The Spanish Chapter continues

Cats part 8 –Ex pat cats

When I left to go to England there were 8, two more than the 6 I’d been bullied by to start with. There were going to be lots more most certainly, Fat Stripey and (OMG) Tigger* were either pregnant or soon would be judging by the goings on in the garden and I was rather worried by the upside down pyramid effect.

When I returned it was with good news and bad news. Whilst in England I learned that Bell and Mini had moved on making 6  down to 4, but I also found out I was going to have to take the other four back with me when Ellie moved to the flat. Travelling with cats is not much fun, they tend to resent not only the cat carrier but to inform the whole world along the journey. Not only did I have to take the four of them, but almost immediately.

Now it costs a bomb to drive from Spain to England and I’d been paid to bring a cat (yes another one) over to live in England and it had not been at all happy to go, I had the scars to prove it really didn’t want to go in a travelling cage. This is cat hotel stuff compared to the thing they go to the vets in, room for a bed and bowls for food and water, and a litter tray. Small problem of serving the bowls and litter tray without the thing making a break for it of course, and of explaining to the border police what I had in the back of the van. But what it did mean was I already had a travelling cage, so all we needed was an even bigger one as well. The plan was to put Minx in the smaller one inside the bigger one so the little’uns didn’t give her too much bother except through the bars. Litter trays for all and separate food and water and all I had to do was open the big cage, stop 3 cats performing the Great Escape halfway across France, and get into Minx as well. Ok, I got them all in without anyone legging it. Then Minx was in the big cage even though her door was still shut. Hmmm. Sort that out. One last check before leaving, Houdini has done it again so I decide ok take your chances and if there is a fight don’t shout at me cos I’m in front and won’t hear you. So there.

Well, we didn’t stay the night in any hotels, I felt too guilty to do anything but sleep in the van, and to open the back doors to let them see France and Spain now and again.

 Minx insisted on reading the maps for a bit when it was her turn for a visit up front on rest stops.

Feliway is wonderful stuff which calms without stupefying cats and I made full use of it, shame there was no human equivalent as that was a bit of a stressful journey for me too.

And on the third day, there we here, this is your new home and these are your Spanish cousins. Say hello nicely. No, nicely…….oh heck………….I feel like Joyce Grenfell, - George – don’t do that!

Apart from a few near misses when they arrived, it was ok. I thought I’d lost Minx after a day or two, and learned a lot about the theory of what to do when you think your cat is missing or lost, and it doesn’t include panicking. She turned up, meowing energetically, up the hill. They were not used to all this “up” stuff and it takes time to work out where “down” is and how to achieve it. A few days later I witnessed Fudge falling out of a tree down the cliff at the side of the garden, and I've failed to disguise my mirth when Minx rolled straight over the edge of the awning. Astonishingly they settled as if they’d never lived anywhere else, well,  the doors were open and you were allowed on the bed -
and everywhere else, like on top of the wardrobes,in the washing machine, the shower and the sink.......
                              
Tiled floors make playing ball so much more fun and hey there’s our old cat tree again, woo hoo catnip mices too……….and it is warm and sunny and you are here to play with us lots more than our human mum in England………but not sure about those foreigners though, outside is a bit scary unless you come too……..ooh look a lizard to chase……Ooh look they have telly here too! Who’s that in there then?

 Whose turn is it to sleep on the bed/wardrobe/settee etc, a set order for feeding bowls, and the development of four personalities in their new life in the sun. Did you know it takes at least three cats to sort stock?

And so they settled in and we got used to new ways of doing things.