Rainy Friday

After we had finally all settled down to sleep, it suddenly got quite loud outside – the rain came down in what sounded like bucket-loads! One of those “ooh, it’s good to be snuggled under the duvet with cats” downpours.

I was woken quite rudely quite early this morning: try as you might, you can NOT ignore a cat with a splinted leg stepping on your boobs! Sigh. The Mips were quite insistent that I should get up, I caught Lady Jane somehow crouched on the closed fanlight, trying her best to open it! Mewthos picked up my phone, dropped it on the floor and put his paws on it. Lady Jane was quite agitated, insisting she must go out, NOW! I found out the cause of her agitation, while I was making my coffee: She sat on the chair behind me and turned it into a litter box! Urgh!

I can’t really hold that against her, though. That new type litter I tried is not very good. It doesn’t do much to help with the smell, and even though I scoop it daily, I’ve noticed flies in the box. With the litter being dark, it’s also difficult to tell which is wet and which is dry, so you end up scooping more of the litter with every wet load. With the sand, I can let the dry sand trickle off so I only the wet clump gets thrown out. I really should have replaced the litter yesterday, but I got so caught up with the game, it got too late. So, overall: It may be cheaper to purchase, but since it needs replacing more frequently, it actually works out to the same price. I still have one bag of it, so I’ll use that next and then go back to the Ultra Fine Sand.

Well, my cats all sit by the door wanting to go out – but it is overcast, dark and I don’t want to let even Ziva out while everybody is still rushing to work. Especially since the roads are wet. I hold out until eight, and I must say, they behaved very well.

Once I open the door, Snowball comes running in! I’ve heard him caterwauling outside when I sat down for my coffee. He’s wet and hungry, poor thing. Romeo soon follows. My cats rush out excitedly when I open the door, but the Mips soon turn back in disgust when they realise that everything is wet and it is still raining! Ziva doesn’t care, she’s off on her rounds.

In the kitchen, I see that someone has thoroughly licked every bit of Mayo out of my bowl! I had made myself a chicken-mayo salad yesterday – and had a battle to keep Mewthos’ nose out of my food!

According to the weather forecast it will continue to rain most of the day, which is a bit of an embuggerance, since I should get my car back today and I had intended to go to Makro from there. But in this weather, who wants to lug 5kg sand bags from one end of the garden to the other? Maybe I’ll go anyway – I can always leave the heavy stuff in the boot until tomorrow.

But we need the rain, oh so very desperately! Our local dam is at less than 10% of capacity! Those 10mm odd rain forecast for today should help, but still, the water situation in PE is critical. And then there are still people who waste water!

Snowball is such a placid cat! I can hardly believe it was he, who was seen chasing The Terror down the road! Here, in my flat, he is such a placid pleasure – Mewthos can hiss at him to his heart’s content, Snowball does not react. When I give the Mips a treat, he comes to see – but doesn’t even try to get any treat, he just settles down at the kibble dispenser and starts munching while keeping an eye on what we’re doing. When I play with the Mips, he comes closer and watches carefully, but does not join in. He investigates without ever interfering or doing anything to upset either Mips or me. He’ll play with the catnip chaser – but only when the Mips are nowhere near. He’s just enjoying the company, not being all alone. As I’m playing with the Mips, I keep bringing the stick they chase close to Snowball – Mewthos has gotten quite close to him without hissing during play-time! I use the same tactic to bring Ziva and Mewthos closer together, try and stop her being so aggressive toward her son!

Poor Mewly, that splint seems to be getting heavy. Well it’s not getting heavier, but I think he’s running out of energy. He no longer lifts it when he walks, no more clonk, clonk. He now just drags it along.

Well, it’s official! This cheaper litter sand does NOT get the Lady Jane stamp of approval! Normally, when I re-fill the litter box, Lady Jane jumps in and starts scratching enthusiastically and happily while I’m still pouring the sand in! Today, when I filled it with this dark gravel she just sat there looking at me as if to say “You can do better!”

As much as we need the rain, it leaves my cats bored to tears! So I take out the wand and play with the Mips for a bit – Ziva is not interested. I have to play gently with Mewthos, since he can’t jump and shouldn’t run – but Lady Jane needs to burn off some energy. In the middle of our play my phone rings: my car is ready! So I put on a rain coat … and poor Snowball, I have to carry him outside! I tell him he can wait for me on the porch, where it’s dry – I won’t be gone too long. Would you believe that’s exactly what he does? I was gone over an hour and he still sat exactly where I had put him down, waiting patiently!

On a side note: Having a bored Mewthos in your home is not a recipe for mental health!

While I stood outside (well, actually, inside the garage) waiting to be collected, Romeo came by. He definitely tried to tell me something – either that he wants to eat and I should open the door, or that Snowball is waiting for me. He didn’t simply walk past or come for attention – he clearly came to tell me something.

It has stopped raining for a bit, so Mips and Ziva are happy to get outside for a while. For myself, I went and got everything I need for a lekka stew! So, I’m trying to decide how best to go about my cooking! And just what spices to add – breyani? Curry? Or a good old hearty German stew?

Well, I’ve decided on a hearty German stew, albeit with brussel sprouts (not a German vegetable!). But first I better wash the dishes to make some room. This is something I can only do between projects: Feel like a specific meal, go out and get the ingredients then make it the same day. During projects, the time it takes to get groceries cuts too far into my evening to still make an elaborate meal. It’s either or: either go grocery shopping or cook an elaborate dinner.

Around half six it was already late dusk and time to get the Mips indoors. Ziva came running in as well, so I was glad to have everyone inside. Only … usually Snowy goes home at this time, but I saw him doing his business in the garden where all cats love to go, by the washing line. And Lady Jane kept going back to the door, sitting crouched looking under the door – so I knew Snowy was outside. It couldn’t have been Romeo – he usually caterwauls loudly when he wants to come in. So I opened up and let him in – and Ziva took the chance to dash out!

For the first time Snowy looks something other than placid: he looks a bit … apprehensive? Like he doesn’t know what to think of being allowed inside after dark. He went to check out my bed, but when I took a peek around the door, he came running out. Now he’s sitting on the blankie behind me, looking around – not napping, just … sitting there. I’ve opened the door – to call Ziva – but he shows no interest in going back out. Let’s see how this plays out!

The Mips are making up for their ‘imprisonment’ by zooming around like pinballs! Both of them, Mewthos as well. They’ve got a lot of energy to burn off – and boy, are they burning off energy now! When they come cavorting too close to Snowy, he just looks up, startled, that’s all. No further reaction from him. He is such a placid, inoffensive and beautiful cat! I opened a tin of wet food when Ziva came back inside, and he sat and waited until my cats finished eating and left the kitchen, only then did he go and clean their bowls!

Mewthos, on the other hand, will stick his head into any bowl half-way through his share – which offends Ziva no end! She’ll give me a look, while I’m already pushing Mewly back to his own bowl. He also tore my lounge curtains quite badly today: he was on the window sill and stuck his head through the hole Lady Jane had made that time – and then he jumped, tearing it open all the way down! Sigh!

Well, my stew won’t be ready tonight, so I’m having some bread rolls now. It needs to simmer for 3-4 hours, so it’ll be ready by nine. No worries, though. Stew always tastes better the second day! I’ll add the veggies when I re-heat it for tomorrow.