Hi from Australia

[Mayday21]

Hi folks long time since I’ve been on CC but see Kay, fjm, Mollycat are still here. If I’ve missed others such as Booktigger, Lilith & Allan et all apologies. Then there was the two trauma Ragdolls Coco & Chanel who I think are with Booktigger. Hope they’re ok. Was only thinking it was 5 yrs ago I discovered CC when my 21yr 7 mth Mayday left me. I was devastated. The support received was amazing & I’ve never forgotten it. Still have the Famous Five from Oz (christened by Lilith). 2020 has been an awful year albeit we’ve faired very well compared to others. Guess being an island & challenged geographically helps. We shut our borders to international visitors in March. Then our state borders closed. We’ve just opened Qld! We’ve been shut to states since Jul when there was a breakout in Victoria that went into a forced lockdown for 3 months. I’m posting to say all & your fur babes are in my thoughts as we approach Yuletide. Vivian & The Famous Five from Oz!!

[Mollycat]

Well G'day Mayday! I'm touched that you would remember me as I think we barely overlapped in the revolving door but much of your wisdom (and never letting anyone forget where you are) crop up often on older threads. Now you come to mention it, where is Lilith??

A strange and tough year indeed, about as messed up as it gets really. Being an island doesn't seem to have helped the UK much. Nobody seems to have noticed that Belgium actually has the highest fatality rate per population, which seems to me much more significant than numbers. I am old and wise enough to know better than to wish a year over in the hope of a better next one, calendar markers mean so little to the passage of time.

How are the Famous Five? Tell us a story! Share some fun!

[booktigger]

Hello, lovely to hear from you, and how sweet to remember Coco and Chanel, they are doing well, here's a pic of a first for you. Glad you seem to have coped with this strange year

[fjm]

Good to hear from you - it has been a strange year indeed. The animals have enjoyed it though - me home all the time and more than happy to take them out for walks and concentrate on feeding and playing and cuddling, few visitors so very little upsetting house blitzing, no boring shopping trips...!

Here's to a healthier 2021!

[Ruth B]

Great to hear that you and the Famous Five are doing well.

It has been a strange year, and all we can do is wait and see what next year brings and hope things get better. I'm lucky that while I can get cabin fever at times, it seems that knowing i can't go out anywhere has meant that I have just settled to seeing the same four walls all the time with the highlight of the month being the weekly trip to Asda, or occasionally urp to the local Co-op for a few bits and pieces. What I've missed most have been the craft fairs, not having them, and only having limited storage has really slowed my leather working down. More time spent on the internet, and even started to learn some basic coding using an online site, nothing fancy, but at least it is putting my time to good use, any learning is never wasted.

I hope you have a good Christmas and New Year, and we can all just hope for the best from now forwards. Stay safe.

[Mayday21]

Lovely to wake & read your posts. Booktigger I did catch up on some of your posts on C&C. Seems they are still work in progress but aren’t you glad you got to keep them both! As for a story Mollycat. Unsure if folks were aware that Pebbles the Siamese-x second adoption failed in Sep 19. Drove 2hrs to meet the lady & her son to bring her home. A hard decision for the lady but their boy cat was being picked on. Pebbs is a bully but having 4 keeps her in check! It was probably opportune as the lady has had a torrid 2020 health wise & is being treated for blood cancer. We pm ea other. For the 1st 3-4 mths her ex-husband took in her cat in but couldn’t have taken two. She has a cancer apartment near the hospital & her cat has been in a cattery since May. Pebbs would’ve been so confused if she’d been put in a cattery. Folks say she must like being with me & at least she’s safe. As for Oz what a year. 2019 ending with drought, then bush fires & then pestilence. No doubt some thought “The end is nigh!” I’m still volunteering Sat fortnightly at the vet. Helps with vet bills as I get discount. Also started volunteering 2 days with the Sallies. Unsure how others have found the virus but to me, being on my own with the Famous Five, people have become self absorbed & self interested. Got so sick of ringing friends only to have the virus the only topic. What did we talk about before? I stopped ringing & no one called me to see how I was. Sorted the chooks from the chaff!! Lovely to be on CC again.
Vivian & The Famous Five from Oz

[Mollycat]

Poor Pebbles must surely be confused as it is, by the time a second adoption attempt fails?

Here's a question, how is Oz on the question of cats roaming? Is it common for cats to be confined indoors for their own safety from all those dangerous critters, or do people generally let them get on with it despite the hazards?

Yes to people being more self-centred though. Funny how things have changed and all the things we complained about the younger generation doing like never looking up from their phones to interact face to face? Yeah now it's the norm. Lost count of how many times I stepped off a path to give people room to pass safely and have a little laugh with them about remember when it used to be rude to cross the road to avoid people ... oh how things change.

[booktigger]

I do sometimes wonder if they could have improved if they'd been with someone who had more time and space, although lockdown has helped, as I've had more time.

I agree about people being self centred, I've lost one friend this year. I thought our year had started bad with flooding, I feel sorry for some of the independent businesses in a local village, they were just getting ready to open after cleaning up from flooding when covid hit, some might not survive

[Mollycat]

I do sometimes wonder if they could have improved if they'd been with someone who had more time and space, although lockdown has helped, as I've had more time.

They seem to have landed square on their feet from what I've read, they certainly could have come off a whole lot worse. You might find things change one day when Lucy's gone, but even if that happens, it won't mean that if she hadn't been there C&C could have come on any quicker than they did. Cats do things on their own terms but also at their own pace. All we can do is give them a safe space in which to do it themselves, and that's what you have done.

[booktigger]

Yes, you are right, they certainly could have had a lot worse. It will be interesting to see what happens when they can have more time out as at the moment, Chanel hides behind the chair till I shut the door, it's the only time I see her there

[Mayday21]

Hi folks 1. Glad to see that I’m not so far off the grid on the effects of the virus. Yes Booktigger many small businesses will never recover but the pollies & public servants are all ok! Don’t get me on that band wagon. Listening to real estate guy on radio on the Brisbane city & how that’s been impacted. 2. Mollycat cats are SUPPOSED to be chipped, registered with local councils & confined especially between 6pm-6am.my council area allows 2 & you can apply for extra depending on land size. Mine are indoor cats & my pergola enclosed with cat netting. As I say to folks on our Neighbourhood Watch site “You don’t let your dogs wander why let your cats?” TG its enclosed as a month or so ago on a Fri night had my first carpet python looking at Harper through the netting. It was on my air con. Grabbed a rake & got it off aircon & raked it out. Locked house up completely. Then on Sat night it was back! Explains why Harper was so antsy Sat morning on checking out the aircon. She could smell it. Had to get snake catcher £50! He said my cats would’ve been ok but..& as we’d had storms it had come in for shelter. It was about 1m & 1” round. 3 Booktigger thinking back don’t think you would’ve been happy if the rescue took them to rehome. Things happen for a reason. Didn’t you do window enclosure so they could go out & look out? Do they use it? 4. Has anyone heard from Lilith? Think Mollycat asked about her when I first posted. It’s just on 9am Sat & I need to do litter trays. They say we’re in for a very wet weekend. Need rain badly! Drizzled all night but they say deluge starting later today through tomorrow & possibly Mon. Fusses to all kidlings.
Vivian & The Famous Five from Oz

[Mollycat]

Lilith last posted in January. I do hope she's ok.

Interesting, about cats roaming. When I was a kid dogs did roam quite a bit, and I don't think it had occurred to anyone but breeders to keep cats locked up. I remember some wonderful characters from my childhood, Jip the dog who would spend his Saturday mornings walking with me as neither of us had anything better to do, and head for home when he sensed it was time. The Birman on the wall in the next street, the two gingers Oscar and Marmalade down the hill, always ready for a fuss. No wonder it took me an hour to get to school. For a short while there was even a horse, April, a pied girl on a small bit of waste ground until they built a new block of flats, and this was right in the city!