Spring has come a bit early here in North East England this year, it’s still chilly in the shade but when the sun shines Jozef and Walter love to bask in it.
They each have a bench either side of the front door where they love to sit or lie in the mornings when we get the sun at the front of our house. From there they can watch the comings and goings of the neighbours, but once they see the postman making his way round the Grove they move round to the back garden, they’re not keen on anyone approaching them outside and this is something we encourage because although most people are kind, there are some who may not be.
In the back garden they have two chairs side by side near the back fence where the sun shines as it climbs over the rooftops. Sometimes if Walter is feeling mischievous he creeps along and bites Jozef’s bum through the gap in the chair, that puts an end to any sunbathing.
They will be very disappointed if the weather changes again, which it could do as we sometimes still have snow even up to the end of April in the North East of England.
But hopefully the winter is almost over, we have snowdrops blooming, daffodils in bud and the bluebell leaves are starting to appear. The birds are singing their Spring songs and we even had a tiny, empty eggshell on the lawn this week, so baby birds are hatching already.
The ‘silly season’ for cats is here when there seems to be more cats passing through our garden and Walter gets agitated about that, he has seen two intruders off lately and has a couple of little war wounds to prove it! Not serious thank goodness so no vet trips, they just needed bathing and a close watch kept on them.
Jozef is a pacifist and will only fight if he has to, but once he is annoyed woe betide the cat who takes him on, he’s small but deadly.
The two women who recently moved in almost opposite to us and who we thought had one kitten, actually have five quite young cats of various colours. Already territories have been established and they mostly stay over their own side of the street, although sometimes Walt and Jo go over to ‘read’ the latest data in their garden.
We’ve also seen the women setting off to walk their three large dogs and a little tabby and white cat running along behind, they all seem to get on together and the cats come and go through the living room window which is left open for them.
Jozef is really enjoying his freedom now that it’s warmer out. Last week he brought a rabbit home, only the second rabbit he’s ever caught and we have no idea how he managed to kill it and bring it home and up onto the box outside the window as it was almost as big as him. We did feel sorry for it but there was nothing we could do for it by then other than bury it in the garden.
The worst thing for us about Spring is that as it gets light earlier the boyz think it’s morning all the sooner. At present they start working on us at 5am, eventually whichever one of us whose turn it is to get up early gives in and gets up and lets them out. Usually by 6.30am they’re back, tummies full and tucked up in the armchair and on the settee for a snooze.
They seem to love their life, they are both thirteen years old in the summer but still play like kittens, we put that down to good food and fresh air and a fulfilled life, it’s sad that all cats are not able to safely enjoy the outdoors these days.
Me too Michael, when Jo comes under my duvet in the wee small hours I try to make an air tunnel to him lol but I don’t think cats are daft, he’d soon pop out if it got too stuffy.
He looks cute. Cats bury their noses in fur. I wonder how they can breathe sometimes.