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Purrfect Films for Lockdown

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I hope this blog post finds you and your cats well and managing to cope in these strange times? Mr Ringo seems totally unaware of how exciting his social life is compared to the humans around him, I never thought I would say my cat goes out more than me!

Anyway the other day while I was looking at my dvd collection I noticed that I had quite a few feline themed films (surprise!) and thought I would tell you about them in case you were looking for cat films to watch while on lockdown. So here’s my top 5 favourites that you could get from the usual places online…..

The Cat Returns

The Cat Returns was made by the wonderful Studio Ghibli, think Japanese Disney but so much better! It’s the story of a young girl who rescues a cat from being run over, the cat she saves is The Cat King’s son and the King wants to reward her by allowing her visit the cat kingdom and marry the Prince. The girl then has to decide if she wants to live in the cat kingdom or return to her own world…….. this film has such a wonderful story, filled with lovely characters and beautiful art. It’s a film that will entertain all ages, pure escapism. This film is dubbed in English.

If Cats Disappeared From The World

This is the film of the book of the same name. It’s about a young man who is dying of brain cancer who makes a deal with the devil that he can get to live another day if certain things are removed from the world each day. The things that are removed each day are: phones, movies, clocks and finally cats! Each of these things are crucial to his relationships with his few friends and family. Sounds a bit weird I know but it works and makes for a beautiful and emotional film that really makes you think about your life. I loved it and the book is wonderful too. This film is Japanese and has subtitles.

The Cat Rescuers

This film is about animal activists in New York City and how cat rescue takes over their lives. It tells the story of 4 cat rescuers who help to save the lives of feral cats and also save and rehome abandoned feline pets. I enjoyed their heartwarming stories of how they helped the cats and also how the cats often helped the humans. Great characters both feline and human. Some mention of drug addiction.

A Street Cat Named Bob

There can’t be many cat people who haven’t heard of this wonderful real life story of how one stray cat helped a homeless man find a new life and eventually fame. From living homeless on the streets of London to writing a best selling book and having a film made about your life. This film mentions and features drug addiction. What a different direction one mans life turned after he rescued an injured ginger cat……lovely film starring the cat himself and some great music too.

Kedi

My final cat film has to be Kedi, this is the magical and remarkable film about stray and feral cats living on the streets of Istanbul. The story of how they wander in and out of people’s lives. This film has subtitles and features a cat death. The cinematography and music is simply breathtaking and enchanting and will stay with you for a long time…….

So those are my choices of my 5 favourite feline films that I will be watching while on lockdown. If you have any other cat films that you love please let me know……. Stay Safe and Stay Home where possible.

Love and purrs Rachel and Mr Ringo xxxx

Moon Diamonds by Madeleine Purslow

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I was recently sent a charming and heartwarming book called Moon Diamonds to read and review. The story is about an aging actress Monica who due to her failing memory is sacked from an acting job. Monica slowly realises she needs to rebuild her life and learn new interests which she soon discovers is easier said than done. The story introduces readers to Monica’s adorable Siamese cats Theodosia and later a new Siamese kitten called Ghilly, the story telling about the cats is hilarious and the author definitely knows the Siamese breed well. The cats are a constant comfort to Monica as she battles with loneliness and depression, not helped by her husband working away for long periods and her recent bereavement of her mother.

I really enjoyed this story about Monica, her cats and I also enjoyed the character of her cleaner Polly who had some great lines…. the stories of Monica trying out new interests was also highly enjoyable. I would have liked more story about her marriage and also her close relationship with her late mother Claudette and was slightly disappointed that the issues about Monica’s memory and depression were not in more detail but it didn’t lessen my enjoyment of the cat stories and the conversations surrounding the cats were very funny. This charming book is available from Amazon as a paperback or Kindle edition. I hope you enjoy it as much as me.

The Charm of the Older Cat

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When we were first married my husband and I decided to adopt a kitten, off we went to the nearest animal rescue centre looking for our dream furry baby to complete our little family. Two weeks later after approval from the RSPCA we returned from our second visit with two 12 year old female tabbies! How did one kitten turn into two 12 years old? The charm of the older cat is what happened……. when I saw them in the cat pen I was totally bewitched……..

The one called Tammy was very vocal and told me in her feline way that she was the cat for me and she was here to completely take over my life, oh and her quiet hiding sister was part of the deal, a kind of feline buy one get one free! When my husband saw the quiet sister called Giz, he was totally in love! I remember him saying what a beautiful face she had and he had to have her. So home with us they came, totally taking over our tidy pristine home so typical of newlyweds with no kids……

Gizmo, or “The Giz” to her friends

It soon became apparent that the rules in our house about the cats would soon go out the window. The rule of no cats on the bed was redundant after only a day, the one about only being allowed in certain rooms followed soon after. The rule that the cats only needed one bed each was soon forgotten, everything and everywhere was a cat bed. As all cat people know, the house is theirs; we just pay the bills and clean it!

Apart from falling in love with our retired felines, it made perfect sense to adopt older cats, they didn’t venture very far so I wasn’t worried about them staying out all night like naughty teenagers. They weren’t really into fighting, but Giz did see a dog out of the garden once, when a fence was down…..in fact Giz was quite a character where dogs were concerned and often slept in my mother’s dog’s bed when it stayed and ate all the dog biscuits, poor dog only had one eye and would often sit on Giz in the bed and receive many a cat paw in the face.

Tammy or “Tam”

Giz was a very plump older lady and many people thought with her young tiny head, she was pregnant until I told them how old she was and she wasn’t interested in” that type of thing!” Poor Giz was on a diet the whole time she lived with us, but she was never going to get into a bikini any time soon. We had to fit a larger cat flap for her as she got stuck in the first one…..I believe that sadly due to both her and Tammy  being in the rescue centre for a long time due to their age, this made her eat too much as she was most likely very bored. It’s very sad indeed that most people go for kittens over older cats in rehoming centres; they think they won’t live so long but both Tammy and Giz lived to 19 and 23!

Tammy was quite vocal and very demanding and would often pat my eyelids with a paw in the mornings if I didn’t get up and feed her when she wanted but there was a softer side to her and she always knew when I was feeling sad or poorly and would be by my side. She was also a very fussy eater and often had me cooking her chicken or fish instead of her usual cat food. She could also pee for England and I will never forget my vet trips in the car when that tail would suddenly pop out from the cat carrier and point, followed by projectile pee aiming at the dashboard!

Tammy and Giz were the inspiration for me setting up my cat sitting business 16 years ago and I’ve never looked back. Many people come to me as they need someone who can care for their older cat, with love, care and being able to give medications. I have a few tricks to help giving tablets and I’m also happy to give insulin injections. As part of my role as a cat sitter I sometimes have the responsibility to take poorly cats to the vets, sadly sometimes this means being there for the cat on their final journey, I would also never leave a cat alone to be euthanized, they are friends after all and I want to say goodbye.  I get to meet many cats and it’s the older cats that have so much  charm and character and I would recommend adopting older cats every time. So when you think about getting a kitten, take a moment to think if you could have an older cat in your life in their retirement years.

This blog post first appeared on katzenworld.co.uk on March 30th, 2019

An Average Day As A Cat Sitter…..

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Many people are fascinated by my work as a cat sitter and love to listen to my adventures……..

So what is an average day at work for Portsmouth Cat Sitting actually like? Well I’m not sure there is an average day as this job is sometimes very different day to day…..

Some days can be very uneventful, straightforward and very easy, while other days can be very stressful, busy and even heartbreaking.

Rachel with Mouse
Mouse and me

For example recently one day I visited 6 cats in their own homes and played, cuddled, fed, cleared litter trays etc all the normal cat stuff….very straightforward. The next day one of those houses involved me chasing a mouse around the house for 20 minutes because the resident cat had released it indoors and of course the cats humans were due home later that day!

The next house had me hoovering feathers for over an hour as the two resident cats had gone out for takeaway (feline style) and decided that it would be great fun to watch the cat sitter hoover all over the house and unblock feathers from the hoover over and over again! Of course their humans were due home that day too! There is something about a felines smug face that makes me wonder if indeed we are the superior species on this planet…….

Another house had me taking the cat to the vet due to a very large abscess appearing on top of its head, of course this cat had to be a very vocal Siamese who had some problems with my driving skills!! (How rude!) This was after me catching it and getting into a cat carrier…..

Oh and I mustn’t forget the last house that was pretty normal apart from scraping a dead rat off the bottom of my shoe……

Of course the job has a more serious side to it as well and can often be heartbreaking….I have sometimes taken a cat to the vet for emergency treatment, only to be told by the vet that euthanasia is the best thing for the cat. I may have cared and loved this cat for many years and its heartbreaking especially if its unexpected and I have to call the owners while they are on holiday to tell them. This part of my job is never easy but I like to feel I have helped in some way….and being a full time cat sitter I feel I have the time and experience to do this.

My job can often involve many vet trips and extra cat sitting visits to give the poorly cats their medication, this can be stressful at times but always so rewarding when a cat starts to recover and an owner returns from their holiday to a healthy and happy cat that they may have feared they wouldn’t see again…….

So that’s some of the things that can happen on an average day at work as a cat sitter…….

Love and purrs Rachel x

What if your cat spoke to you……..

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Imagine a world where some cats can speak…..I mean really talk! You’re happily pottering about at home and you answer the phone to hear someone talking to you, saying they are your cat. Your cat has not been seen for a while and you think it’s a sick joke, then the voice tells you things only your cat would know….are you dreaming, gone mad or is this really happening?

I can’t begin to imagine all the funny conversations I would have with Mr Ringo. I can also think of all the dilemmas and problems that would arise from living with a talking cat! Imagine how argumentative cats would be, how much emotional blackmail would go on, not to mention all the gossip they would know!

My reason for this blog is that I feel it is my duty to tell you about a series of wonderful books by Shirley Rousseau Murphy who writes Joe Grey crime novels. These books are whodunits with a feline edge, if you love cats and cosy crime mysteries you will love them. There are 21 in total and each one involves Joe Grey and his feline partner Dulcie both of whom can talk and during their crime solving adventures, they help the local police solve many crimes without I might add, the police realising…..

I know they sound quite different and no they are most definitely not children’s books, the stories work really well and you become addicted to the characters both human and feline. The conversations that Joe grey has with his bachelor owner Clyde are hilarious and worth the price of the book… these books are available only from the US but you can get them on kindle from the usual online retailers. I really hope if you read them you enjoy them as much as me. Enjoy! Love Rachel xx

Mr Ringo with pile of books

It’s Not Silly to Cry when your Cat Dies

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As passionate cat lovers, the thing we dread most is our cats dying. You have cared and loved your feline friend all of their lives or maybe some of it, however long they have been in your life, you love them unconditionally……

Your cat maybe going with you to the vets on its final journey or your cat may pass away naturally at home, hopefully with you. I’ve had my cats pass away after euthanasia at the vets and also after a home visit by the vet and I would always try to have this option if possible but of course it’s not always practical…….. As a cat sitter I will always stay with a cat if it needs to be euthanized while their family are away on holiday, I hope this offers some comfort to the cat and its family and the cat is a friend to me also……

What Greater Gift than the love of a Cat

Charles Dickens

Pet bereavement is slowly becoming more recognised as a highly emotional issue and I have noticed over the recent years more understanding surrounding the subject. Just the other day I noticed in my local vets a sign by a candle asking people to be respectful and speak softly if the candle is lit as someone is saying goodbye to their cat….. How touching and thoughtful is that?

I have also noticed some veterinary surgeries have special rooms for euthanasia, which is so much better and peaceful for the cat and the family.

So if you or someone you know has recently had a cat pass away what should you not say and what things will help……

4 Things NOT to say to someone whose cat has recently died

  1. It was just a cat, you can get another one!

 Ummmmm not helpful at all! Their cat was family and they are heartbroken, it’s not like getting a new mobile…..

  • OMG you had your cat cremated, isn’t that like weird?

No not weird at all, some people choose to have their cat’s body cremated; many people can’t have their cat buried in the garden. To be honest it’s up to you how you deal with your cat’s body.

  • They were too old and sick anyway.

 This is not helpful or kind, would you say this if it was the person’s human family? I think my point here is, please be tactful before you speak.

  • Oh you will get over it and move on, you have other pets.

 Please remember everyone is different and deals with grief differently. Each relationship we have with our cats is different and we all take our own time to grieve.

It’s also important to remember grieving over an animal that has died can be a huge trigger for unresolved past grief which can lead to huge sadness and depression in a person. I once stayed with a cat sitting client while she had her cat euthanized at home; she had no one else and wanted someone there who understood how much she loved her cat. Even though the situation was handled calmly, peacefully and professionally by the vet, sadly the lady was extremely traumatised by the whole experience and I was very concerned for her. She later told me that her husband had died 3 months ago and this was the first time she had really cried.

Things to Help with Cat Grief

  • Most important CRY!
  • After euthanasia ask the vet to leave you alone for a while so you can say goodbye to your cat and keep a fur clipping/collar.
  • Make a remembrance area in your home or garden of your cat, using photos or drawings of them. Have a garden ornament maybe and scatter their ashes there.
  • Give a donation to a local cat charity.
  • Pop their ashes into a plant pot in the garden, maybe with roses in?
  • When you feel able, surround yourself with like minded people and talk about the whole experience.
  • CRY some more!
  • If you have no one to talk to there are people who can help click here

Just try to remember that losing a cat is an extremely difficult time and they are family so a big part of our lives and it certainly isn’t silly to grieve their loss.

Some people like to remember their cats in photos.
In memory of Marble 9th July 2002-4th May 2019 photos by Louise Waller. My Mr Grey xxx

LondonCats’ Cat Extravaganza!

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This spring a cat show and clowder of feline related vendors will hit London in what promises to be the feline equivalent to Crufts……

I have to be honest I’m a little undecided about cats and shows, I do worry that the cats get stressed but I’m happy to keep an open mind and go see for myself and I do realise there are some cats of certain breeds that love all the fuss and attention……

I also hear there will be cat agility! No this is not a late April Fool, it’s true! I have heard of many cats really enjoying agility and it’s very popular with people wishing to look after their cats physical and mental health, especially if these cats are kept mostly indoors. I’m very interested in finding out more about this but I think Mr Ringo may not be impressed lol!

Londons Cat Extravaganza

There will also be a multitude of vendors and some celebrity guests promised. I’m also hoping there will be a variety of yummy food stalls. Maybe I will see you there?

For more information click here

Cat Friendly Gardens

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If your cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and loves spending time in the garden, there are things you can put in place to make your cat feel environmentally enriched and happier in their home territory. One of my assignments for the Certificate of Feline Behaviour was to design a cat friendly garden and I would love to share my design ideas with you….

Mr Ringo’s Garden…….. click to enlarge

We cats need things in our world that encourage our natural behaviours to keep us mentally and physically well….

Mr Ringo

What do I mean by environmentally enriched? Well cats need to be able to display natural behaviours, they need sensory and predatory stimulation and they need to feel safe in their territory. Smell and scent is SO important to cats, they need to take in scent to know what is going on in their world and be able to leave scent by either rubbing, scratching and spraying. We can help them achieve this better by providing the following…….

  • Pots of herbs or a growing area for cat friendly herbs such as catnip, cat mint, valerian and cat grass.
  • Allow scratching areas such as trees, logs (vertical and horizontal) and posts. This makes your cat feel secure in his territory by being able to scratch, rub scent glands on surfaces and spray objects, this helps to tell other cats this is his territory.
  • If possible have a green roof for wild flowers and herbs that are both beneficial to nature and for cats to sleep on in the sun.
  • Cats also need to display predatory behaviours and by us providing areas accessible to cats to hunt can help us with pest control and provides excitement for our cats. Composting areas are ideal for this.
Mr Ringo enjoying his garden

Other things to consider in the garden…….

  • Remember that not all plants are safe for cats and can be fatal if eaten. Please checkout this link for more info: click here
  • Depending on your set up or where you life, you may want to consider fence proofing the garden to keep your cat in for safety and animals out.
  • Most cats love being up high, they often feel safe high up, so think about providing cat shelves or other high up places for them to sit and watch their world go by.
  • If your cat enters the garden via a cat flap, consider placing pots just outside the flap, this provides hiding places when exiting the home. Often cats are hesitant when using flaps as other cats can ambush them.
  • Cats rarely drink from water bowls placed near their food and like to find water elsewhere as wild cats would do….so place water bowls around the garden. Cats much prefer rain water to tap water anyway.
  • Lastly think about having a cat latrine in the garden, your neighbours will thank you and also you can keep an eye on your cats digestive health (if you see him using it)
Mr Ringo in his garden

I hope you enjoyed reading all about Mr Ringo’s garden and please share on social media with your cat friends xxx