Flights? Check! Accommodation? Check! Cattery? Umm...

Oliver & Poppy will be heading off on their holidays too!

Last December myself and my hubby and a few more headed off to Krakow, Poland for three days. It was beautiful, we all had a great time and had some powerful experiences including a very moving visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps. It was agreed by all that more time would be needed to give this lovely city and country the attention it deserves, that we would return and soon. Today I booked our flights and accommodation! We're heading off the end of November, this time for a week and I can't wait.

We didn't get that chance to go anywhere this summer (if that's what you'd call it!), so I'm looking forward to the break big time. The only worry is that this time as we're going for the week, I'll have to put the two babies in the cattery. Oliver as I mentioned in the past, has been to a cattery before, but it will be Poppy's first holiday away from home! She's a real Mammy's girl and I hope she'll be OK. I'm going to look around online for a place that I'm really happy with and hope to get it booked sometime next week.

I'm taking solace in the fact that at least they will be together and hopefully they'll keep each other company :D

UPDATE:
Came across this site http://www.abbeyfealeboardingkennels.com/ . Looks nice, cosy. I'm going to send them and email and find out some more.

Oliver taking some quiet time away from 'talker' Poppy!

What makes some cats more vocal than others? Our eldest Oliver, has never been a big talker, he has always been the strong silent type. Except for the little chirrup in the morning to say hello, or gentle meow when he wants my husband to rub his head.

Ever since Poppy was a tiny kitten she had the lungs of an opera singer! If she was locked out of a room, she would Meow, Meow, Meow! If she was chasing something or saw something she wanted but couldn't get at, she would do this little bark type noise, that always made me laugh!

She'll be a year next month and she hasn't changed. Instead she has developed quite a selection of noises, all for different occasions! When I come home from being out, they both run over to say 'hi' Oliver will usually stay quiet, giving me leg rubs and head bumps, Poppy gives her high short meow and tries to stick to my leg so that it's hard to walk in without tripping over!!

They have equally different styles to get attention if they happen to be locked out of the bedroom. Oliver stands on his hind legs and jingles the keys that are in the door until it wakes me and I let him in. Poppy has a more direct approach! She simply sits outside and Meow's at the top of her lungs, getting increasingly more impatient sounding until I open the door! I have on occasion ignored this in an attempt to break the habit, and she will stop eventually, the purchase of a set of ear plugs has helped greatly!

Mostly I like that she is a talker though, and I love the little noises Oliver makes when he does have something to say. He would probably say more but Poppy makes it hard to get a word in edge ways! You know us females, we do like to talk, hehehehe!!

Sandpaper Kisses

I had to work away from home for the past few days and I have to say it gets tougher and tougher to leave my two babies (and husband, of course!). I'm sure I looked every inch a lunatic sitting out in the Cork countryside talking on my mobile to Poppy, listening to her purr her replies!! Oliver isn't much of a talker on the phone, typical male really!

When I returned home last night, the welcome I got made it worthwhile. They looked so happy to see me, I was rushed at the door as I came in, there was a lot of meowing and purring and tangling up of legs and cats! Almost caused me an injury in their delight to have me home. I'm sure some of that delight was due to the fact that they do not receive the same level of attention and spoiling from my hubby as they do from me :) If I could speak cat, their meows were probably saying 'Yay! Mammy's back! Treats, Cat milk, No more dry food!!'

They made sure I wasn't going anywhere without them knowing about it for the rest of the night, I felt as if I had two bodyguards glued to my legs, following me everywhere (including the loo!). Both of them joined me as I relaxed in a bubble bath, Poppy perched on the side of the bath near my head and Oliver keeping watch from the bathroom windowsill.

I don't think there are many things as pleasant as a welcome home from animals who love you, especially cats. Hearing them purr, getting licks from their grainy tongues (sandpaper kisses!) and having them curl up with you as you enjoy being home. I came across this poem and I think it describes this side of living with a cat beautifully :)

Cats are Wonderful Friends
Gentle eyes that see so much,paws that have the quiet touch

Purrs to signal "all is well"and show more love than words could tell

Graceful movements touched with pride,a calming presence by our side

A friendship that takes time to grow

Small wonder why we love them so.

Author Unknown

Poppy & Oliver enjoying the Sun!

Our two babies sitting pretty :)

Fron Shredding to Scratching!

Our cats have always been extremely well behaved when it comes to scratching furniture. They have always preferred to sharpen their claws on their scratching post, rather than on the legs of our chairs!

However lately, Poppy has taken to dragging herself along the bottom of our leather sofa. She reminds me of something out of Misson Impossible, half under the sofa using her front paws to drag herself along!! The poor old couch is looking a bit worse for wear as a result. It's funny because it's not as if she is sharpening her claws or marking her territory, it's just that she seems to think it's great fun!

There's a bit of a demon in that cat I think, she has such a mischievous nature, hehehe. Poor Oliver, he is so reserved in comparison. He often sits on the armchair opposite the sofa calmly watching her as she does this. I'd say he thinks she's a bit daft sometimes, 'as mad as a bag of cats' as they say!

I've considered trying something to deter her from this, but at the end of the day, it's not that expensive a sofa, so I don't really mind. Maybe she'll grow out of it, if not we'll just add it to her list of eccrentric behaviour!

If you have a scratch happy kitty these are some suggestions I've come across to improve the situation :) But bear in mind Mark Twain's advice, which applies universally: Never try to teach a pig to sing; it frustrates you and annoys the pig. Translate this bit of wisdom to your dealings with cats and you'll avoid a good deal of futility and frustration.

Introduction
Cats scratch to mark their territory, sharpen their claws and stretch their muscles. Here's how to help your cat curb the urge (or at least redirect it away from the sofa).

Instructions

Steps
1
Step One
Provide scratching posts and place them in locations where your cat likes to linger - by a sunny window, for instance.
2
Step Two
Experiment with different types of posts to find the best ones for your cat.
3
Step Three
Keep in mind that different cats like different surface textures (cardboard, wood or rugs) and post orientations (horizontal or vertical).
4
Step Four
Encourage kittens to use posts, and reward them with food and praise.
5
Step Five
Consider giving your cat extra attention when he stirs from a nap, and then placing him near the scratching post, since many cats scratch when waking up.
6
Step Six
Avoid punishing your cat if she scratches an inappropriate area - punishment teaches the cat to not scratch in your presence, but it won't deter a cat from scratching when you're not around.
7
Step Seven
Avoid letting your cat scratch an old couch, even if you plan to get rid of it soon - this will only encourage your cat to scratch the new couch.
8
Step Eight
Consult your veterinarian about alternative treatment options before you give up. Destructive behavior is a leading reason why people surrender their cats to animal shelters.
Tips & Warnings
Aversive-tasting substances will not help, since scratching does not involve the taste buds.
Yelling and loud noises may cause anxiety and encourage destructive behavior.
Scratching is a natural behavior, so blocking the cat's access to one area will simply encourage him to scratch elsewhere.