Naughty kitties + Winner of Sweet Shawlettes

It's all been a bit frantic with the cats recently.  Arlo and Django are full of the joys of spring which unfortunately means they'll jump on anything that moves.  This is fine when they're ganging up on some maverick bluebottle, but we've also had a trail of mice, baby rats, blackbirds and pigeons brought back and proudly presented.  Not my fave sort of gift!

We've managed to save a few - I took a fledging blackbird out of the jaws of Arlo yesterday and it flew away unharmed. And another time, having coffee in the garden with a neighbour, we noticed Arlo playing quite happily with something that turned out to be a baby field mouse.  Needless to say the poor creature was not as happy with the situation as Arlo, in fact it was completely traumatised. Time after time I locked Arlo away and Sue relocated his confused playmate to a place of safety, but it repeatedly returned to the same spot. However, lady luck (neighbour Sue) was smiling on this little fieldmouse, as she decided to give it one final chance in her own garden over the road. By this time Arlo had lost interest and was hanging louchely in his fave spot on the piano keyboard - when he's not terrorising the rodent and bird population he's becoming quite a musician!

Arlo insists on being in the band

Django is far more lethal, does his hunting as night and by the morning is always completely worn out and fit for nothing. I don't know what he does or where he goes but he always comes back with many twigs woven into his coat. He's very cool and streetwise and he's got to know many of the neighbours and has figured it out that if you sit around looking pretty, you can remain aloof whilst making free in several other homes.

It's been a hard day's night for Django!

Which reminds me of a story another neighbour told me last week. She said she had gone to bed and was woken in the middle of the night by something jumping on her bed. She knew it wasn't her own cat or her dog as they both slept in the kitchen. On further inspection she found a very long, fluffy ginger cat stretched out on her bed about to go to sleep! I slowly started to realise that our neighbour didn't recognise Arlo and was completely unaware that the offending feline was ours. With a red face I sheepishly had to own up, apologising profusely, thinking how lucky it was that Arlo had picked a cat lover. Thankfully, after her initial terror in the darkness, our neighbour did see the funny side of it!

On thinking about it I realised that it had happened while my mum was in hospital and we had hardly been at home. Being the sociable cat that he is, Arlo must have been lonely and resorted to a nocturnal visit. Fingers crossed that now we're back at home they'll restrict their nocturnal wanderings.

As adolescent cats they're both growing like crazy and are always on the lookout for food, making them even more curious than the proverbial. Must ask neighbours not to feed them, as I can see them turning into a couple of dumplings with their two large meals at home, wildlife takeaways, as well as whatever they can glean from free-ranging in neighbour's homes.

SWEET SHAWLETTES DRAW
Last night I put all the names of my followers in a hat and got Philip to pick one out - not very scientific I know, but trust me, we're scrupulously fair.  The winner is Knit & Kaboodle, so when you read this could you please send me an email with your name and address and I'll have a copy winging its way to you poste haste.