Our cats and dog: a blog

As of January 2010 when this page was started, we had three cats and a dog.

The page is updated Sunday the 24th of January, 2016.

Since we take Misty, and sometimes Xanna, for walks with our dog, there are some interesting anecdotes on the subject. This page is a blog - with links to other relevant pages.

Introducing a puppy to grown cats

I could write a lot on this subject but the relationship will always make itself: I think there is little the owner can do to assist. We carefully chose Poppy for temperament, reading up on breed characteristics and choosing a breed that was likely to do well. Poppy is 75% Springer spaniel, with 25% Labrador. We also carefully considered the breeder: Poppy was born into a private household and had lots of human company in her early days. Her mother (Springer-Lab cross) had a beautiful temperament.

All three cats fairly quickly accepted Poppy - though as far as we can tell, none of the cats can think of any use for her!

Forest of Dean

In August 2009 we completed purchase of our retirement home in the Forest of Dean. So, when we can, we take Misty and Poppy down there for a on weekend it's a reliable 3 hours from our Cambridge house. Many of the walks with the cats are therefore Gloucestershire based and are on the cottage www site. We have taken both of them on several walks.

12th September 20090

We took Misty and Poppy for a walk wound Weshbury wood and Hill fort. Pictures on the Green Bottom site.

3rd October 2009

Walk to St Anthony's Well with Misty and Poppy. Pictures on the Green Bottom site. Not the first time we had taken them in this direction and surely not the last! It's a lovely place.

30th October 2009

I took Poppy and Misty for a long exploratory walk in the forest. I intended doing a long walk and was fully expecting to get Misty so tired, I would need to carry her. Not a bit of it. Every time I picked her up she quickly jumped down, after a quick nuzzle and a look around (a human makes a good grandstand!). 5kM through the forest is a mere outing for Misty. Poppy wasn't phased either though she must have dome about 20kM! Pictures on the Green Bottom site.

28th November 2009

We took hem for another long walk: this time about 4kM. It was very wet underfoot: cats don't like wet feet and a Siamese cat has a very thin coat. I expected to carry Misty some of the way. Not a bit of it. She objected to my helping her and when we came to a wet bit, she shouted for us to slow down so she could pick her way over the mud and puddles. Pictures on the Green Bottom site.

End December2009

We went down to Green Bottom for a few days after christmas. Snow everywhere. Very cold, very wet. No problem for a dog, but not very clement, so she only had couple of shorter walks, But for a cat - and a Siamese at that? We left Misty in the warm.

So, when we put Misty in the car to leave, she completely lost her temper and was a real rat bag. Misty, normally a very placid and happy cat, snapped at Poppy, and at Xanna. And at us! She really was upset we'd not taken her!

The problem with cat and walks is that their communication and body language is not on the same level as a dog, who has little problem communicating with a human. But a cat mewing in a car? I it excitement or distress? With many of the cats I have walked, they are clearly asking me for something: not food, not affection. I have suspected it's walkies. With Misty, there is now no doubt - she is addicted to walking with us!

Electric cat?

This December holiday we also took Xanna. And installed the cat flap sp the cats could get out. One morning we opened the front door to heat Xanna loudly calling: she sounded trapped. We could not work out where sh was trapped as the sound kept apparently changing its source, as we moved around searching.

Then I happened to look up: there was Xanna some 25 feet up the mains electricity distribution pole outside the house. We tried to encourage her down. no luck! So I knocked on the neighbours door - yes, they had a ladder though it wouldn't be quite long enough. Getting a cat down from a live electricity pole is dangerous: I'm an electronic engineer and have a healthy respect for electricity!

So I started extending the ladder up the pole. Part way up, Xanna decided it was now safe and backed carefully all the way down to the ground! Shame I didn't have the camera - but we were rather more concerned with Xanna's safety. It's the second time she's hot stuck up an electricity pole (first was in Witcombe). I wonder how many lives she has left!


February 19th 2010

A flying visit to do as bit of work: we went down on the Thursday. Bad weather had been forecasted, but there were things we needed to do. Bad weather we got! It snowed a blizzard on the way down, motorways were in grid lock and it took us nearly 6 hours to get down there - the only time the trip Burwell to Green Bottom has taken over 3 hours by motorway!).

However the Forest of Dean was beautiful in the snow, see the pictures of Green Bottom in the snow. After Misty telling us off at the end of December, we had to take her on the walks. Being a Siamese cat, she has a thin coat, so can't take the cold. So she spent most of the three walks in my coat with her neck craned out to see what was around. She ventured out a few times, but that white stuff was really cold to walk on!

It did the trick: she was her normal happy self on the way home.

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Page design by Richard Torrens.

© 2010 Richard Torrens.
Page first published Sunday the 17th of January, 2010.
Last modified: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 08:44:33 GMT
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