cool spot and moaning constantly to mummy and daddy about how warm it is. I know, I know, I can just hear you saying it, I’m originally from Cyprus, where the sun is hot and the days are long and warm. There though I could wander around until I found a suitable spot to spend the day, hiding in the long grass or in a bush somewhere but indoors there aren’t any of those, nowhere to chill, it’s all just hot, hot, hot. Mummy and daddy have fans which make a nice cool draft so it’s just a matter of finding the best spot to splodge in but come on mummy take me outside for a bit.

So, on any hot day you’ll generally find us moving about the flat more and there will just be cat splodges in various places until that bit gets too warm and off we go again to find a new coolest spot. Mummy and daddy do their best to make sure we don’t get too hot, we’ve got cool pads to lie on and there’s always fresh water in all out water bowls and drinking fountain, sometimes just for fun daddy puts an ice cube in for us to play with.

Sometimes if we’re really good and as an extra special treat mummy will give us a frozen lick-e-lik for us to enjoy and cool us down, who doesn’t love a kitty ice cream on a hot day? Both of those are as you would expect a messy affair, I just love to play with the ice cubes in the water and, we’ll, sorry mummy but there’s a giant puddle for you to clean up but my paws are cool and I had great fun.

As we’re too hot to properly curl up and sleep all day we often play games with each other to pass the time, it’s just been too hot to run around, chase and fight with each other. Angelin’s the baby of the family so I thought I’d have a bit of fun with her to pass the time, we had a really small cardboard box in the flat, I had felt my way around it before and had already decided that it was too small for me to bother getting into so I bet Angelin that she couldn’t fit herself into the box. There’s no way she was going to win that bet, this was a sure win for me. Well Angelin is nothing if not persistent and I really should have known better, she took me up on my bet and lo and behold not only did she manage to sit in the box, she went one better and actually managed to fully curl up and go to sleep! Well I must admit that she is the queen of contortion. That’s 1-0 to Angelin.

When mummy does eventually take me outside for walkies, it’s a bit later than usual as she says it’s better to go out when it’s slightly cooler. We never go out on the paving side in hot weather as mummy doesn’t want my paws to get too hot, she says the paving soaks up all the sun all day so we always go out onto the grass side. The first thing I do is go for a good roll around. Mummy is never best pleased as she always tells me that I’m filthy and I’m going to need a bath when I get back indoors. But rolling just feels so good, I only ever do it when it’s hot and the ground is dry so what’s the problem mummy? Plus you’re joining in my fun game and tickling my tummy to make me roll back the other way. I think secretly she enjoys playing this game with me so I keep rolling and mummy keeps tickling until I get distracted by a bird and then it’s off for the chase, complete with my mud camouflage- those silly pigeons won’t even realise that I’m sneaking up on them I’m so heavily camouflaged. I love hearing the sound of their flapping wings as they take off almost within paws reach. I think they like playing this game with me as they only ever fly over to the other side of the garden so that we can play chase again and again. At least they’re getting some exercise 😹.

Then, after a little rest on the cool grass to get my breath back (chasing in the heat is tiring work), we eventually head back indoors and when we did today mummy decided to water the plants on the balcony. I love helping water the plants, I like trying to catch all the drops of water and find the noise of the water hitting the leaves of the plants exciting and fun to play with. All three of us like helping water the plants but this time mummy played a trick on me! She told me that I was so dirty that I needed a shower and watered me! I shouted with surprise but she kept washing me, moving the water side to side until I was completely soaked. I shouted and shouted and then mummy rubbed me all over, it was like a extra, super, mega version of the damp hands game, I shouted with glee for mummy to keep going. This should help cool you down she said. I was so wet that mummy had to give me a towel rub before she would let me back indoors. This was the finest game ever but even that didn’t get me completely clean but it was worth a try mummy.

So as you can see mummy and daddy do everything they possibly can to make sure we keep cool on the hot summer days.

I know I’m all adventure cat and intrepid explorer but there’s another side to me too, I don’t show it all the time but let’s face it there’s a cute side to everyone, me included. So this week I thought I’d share all things cute with you.

Millie has got this one nailed, mummy and daddy say she’s got ‘Puss in Boots’ eyes. Well I think eyes are a bit overrated but I’m all for using whatever gifts we were each given. After all if you’ve got it, flaunt it that’s what I say. All she has to do is look at them with those big eyes and she gets whatever she wants. Another throw of the nobbly, another play session, more space on the bed at bedtime, all of the space on mummy’s desk whilst she’s working…”but mummy I just love you so much, I want to be right where you are” say Millies eyes.

Angelin’s expert cuteness was evident from a very early age, it’s no wonder her first mummy in Cyprus couldn’t resist rescuing her from the streets. All Angelin had to do as a tiny street kitten was sit on her foot and just wait whilst her cuteness vibes worked their magic. Angelin’s first mummy was as powerless to her cuteness then as my mummy and daddy are now.

Angelin, however is the queen of cute. She just sits there ‘staring’ at mummy or daddy with a completely innocent look, just sitting there patiently, silently, smiling. She really is as cute as they come. If she doesn’t get any attention then she meows in a style all of her own, it’s not so much a meow as a tiny, quiet squeak “eek” is all she has to say to make mummy and daddy melt and give her whatever she wants. She also has the benefit of being such a happy girl, she is always smiling and she doesn’t have a care in the world. She was rescued so young that she doesn’t know how tough life can be as much as Millie and I do. Angelin even smiles in her sleep which just dials her cuteness level up to somewhere beyond max. Combine that with her reluctance to ever actually run anywhere – she just poddles everywhere, either a slow poddle or a quick poddle but never a proper run – hence her nickname ‘little poddle’. Plus if Millie and I are playing and Angelin joins in she’s always half a length behind us, poddling along behind, we’re chasing each other down the hallway and by the time Angelin gets to the end of the hall we’re already half way back down again! It’s just as well she’s got the cuteness nailed coz she’s not the brightest of blind kitties, she’s brave and fearless but she climbs up high, right to the top of the scratching posts, even walking along the top of the kitchen door but despite all our best efforts to teach her she can’t get back down from those high places. She sits at the top, puts on her cutest face and squeaks at daddy to get her down. Of course daddy is completely under her cuteness spell and immediately stops what he’s doing and goes to rescue his little princess.

Angelin also has her cute fuzzy tail, if nothing else works, she makes her tail go big and fluffy, it starts at the base of her tail and the happier she gets the further the fuzzy tail goes until eventually her whole tail is almost as big as she is. It’s her automatic cuteness trigger, she can’t really help it and doesn’t really have much control over it but I do have to admit it is adorable. She wears her happiness in her tail, it’s her happy level indicator and it has mummy and daddy hooked. Angelin’s might not be smart when it comes to getting down from high places but she’s super smart in getting what she wants, when she wants it which is normally food, play or cuddles.

I don’t do cute so much but I do love to make mummy and daddy laugh, playing the goofball, showing off my giant ears and rolling around and waving my legs in the air. Quite often my outside zoomies do the trick, making mummy laugh at me running around chasing imaginary things or leaves or insects in my own seldom used crazy, free way. She stands there watching me completely relinquish all of my control, and just run around and have fun. It doesn’t happen too often, I’m always on guard for something, I don’t often let go fully but when I do it makes mummy and daddy happy and most of the time they laugh and say how funny I am. When I’m chirping to myself whilst jumping at the walls in the hallway or rolling around at the door with my legs in the air I can hear them in the living room saying how much they love hearing me like this, just being happy, being myself, relaxing and having a bit of fun. Then I get cuddles and strokes from them too and for me that’s what this is all about, it’s not all about getting treats (although that’s an added bonus) but it’s about caring about those who care for you.

The power of cuteness is a powerful one but must be used wisely. The trick is not to overuse our cuteness, you’ve got to limit it to when all else has failed and when times are really desperate otherwise mummy and daddy may start to get immune to our cuteness powers.

That’s all I really want in life, to be loved by the people I love and if that sometimes means I’ve gotta be a bit silly or a bit crazy then I’m all up for that.

As the weather gets warmer, I want to go outside more. I don’t really like the hot weather and I know that’s odd with me originally being from Cyprus where it’s mostly hot and sunny but it’s just the way I am. When it gets warmer here I just want to be outside and I’m sorry mummy and daddy being out on the balcony just isn’t the same. I love the feel of the real grass between my paws, cool and fresh and springy. The dappled shade of the trees, the breeze on my fur, I just love it.

So as it starts to warm up indoors I wander round meowing to be let outside, come on mummy, let’s go for walkies, purrlease, I shout in my most pathetic meows. “Not now Jenny, it isn’t time to go out, we’ll go out later.” But I want to go out now mummy, come on, come on let’s go. Sadly even my most pathetic meows don’t work on mummy so I turn to try another tactic. “Mummy! I want to go outside NOW” I shout at her in my most demanding and assertive meow but all I get to that is “Jenny! Stop all that noise, I promise we’ll go out later.” Hmph but I wanna go out now, I cry as I walk round the flat moaning and muttering to myself but just loud enough for mummy and daddy to hear. Well, then if you’re not taking me out then I’m going to bed I mutter as I storm off to the peace and quiet of the spare room to dream of being allowed outside whenever I want.

Then after hours and hours I hear the familiar sound of mummy opening the cupboard where my harness and lead is kept. I twitch one ear, I’m not letting on how excited I am, and then I hear daddy opening my accessory box to pick me a cute bandana or bow tie. I twitch my other ear and now I’m so excited I’m up and running around playing chase with mummy to put my harness on before you could blink an eye! This is a daily ritual, daddy gets my harness accessorised and then mummy chases after me to put it on, its a fun game and my way of making sure we’re warmed up ready for walkies.

Then yey! We’re off! As soon as the outside door opens I’m right there squeezing through as quickly as possible and then running across the grass. Then off we go wandering about as usual but boy, it’s warm so I think I’ll just sit for a while here on the cool ground. “Oh, come on Jen, you’ve shouted and shouted all day to go out and now you’re just sitting there doing nothing, come on, let’s go” mummy says as she pulls out her secret weapon from her pocket, one of my footballs. Well, I just can’t resist and before I know it mummy’s tricked me into running around.

Then once we’ve had a good run about I’m allowed a little rest but not for too long before mummy’s asking me where we’re going next. Decisions, decisions, do I go this way or that way? Ok then off this way we go, I’m all geared up for running around now so maybe there’ll be some pigeons to chase if we go this way. Come on then mummy let’s go and off I trot with hope in my heart that there will be something exciting round the corner. I’m always up for some excitement during our walkies – just not too much.

Then after some bird chasing I get to have another little rest with mummy, just me and her chilling on the grass enjoying each other’s company. I love this special time, we don’t need to talk or say anything, we just sit there together. Maybe it’s our special bond that means we can be this way, that we’re best friends that means we can be this close together, by ourselves, content in each other’s company. Then, before I know it mummy’s saying it’s time for us to go back inside and I protest very loudly at this idea, I just want to stay out and enjoy being outside in the open air. “It’s ok Jenny, one day we’ll have our own garden for you to explore, we’ll build you your very own catio to go out in whenever you want, to sit in with Millie and Angelin and listen to the world go by and we’ll be able to spend much more time together outside.” I thought that sounded just fantastic and I meowed to mummy how much I would love that, to be able to have our own outside space to spend time in and explore and have wonderful adventures in together. “We’ll have all of that soon Jen” mummy said.

One day soon? A catio? A garden? Mummy’s always said that one day I’ll have my very own garden but she’s never said soon before. Is there something going on that mummy hasn’t told me? Maybe there are exciting adventures on the horizon. In the meantime though I’ll keep making sure mummy is fully aware of just how much I need to be taken out on walkies.

One day it’s warm, one day it’s cold and then it’s rainy with terrifying loud crashes from the sky which Millie says always have bright flashes of light just before the sky shouts at us. Then extra heavy straight down loud rain, so heavy it makes cracking sounds on the leaves of the trees before pounding onto the ground.

I really hate the loud crashing noises and get very scared although Millie and Angelin aren’t too bothered by it for some reason but I do love listening to the rain. I can hear it as it hits the leaves and then falls down onto the grass. When there’s a big storm it falls so heavily each rain drop is like a little pellet. I can hear the different sounds as the drops hit different things, it’s like the rain is making its own music. Whilst I love listening to it, I’m glad I can do so from the relative comfort of our covered balcony, I can keep dry but can still listen to everything going on without having to worry about getting my paws and fur wet or finding somewhere to shelter to stay dry. Things don’t always go quite according to plan though and sometimes when I’m out on walkies the rain comes and mummy and I have to run for cover.

That exact thing happened the other day, there I was chilling up a tree when mummy started saying something about me having to come down. Yeah, whatever mummy, I wasn’t really listening to her. Then I heard the sound of raindrops, then I thought we’ll I’m ok I’m up here in my tree…mummy had other ideas and before I knew it I was being forcibly and rudely I might add, plucked from the tree! Mummy was saying something about she wasn’t standing there getting soaked, I didn’t really hear her as I was in shock from being so rudely removed from the tree. Then she bundled me up in her arms in a very undignified manner and ran with me clasped into her. The indignity of it, a master tree climber like me being plucked from a tree by their mummy – how embarrassing, I’m never going to live that down! This was a most unusual situation and I protested loudly right into mummy’s ear whilst being jiggled and wobbled about but mummy didn’t pay any attention to me at all and my cries of displeasure went unheeded. Apparently there wasn’t time for mummy to put me down so I could walk home as she said all I would do was dawdle along or do what I normally do and hide under a bush leaving mummy to get soaking wet. I’m not having any of that today Jen she said as she ran back indoors.

Other days have been just right, not too hot and not too cold, they’ve been so nice that mummy and I have declared football season open and we’ve taken my favourite footballs outside to play with. I love playing football outside and I run this way and that chasing after the ball as mummy kicks it across the grass. I’m a striker, a dribbler and a goalie all in one little furry, blind package, nothing gets past me (well not unless I mean it to) and even mummy gets some exercise too as she runs backwards and forwards kicking the ball for me to chase.

And if that wasn’t exciting enough for the first time ever, daddy joined mummy and I on walkies for a bit last week. I was a bit confused by daddy’s familiar footsteps walking around with us outdoors. Then once I got used to it and he was chatting away to me and mummy I made sure he felt welcomed on our walkies by chatting back to him and giving him twirlies while head bumping his hand. It was really fun to show him around the gardens and share what mummy and I do whilst out and about. I got to show him some of my favourite trees that I like to climb and where the best place is to watch the birds from. We didn’t have a football with us so mummy and I showed daddy how we play chase using the things we find in the gardens that Mother Nature has left for us, bits of branches that mummy swishes around for me to chase or crinkly leaves to pounce on. We can always find something to play with, that’s what makes adventuring outdoors such fun. After a while daddy went back inside and mummy and I finished our walkies together, it was really fun having daddy walk with us, I hope he does it again soon, I enjoyed it a lot.

This week I dedicate my blog to my sweet little silent sisfur Angelin. She’s the sweetest most innocent little kitty you could ever imagine. An eternal kitten at heart, just happy to play, snuggle and eat but not necessarily in that order.

Angelin is super chilled and not a stress puppy like me. Unlike me she was rescued by her first mummy Dominica very young so she didn’t have to live, survive and fend for herself on the streets as long as I did. That can make you a bit on edge sometimes, I can’t always switch off, I always have one ear open but little Angelin doesn’t have a care in the world.

But don’t let the cute, sweet little exterior fool you, Angelin is a bruiser when it comes to play fighting, she is the number 1 street fighter around here. She can take down both Millie and I and even when I try and bite her bum she turns around and somehow manages to get me in a headlock and throw me to the ground. She has no fear, she’s straight in there with a giant bear hug and body slam. Wham! bam! thank you ma’am and then off for a snack to refuel, ready for round two. Don’t even think about trying to invade Angelin’s box fort, she will defend it ferociously from multiple, simultaneous attackers (Me and Millie) with everything she’s got and let me telly you, she’ll win too, there’s no way you’re getting her out of there or penetrating the outer walls…that is unless someone crinkles a food packet…there is a chink in her armour after all 😹

Mummy and daddy can always tell when Angelin is happy or excited as she gets big, giant fuzzy tail. She just can’t help it, it just happens all by itself, like her tail has a mind of its own. It could be that she’s just found her favourite crinkle stick to play with or that mummy or daddy is opening a food packet or the first ever smell of tuna. Sometimes it’s just something happy in her head, something in her imagination and poof – off goes the tail!

The other thing that makes her tail go poof is tuna, the very first time mummy and daddy treated us to tuna after her and Millie arrived. We all heard the first little click of the tin opener which released this smell of gorgeous fishyness and poof off went Angelin’s tail. She hadn’t even tasted it yet, just the smell was enough to excite her taste buds and ever since then it’s been her favourite treat. So as this was such a special occasion we all got a fishy birthday dinner. We than all had a party in Angelin’s box fort, as you know is cats just can’t resist a box or two so what better way to celebrate than joining Angelin in her party fort for the night.

Happy birthday to our foo-foo ya-ya, our little poddle, miss dippy-doink, daddy’s little princess. Maybe one day you’ll find your voice but if not then that’s ok as we love you just the way you are, you’re purrfect and I’m proud to call you my sisfur, I couldn’t have a better partner for our blindie fights so don’t ever change, don’t ever grow up, just stay the way you are – perfectly imperfect

All of you know by now how much I love climbing, wether it’s our indoor cat trees or real trees outside. Before you came even blink I’m already half way up and heading for the top. Well the other week mummy and I were going out walkies and she decided to ‘mix it up a bit’ that’s mummy term for me getting a bit bored with our normal walkies route and need something different to challenge and excite me again. I knew something was up because even before I walked out the door of our home mummy clipped the lead on, normally she lets me get all the way along the corridor and down the stairs before the lead gets hooked on so I knew I was in for something different. As I headed off for the corridor mummy said “not today Jen, we’re going the other way today.” and I felt a gentle tug on my lead and the other door open and off we went down the stairs to ‘the other outside’. I don’t like this side as much as it’s got a hard floor rather than grass and all the big noise machines that the humans use to move about in go this way but the noise machines do smell interesting and so I stop and have a good sniff every little while.

Mummy was off on a mission though, “come on Jen” she said, “no time to hang around”. So off we went with mummy practically dragging me along! Well, that might be a slight exaggeration but us cats don’t do walking like dogs, we like to amble about, going this way and that, stopping to sniff things and follow interesting scents and wandering off in a different directions. So this was not going to be as fun as normal I thought until mummy and I got to the end and then I started to remember, this is where mummy took me a long time ago, a new bit of secret garden that no one else ever seems to go to, somewhere with new smells and sounds. I could smell the grass and hear the trees rustling and off I went, heading in their direction, walking faster and faster until I felt the cool, soft grass under my paws and then I was off, running along towards the sound of the trees.

I could hear the familiar noise of the people in the park and the birds tweeting temptingly in the trees. I could smell where Mr. Fox had been and all the other little animals too. Oh! There was so much to explore. First on the list was the trees of course, before mummy could say anything I was up the first one like the true tree climbing pro that I am. Up, up, up as far as mummy would let me, then back down again and off to find the next one.

Although I love climbing, not every tree is the perfect one to climb so I chose very carefully which ones I go up. The trunk can’t be too hard and smooth or otherwise even my sharp claws can’t get a grip properly, some of the trees have funny trunks which seem to shed their bark in big pieces which stops me gripping properly and clogs my claws with bark so these aren’t any good either. There are also some really, really big trees and these are very tricky too, when I’ve tried climbing these ones my legs don’t reach far enough round to get a good enough grip so these ones are out too. Then there’s those trees mummy calls ‘Goldilocks trees’ they the perfect ones. They aren’t too big or too small and they have soft or rough trunks, these are the ones which make the best climbing trees where I can really get my claws into them to get the best grip to be able to climb as high as I want…..or really as high as mummy will let me.

After I’d explored everywhere and climbed a whole heap of trees mummy said it was time to head back home but I was having so much fun I really didn’t want to leave. There were so many more trees to climb and places to explore but she promised me that we would come back a bit more often so that I could enjoy finding and climbing all the trees that I wanted to. Each tree is different and gives me a different experience, some have really tall straight trunks and I go straight up and down again. Some have branches for me to go out onto, climb at a different angle and have somewhere to perch where I can take in everything around me. They’re all different but equally fun to explore and each one gives me a unique challenge to figure out how to reach the top.

What a great walkies that turned out to be, I climbed and climbed and climbed till my legs were so tired I couldn’t climb anymore, mummy said I climbed the most trees I had ever done in one day, a new personal best of 10 trees. I just had to have a little lie down and found a little pile of sandy dirt to roll around in, even when resting you can still have fun. Then as I lay there rolling around, I suddenly realised how long mummy and I had been out for and just as mummy said “come on Jenny it’s time to think about heading back home” I felt my tummy starting to grumble from all the exercise and exploring I’d done.

Whilst climbing is really fun and for me not like exercise at all it can be really tiring so I thought that maybe it was time to head home for some dinner…

… and a nap

Whilst mummy and I were out on walkies the other day we both heard something rustling around in the bushes. I stopped to listen but decided that whatever it was wasn’t worth bothering about and listened as it rustled it’s way off somewhere else. Mummy heard it too and thought it sounded too big to be a bird or squirrel so maybe a dog from the park was hiding from its owners and playing in the bushes. So we carried on with our walkies, then again a rustling from the bushes, this time going back the other way. “I wonder what it is Jen, its definitely not a dog” as I wasn’t worried about the noises we carried on playing. As mummy says if it was something scary I would have run and climbed the nearest tree. I might be blind but I’m not stupid, I just know when to be careful, even if I’m not sure what exactly might be close by.

Then, there he was, I turned round and heard him, I could smell him too, Mr. Fox was there sitting at the corner of the building. We sat there looking at each other for a while, he was probably trying to figure out why a cat was taking a human for a walk but he sat and watched us. I kept a careful ear on him but I really just wanted to have a good roll in the mud, so with mummy keeping an eye on him, I had a good roll. Then as we moved further away Mr. Fox followed us, mummy said he looked hungry and maybe that was why he was out during the day. As you may have seen from my previous posts foxes really don’t bother me that much, last time we played hide and seek in the bushes which was fun so this time maybe he just wanted some company.

As mummy and I were playing I think I was right, Mr.Fox wanted to join in, he came closer and closer until he was making mummy a bit nervous. She was worried that I might want to play a bit too close to him and so before I knew it I was being shoved up a tree, the indignity! Really, how is that going to look to our new furriend, how embarrassing! “Sorry Jen” mummy said “better safe than sorry and you can watch him from up there, where you’re safe. We don’t want to scare him away as this is his home too and we can share our gardens with him.” So there I was up the tree with mummy down on the ground keeping watch whilst Mr. Fox nervously tucked into some food my little hooman girl friend had left out for him. I could hear him crunching and munching away.

Then when he’d finished his snack off he went again and mummy finally let me out of the tree. I could smell where he had been and had a good sniff of him but come on mummy let’s carry on with our walkies. Off we went, all the way down to the other end of the gardens. Playing and exploring along the way, chasing insects and hunting the birds. I just love being outdoors. Then when we got down to the far end, mummy was talking to some of her friends, that’s so boring coz while she’s talking she mostly stays in one place, only following me a little bit whilst I’m off trying to explore, there I am tugging at the lead to get her moving again but she just keeps chatting to them. Then rustling again, that got mummy’s attention, and up went my ears and I was on full alert. There he was again, Mr. Fox had followed us, well this time I wasn’t having any of this being shoved in a tree so I went to say hello to him, I slunk down into my hunting mode so as not to scare him too much, he obviously wants to be furriends so it’s only polite if we’re going to share our gardens. So there I was tugging and tugging at the lead to go closer to him then, she must have moved or said something the fox didn’t like as he ran off back into the bushes in the park, I ran after him to ask him to stay and join us but he had gone. Then I heard mummy laughing and saying to her friends “Fancy that, a blind cat hunting and scaring a fox away, who would have thought it?”

Well, annoyed at mummy making my furriend run away I decided it was time to go home, so off we went. Then just as we got closer to home mummy turned round and said I must have made a good impression with Mr. Fox as there he was in the distance following us again.

It was quite fun having another furriend on walkies with us and I hope he enjoyed his time out with us as much as I did. I enjoyed having something different to listen to and smell. Someone to challenge my senses a little bit and give me something to do that’s just a bit different. I’m not sure about sharing mummy though but I suppose that it’s ok as long as it’s only every so often and not every day.