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As an elderly lady with no responsibilities I am able to do whatever I like whenever I like. I can stay in bed all day and all night if I want to or I can get up, have a little stroll around my house and then settle down for a long period of relaxation in one of my many favourite spots in my warm, quiet and peaceful home. With its large windows overlooking my back garden and patio doors, my living room is a sun-trap Its window have low sills that I can sit on if I want to. However, the sill tiles are very hard. Therefore, I prefer to either lie, sit or curl up just in front of the windows on a platform that tops one of my three carpeted scratching posts, or on the living room sofa or on its carpeted floor. I make up my mind where to sit after checking where any sunbeams are falling.If I do not want to sunbathe or am unable to because the sky is cloudy or it is night-time, I may chose to sleep either curled up next to one of the many radiators that are on all day in my house for mine and my Meowmie's DH's benefit, or in my plastic oval bed with its artificial sheepskin blanket. This is hidden underneath Meowmie's bed. Meowmie put it there because she knows that when I am in bed I like privacy.
On warm days, I may go outside and potter for a while in my garden. I like my garden. It has trees and shrubberies, a lawn and a patio. At the bottom of it there is a huge field which I could get into through a gap in our hedge if I wanted to. These days, I prefer the security of my garden.
I have lived in this house for nearly 16 years with Meowmie, her Darling Husband (DH) and their assorted cats. When I arrived with my brother Sam, they had only two other cats, Castor and Thalia. Sadly, both Sam and Castor have gone to the Rainbow Bridge. Over the years, more cats and kittens have joined my household.. Some of them have stayed. Others have moved away. In 1995, sadly, another permanent member of my family, Simon, went to the Rainbow Bridge. Simon was a handsome black and white boy who had been found as a kitten living alone in an underground car park littered with used syringes, broken glass and other rubbish. He died shortly before his second birthday. He was killed in a road traffic accident. Now, I live with eight other cats: Jason, Abbie, Hermoine, Thalia, Sylvia, Megan, Dee Dee and Ebony. When we have feline guests, we accommodate them in our garden chalets.
As I sit here on my scratching post looking at my back garden, recalling the many happy days I have spent out there, I thought you might like me to share some of my memories. As I have many memories, this will take a long time. For now, I will just tell you about my life in my garden.
When I was young, I used to amuse myself by climbing its trees and playing hide and seek in its shrubberies. Sometimes, I would chase squirrels, birds and mice who dared trespass onto my property. Whenever I wanted a change of scenery, I would either pop into my field or hop over the fence at the side of my garden that separates it from my neighbour's. My neighbour's back garden was very different to mine because, unlike Meowmie, she did not like gardening and therefore rarely tended to her flower borders. I loved them being overgrown for I could hide among their tall plants and sprawling tangled undergrowth and spy on my neighbour when she occasionally came out to do some work or to relax. Sometimes, I would pretend to be a fierce wild cat living in a jungle who survived by hunting . However, at mealtimes I would always return to reality because I never wanted to miss any of the scrumptious dishes that Meowmie served me.
On hot summer days, Meowmie and her DH would often join me outside. I have always considered them to be my valuable hoomins who needed to be closely guarded. Therefore, I would sit underneath Meowmie's chair on my patio and chase away Castor and Thalia if I thought they were crossing my lawn with the intention of stealing them away.
Often, during the summer, I would stay out all night. Meowmie hated me doing this because she always worried that harm might come to me. Whenever I did not come in, she would sleep fitfully on the sofa with the patio doors open. When my movements caused the outdoor security lights to come on, she would wake up, come to the doors and call me. Sometimes, I would pretend not to hear her. At other times, I would come to the doors, sit down on the path just out of her reach and wait for her to step outside, bend down and try to pick me up,. Then, I would run off. Knowing that I liked my food, Meowmie often tried to bribe me with biscuits to come in.. She would put a few on the ground in front of me and hope to grab me while I was eating. But I was always too quick for her. I would snatch a biscuit, then run.
Oh dear, remembering those biscuits has made me feel peckish so for now, I must stop reminiscing and go and tend to the needs of my stomach. But I promise to try to find time next month to come back and share more of my memories.
Mews and purrs
Gemma.
Copyright © Sheenah Large
February 15, 2003
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