I remember 1976. I was still
a teenager. Life was good and the sun was hot.
We had an invasion of
ladybirds and some said they would bite you to get moisture from your body. I
can’t say I was ever bitten or that I knew anyone else who was – but I do
remember being decorated in ladybirds for much of that summer!
Also I got my first kittens
in 1976.
Leo…
And Star...
I got two as company for each other as I was out at
work all day and I’d nip home in my lunch break to feed them. I’ll never forget
coming down the road to see them both swinging on my net curtains. Bless. They
loved to watch the world go by and I knew the time would come when I’d have to
let them out into the big wide world.
Star was dumb and couldn’t
make a sound, but he could purr with the best of them. He was a very affectionate and loving little chap and he had a magnificent tail!
He went missing when he was a year old
and we never saw him again. The local newspaper even did a piece about him, but to no avail.
Leo was bereft without Star. Enter
Huggy, orphaned feral kitten who hadn’t a clue when it came to personal hygiene.
But Leo took care of him and taught
him the ways of a cat.
And Huggy fixed Leo’s broken
heart.
Huggy was beautiful, but
always had that wild streak and he used to stay away for days on end until eventually
he stopped coming home. I used to see him sometimes and he always looked
healthy and content.
So, once again we have a
heatwave + kitten = windows shut!
We’re all roasting. When Fizz
goes to sleep, we rush round opening all the windows. I’ll be glad when she can
start going outside… except I know I won’t, because I’ll be worrying until she
comes home!
How grown up is she looking now?
If you like stories about
animals (and their people), you might like You Can’t Love a Stranger and Other Stories which
will be at the special price of 77p Amazon UK and also on special on Amazon for the next week. (Note to Indy: I still managed to get a photo of you and Tilly in amongst all these cats!)
Stay cool!
