Last pics of Merlin

I finally had the courage to unload the camera.  I'm sorry there's nothing of Merlin in motion, the problem with Merlin in motion is that I'd grab the camera in time to say 'that's Merlin that was'  - our quicksilver little boy was to active to be readily caught unless he had hurled himself into a sleeping or washing position.  Everything Merlin did was with verve and elan; and  every motion was with every fibre of his being.  He would arrrive on my chest with a a loud PURRRRRumph as he cast himself at me, kissing me on the way to rolling around helping with whatever I was writing by seeing how many buttons he could press with his whole exuberant little body.  This is why I have chosen to dedicate 'William Price of the Thrush' to him as well as to my husband, because he helped, you know.  He did no end of interesting things to the text. Here he is reaching up to pat at me to tell me to take more notice of a grey plush tummy than of that silly keyboard.

Biff may not mourn Merlin as much as the others, but they were becoming reconciled to each other [Merlin isn't really so much bigger than Biff, it's an effect of wide angle.  The size difference was very little]

Finally one where I was trying to work around four cats helping me; Merlin had seconds before been sitting on my head and had decided that my feet were more comfortable. Prior to that he had been right below Jasper which is why Jasper perched rather high, and hasn't here got around to moving.

RIP Merlin

There's no way of breaking this gently to Merlin's many fans - he has just been run over.  Death was instant. 

In the most quiet time on the quietest day of the week on the road. 

I would not, however, ever change my mind about letting our cats roam outside, Merlin loved his wide range to hunt in. 

I am devastated and so is Simon, who is in bits. I don't think we'll be very sociable for a while. We had hoped to grow old with him as with all the kitties. 

April Update

So, what's been happening this month?  quite a lot.  Biff has had a dental which has made him a lot less bad tempered though his rheumatism is still paining him.  I sent for some Glucosamine with chondoitrin from my previously favourite health food company and when the big 1500 mg size pills arrive [ones I'D have trouble swallowing] I realised when I read the instructions the morons had only put an extra label on saying it was for pets as they dose they suggested was a human dose and they talked about consulting your doctor.  Simply Supplements are not my flavour of the month.  The vet however has reassured me that if he will take it crushed in food there's no overdose, he'll pass any excess through. 
As you can see he's tolerant enough to let Rebel sprawl on him....

Rebel has decided to take on the role of her departed sister Fenella; she has appointed herself mouse catcher in chief [she can now manage to kill them and proceeds, like Fenella, to sing over them] and to plant herself in the big tub of grass.  The grass is becoming the worse for wear underneath her after having recovered somewhat from Fenella...

Jasper meanwhile loves all his kitties and is happy to cuddle them

It may be noted that Merlin likes to keep a possessive paw on anyone he loves, but he's a big boy now.  He has killed and eaten his first wood pigeon!  It was a bit of a struggle - they are big birds - but he ran around to show it off to everyone growling and purring through a mouthful of feathers before taking it into the bushes where they wouldn't be disturbed.  He left the wings and Worrals brought them upstairs to me later: Look! she said He Has Left Some On The Side Of His Plate!  Once assured that this was permissible she supervised me in disposing of the grisly trophies with her usual fussy manner.
She then gave him a thorough washing.

It's' usually Merlin and one of the girls in a cuddle so I had to share one of Rebel with Worrals and in the most ridiculous position.

And I have to finish with an upside-down one of Worrals being sillyputty.

The cats have mostly declared April to be inoperative however; the outside room has a roof that almost always leaks.  It's very remiss.  And the skyheater doesn't work either. 

The cats and their pets

Barty the hedgehog is now an outside hog now there seems to be no more serious risk of frost.  He has shown very little inclination to explore far from his food bowl.  Here he is with Worrals supervising, by standing on the front of his feeding station.

The tortoises, who used to overwinter outside before we had all those wet winters, are canny and went out a while ago.  Stones that move are considered a bit weird by kitties who don't really remember them from last year... Merlin's look says it all!

Rebel sleeps on top of the hedgehog feeding station; it's her place. Rebel doesn't really believe in being photogenic but she couldn't be bothered to move.

Hedgehogs and tortoises are old news to Jasper, he's off checking on the smells in his garden.

Biff has his sun spot on his shelves of course.

...when he isn't off out of the garden checking, checking.... down the side steps.

Worrals sees the side steps as a place to writhe in the sun:

She goes out of the garden but mostly over the fence to next door and pops back from time to time, checking up!

[there's a slightly different one posted as I Can Haz Cheezburger http://cheezburger.com/6038987264]
She likes to help with the garden

And when she comes in she's ready to suggest a picnic by occupying the picnic hamper

Finally, in the evening, kitties are still playing with the box my anniversary roses came in - it's helped them to teethe and that makes a lovely hole to peer over.

Inside and outside

So having not emptied the camera all month I thought you might like to see some pictures of kitties enjoying warmth as well as the outside ones...
They all like the fire but Biff is of the opinion it belongs to him.  He watches me clean out and light it and his 'fluence gets it going.  He has learned however that kitties are useful as draught excluders.

The kitties mostly sit on the woodbox.
Merlin prefers my laptop as a source of heat, besides he can headbonk me there...

And Fenella likes the warmth of laps, and to help herself to someone else's drink...

OUTSIDE!!!!

 Merlin just loves to have his sisters outside to play! he kept bringing leaves to Worrals and showing her how you can toss them up and pounce on them! Rebel is a bit nervous of outside, the ceiling is rather too high and it's all a bit scary. The first time she thought about going right back in, and then followed Jasper about the garden until he'd had enough and went in and she went with him... the second time Merlin bounced at her and firmly showed her about before returning to games with Worrals.
Can you see the tip of an ear in the one below?  Worrals loves being a jungly wallah.

Worrals loves trees.  The problem is, she can get up - but has trouble getting down.  She complains that she needs an elevator for down-ness and Trees Is Badly Designed Not To Have Elevators! she's figured out the cherry trees now, but we have a Camellia tree [that's a bush that made it] some 120 years old and it's very smooth trunked and a bit scary.  So I have to take my bad knees up ladders to rescue her...Because she sits up there wailing like a banshee until someone fetches her - or can reach high enough to pat branches to show her the way down, which she's quite quick at catching on to.

I Is Cute Up Here, But I Needs To Wee

Rebel meantime has gone back to her usual hobby of finding water to fall in.  The edge of the pond was closer than she realised and there was much wailing and a wet paw.

Jasper surveyed the proceedings from the safety of the shelves I used to harden off plants on until they were taken over by cats, being in sunshine most of the day...

No Biff pics in the garden.  He made himself scarce....


Just to add, Trooper came out of surgery successfully
http://www.theguardian.pe.ca/
Trooper the cat came out of surgery late Friday all patched up and settling in for recovery. "He's resting comfortably and everything went well during surgery," said Gwen Samms of the animal... 

Kitty cuddles

A gratuitous excuse to catch up on posting with all the cuddly pics of kitties....  Jasper is so good with the kitties and loves them to bits even though sometimes love from Merlin means bouncing poor Jasper clean off the sofa with overenthusiastic kisses

Merlin is very loving and only Worrals really knows how to keep him in his place even though she is much smaller than him! However sometimes he forgets it... Worrals decided that she would put up with her brother being heavy to take advantage of him also being warm

Rebel is less cuddly but I managed to grab this shot

The Great Outdoors

When it started to snow I held fire on posting this as I thought I could add pics of Merlin in the snow - but alas! Merlin didn't stay in the snow long enough to be photographed.  He disapproves of all that cold white stuff. 
Biff and Jasper, being used to snow, take it with resignation, Biff less so as it sets of his rheumatics.  I think he must have had a run-in with traffic before we had him that's left him a bit stiff when it's wet.  However the up side is that relations between Biff and kitties continue to improve since there's a need for negotiations over the warm spots.  No cuddling yet, but reserved tolerance.
Meantime here's Merlin up a tree.

Look! I'm up a tree!

Look everyone, I'm STILL up a tree!

I'm trying to figure out how to get out of a tree

Merlin's usual way of getting down from on high is to shut his eyes and fall, or hurl himself at one of us and assume we'll catch him.  He has learned however to run down trees which is almost a controlled fall. I'm not sure if he has his eyes shut when doing this, but I shouldn't be surprised if he does.

Biff said that if I was putting up snaps of That Kitten the least I could do would be to show HIS best side too, being more decorous than a daft critter like Merlin.

Brothers are there to be washed.

.....And sisters are there to do the washing. Most washing is done by Rebel who has a very busy tongue ready to deal with any brother's dirty ears.

This is not to say that Worrals won't lend a hand, er tongue, because she does.....

And as usual it is Merlin who is the main target of his sisters - possibly because they are really his sisters and not just by adoption.....

Note the careful stranglehold Rebel has on Merlin to make sure he stays put.  Mostly he submits to being washed.  Sometimes however he protests.......