Three furry house guests

My old neighbours moved into a new place at the beginning of this month - in Potch; but they had to move out of their old place in Hartees at the end of July. Their four kitties (Karel, my feline kindred-spirit, died during this time) lived with me for three weeks in Jan when they moved from here to Hartees, so I offered to babysit the three cats since they know me and the property. Their dad, Stefan, comes to fetch them tomorrow evening to take them to their new home.

I'm going to miss my little house guests when they go; they have really integrated into my life. They're all lovely little personalities and have showered me with attention and loves.

Leo

Leo is a Persian. He's actually a little guy, light as a feather, his small body hidden by tons of fur. He's got a funny squishy Persian face, tiny nose and big eyes. He has this thing about talking to me when I'm washing dishes and he's become a shower buddy, dozing on the mat while he waits for me to finish.

Alex has the softest and silkiest fur ever. She's a mixed breed - not quite sure what. She's very anti-social and doesn't do cuddles or people. She darts around and doesn't make friends with humans. Interestingly, she is the one who sleeps on my bed at night, not the others. She started this a day or two after coming to stay. She sleeps on top of my feet and stays there the whole night. When she hears my alarm go off, she walks up to me for tickles and scratches. We're at the point now where I can pick her up, without her whining at me, and we can do strokes and tickles for a minute or two. She has absolutely beautiful green eyes.

Stella is a Maine Coon and she's the softest and floppiest cuddly cat I've met. We do lots of pick-me-up loves. Her home is on my couch, where she snoozes at night. She loves her snacks (we do crunchy snacks every evening when I get home - all three come running!) and often goes for Leo's snack dish, when she has finished her portion, 'cos he's slow at munching. She squeaks at me when she comes in from being outside, to announce her arrival. Leo licks her head.

Demonstrationg the 'Over Shoulder' and 'Upsidedown Kitty' holds. Stella would stay like this all day!

A few days a few days after they arrived, Stella fell ill. I took her to 'Uncle Larry', our vet, in the nick of time. She had a blood parasite, caught from ticks or fleas and when I got her to Larry first thing the next morning (she had looked ill the previous afternoon and didn't drink, eat or move the whole night), her temperature was through the roof (critical, system shut-down, having convulsions high), she was metabolising red blood cells, her heart rate was extremely elevated and she probably would have been dead within a few hours. Larry worked his magic and Stella has recovered completely.

Their mom, Louise, has been sending me pics of some lovely little 'children' from a kitty haven... And I saw a pretty young stray grey tabby outside the dance studio last weekend. I quizzed the car guard about her - she hangs around there and gets food from the people who live in the staff rooms; but she is a stray and doesn't come up to people.

I'm half-way tempted to adopy a kitty. My 'baby', Bracken - a beautiful tabby - is 15 years old now and she lives with my mom; I stop past to visit her often. But, I have reservations about adopting a kitty because of the associated 'parental' obligations to vet bills, safety (there's a busy-ish road on the one side of the property) and having kitty looked after if I'm away. It's not something I want to take on right now - having a pet, to me, is a big responsibility and a long-term one too. For now, I'll continue to befriend 'Stripes' (I don't know his real name) a young tabby that lives next door.

So, it has been an absolute treat for me to have these three little house guests staying with me for six weeks and home will feel very empty without them. Their parents have missed them (their two dogs have probably missed them too) and I'm sure they'll love their new home in a safe and quiet neighbourhood.