Calm Down!

Since our move to the country the cats have been having a great time exploring their new surroundings. There are any number of new smells to investigate and places to visit. Fields are being explored and some of the local wildlife played with and sometimes brought home to be shown off. These little visitors do not always survive to tell the tale so there is a steady stream of small mammals to dispose of. Most recently the visitor was a rat and it was deposited in the Man's study for us to find.

I suppose the most important question about the little visitors is whether we are getting more or less than before the move. I think generally the rate is similar, but there is just more variety.

Our black panther has already found a new spot in which to pass the day. We have no idea where this is, but he clearly has somewhere. We will not see him all day and then he will turn up late in the evening, or sometimes in the small hours, desperate for affection and getting over excited. He will squeak to get our attention and purr very loudly, then lie down only to get up again a few seconds later. He pushes his paw under your hand to make you stroke him. This can go on for a good while.

When he is in this mood the trick seems to be to distract him to calm him down. Tonight it was the inside of a toilet roll and a light switch pull. But it worked and calm has been restored.