Seasonal Chaos - all so hectic, and a Lost Cat

Hello - it's been a while...
As some readers know, we adopted 2 new "brother and sister" cats (Charlie & Cleo, aged 7), from a rescue service, after our dear old ginger cat Whitton died in September. Charlie & Cleo (both black, domestic shorthairs) had been with us for 5 weeks this Monday - so by this time we thought we could try letting them out in the great green yonder (outside the back door). Meanwhile there's been the run-up to Christmas - or the festive holiday season - and I've been getting on with writing my Christmas cards, doing shopping, going to Carol Service practices and various meetings. We've also been trying to keep in touch with our son Tom, who is in prison. I am the letter writer in this marriage, and I have to send Tom a postal order of money once a week, so that he can buy a few personal items, mainly batteries for the cell TV (the TV batteries last only up to 4 hours). He and his cellmate like to see films, so it soon goes.

This week we decided to let the new cats go outside in our garden - yesterday only Cleo ventured out, while Charlie hung back. She was fine: she went all around the garden, sniffing and exploring, then coming back in through the catflap, which was new to her (so I had tied it open)- then going off again, this time excitedly climbing some of the small trees we have out there - after the birds?. I took 3 pictures of her up a now leafless buddleia tree. We let her have 2 hours out there, and then kept her in. Today my husband D. let both cats out, while I was at an Al Anon meeting - actually driving there (a short trip) by myself, now! I got back at mid-day to find Charlie "missing". That remained so till 7 pm (about 8 hours) - by this time, we had called him often, "banged" on his food bowl with a knife outside, and phoned round various agencies that might help trace him - the 'Petlog' microchip people, the vet's and the former owner (5 miles away). I told 2 neighbours about it, too. I went out with his food, tapping the bowl and calling.

He is still quite timid, so I feared he would be lying low in the bushes, lost a block away, might have bolted off, or even tried to make it back to his old home... He had been "thawing out" recently, letting us stroke him, coming out of his hiding places more (often to take his sister Cleos' food), and being more friendly (purring, coming out, letting himself be stroked) - but still rather aloof and ready to go to ground in the house. It looked lkike we would not see him again, unles someone took him, and his microchip was read - or he picked up Cleo's scent nearby and followeed it home. But then our neighbour's wily 9 year old tabby cat, Jack, was hanging around - waiting to drive a timid new cat away. Every time I called Charlie - Jack came up to me! I had to shoo him away. Then as I was making another phone call, Charlie came from upstairs - slinking down. I was flabbergasted (ie. well surprised)! Maybe he had never been out - he seemed to have been hiding under my bed, behind a lot of books and packing cases (etc.), all along.

Maybe we still have to try him outside - my husband is not quite sure he saw him go out - only that he was not there! (Oh dear - men!!) We still have to try Charlie out of doors,a nd see how he copes. I sincerely hope we will not have a repeat performance - he has already gone missing in our house about 3 times. Seems he does a disappearing act - like "Macavity " in the famous cat poem by T S Eliot (as in the musical, Cats. Well - I have to stop now and get our meal - there's good TV on later - the "Rome" series (I love that sort of "over the top" historical drama).

I am looking forward to some things this season - a trip to teh famous Kew Gardens (near here) for carol singing in the gardens by fairy lights; a Carol service at my local church this Sunday - I will be singing with the choir for that, and we are rehearsing on Friday evenings, and seeing my sister on Christmas Eve; then a good pantomime, "Aladdin", int he new year at our local theatre. Pity Tom will not be with us - that will make it all a bit too quiet - just me and D. on Xmas Day. But we have no choice - and it will be good to have the cats too, unless Charlie goes off again! Cleo is a gorgeous ;ittle lap-cat; she snuggles up, often on D's lap. She also washes (licks) our hair or clothed bodies too, as if we were her kittens.

Sorry if you do not like cats much - they have always been my weakness! One more mad story for the season:... Today I house-sat for a neighbour for an hour, while she taught a class in the college nearby, and a computer engineer was doing a job in her house. Her crazy Jack Russell bitch dog then took her adult son's furry hat, or a slipper-?, out into the garden, chewing it like a rat - I did not dare to get it off the dog, who then sat on my lap, still chewing the hat... That's life!

Well have a good holiday - or Christmas... I'll write again when I can.
God bless - love and peace,
Tigey