I was combing Susan's hair last night. Arranging it over the pillow. My claws a comb. It's very soothing to have your hair combed. Just like me having my ears rubbed -I suppose!
Unfortunately there was a bit of a snag. My deft claw in velvet glove hit a tangle! I yanked her awake! Not a good start to the day but an early start -4.30am.
Susan is reading White Tiger. Now I don't believe in false modesty; I am beautiful but I have to admit tigers are exquisite but a white tiger! Just too beautiful. Susan says I walk like a big cat -I flick my front paws- which is a very big compliment. I'm practicing keeping my head still as I walk like the big cats do.
Martin says Susan doesn't read books she devours them. I do that. I like paper. I like to sit the other side of the book when she's reading, my eyes just above the top edge. When Susan has her nose in a book her eyes move from side to side; she looks like she's watching a toy swinging to and fro on a string. I rub the paperyness. Chomp at the corners of the book. Nibble at the edges. It's fun this reading.
I was looking in the basket today. The basket Lil was in when I last saw her. She's not there. She won't be back Susan says...
Martin's project wasn't so good, apparently. So he's a bit of a grump. He wants me to let him rub my ears... I'll think about it.
But he has been given a grill thingey. A very belated b'day pressie. It grills things. Think he's pleased, can't tell. He says it was from Daniel- his son the head hunter- which is better than a card I think. Daniel doesn't do cards.
I'll eat when I feel like eating and at the moment I don't.
This video is intrusive... Sometimes I just want a moment alone at the henge. But see the little yellow blob by the henge, that's a yellow lily. They were a gift for Susan on her birthday. This lily flower is a gift to Lilly cat.
"Don't be Grey Friars Bobby!" Susan said rubbing my ears. I'm not Grey Friars Bobby. I am NOT a dog!
I am cat.
Most other times though I'm with Susan, she needs my company I reckon. So she's at the computer, I'm on the computer; shed, I'm there; studio, she has my company; kitchen, me too. In the bathroom, she's closed the door! but I can rattle the handle...
Ferdinand is gone and Susan says Lil can't come back (I'm not sure about this! I keep leading Susan to where the henge is -she doesn't understand that Lil is there...)
I don't like spam. Pink flabby stuff. Sort of grub Lil would...
I got a message from google that this blog is to be closed because of spam. (Even though it's not pink.)
These are not good times...
'Hello,
Your blog at http://diaryofagingertomcat.blogspot.com/ has been identified as a potential spam blog. Your blog will be deleted in 20 days if it isn't reviewed, and your readers will see a warning page during this time.
After we receive your request, we'll review your blog and unlock it within two business days. Once we have reviewed and determined your blog is not spam, the blog will be unlocked and the message in your Blogger dashboard will no longer be displayed. If this blog doesn't belong to you, you don't have to do anything, and any other blogs you may have won't be affected.
We find spam by using an automated classifier. Automatic spam detection is inherently fuzzy, and occasionally a blog like yours is flagged incorrectly. We sincerely apologize for this error.
By using this kind of system, however, we can dedicate more storage, bandwidth, and engineering resources to bloggers like you instead of to spammers.'
I was looking beneath the chest of drawers; this is the place Lil sleeps while she’s convalescing. There’s an ancient Chinese bowl under there wrapped in bubble wrap -a perfect curled up asleep cat size bowl. It used to be my place but I gave it to Lil (on a temporary basis until she’s better and providing she doesn’t throw up.)
Susan said, “She’s not there Doll.” Well I can see she’s not there...?
We live in Wiltshire; home of the henge -Stonehenge. In our garden we too have a henge now – A Lilly henge. That’s what Susan said.
She’s been out all night and she wouldn’t like that.
Last night I reminded Susan that Lil was outside. She wouldn’t like that. I reminded her at 3.o clock. Then again at 3.30. Susan got herself a drink.
Good she’s up, 'now go get Lil.'
She didn’t.
She’s dosing off again. There is a glimmer of light in the sky must be about 4 am. I tap Susan on the forehead. She rubs my head.
‘Lil! Outside! Go!’ Susan told me to shh.
I purr in her ear. And snuggle. At 4.30 Susan puts the news on. I’m on her head.
I’ve been ignored for hours -every half hour throughout the night. At 7 am I go out. I can smell Lil. Susan scattered the contents of the litter tray earth on the plant borders. I can smell Lil. The paving stone are damp and it’s breezy. Lil doesn’t like the wind in her coat and she doesn’t do damp.
I know Lil. She’s been out all night and she wouldn’t like that.
This was Lil. Lil two hours before she went to the vet. I'll remove this film later and just keep the pic the of her when she was looking at her best.
But just now I need to see the reason why she couldn't stay. And if I get all maudlin and want Lilly back then this is the Lilly that would be here, and this is the Lilly that was too sick to stay.
This is a picture of Lil. A photo of Lil when she was Big Lil. An image of Lil when she could hear.
A picture of Lil when she was just a bit overweight and her belly would wobble (gently sway) when she ran.
This place where she laying is her favourite place, above the radiator atop the sofa with her eyes studying the kitchen for stray chicken legs.
Her second favourite place (before she preferred not to venture outside) was her stone bench by the forsythia bush, the stone warmed from the sun's rays and the light sparkling on her coat...
She’s asleep in the basket wrapped in a white towel. Normally Lil snores. Lil isn’t making much noise. In fact I’ve never known her so quiet. And I’ve known her for a decade -a decade and a bit more.
The cat disappeared gradually until nothing was left but its grin
The cat disappeared gradually until nothing was left but its grin. Lewis Carroll
Lil had her thyroid gland removed on February 5th we all had our digits crossed for her...
Lil lost her hearing a few years ago.
She developed an ulcer on her right eye two days after her operation. So she can’t see properly and she is deaf. And just when you thought Lil had 'disappeared gradually until nothing was left but her grin' she had a gum infection and they took out her teeth.
Yesterday her unsteadiness on her legs grew worse... Today, this morning Susan’s making coffee in the kitchen Lil followed her, dragging herself along with her front legs her back legs a useless twisted weight.
On Wednesday Susan had made an appointment with the vet. Now it's Friday 11.20 am -unlike Lewis Carroll's cat- she doesn’t believe Lil will reappear... Lil’s appointment is at 2.20.
