Salty has had his chips

We have ordered a new microchip cat door from this company in Guernsey. http://www.petport.com/about3.htm It is expensive, but if only our cat is eating the cat food it will probably pay for itself eventually, and we will all have more peaceful nights as the only animal that can come in is the one whose chip number has been programmed in.

We went to Stanmore, and paid bills and got more provisions as the snow is coming! We had lunch at the Man in the Moon. Mason managed to get an appointment at the vets, so now Salty has a readable microchip.

I saw Wynford and chatted a while, and when walking down to the library met Poppy and Ben with Lilu, and we chatted before going off in different directions.

In the library somehow I lost my glasses, but just as I was going to panic the librarian luckily found them on the floor. I got several books out, including an Alexander McCall Smith book called The World According to Bertie, which I am looking forward to reading.

It began snowing in the evening, and snowed all night.

Traumatic vet visit and beginning to do Christmas cards

Yesterday we had to take Salty for his booster injection. He meowed all the way to the vets, and when she examined him he left wet footprints on the examination table he was sweating so much. He weighs nearly 4 kilos now, and the vet thought he looked very healthy, and gave him a worm pill too. We went carefully home again, Salty still very unhappy in the car, and us reeling from how much the outing had cost us. Salty spent the rest of the day recovering and sleeping, and I cooked him some pollack as he really enjoys that fish sometimes.

Today was bright and sunny, and Salty back to normal chased rainbows from the crystal all over the carpet, and watched them moving across the ceiling, while we had a late breakfast. Making the most of the weather I moved the Geraniums from the back window box, and planted them in a tub to overwinter in the conservatory. I called Margaret, and had an early surprise birthday card from Christiane and Eddie. Later I started doing some Christmas cards, which I know I should have already finished.

Strangleing cats and painting preparation

On Saturday we took Salty back to the vets to have his tail checked; he is repairing nicely. The vet said if she saw him again too soon she would strangle him, and I said I would help her to do it.

My eyes were hurting today and I thought that I may be going to get a cold after such cold swimming yesterday. We went back to the DIY store and changed the colour of our paint, and got more floor wood.

On Sunday the weather was warm and sunny, but I spent the day washing down the walls and cupboards with sugar soap, thus breaking the habit of a lifetime as I have always painted over grime and cobweb so sealing them in. Reflecting on this later I decided to go back to my old ways next time, too much preparation is for the birds!

I also managed to get in a bit of gardening, and planted a few more cuttings; I am trying to spend a bit of time each day in the garden to raise my vitamin D levels. The garden is looking nice at the moment. Mas went off and got some shopping, and yet more DIY stuff. I did not get a cold, and my eyes are OK again. I am reading a book by Alan Coren called The Cricklewood Dome. I have always admired people who can write about ordinary, everyday things, and make me laugh out loud.

Traumatic cat neutering and relaxing with Genghis Khan

We got up early and took Salty off to the vets before we even had our morning coffee. We left him there, and went home and had breakfast. Both of us felt sad for the cat, even though we believe we are doing the right thing for his health, apart from the fact that we cannot afford to support his love life.

We moped around all day doing our usual chores, and got shopping at Stanmore and went for a pub lunch. We collected Salty from the vets at 3.30pm, and took him home. The vet had cleaned up the bites on his tail, and shaved off a lot of his tail fur as well as neutering him; he was very pleased to be home again.

Florence phoned and chatted, and in the evening we watched a Russian version of Genghis Khan which was very interesting. We had been advised to keep Salty in all night until the anaesthetic was out of his system, so we did, and went to bed quite early

Clear scan and verdant countryside

Yesterday was my turn to go to the Royal Free hospital where I had a blood test, and was told that my recent scan was clear. While I was at the hospital Mas took Salty to the vets to have his stitches out; Salty did his best to shred Mason's jacket sleeve clawing through the side of his carrying box.

Toby phoned in the evening which was nice, and we watched John Nettles in one of the Midsomer Murders; it is lucky we live in the suburbs as the countryside is obviously much too dangerous!

Today we drove off to St. Albans and met Tania and Robert in Sazio's for lunch and got our usual shopping before driving home. The countryside is looking lovely now in full leaf, with lots of horse chestnut trees in flower and yellow fields of oil seed rape in bloom.

Diane's celebration and Salty stress

Today it was arranged that we were to go to the Garden Cafe in Regent's Park where Diane was to celebrate 'new beginnings' with friends and family.

When Mas and I got up, Salty came in, and we noticed that he had cut his paw rather badly, and it looked as if it should be stitched. We got ready, and we planned that I should go ahead and explain what had happened to Diane, and Mas should take Salty to the vet. We tried various neighbours to see if we could borrow a pet cage to put him in while Mas drove to the vet, but no one was in. Ma took Salty into the car and drove to the vet in Borehamwood, Salty in the meantime was making a terrible noise and moving all over the car until he settled on Mason's shoulders.

I got to Regent's Park easily and met Wendy and Stuart on the way. Diane's party went really well and before long Mas arrived. It was nice seeing Diane's family again, and Pete and Lorraine were there as well. Mas had left Salty at the vets, and we could collect him at 6.30pm as someone would come and open the vets office for this purpose.

The cafe is an attractive building in the park, and spring flowers were out too.

After we said our farewells Mas and I went back to Stanmore on the tube, got into the car and went off to the vets. We collected Salty who looked fairly groggy, from the anaesthetic, paid a huge 'out of hours' vet's bill and went home.

We kept Salty indoors all night which meant that I did not sleep at all, as he was roaming all over the house meowing, standing on me or pouncing on me while purring loudly. At one point he yowled horribly till I got up, and then he took me to the various possible places where he could leave the house from, but I did not let him out.

Vet visit

On Tuesday morning we put Salty into the cage we had borrowed from a neighbour and drove off to the vets in Boreham Wood. Salty went through his entire repertoire of meows, biting and scratching the plastic cage in between.

Once with the vet, Salty was the model of sweetness and good behaviour which lasted until we were back in the car again. The vet gave Salty an injection in his neck which he did not seem to notice at all, and we left with a worm pill to give him in two weeks time.

Devil cat and cantankerous car

Wednesday, the day we had to take Salty for his flu shot at the vets.....before we set off I wrapped Salty in a towel, and buttoned him into my coat as before, but we took a cardboard box to put him in in case there were large dogs in the waiting room at the vets.

We set off, and the kitten went rigid and pushed away from me, and began to get free, just as we were going through an awkward cross road. When we could, we stopped and stuffed the kitten into the cardboard box which he resisted with all his might, this of course did not stop him and he had soon forced the seams in the box apart, and was pushing his daemon mask full of barred teeth out of the box together with all the clawey bits. Luckily I had a thick jacket on and managed to put my arms across the holes, and then Salty decided to try and shred all the bits he could reach.

It was at this point that the car began to make a strange noise, and we soon realised that it was boiling, and the windows steamed up. And as quickly as we could we pulled into a car park, and turned the engine off, hoping we had done this before there was more damage to the car.

We went into the Vets, and Salty looked as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth when he was let out of the box. He had his flu shot and a leukaemia shot too and was given a worm pill. The kind Vet lent us a cage to take him home in which was lucky as we had to walk to the car. The Vet also gave us some water and anti freeze. Walking past the shoppers one man asked us if we wanted our kitten, otherwise he did!

Mas attended to the car, and we set off with the cat meowing like a tap dripping; we did not get far before the car was dangerously overheating again, and we had to pull into a petrol station and put more water into the radiator, this now made four bottles of Evian water! We managed to get home just as the car began boiling again! We were so relieved to make it home after all this!

Kitten coddling

Today I buttoned the kitten inside my jacket and we went to Boreham Wood, to the vets, where he was examined. We were given some kaolin based pasty medicine to syringe into his mouth. Needless to say the kitten did not enjoy this, but got over it quickly. We were told to give it white fish or chicken until his stomach settled, and there was no problem with persuading him to eat this!

The whole house filled with the aromatic scent of fish, and we found we seemed to spend all day looking after the kitten who still wanted to be held all the time; and I was remembering the saying be careful what it is that you wish for!

Of cats and cars

Mas and I went to Boreham Wood as there are two pet shops there, and we thought we would see if there were any kittens. First we looked in the nearest pet shop, but they did not have any kittens for sale we then had a fish and chips lunch and we got the shopping we needed and thought about finding the next pet shop.

We found our car would not start despite trying numerous times to get it going. Finally I was going to call the breakdown recovery people, only to find my phone needed recharging! With the help of the friendly girl in the pet shop we managed to phone and were told help would arrive within the hour. The cheerful breakdown man arrived, got in the car, turned the key, and hey presto it started immediately! We felt duly mortified, but he said it was surprising how often this happens, and after completing the forms he left grinning and waving.

We tried a Vets practice, and they gave us useful numbers to try for a rescue kitten. The second pet shop did not have live animals, so we went home. In the evening we watched the concluding parts or The Bill and Silent Witness, and to cheer me up we watched an episode of Jeeves and Wooster.