Welcome to the madhouse….

First things first, an introduction to The Feline Mob is probably in order. So here goes….

Sage is the oldest of the group. She’s a rather highly strung, quirky, little lady who came to us around twelve years ago. The best treat in the world to her is a “crumpet plate.” (You know, when you’ve had crumpets with margarine or butter on and it seeps through on to the plate.) She’s rather undemanding so I tend to give in to this one…..

Next in the line up of the usual suspects is Astryd. She’s been part of the family for around five years. She’s rather more high maintenance; bossy and way too intelligent for her own good. She’s a weakness for webbox treats and will actively participate in reward based clicker training if she knows there’s any in the offing. And she HAS to have a cuddle nightly, under the duvet like she’s a small furry person – which of course, she is.

Bounding on to the scene is the next feline to join the family. Darwin is the resident mischief maker. It’s often said he should really have been named Loki, rather than something so dignified. He’s cheeky and rather “special” and we’re never sure if the behaviour is an act to cover the superior mind of a super villian…..

Then we come to Chi. Chi was named as such because a short, fast name was needed for the rather terrified boy that appeared in our garden in search of food. After four months of sitting in all weathers throwing ham at a bemused looking cat (after the initial bolting whenever I went into the garden…) there was a further month or two of uncertainty before gradual acceptance that some humans were actually pretty OK.

Lastly, there’s Sprocket. Sprocket is reminiscent of the character Nermal in the Garfield strips. She oozes cute and she knows it. Sprocket followed Chi from goodness knows where and promptly bolted into the house, spending two weeks living under various pieces of furniture and coming out at night to eat and perform her ablutions in the litter tray….

Each of the cats has a massive personality; and they teach me something new every day. Sharing my home with them is sometimes maddening (like now, when they take it in turns to stare under the various kitchen appliances implying they’ve brought me a live present they’ve accidentally lost…..) but I’d never be without them.