December 2007

This tree thing is fun!

As I'm only six months old, I'm not sure about these things yet, - but a big plastic tree has appeared in my lounge. It's covered in lots of lights and lots of dangly things for a young cat to play with - it's great! So far, I've managed to remove the dangly bits from the lower branches, and I'm working my way up. There's lots of strange goings on right now, usually involving red pointy hats. Pippa says not to worry, as I'll get used to it.

The catflap has been sussed!

As a part of this young kitty's development plan, I have been watching the other cats use the catflap to get into the back garden. Well, I thought that if Pippa could wriggle her fat arse through the catflap, then it shouldn't hold any problems for a young lad like me. So, I took the plunge, tried it, and now I can come and go as I please.

Me, Pippa and her large bum in the garden.

Mind you, it's so bloody cold outside. I'm not sure that it was such a good idea after all.

Off to Torquay

Geoff left home early on a Saturday, and got home quite late, telling me that he's been to Devon to take some photos of the Seagulls in Torquay. Now, I'm sure he could do that just as easily here in Hove. He seemed pleased with his efforts however.

Click the link if you want to see what he got up to.

November 2007

Training our Humans.

Being a young kitty less than 6 months old, I have enrolled in a kitty correspondence course showing how us cats should train our humans. I have been sent a video showing how to wake them up in the morning. You may want to see how it's done!

Bloody Fireworks!

What is it with you humans at this time of year? Flash, bang, bang, flash. Being a young kitty, I've never seen or heard the like before. Geoff put Planet Rock on loud to hide the bangs and he pulled the curtains too. And how am I supposed to get behind the sofa when Holly has got there first, and hogs the spot for herself?

October 2007

Out on the Razz

Apparently it's been a while since Linda and Geoff have been out for a night on the town (or even just an evening at their age). Rumours are that they are like the Olympic flame - they never go out! Anyway, Gemma came to the rescue by inviting them, and her Mum Paula and Dad Ian, out to a bar in Brighton with her friends to help celebrate her 25th birthday.

Around 11pm, everyone went off to carry on drinking: Gemma and her friends went to a club for a load of cocktails, while the old 'uns went back home for a horlicks.

Matt and Louise, Linda, Paula	Gemma and Geoff
[Photos courtesy Ian Smith]

Watching the Seagulls

Linda and Geoff still enjoy watching Brighton & Hove Albion play football. Linda watches from her seat in the stand, while Geoff sits pitchside taking photos. Geoff also goes to as many of the reserves games as he can to snap away for the club.

Linda in the South Stand	Geoff near the corner flag. [Photo courtesy of Southcoasting]

September 2007

Getting about...

Geoff has been busy lately, - this month he's even flown to Edinburgh twice and to Belfast once to conduct business meetings. I don't mind, - but as long as he's not away too often, otherwise us cats won't get those little lunchtime snacks that we've got used to!

A Wedding in Devon...

My feeders were invited to the wedding of Kate and Ben down in Devon, and a deputy feeder was brought in for the couple of nights they were away. Kate is Linda's cousin's daughter.

The Wedding Ceremony was excellent: it was conducted under the watchful eyes of Ganeshi and Buddha, and Kate and Ben wrote their own vows. The afternoon was spent dining, and the celebrations continued long into the evening.

August 2007

I've been a poorly kitty!

I've been to the vet to have my first two innoculations to keep me healthy. The first one was OK, but the second innoculation knocked me sideways. I had a temperature of 106 - which is often fatal for cats, and had to be put on a fluid drip. Also, I had to be fed every hour by a syringe being poked into my mouth. (It was a bit yucky, but at the time I just didn't care).

There was even talk of kidney damage, - I got to see lots of emergency vets, but my own vet, Margaret, and the lovely nurses at Acorn all fussed over me to make sure I got well. After a couple of weeks, I was as right as rain. They said it was due to me having a severe reaction to the second innoculation. I think I'll pass in future! Thanks everybody for looking after me.

Hello ! I'm Ted...

I thought I would take a few moments to introduce myself - I'm Ted, and I'm quite new around here. Fat Aunty Pippa tells me that I've got to write about my experiences - so here I am. It's quite cool being a kitten around here - I get to climb the curtains, sleep, eat lots of food, sleep, wind up the bigger cats, sleep, oh - and sleep!

The bigger cats keep hissing at me, but I guess they are just jealous of my youth and handsome looks.

July 2007 - Pippa writes...

According to Genesis

Being the wrinkly rockers they are, Geoff & Linda went to see Genesis in concert in London with their equally old rocker friends Paula and Ian. A good time was had by all!

Ted arrives too ...

Hot on the heels of the arrival of Millie (see below), our cat community has grown yet again! Geoff has brought home an eight week old tiny kitten called Ted!

As you can see, he's ginger (a good choice of colour), and really cute. Although he's tiny, he has added to the disruption in the house, - as we cats try to establish our 'pecking order'. Personally, a large opera-singer of a cat like me can't be bothered with it all.

Now, despite the fact that I'm supposed to be taking over Tom's Diary, I have decided that it's a hassle I can do without, so I've pulled rank and told Ted that it's got to be written by him. Naturally, I'll guide and advise, but from now on.... it's Ted's Diary!

Millie Arrives!

Following our sad news, I have a happy occasion to write about - our cat community has grown! Linda and Geoff acquired Millie Mittens from Cat Welfare Sussex. Millie is around five years old, and was found abandoned in a box at a bus stop. What will some people do to us animals?

Millie is settling in to the household quite well - although Katy and Holly are still a bit wary of her. Silly old farts that they are!

July 2007 - Tom

We have some very bad news. The family's beloved Tom passed away on the 3rd July 2007, aged almost 18 years old. He became ill with a suspected tumour on his intestines which resulted in other complications. His illness was quite short, and his passing was peaceful.

Tom 1989 - 2007

Tom was one of the constants in the household - it was as though he had always been here, which I guess he was. Linda and Geoff and us cats are all very upset at our loss. We lost Tansy the tabbycat back in January, Amy the rabbit in May, and now Tom. It's been a sad few months.

June 2007

Time for Tom to Retire

After several years of keeping you all updated with the events of the Penn household, and giving you all the benefit of my wisdom, I've decided that it's time for this tomcat to retire. I'm not as young as I once was, and as I'm getting quite creaky and slow now, I've decided that I shall no longer put paw to keyboard.

Do not fret, however, as I have agreed with my fat feline friend Pippa (on the right) that she'll be taking over the running of my diary from July, and she'll call it Pippa's Pages. Good luck Pippa.

Staff Holiday

The staff bundled us off to the cattery again, while they spent a week up in the Lake District. The first two days were really hot, but after that it rained. It only rained once - from the Tuesday around to the Sunday - but it looks like they still had a great time. (Click picture to enlarge)

Apart from gawping at the views and visiting a few old houses, they also visited the Liverpool childhood homes of John Lennon and Paul McCartney - which Geoff said was fab. On the way home they stopped off in Barnsley to pick up Mary, who then spent a week with Linda and Geoff at Home.

May 2007

Goodbye Amy

My little bunny friend Amy has just passed on. She suffered for about 18 months from a type of rabbit pneumonia that just wouldn't be shifted. She outlived everyone's expectations, and battled on despite her illness, but in the end it caught up with her. Geoff tells me that she died from heart failure in his arms whilst at the vets.

It's Roger Again

After seeing Pink Floyd's Roger Waters in Hyde Park last year (when Geoff's hat nearly got impounded by the fashion police) the staff and Paula and Ian went to see him again at Earl's Court. I'm not really sure why Ian came back with a photo of a flying pig, but I have my suspicions!

April 2007

Who's David Bailey?

I want to know, cos Linda keeps calling Geoff by that name, and it confuses the heck out of a poor old tomcat such as myself. Now Geoff has taken his camera to photograph some of the Brighton & Hove Albion Reserves football matches recently, and had some of his pictures published in the matchday programme. (Click the image to enlarge).

Now, on the strength of this, Geoff has gone out and bought a monstrous telephoto lens for his camera and a stupid hat (linda calls it a sad-old-git hat) and has also got permission to sit on the sidelines at first team games (along with the pro photographers who know what they're doing) so that he can practice his photography.

If you haven't seen Geoff's work, you can see his photos here and Linda's are here on Flickr.

Katy's Choppers

For those of you following the saga of Katy's teeth (see below), all seems to be back to normal now, and she's putting a few ounces on here and there, and is starting to be likeable again!

March 2007

Katy's choppers

Poor ol Katy the kat has been suffering from a nasty, painful gum infection for some while now - she's had just about every treatment going, but nothing has shifted it. She's had to have all her food liquidised so she can lap it rather than eat it - and she was getting fed up to the back teeth with it all.

The only solution left was to have those back teeth removed by the vet. Hopefully, she'll be fit and well, and back to her gluttonous self soon.

Day Out

The staff took a couple of days off their busy schedule of feeding and pampering us cats, and went for a wander around London, seeing HMS Belfast and the Globe theatre among other things

February 2007

Concert

The staff went to see singer Judie Tzuke (again) at the Hove Centre. It seems though they enjoyed it lots. Otherwise, it's been a quiet month for them, as they've both been working hard to provide us cats (and Amy the rabbit, oh, and the foxes) with our tins of food.

January 2007

Tansy

I'm afraid that 2007 starts with some sad news. My feline friend Tansy has passed away after a good innings at 17½ years old. She was suffering from a heart condition, a thyriod problem, and over the last two months had a digestive disorder - she weighed hardly anything when she died.

She was still content with life right up until the end. Linda and Geoff are both deeply saddened, and we'll all miss her eccentric ways.