Saturday 23 December 2006

TENDING TIGGY

anticant has just completed a regular Saturday task - cleaning out Tiger's ears, in addition to his daily teeth-brushing and grooming. Tiggy is ten now; sleek, beautiful, and not too fat. The gentlest cat we've ever known - except to baby birds and little field-mice, when he can be bothered to chase them. He sleeps all day on the Civil Partner's bed [we became CPs a year ago yesterday, after cohabiting since 1960]. What Tiggy does at night, though, is a mysterious other world to us. Judging from the grubby state of his ears, he visits some low dives now and then. Pics of him will be posted some day [promise].

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Tiggy?
OHH, Anticant - I had a Tiggytoo........oh memories..I have two - the Mother, GurkhaPenPen and Daughter PansyBaby..........
As for his night habits........hmmmm
maybe he is a descendent of The Merkin

anticant said...

Lavender, as it's Sentimentaltide, have a look at one of my very early posts back in November - "Portrait of William", who was Tiggy's tragically short-lived brother. I was disappointed that no-one commented on it at the time. We are as devoted to William's memory as we were to Tiggy, and, being sentimental, we have William's ashes in a casket in the room where Tiggy spends most of the day sleeping peacefully.

zola a social thing said...

We buried the big brother cat after a hit and run driver just left the body in the road. We buried with a large stone above.
The little sister cat remained for almost one week sitting on that stone. She knew.
But now sister cat is about 10 years old but who knows what memories.

Anonymous said...

My 'chaika' slept under our bed.
When we came to remove him to the 'last leg to shag' in the sky home, I just remember one thing.
We had covered him in a cloth to give him some dignity.
Yet, still he looked like a Tom and Jerry cartoon of a dead dog with 4 wooden limbs under a cloth.
Stiff as a board.
Much loved though.

Anonymous said...

Anticant..........
I vowed never to have any more pets (?) after i had to have 3 cats and a Samoyed 'put down' more or less within weeks of each other.
i got them all as strays....and they lived in a strange sort of harmony.
But the heartbreak was almost too intense...until mothercat was 'given' to me.....and on it goes !Still cry everytime a photo appears as if by magic............

Anonymous said...

And does Tiggy get a pressie ?
mine do.......a tin of tuna each from Guiness-the-dog-next-door.........prawns for dinner.

anticant said...

No - Tiggy does NOT get a pressie! The ironclad rule here is no treats, no titbits. His sole in-house sustenance is Hill's TD feline diet twice a day, and plenty of water always down for him to drink. That way, his innards and teeth are more likely to stay healthy for longer.

May sound harsh, but what he's never known he won't miss. And it has the blissful consequence for us that he is utterly disinterested in our cooking and eating: no pestering - he knows it's none of his business.

Of course, what he eats as a guest [invited or otherwise] elsewhere, who knows? His breath does sometimes smell a bit fishy...

Another cast-iron rule since he came to us at about six weeks old is total gentleness - no sudden movements, let alone slaps, and no shouting at him. Result: total trustfulness and mutual love. Do yours let you clean their teeth daily? ~Touch them anywhere you like - and I mean anywhere - without moving or even flinching? Tiggy loves to lie alongside us on the bed, with one or more hands caressing his stomach and more intimate parts. He makes it very clear when he wants attention, and frequently interrupts computer sessions with an imperious command to join him AT ONCE!

BTW, are you a member of cix? Their Cat Conference is ever such a friendly and helpful crowd.

Anonymous said...

Anticant....My two have Hill's Diet food too..and the wet version for an evening meal.
Unsurprisingly, after the terrible treatment the mother cat had, trust did not come easily to her.and within three days of being here she gave birth,so bonding was rather on hold too.
It took her a long time to purr, now she never stops......
Erm, toothpaste - well, yes I did try..prawn-flavoured I think it was - total suspicion followed by fury followed by blood - mine.
So, no.
They allow themselves to be brushed and bathed....never have been hit - by me, that is, sometimes yelled at - and ignored - when stalking ......
Baby is difficult - whatever it is she won't like it - unless it's prawns..visits to the vet are dreadful, ...
and I love them .
Never heard of cix..will google it..........