RIP Mackie

 

Mackie took ill last week after hiding for hours in a cupboard, we hunted high and low for him.  He saw Dr Mark on Thursday, and started eating again, but after the weekend he stopped eating. He went into the clinic for more rehydration than we could give him, but unfortunately continued to weaken.  He died in my arms this morning.

We have buried him under the pear tree with forget-me-nots on top of him, like his forget-me-not blue eyes.  We had a wonderful time having Mackie. It seems like he has always been with us, not just 18 months or so.  He has such a huge personality, there's a big big space here. 

Apologies for leaving it so long

Photographs haven't been a priority, but I should have let everyone know that we inherited lovely Linnie [properly Linus] whom we collected on the Summer Solstice, when a friend died...  Linnie has about 15% vision.  His left eye is ulcerated and his right eye damaged, but what he does with his partial sight is amazing.  He climbs everywhere and is into everything.  He uses part hearing and part sight to catch [and eat] flies, and he is trying to figure out what bubbles are for.  I'll have to put some nip in the bubble mix so he has something nice to smell...

 

as you can see, Linnie is very well settled

Meanwhile, we discovered that Worrals has a magic word on her; I noticed she has a word on her left side saying 'Zip!'

And here are some gratuitous pictures

Dora has her harness and long lead now for some garden freedom

Linnie found a picture frame.  Don't ask.

Onyx is still being photo shy, but his coat is now in lovely condition and his legs are much stronger.  He has been sitting on my lap.
We've been having a war on ear mites too.

Onyx to the fore!

Onyx has suddenly decided to accept that we are his family, not some rather superior hotel staff!  He has found his way into the sitting room, and has been taking advantage both of the fire and of the sofa.  He has stopped running away if I sit on the sofa beside him, and has even been sitting on my lap.

here he is on my lap and me shooting at an awkward angle...

He's still not terribly active, and his back legs are somewhat atrophied, but he has been exploring and I'm hoping he'll get more muscle tone in doing so.  His coat is now soft and glossy, not harsh and filled with scabs as it first was.  I think being on senior formula food has done wonders for him, he's doing bigger wees less often, rather than lots of dribbly ones, and his poo is a decent consistency not hard any more.  That may be more information than the gentle reader would think dignified to give, but I'm so pleased he seems so much brighter in himself and healthier.

Onyx is on the cushion at the end of the sofa - a position he vies with Mackie for - with Dora beside him, Worrals, Rebel and Gypsy on my feet.

And now the others so they don't feel left out. 

A course in advanced cat folding here with Gypsy practising the deadly are of ori-cat-gami.

Mackie, cuddling my sewing bag....

Gypsy loves to have a paw or two on whichever of his siblings he is sleeping with.  Here it's Rebel.

JUKITSU!

When in doubt, sit on brother to subdue him.

Sharing a fire, however means no antagonism....

 Here is Rosie, rolling around on Worrals who is on my chest... I had a job taking this photo, I had to hold the camera away and hope to get both of them in, this was the best, sorry.

Right after this Worrals started washing Gypsy and they both managed to fall off the sofa

Gypsy manages to keep getting himself in shot, and here he is in one of his ridiculous positions, egregiously showing off his fluffy white tummy.

... and his toes.  This one is for the toe fetishists amongst my followers. 

Saffron hasn't managed to get herself photographed much, but she's fine.  She's spending most of her time wrapped in the curtain on top of the TV, or else in the tortoise's box of straw, which is too dark to easily photograph.  She says she's hibernating...

More Gratuitous pictures

All the cats are busy keeping warm, which means on the whole they get friendlier with each other... Gypsy seems to have crept into a number of these too, he's a ubiquitous little cat. Saffron has finally decided that she can get onto my lap entirely, and not just snuggle partly beside, partly on, we've now had her about the year round, and I'm overjoyed.  Mackie indulges in marathon sleeping most of the time so I'm glad to catch a pic of him awake, I think he's trying to hibernate.  Sunshine on the kitchen window means a selection of cats wrapping themselves in the curtain for a bit of sun but a protection from draughts! I have Worrals sleeping in the bed most of the night until she decides she needs to breathe, then she joins Dora who has by this time commandeered the hot water bottle.  I have taken to having 2 bottles, one for the cats and one for me.  Simon usually has Rebel in the crook of his knees overnight, Rosie and Gypsy have taken to sleeping under the stove, and Mackie spreads himself out in front of the fire.  Saffron likes to creep into the warm place I've left on the sofa.

Dora in the sun

Peep-BOH says Gypsy

Various sprawlings, washings and cuddlings on the sofa, Dora and Gypsy actually like to be washed and no washfighting occurs...

Rebel being lain on by Dora with Worrals in the background

this one makes me so happy, Saffron settled, rubbing her face against my hand. 

Saffron loves the fire too

Rosie kissing Simon.  She adores him... he has his ears and hair washed thoroughly too while she cuddles him. 

Gypsy has no decorum at all

here is Gypsy again, ready to help

and again, on the TV

Mackie manages to maintain HIS dignity at all times

Rebel, showing why she is nicknamed 'Golden Eyes'.  Yes, that is a small scar over her right eye, she scratched her eyelid [or someone else did] but no real harm done.

This is Rosie, as her fans can tell from her face shape, but the scarring on her eye hardly shows from this angle!

Generally Gypsy

Last night I had three stripy cats on me on the sofa, I had to escape from underneath them [I really had to, it was becoming imperative to visit the human litter box] and they stayed put... so I crossed my legs and grabbed the camera. There are wide angle effects, and Worrals still is the smallest, Gypsy is now [just] bigger than her...

brothers united in a single passion

Gypsy's favourite occupation

Gypsy so keen to reach Rebel's food he has wriggled under Rosie

Gran ha newz shoez, I haz new box, I wins

By popular request, Gypsy dangling on the wood box

Mackie is ruthlessly followed and kissed by Gypsy

the top of the computer is another prime piece of real estate for bird watching

I is sure there is a spider up there... and I isn't letting anyone else up to look

Onyx deigned to play for the camera.  Note destruction of files knocked off shelf by Gypsy behind ...

another one of Gypsy, secure on the wood box this time, superheated and smug

This is where it's happening in the evening; Gypsy on the woodbox/inglenook seat, Worrals on the stool and you can't see Saffron and Dora in uneasy truce in front of the stool 

I is in charge of the fire

Top o' the world, ma

... the ceilings are 8' high, and there's Mackie, right up at the top.  I can never resist a film quote for a caption but I wish to make it plain that in no way does Mackie resemble Jimmy Cagney's character in 'White Heat'. He has more sense than any human.