A Dog, a Cat and a Croc!

I am constantly amazed and enchanted by nature. Animals seem to get on with a sort of  'Oh well, he's here now, nothing I can do about it, let's just make the most of it.' Look how this dog, cat and croc lie together without fear!

Gotcha!!

As you see, Basil is still here with us (did you doubt it really?), and on Monday he is off to the V-E-T, for a quick neuter! He will then board with them until Friday as we are heading off in Gemsquash for a few days to a caravan park in Montague. Pet friendly and very quiet, we have decided that this will probably be the last trip before winter (and the rain) makes camping unpleasant. Much as I love caravanning  I am a Fair Weather Camper, I really do not enjoy wet towels, leaking windows and mud! I don't mind being cold, but please not wet and cold.


But, as usual, I am off the subject! I went to inspect the boarding facilities today when I booked Basil in for his op, and I am really impressed! Five lovely big runs with sleeping alcoves, scratching posts, carpet covered 'perches' on top of poles, all designed to make a cat purr with delight! The runs are actually inside a room, so they are protected from weather but have sun streaming in through the large windows. And there is air-conditioning for the very hot days. Five star indeed! That's more than he gets at home!

In the meantime, the three 'big' cats have settled down and accepted Basil after a bit of argy-bargy for the first few days. Basil was a bit overwhelmed with three strangers all wanting to sniff and investigate and he hissed and spat a few times. This of course, didn't go down too well with the residents and a couple of scuffles under the dining room table followed with the largest cat, Dilbert, deciding to avoid coming in at all in case this orange stranger picked on him.

He has mastered the cat-flap and happily crashes through it on his way into the garden. He climbs the trees between us and the neighbour with ease, and follows Alfie down the road when he goes for his early morning emptying. Last Sunday he fell into the fish pond but fortunately managed to climb out by himself! I didn't know until I saw a large puddle under the outside table with a very soggy Basil in the middle furiously licking himself dry! Following the wet trail, we saw the landing spillage on the stones next to the pond!
His catnip mouse has been hijacked by Daffy who enjoys throwing it up in the air and skudding it across the tiles. Basil may soon have a new 'cousin', as my sister and her husband are contemplating adopting number fourteen, a ginger kitten that they will call Rhubarb! Isn't that a brilliant name?

It's enough to make a cat laugh!

Basil makes my stomach knot by balancing on the top of the bannisters upstairs. With a sheer drop onto the table below. Hopefully as he grows and matures, he will learn some sense.

But I doubt it!