One of my favourite stories to read to small children is Hairy Maclary from Donaldson’s Dairy by Lynley Dodd. It has lovely illustrations and bounds along with a nice rhythm as Hairy McLairy, scruffy black dog, sets out for a walk with his doggy friends, only to be scared home by the local fierce cat.
It occurred to me that the author must be of my generation. When we were children it was accepted as quite normal for stray dogs to be around. I swear some people just let their dogs put in the morning when they went out to work and left them to fend for themselves until the owners returned home. There were certain routes to school that I avoided because of dogs we knew would be out and about. Nowadays you just don’t see the likes pf Hairy MacLairy and friends roaming the street.
Now, cats are a different matter altogether. I almost said they were a different kettle of fish but really that would be too many domestic pets for one post. Cats wander at will as a rule.
I am going on about wandering cats and dogs because my son and family contacted us last night to say their visit this weekend might have to be postponed as one of their kittens had gone missing.
They used to have an ancient cat called Audrey. Audrey was born under our oldest granddaughter’s bed and for the first six months of her life she was known as Mitch. But my daughter’s household had too many cats and so Mitch went off to London to live with my son and his then girlfriend, now wife. And Mitch was renamed Audrey. The granddaughter under whose bed Mitch/Audrey was born solemnly told her uncle that when she was grown up and had her own house she would reclaim her cat. By the time Audrey became old and infirm and was costing money in vets’ fees, the original owner had forgotten her promise and, besides, had other pets of her own in her house. Audrey finally passed away just over a year ago, much to the distress of the small girl in the family.
Then some six to eight months ago they decided to get two kittens, clearly feeling the need to add a little chaos into their busy lives. Truth to tell, there may have been some pressure from the small girl who ignored Audrey throughout her earliest years but in the couple of years before the cat died became very attached to her. And then it was not just one replacement cat but two - siblings!
Yesterday my daughter-in-law put out one of those distress calls on Facebook because one of the kittens had gone out in the morning and not returned by late afternoon. There was really no way they could travel north not knowing the fate of Buttons! The small girl set her favourite toys on her window ledge looking out for the missing cat. This morning as they set off to take the small girl to school, in walked the missing moggie, cool as a cucumber, clearly wondering what all the fuss was about. Typical cat behaviour!
The granddaughter under whose bed the original Mitch/Audrey was born has now commented that this is why her current cat, an agoraphobic rescue cat who refuses to go outdoors, and any cats she has in the future will all be indoor cats. This strikes me as going against the nature of cats, but there it is.
Anyway, the consequence of all this drama is that my son and family did not set off as planned at midday today. At mid afternoon he sent a message to say their lateral flow tests were all negative - hurray! - and that they were packed and ready to go. They’ll arrive early this evening, traffic permitting.
The cats, by the way, will be fed by friends and neighbours. We hope there will be no more untoward incidents.
Life goes on. Stay safe and well, everyone!
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