Captains log

I first met the Fergusons when I was 9 years old and incarcerated in the Blue Cross Cattery. After 3 months there and 3 months at a vets, I was ready for a new home.

When Richard sat in my cage at the cattery, well, I knew, he was the one. I made an enormous fuss of him.  I wasn’t sure about sharing Richard with Sue, now that I had found him, but it’s good having two humans looking after me. Sue was a bit more tricky, but I think I have her trained now. I have mellowed with age, I’m even quite nice to visitors now.

Little did I know what I had let myself in for. First there were long car journeys to Cornwall followed by living in this big tall house by the sea. Of course I knew nothing about the wet sploshy sea, it was just a blue blob I could see from the comfort of Richards office on the hill. Apart from having to sneak past the terrible Thompson twins (next doors black and white cats), I was quite happy with my life beside the sea.

I was enjoying a fairly settled life until last winter when Richard took me to the boat when it was not on the water. I quite liked it, Richard all to myself. Little did I know what they were planning!! Next I was on a moving boat, then sleeping overnight on the boat. We had a splishy sploshy Scilly adventure. Actually I quite liked not being left locked up in the cattery but it was a shock to the system to a cat of my 16 years.

Being a mature cat I expect my humans to work to my routine. On the boat it was much easier to control them. If my food bowl was empty or I wanted some company when it started to get light, they could hear my plaintive calls very clearly. They seemed a bit grumpy and half asleep though, but it’s comfortable for me being lifted on to their bed at 3:30 in the morning.

Sometimes everything started moving around like crazy. They wouldn’t let me go into the front cabin because it became like a washing machine (what does that mean?) The indignity of it, I got shoved in the back cabin with the door shut. I suppose it was a bit calmer in there, but the engine was very noisy. Sometimes it was worse when the engine was switched off. The whole cabin tilted at an alarming angle.

Once, the cabin started raining cat food, which would have been good under normal circumstances, but all I could do was hide in my backpack at the end of the cabin until it became calm again.

I didn’t go out much, I looked out a few times but all I could see was wide open spaces. It was good travelling on Richard’s back in my backpack, as it meant I was still close to him and coud keep an eye on things. Every time they took me out it was to have needles stuck in me and my blood drawn out. Apparently I am hyperthyroid and before I met Bill, the Cornish vet, I was losing lots of weight. I am now a lot healthier. Sue gives me drugs twice a day, and I’ve become tolerant of that too. I’m such a good kitty.

We are safely back home and this obviously came as a pleasant surprise to me. It seemed strange at first, so much space. I have visited the vet and am surprisingly sprightly after the ordeal of becoming the cat that sailed around the UK. You will be pleased to know that I’m still managing to keep control of the Fergies, I’ve learnt that a little nip to their bare feet keeps them in line. Though I am listening very carefully for any discussions about future adventures……