A short break

Dear furriends,

We are taking a little break from blogging and will return after three weeks. SS is going to Kauai next week for a much needed holiday. My gran will be looking after me while she is gone.

Keep well, efurryone!!!

My Neighbourhood

Today I am going to show you around my neighbourhood. Although we live in Sydney, we don’t actually live in the city. We live in a suburb to the west of the city, along the Cook's River. It used to be an orchard district, so we are blessed with rich soils and pleasant, flat lands.....

Along the river is the Bay to Bay Walk/Cycle Path. It stretches from Botany Bay, where the first fleet landed to Homebush Bay, where the Olympics were held in 2000. The path is lined by various native trees, such as the eucalyptus, as well as pine and willow trees.

There are often families of ducks paddling in the river and colourful native birds singing in the trees. Despite the pleasant surroundings, it is very quiet and you’d never meet more than 10 people in a hour’s walk along the path. Pretty flowers are seen throughout the year, even in the depth of winter...

No walk is complete without meeting a kitty. This is one of my neighbours....

He and his tabby brofur live a block away from me. They have their own individual wooden chalets in the garden. He is quite used to SS walking past and doesn’t run away from her.

This is my little house...

I am usually only allowed out here in the front garden under supervision. My domain is the back garden where it is fenced off for my safety.

Thursday in the (winter) garden

SS has been very busy with writing 'papers' lately. So visiting and blogging have been relegated to the back burner :sigh:. I really don't get what's so interesting about 'papers' anyway. Not that it results in treats, or getting green papers.

Umm, what am I going to show my furriends today?

Despite all my moanings about the cold and the rain, our garden is not doing so badly at all. Quite colourful, really, considering that it is winter. No thanks to the lazy SS though; the plants just flourish all on their own with some help from the rain.

Lastly I must thank all the kitties who purr for my cousin Marzepan. He seems to be doing OK. He is very skinny and not eating much at all. Still hanging in there for his mom to come back. She is coming home this weekend!!!!!

Please purr for Marzepan

We are all very, very sad at present. My cousin Marzepan is dying.

He is a lovely white kitty who came to live with my uncle's family over 18 years ago. He was one of four feral kittens born near the family home. He was very young and had to be bottle fed at first. At the time there was another male cat, Midnight, in the home who totally took over the mothering, to the extent of producing milk!!!! They have been inseparable ever since.

When Midnight was killed 18 months ago by a speeding motorist just outside their home, Marzepan went into a deep depression.

A few weeks ago, Marzepan was diagnosed to have inoperable cancer of the nose. The family did not want to put him to sleep because he didn't seem to be in any pain. In the last two days, he has not eaten much, only a few sips of milk and some soft minced beef. He has kept to his basket and slept most of the time. Very atypical of the active mancat with a big appetite for absolutely anything that was edible.

We would like to ask effurryone to purr for him so that he is comfortable in his last days. His mom is doing voluntary work in rural China and won't be coming home until July 23. While we all hope that he would stay with us long enough for his mom to say goodbye to him, it may not be possible. All we are hoping now is that his last days and passing be as peaceful and painless as possible.

Update
Thanks +++++ for all the purrs. The family is very appreciative of them. Marzepan seems to be a little better - he climbed out of his basket for a short time this morning. SS was in touch with his mom. She really would like to be back to see him before he leaves. Nineteen years is a long time to be together without saying a last goodbye. Please, please continue to purr for him. It's working!

Floofy Friday

Before I start showing off my floof, I would like to ask effurryone to consider entering the following photo contest (do not click the box, click here)

Now, down to the serious business. This is my meat-loaf position. It's a good one to keep warm.....



Enjoying what there is left of the winter sun....

My floofy winter coat is just the thing to keep me snuggly warm on those chilly, frosty mornings that will be the norm for the next month or more.

Have you noticed that even my front legs look chubbier with the floof :) ?

Don't get fooled by all that floof, I am only a small cat, weighing in at just over 3kgs (a little over 6 and 1/2 lbs).

Morning activities in the garden

Well, just to show that I am completely recovered here are some of the pics taken this morning when I was in the garden. It was kind of sunny and relatively warm, so SS let me out under supervision.

First of all, I went to the back of the shed to check on the empty pots....



Then, I visited my favourite spot - under the old jasmine tree where some of the exposed roots provided a great target for bunny-kicking....


Oh SS, you are there with the flashy box again :sigh:...


No peace or privacy around there, I tell you. Sheesh, I am going up the tree to get away from all the attention .........

OK, all these activities are a little tiring, time to go inside the tent for a rest and maybe a nap......


Some warm kitty milk and Temptations would be nice, SS, you can bring them in here!