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November 27, 2015

The pleasure of her company: Tootsie, 2006 - 2015

Rudyard Kipling wrote of "the Cat who walks alone."

Nothing could be more untrue of our Tootsie, who along with her mother and four siblings, first came to live with Pat and Henry as a foster kitten.


Tootsie was a devoted lap-cap, who demanded at least an hour of cuddling every evening on Pat's lap.

But unlike many cats who love people, Tootsie had strong relationships with every other member of the clowder, as these pictures show:





 






 










Here are a few more pictures, of "Tootsie all Alone":
 
 
 


 






The last pictures of Tootsie, September - October, 2015:








October 27, 2015

Never Again (Tuesday, October 27, 2015)




We cats have had quite a shock.

Yesterday Pat and Henry were gone for a long time in the late afternoon.

When they came home they kissed and hugged each of us. But they didn't tell us where they had gone or why.

This morning we patiently waited for them to get dressed and come downstairs.

Then we ran to the door, expecting to go out as usual. 

To our amazement, Pat started crying and announced that we are not going outside EVER AGAIN and that from now on we must be content to play in the pen.

When we demanded an explanation, Pat told us that Tootsie has left us and will not return.

That can't be true, we replied. We realized Tootsie didn't come back inside yesterday morning when all the rest of us did. But it's not the first time Toots has gone off on her own.

Despite being loving and affectionate not only to Pat and Henry but also to every other cat in the clowder, Tootsie has always been the most independent and daring of us all. 

Back in 2011, Toots disappeared for several days and nights in a row.

Pat assumed then that Tootsie was gone for good.

In fact, Pat posted an entry -- "Our Tootsie is Missing" -- that concluded, "Dear, sweet, brave, beautiful, far-too-adventurous girl . . .  we hope you have suffered no pain. We hope that somewhere you are happy."

But in 2011, the Toots came home.

Pat thought that Tootsie had mellowed in recent years, and that in the hour or two we were allowed out most mornings to race around the yard and climb trees (Tootsie was really, really good at climbing trees), she stayed safely in our back yard.
 

But Pat was wrong.

And now, when all of us insist that Tootsie is certain to reappear sooner or later at the back door, Pat says this time is different.

When we ask Pat to explain, she says Tootsie had an accident, and then she starts crying all over again. 

When she is able to stop crying she will post more pictures in memory of Tootsie.

September 27, 2015

The Summer of Our Discontent (2015)

It wasn't the greatest summer here on PEI:  for weeks and weeks it was rainy and cool.

We did get fancy new windows upstairs, and it was fun to inspect them! 





FINALLY in August there were a couple of weeks of hot weather, and we tried to make the most of it, but Pat complained that she didn't even have enough time to get good pictures of us:




 














Here's hoping for a long, warm autumn, followed by a short, mild winter!