We once took a photo of the whole Tribe together on the bed - it was in the days when They Were Nine, and gone are Mollie, Zool, Shrimp and Drumknott, and Esk and Ptep have moved to Norwich.
I doubt we'll ever get the current Tribe to sit together, but they were all in the study together yesterday, waiting for us to turn off the rain, so here's a photo montage of them all.
Last night, all eight of the Tribe were in the living room with us, while we watched Cranford (you should have seen it, really you should - trust me on this). We had lit a big 9 wick candle and set it on the hearth, and Pepper decided it would be a warm place to settle if she sat on the mantlepiece.
No problem with that - until while settling herself, she knocked a box of matches on to the candle ... I didn't know I could move that fast!
We know this because last night the temperature dropped to about 5°. And Moo spent all of last night sleeping on Pete's legs. And she was accompanied - on the bed, rather than on his legs - by several other cats. This was great - no, really. Because she's a real stopout during the warm weather, and it's so nice to have her home!
it's getting on for seven years since Pepper came to live with us, and she is seven years old today. many happy returns to Moo! - she's still the prettiest cat in the world.
but on Monday evening, she sat on Pete's lap; neither of us can ever remember her doing that before. And she slept on the bed between us, rather than on Pete's legs, as is her wont.
I'm always slightly concerned about a change in a cat's normal behaviour, so we'll watch her carefully and see how she goes.
we were digging the front garden yesterday - a task, I may say, which is long overdue - and many of the Tribe were out in the sunshine, making sure we were doing it properly. our Pajero 4x4 was parked in the road; it has an exposed spare tyre, and Pepper decided that this would be a great place to sit to watch the proceedings. This was fine, until she decided to sharpen her claws on it!
Bengals have lovely strong hooked claws, so I hope we don't need the spare any time soon ...
anyway, rushed her along to the surgery this morning, and it's an abscess, it seems. She's had a painkilling shot, and I have some antibiotics in case they're needed. [two days later] We conveyed her back to the vet this morning to get it lanced, and it was apparently the vilest smelling abscess the vet has ever had to deal with - bit of a result for Pepper, really :) she seems much happier now, and we have to keep bathing it (eek) and dose her with antibiotics for a week, which will be a joy.
this evening, Pepper (our 6 month old normal* marble Bengal girl), brought home her first kill. She came in through the study window with a fair turn of speed, and dropped her prey on the carpet by my desk for me to admire. we could only wonder at her amazing skill and prowess, and the speed and dexterity in a kitten so young. You too will fall down in astonishment when I tell you that it was . . . a slug. yuk
add to this Mustrum's propensity for frogs (another one found in the hall this evening), Molly (at the age of 8 months) bringing home a whole blackbird a couple of weeks ago, and the assorted fledglings and rodents which constantly turn up in and around the house, I fear for the entire ecosystem of North Somerset, frankly.
