I used to know a couple who had some cats called Gladstone and Disraeli (can't remember offhand why they chose the names) - Disraeli was shortened to Dizzie though.  I haven't been made a Dame either Temperance, so there's me and Larry both unrecognised.

Off and on between typing assignments (which have been fewer over the Christmas period) I have intermittently watched the progress of this little kitten on the channel of an American cat rescue place.  She was found alone at about only one month and has hydrocephalus and has had an operation to give her a shunt to drain the surplus fluid.  They call her Tater.  I think she is cute and am glad she seems to be making good progress.  

[url=messybeast.com/cat-food-brands.htm]messybeast.com/cat-food-brands.htm[/url]
I was actually looking for something else online and I came across this site about historical pet cat food brands (linked above).  It mentions among others a (now discontinued) brand called "Choosy".  Some of my cats have been picky (including my present one) and one did like Choosy back in the day.  Pebbles likes Gourmet and Sheba neither of which are the cheapest on the shelf but sometimes you can buy them reduced.

Edit:  Don't know why - when I post it I can't see the "url" letters and can't see them now when I'm editing.  Maybe it's a peculiarity of my computer.

Lady,


http://messybeast.com/cat-food-brands.htm 

it is not only with pet food, but nearly with everything. The paint industry, that I know a bit, did the same. Even let compete two brands under the same umbrella or just produce the same product under a cheap brand and another under the own expensive quality brand. The same waterbased paint for instance coming from the same line, only at the end sticked the label machine on one series another label as on the other series. The odd thing was that the consumer watchdog found in its tests other results for the one brand than for the other brand...and we laughing about it together with the brand technical representant...although to be honest testing paint is a difficult task, know it as done it myself...many results differ from one test to  another and it is only after dozens of tests that one can see a line and even then...as it is an organic material and weather conditions are difficult to standardise and one paint reacts otherwise on a series of weather cycles than the other, it is only if the paint is really  bad, one can make a difference with the good ones....

Kind regards from Paul.

I realise that news of my cats isn't of much interest to most people, but for the felinophiles amongst you I have to report that I seem to have acquired yet another cat.

For a week or so I'd noticed a little stray cat skulking around in anticipation of stealing some food from my current two's bowls. A few days ago it was bitterly cold and the poor little mite was emboldened enough, in desparation perhaps, to openly hang around the backdoor as dinnertime approached - and so I put out an extra bowl a bit away from the others. Now, just days later, the new one is happily lining up in the dinner queue with everyone else - including the dog who just treats her as another potential companion or even a playmate. I'm not yet sure but I'm guessing it's a little female because of the lighter build and because my boy cat, Tostig, seems rather taken with her to such a degree that he'll even let her eat from his bowl before him. She's a pretty little thing, completely black just like my other two, and with my eyesight, telling them all apart at a distance is already a challenge.

The competition is now on between Tostig and myself as to who can gain her confidence first: for me so I can catch her and get her to the vet (snip, snip), and for him so he can have his wicked way with her. So far he seems to be winning the race, and judging by the easy way he shares his food bowl and their games of "chase me - catch me" she may have already succumbed  to his charms. Tostig was himself a stray that I adopted and although he is friendly enough with me, I have never managed to even touch him, and so he is still very much 'intact'. I may therefore have not just two, or even three black cats, but shortly have several black kittens too! That wouldn't be a disaster although I wasn't planning on it. I've certainly got the space for a few cats and definitely need some good hunters around seeing as my girl cat, Zwartje, is now very old, and Tostig is just a big fat lazy tom who reckons hunting to be girls' work and far beneath his dignity. Accordingly while I'm keen to keep the little new cat to take over as chief mouser, nevertheless should I manage to catch her I think I'll get her to the vet pronto. But there again if I do end up with a bundle of kittens as well then I'll certainly keep at least some of them, at least the girls.

Anyway here's the current three of them: at left is Zwartje (now nearly 24 years old), in the middle is the boy Tostig, keeping watch (I think he must be about 5 years of age), and at right the little new one.



And here she is on her own.



Do you think it's too early to start thinking of a suitable name for her?

With three all-black cats (and with maybe even more on the way) I'm liable to get the reputation for being a witch, or at least a sort of negative version of Gormenghast's Countess of Groan . Which raises the historical question; why did cats, and black cats in particular, become so associated with witchcraft?

If you think you will be keeping her, no harm in giving her a name, MM; she is indeed a pretty cat.  I sometimes look at the 'Cole and Marmalade' cat channel and here is a brief (possible) explanation of black cats not just being associated with witchcraft but with bad luck (though there is mention of good luck also).  

She is indeed a lovely little thing, MM - no wonder Tostig has fallen for her. Re names - did the original Tostig have a wife - or was she some fearsome Viking (was Tostig of Viking descent - I have no idea  ) warrior-maiden type? Your new moggy is perhaps too feminine-looking to have a scary name.

That said, Tostig should be warned: that wide-eyed, "Oh, what a pretty little thing I am" sort of female can be very cunning and Machiavellian. I'm not usually one for "cute" moggy pictures from the internet, but this  one made me laugh. Larry posted it - I think Larry is in love too.

The mother of Tostig - the treacherous Earl of Northumbria and brother of King Harold II - was Gytha Thorkelsdóttir a Danish noblewoman, so yes he had Viking blood in his veins. Tostig married Judith of Flanders and they had two sons: Skuli and Ketil (great names for boys, or indeed cats!) who were both born apparently "just days" before their father Tostig lost his life at Stamford Bridge (so I'm guessing they were twins). They never knew their father and in the tumult immediately after the conquest they were of little significance. I wonder what became of them ... does anyone know? But it should be remembered that had things gone differently in the summer of 1066, it is possible that one, or perhaps even both of these now unknown boys, would in time have become King of England.

Judith isn't a bad name ... neither is Gytha, and I could really confuse French people by insisting it was written in Old English: Gȳða Þorkelsdōttir.
 

Quote :

Gȳða Þorkelsdōttir.  

I like that! Nothing like confusing the neighbours with your cat's name.

Especially as it contains the dreaded English 'th' in both its forms of pronunciation ... zat should get ze French, ow you say, struggling a leetle bit, non?

Chubby here got stuck in a manhole cover:

Fat Rat

I'm glad they got her out of her predicament - Lord knows why - she is after all "just a sewer rat". Actually a very intereresting comment  (highlighted below) from the little creature's German rescuer:


In the German town of Bensheim, rescue workers got an unusual call - a chubby rat needed help after getting stuck halfway out of a sewer manhole.

"She had a lot of winter flab and was stuck fast at her hip - there was no going forward or back," animal rescuer Michael Sehr told local media.

A fairly large rescue operation ensued - leading some to question why all the effort was spent on saving a sewer rat.

"Even animals that are hated by many deserve respect," Mr Sehr responded."

Not directly related, but I've sometimes alluded to the many and varied adverts that appear when I surf the internet - not just on this site I hasten to add.  It's a while since I was looking at cat flaps and the Spanish gatera (I think to do with Isaac Newton apparently NOT inventing the cat flap) but I've had some advertisements for cat doors pop up recently.  I do sometimes "take five" and look at cute cat videos (rescue kittens, that type of thing, sorry Temperance) so maybe that's why the cookies on my computer throw up these recommendations.

LadyinRetirement wrote:

 

I do sometimes "take five" and look at cute cat videos (rescue kittens, that type of thing, sorry Temperance)...

I now feel a bit of a rat for having said I do not usually like "cute"  mogy videos on the internet. I just don't,  LiR, but I have absoutely no objections to other people enjoying them!

I am fully aware also that  my own obsession with the doings of Larry and Palmerston is extremely irritating to some people, but I don't care. L. and P. are the only sane things in British politics at the moment.

Nothing like a bit of anthropomorphism (have I spelt that properly?) in times of national crisis.

I see what you did there, Temperance,  mentioning a "rat" in view of the comments slightly upthread.  Please don't feel guilty about expressing an opinion - it's really no skin off my nose if cat videos aren't your "cuppa" and on a history site when we consider how long it took over the centuries for the average man or woman to be able to voice an opinion freely (in public at least) I don't want to "guilt" someone into not expressing an opinion.

Not sure about No Deal being taken off the table, but Larry was this morning (he is usually on or under the table in the Cabinet Room). He was ejected from the discussions.

Big mistake - the last thing we need now is a disgruntled cat at Number 10.

His (Larry's) statement earlier this morning (from Downing Street) actually made the BBC Breakfast News.

Have we all gone mad? I think we may have.





 Larry sur la table.

This is perhaps a better photo: I think the previous one had been photoshopped by by Larry to make himself look grander.

Le "No Larry" sur la table.

The Cabinet meeting was - as expected-  a bit of a wrangle. To make  kicking the cat was one less option Larry  wisely thought to be elsewhere.... possible to table an amendment.

Well - he writes a Twitter account so perhaps he is a moggy of superior intelligence, Priscilla.

Priscilla wrote:

To make  kicking the cat one less option Larry wisely thought to be elsewhere.... possibly to table an amendment.

Did he table an amendment or pass a motion? Or did he table a substantive motion?

Not sure if Larry follows the Six Nations (rugby) Union tournament but I think that Palmerston is certainly a fan.
Congratulations to Wales on a thoroughly deserved Grand Slam victory.  



And what a treat the Calcutta Cup was this year too! Who says that academic matches and drawn matches are boring?

P.S. Talking about Scotland - it's a year this month since ferval last posted (which was on this thread).  

Yes Vizzer, a year is quickly passed, and I wrote her already two PMs without reply. I think she is perhaps offended about all my anti-nationalist claims against the Flemish and Catalonian nationalists and nationalists in the broader sense, as they many times tend to jingoism. And I have even not the slightest idea if she, even from far, is interested in Scottish nationalism...I remember her especially from archaeology, circles in the landscape and mounds...

Regards, Paul.

A very happy St. Patrick's Day from Larry's chum, O'Larry.

That is a bruiser of a ginger moggy: we could do with him in Downing Street (no disrespect to Larry).

Meles meles (11 Feb) wrote:

I realise that news of my cats isn't of much interest to most people, but for the felinophiles amongst you I have to report that I seem to have acquired yet another cat.

And just to up-date ... 

The new little one has now become a regular feature and not just at mealtimes, but while I'm still not allowed to touch her, she's now much more trusting, even going so far as to start to eat out of one side of the bowl while I'm still holding it. I've been giving thought to a suitable name but hadn't decided anything yet as I still wasn't sure if she was going to stay. But this weekend I had a family staying and inevitably their young daughter, while helping me with all the animals' foodbowls, wanted to know all their names. Six year-old girls are not easily fobbed off with excuses, so I had to think fast.

While Temp's cats' name, Bosworth, is superb, battles are not the easiest source for cat names. Towton, like Bosworth, has a certain ring, but perhaps only really suitable for a boy. I considered Pavia, Lucca and Zama, but they didn't really suit. So in the end I've gone classical, albeit not the language of Caesar or Cicero but the rather more Vulgar Latin of the Roman cook, Apicius. And so the little cat is now officially called Posca - (posca being the watered wine/vinegar that was the standard drink of the legions, with the ratio of water to wine, or even if there was any wine at all in it, being dependant on how indulgent the commander was). 

As to whether there'll soon be any little black kittens too, well I can't yet say. Nevertheless Posca and Tostig are still very much an item and just the other day I think they were indeed getting very amorous together under a rhododendron bush ... so we'll see. I'll keep you informed.

MM,
"So in the end I've gone classical, albeit not the language of Caesar or Cicero but the rather more Vulgar Latin of the Roman cook, Apicius. And so the little cat is now officially called Posca - (posca being the watered wine/vinegar that was the standard drink of the legions, with the ratio of water to wine, or even if there was any wine at all in it, being dependant on how indulgent the commander was). "
That watered wine seems still to exist in France. We had a discussion on the French "Passion Histoire" about des "vins coupés". And I mentioned that when I was several times in Merzig Saarland, they let me taste "Schorle Morle"...
https://www.kochbar.de/rezept/68319/SCHORLE-MORLE.html

Regards, Paul.

MM wrote:

As to whether there'll soon be any little black kittens too, well I can't yet say. Nevertheless Posca and Tostig are still very much an item and just the other day I think they were indeed getting very amorous together under a rhododendron bush ... so we'll see. I'll keep you informed.

Posca is a charming name for a lovely little cat.

I was going to suggest Lucretia after reading about the goings-on under the rhododendron bush, but Tostig is clearly no Tarquin: Posca seems to have enjoyed being ravished.  What a hussy.

Do keep us informed.

Nathalie Loiseau, French Minister for European Affairs has named her cat Brexit:

“He wakes me up every morning meowing to death because he wants to go out, and then when I open the door he stays put, undecided, and then glares at me when I put him out,”

Et voila, le chat de Mme Loiseau qui s'appelle Brexit.

Triceratops wrote:

Nathalie Loiseau, French Minister for European Affairs has named her cat Brexit:

“He wakes me up every morning meowing to death because he wants to go out, and then when I open the door he stays put, undecided, and then glares at me when I put him out,”

I can't remember whether I linked this before but a legend about how the tabby cat got its "M" marking. The story is that the Christ Child was shivering in the manger and a little tabby cat curled up to keep Him warm and Mary put her hand on the cat's forehead and since then tabby cats have had the mark "M" for May.  Quite apocryphal of course and I've also heard a version where tabbies got their markings from Muhammed.  https://www.bronners.com/topic/tabby-cat-legend.do

Larry has announced that enough is enough - and more than enough: he is taking over. The long-awaited coup d'écat. The nation rejoices.

And just a week ago there was me dreaming of happy families .... 

Now, Tostig seems to have had a run-in with something ... and lost rather badly. After a couple of nights absent he finally came limping home this afternoon, very much the worse for wear. It might have been a car but from his injuries I suspect a dog, fox, badger or boar: there's a long gash all down the inside of his left upper arm and his left foot has been mangled. He's also got gashes on his head and ears but frankly those are trivial compared to the other injuries. I'd take him straight to the vet but he still won't let me anywhere near and even on three legs he's faster that me ... I don't want to un-necessarily stress him so I've just let him be. He's obviously in some pain and unable to put much weight on his back paw, but what can one do? It's distressing all round.
 
He's spent most of this afternoon curled up in a nest of dried leaves under a bush where I can't easily get to him. Posca cuddled up next to him for an while but eventually she got bored and went off elsewhere (she incidentally is starting to get a bit pear-shaped so I suspect she is now pregnant with Tostig's kittens). Full credit though to Doggy-Dog who spent the whole afternoon quietly sitting next to him. Dogs I know are very sensitive to distress, illness and infection (albeit as wolf decendants they probably often see a distressed animal as potential food, rather than with any great sympathy) but DD and Tostig have always been companions. Nevertheless when DD shows any unusual interest in a sick animal, especially one that I cannot get close enough to see for myself, I do rather fear the worst. I do hope Tostig isn't going to be like his historical name-sake, Tostig Godwinson. That Tostig, with his wife, Judith of Flanders, had twin boys, Skuli and Ketil, but they were apparently born just days before their father lost his life at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066; and so they never got to see him. I do hope my Tostig survives to see his offspring.

Just read your post. I am sorry, MM - thank goodness Tostig has made it home, where water and food are freely available for him - also, more important, where care and comforting familiarity surround him.

I do hope he recovers soon and gets to see his offspring.

Kindest regards from Temperance (Do keep us informed of T.'s progress.)

Sorry to hear about Tostig and hope that the warmth of Doggy-Dog helps him.

Being a bit nostalgic I found some of the old BBC interlude films from the 1950s on YouTube.  Here is Snowy the kitten from back in the day. I loved this when I was a little girl. 
Just adding that the blurb regarding the clip on YouTune says that the kitten's name was Snowy and he was owned by Mr Martin of Barnet, Herts (though isn't it the London Borough of Barnet, now?)

How is Tostig doing, MM?

Tostig is still gamely hobbling around, always just out of reach, but is improving. The fur is starting to grow back on his head and arm, and while his foot is still clearly injured, there doesn't seem to be anything broken or infected, and he's now able to put some weight on it and start, very tentatively, to walk normally again. Tomcats are tough little thugs but maybe this has knocked some of the bravado and braggadocio out of him and so perhaps he'll be more cautious in future. 

I still don't know what caused the injuries. On reflection I don't think it was a badger (no personal bias but if a badger had actually got hold of his foot it would probably have broken his leg rather than just left a puncture wound), similarly, although the boar are bit uppity at the moment as they have their new-born piglets with them, I can't envisage a likely close encounter between them. I once saw him try to face down a fox that he'd accidentally startled out of cover, but that time, after fluffing up like a furry beach-ball and with much hissing, he wisely backed down, as did the fox. I rather suspect this time it was a dog.

Today I was pleased to learn that the Thai word for cat is แมว - which is pronounced like "meow"! Unfortunately the word for dog,  หมา , isn't "woof" but is rather pronounced "ma", while หมู - pronounced "moo" - is not the Thai for cow, but rather the word for pig.

I'm surprised that nobody has yet posted this:



From today's (1st April) Daily Mail.

A lot of people were fooled by the report: one of my friends said it was a disgrace, because "Number 10 is a listed building and they have ruined the front door!"

She has a higher degree in - yes!!!! - philosophy.

I like the little brass plate with Larry's name on it: I hope it gets polished properly every day. After all, the entire world sees that front door regularly...

We cannot have an election at the moment because I think Larry has two more years on his contract and Mr Corbyn's shepherd does not seem to sort to share the house - or House, even.

Time to get those thinking caps on to come up with some more names suitable for cats: my new cat, Posca, is fairly definately pregnant. 

So I've been redecorating the equivalent of the nursery. I've cleared a space in the cellar, near the door (there's no catflap just a cat-sized hole) but away from the main route through all the clutter, in a side alcove sheltered behind some big cardboard boxes but with a narrow access for me if necessary from the other side. There I've put down an old duvet and the furry-lined dog's basket from when Dogglet was a little puppy. And to plan Posca has found the place and now spends a lot of her time there. 

Tostig is now much improved and no longer a concern, but then Posca caused me a couple of days of worry. She was off her food, frequently retching and with a runny nose - a cold or morning sickness perhaps  - but she now seems back to normal. Just as well because, while she will now, sometimes, let me stroke her, I expect it would still be an almightly, traumatic battle to get her into a carry basket and thence to the vet.

Anyway, knowing how you all like cat pics, here are the happy couple, Posca and Tostig:

Important news from today's Guardian newspaper:

"Evie the cat has been promoted to the Equalities Unit, while Larry is still clinging on at No 10.

There’s been another cabinet reshuffle. This time, it wasn’t prompted by a principled resignation over Brexit facts that should have been apparent 18 months ago. No, this is a rare good news story in our raging trashfire of a political culture – a promotion born of strong performance and quiet diligence. Evie the cat has moved from the the Cabinet Office to be the new face of the Equalities Unit. She has broken through the glass cat-flap, and stolen some of the limelight from her male colleague Larry – who, despite multiple reports of his aggressive nature, will not give up his prime position at No 10. Typical man."

The new Cabinet Office cat, Evelyn 'Evie' Sharp, and currently the only female cat in government. (https://twitter.com/hmcabinetcat?lang=en)

I've just discovered these amusing little vignettes:

BBC Radio 4 - Political Animals series 1

... featuring Wilberforce (reminiscing about Margaret Thatcher ... and Ted, Harold and Jim), Sybil (Alistair Darling's cat and briefly Chief Mouser at the Cabinet Office, 2007-2008), and Humphrey (famous Chief Mouser 1989-97 'fondly' remembering Cherie Blair).

I enjoyed that link, MM - thank you for posting it. Thank you also for the PM - I signed in to congratulate you on the additions to your family, but was really upset to read the bad news about the kittens. I'm sure Posca will have better luck next time: she will be eating well now she has a settled home, and will be able to produce, hopefully, stonger offspring next time. "The tragedy of dead pets", as D.H. Lawrence put it, is always horrible, even though we know it's Darwinian and all that. 

Kindest regards from Temp.

Yes, sadly Posca's two kittens were born on Good Friday but died on Easter Monday. Hey ho, these things happen. And as I still can't physically get a hold of either Posca her beau, Tostig, and so get them to the vet ...  then I expect there will soon be some more little'uns.

But now to other feline matters ...

Caro should feel proud that her government has also embraced the desirability of putting cats into positions of high office. 'Boots' is the cat in residence at the New Zealand High Commission in London:

NZ Herald - Meet our cat in London (May 2017)

Look at the  sybaritic splendour Palmerston is living in now. This is a rough South-of-the-River boy who has certainly landed on his feet. Sir Simon McDonald (pictured) has just published Palmerston's end-of-year review, and notes that Palmerston's mousing skills continue to be excellent but that, although his inter-feline skills are improving, "he must try harder with Larry".

Lovely bit of ambiguity from the Foreign Office there: does Sir Simon mean Palmerston must try to be friendlier with his colleague in Number 10, or that he should try harder to beat him up?

Australia is planning to deal with its' feral cat population by air dropping poisoned sausages:

Feral cat cull