Month: August 2024

Well that was absolutely no fun at all.  I was snuggling M Kaz’s leg this morning – when she was going through her photographs after being down at the Broadwater to see the sunrise – when she pretended she was going to let me Outback.  She didn’t though – she just locked me in the laundry (she would say:  contained) and when she did let me back out I ran out, past the cat cage she’d obviously just made ready, and straight up to the bedroom and under the other Mummy’s bed.  I wasn’t going to move, but that was before the broom started coming under the bed looking for me.  I vamoosed out onto the back deck – M Kaz had kindly instructed M Sooz to open the door to lure me out from under the bed.  I swear she doesn’t think these things through sometimes.  Once on the back deck, M Kaz tried to catch me – but I was having none of that – and zoomed back inside and under the bed.  Funnily enough, the broom came looking for me again – so off I went back Outback.  This time both those Mothers tried to catch me and M Kaz finally scruffed me while I was trying to make myself go as heavy as I could under one of the chairs.  It doesn’t take much to put the next bits together – M Kaz jammed me into the cat cage, threw a cover over me, and took me out to the car and to the V-E-T.

The only good thing is that at the V-E-T’s, there was no thermometer – just a weigh-in (I’m maintaining my weight), a gum and tooth check (all good), tummy probe (no lumps or bumps to worry about), heart murmur listen (no change), a vaccination and a nail clip.  I gave M Kaz the silent treatment on the way home – and once we arrived home, but I took pity on her a while later and went and put my head on her foot as she sat on the side of the bed playing her casino game.  

Aunty M came round to see me yesterday – she’d come to put things in the Mummies’ rubbish bin or in the neighbour’s flexible blue skip. It was good to see her because she’s been so busy the last while – she’s packing up Mouse’s house before the sale is finalised, and she’s also looking for somewhere for them to live. At this stage they’re even thinking about renting so they have something in good time that they’re happy with. The hardest part of it besides deciding what needs to stay or go, is filling out rental applications. I know I wouldn’t want to have to fill out all that paperwork- which is why we cats just turn up somewhere and wait to be welcomed in and adopted. Yes, definitely no paperwork here.

M Kaz is a bit on the cross side at the moment.  You know how she loves to go down to the Broadwater very early in the morning to take photos of the sunrise and the birds?  Well, a week or so ago the Council arranged to have a net put across the mouth of the Ian Dipple Lagoon.  They said it was to keep some of the marine life out so it wouldn’t disturb the people who swim in there.  Not sure if that is working because there was at least one stingray that was trapped in the lagoon when the private contractors put the net in, and since then there have been fish getting trapped in the holes in the net.  Not sure why, but now there is a ‘KEEP CLEAR’ sign that appeared on the net sometime yesterday after M Kaz was down there.  So, why is she cross?  Because most of the bird life has disappeared from the lagoon – and she’s going to have to find a new place to have her coffee and take photographs in the morning.  Mmmmmmm.  It sounds like a first world problem to me but she does love taking those photographs.

Those Mummies spent a lot of time away from home over the weekend because they went out for lunch on Saturday and on Sunday.  I don’t mind them leaving me here by myself most of the time but two days in a row is a bit much – especially when they’re gone for hours and hours at a time. 

And when they came home yesterday, I don’t know what they’d been doing, but they both went down for a ‘Nana’ nap.  So basically I was on my own again.  At least I could tell what time it was now that M Kaz has fixed the clock on the oven!  I’m not quite sure how she broke it because they don’t use the oven that much (if at all) but I’m glad we can all know what time it is now.

The other thing M Kaz did on the weekend was fix the dryer.  I tried to help but she insisted it was something she needed to do herself – with the help of the Troubleshooting section of the manual.  It turned out to have something to do with the filters – who knew there were three sets of them in the dryer?  

That M Kaz is such a whiner.  Just because I want to kiss and cuddle her legs sometimes she gets all upset and tells the other Mummy that I’ m attacking her.  I hate to think what she’d be saying if she didn’t have long pants on when I’m being affectionate!  M Sooz says that if M Kaz is worried about my behaviour, then she should talk to the VET about it.  They’d have to get me there first.  Although it probably is time I let M Kaz take me because I need to be vaccinated again, and I hate to say this, to have my nails clipped – I wouldn’t ordinarily worry about it but M Kaz has been slack about getting them coiffed and they’re starting to catch on the carpet. 

It has been exciting here because the Mummies have been talking about giving me unrestricted access to the Outback.  M Kaz reasons that if they leave me out there while M Sooz is reading her 3,000-page book on Herr Hitler and M Kaz is locked in her office doing ‘transcribing’, it’s like I’m out there unsupervised anyway, so what would the difference be.  So there we have it  – and by the sounds of it, it looks like I’ll get my tray out of M Kaz’s bathroom at last because they’re talking about moving it out.  Finally I’ll get some privacy!

And I need my privacy – not just for personal matters but because that M Kaz just doesn’t ever put that camera down – she’s always got it pointed at me. For all I know she’s still taking  photographs of me while I’m sleeping.  I wouldn’t put it past her.

The Mummies are sad because the Olympics in Paris are over.  They are also happy because they are going to be there in a bit.  I know this because while they were showing aerial shots of Paris while they waited for the last person to finish the Women’s Marathon, M Kaz was using the television and Google Maps to show M Sooz exactly where they would be staying (that’s if M Kaz doesn’t change that booking!). 

They were crying during the Marathon – tears of happiness – as they watched while Kinzang, the Bhutan entrant, the last person to cross the finish line, was ‘paced’ by upwards of 300 people riding, walking and running beside the track with her for the last couple of kilometres.  She finished 90 minutes after the winner and about an hour (at least) after  the second-last contestant.  What an amazing feat and show of perseverance and fortitude.  I know if it had been me I probably would have just hopped onto the bus of DNFs (Did Not Finish) entrants – and have missed out on the show of what it takes to make an Olympian.  And even while this was going on, those Mummies wouldn’t let me up near the television so I could cheer her on as well.  Those Mothers can be so mean sometimes!

But they can be nice too.  After playing too hard with my terrace, it has fallen apart and has now been moved to the recycling bin.  M Kaz has put another one out for me – lovely of her, right?  Maybe if she’d given me one that I can fit into properly it would be better!  But I’m not really complaining – at least I have a cat-e-o. 

The rain has set in but as always it is nice and dry Outback.  I haven’t seen the Mummies out there much as M Kaz is busy in the office with trip planning and M Sooz is reading a bit, and watching some videos, and then reading some more.
Aunty M came over to see me yesterday.  She had lunch with the Mummies and me, although they didn’t seem to want me on the table while they were eating.  I’m not sure why – I’d cleaned my paws.  And speaking of the V-E-T – because those Mummies and Aunty M were – it would appear that I have to be on the lookout for M Kaz approaching me in the next week or so.  She is planning to take me for a routine blood test which would be fine except last time the V-E-T tried to take blood from me, I kicked up a bit of a fuss.  They’re not going to have another attempt unless I am sedated.  That sedation will be in the form of a couple of pills which Aunty M has recommended they use the ‘scruff (by the neck) and throw (down the throat) method for.  I am not looking forward to that – but the real question is, who is not looking forward to it more, me or M Kaz!  Stay tuned.