The Black Winter Cardigan

[Lilith]

Well, that time of year again, Winter drawers on, as they say and I hope you and your cats are all managing to stay warm and cosy. Here is Mouse on the bed, modelling her black winter cardigan:-

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Very elegant don't you think? Emily likes her downstairs igloo, and Molly is fond of igloos too, but she hasn't quite got the hang of them yet. Errm, Molly, dearie, you're supposed to get INSIDE the igloo before you use the chin rest ...

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And, oh no no no, you're NOT supposed to SQUASH it! Ohhh dear....

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Emily says this is enough to make a cat laugh!

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Oh and another warming tip - just try to post pics when you're still not good at it. Talk about getting hot under the collar? We got there in the end though - wonder if Moll'll ever learn how to use an igloo ...

[alanc]

Loved the pics. My old Misty was a kindred spirit to Molly - always slept on top of his igloo (except on fireworks night when he went inside). Tilly agrees its getting cold and wet, she didn't go outside until mid morning. She is usually out at first light. I think she is getting old!

[bobbys girl]

Nice to see the gang Lilith. Funny, since Tommy left us the rest of the gang have taken over his favourite perch's. Gracie has his window spot in the caravan, Bob has taken over on the car bonnet and Willow his place in the wicker picnic hamper. But, just like Tom, she is finding the bar across the top of it a bit of an obstacle.

We had a small re-occuring spot of damp in the corner of the bedroom (and, NO it wasn't the cats!) So over the last few weeks we have got that sorted (finally!) and as I had to repair the wallpaper and repaint everything I thought 'what the heck' and treated us to some new curtains, bedding, rugs etc. Over the last couple of days my lot have been checking it all out. So far the fluffy rugs are a hit, the curtains smell funny and everyone wants a cushion of their own. They are all nest-building and hunkering down for the winter.

[Mayday21]

Hi Lilith love the pics of Mouse, Molly & Emily. Harper squashes an igloo too! You're heading for winter & its 30deg here today 31 tomorrow. Just filled the water bowls. Vivian

[Mrs Kane]

Sofi isn't even close to bringing on her winter cardy yet! Then again it's still hovering at between 17-22C here, pending all the rain we've been getting.
I'm kind of looking forward to her ruff. When she sits in winter it makes her look like a disgruntled princess.
"My ruff hath thou engulfed mine upper area. Good servant, please maketh the weather warmer for I can not breathe"

[Lilith]

Lol, Alan and Mayday, I'm glad Molly isn't the only igloo-squasher on the planet Though Harper isn't going to be needing her igloo for a good while in Australia, along with Sofi, how lucky cats are who live in warmer climates...I'm envious!

Bobbys girl, they are opportunists aren't they? I have two armchairs in the living room; one contains Emily's igloo and the other a beautiful deep orange chenille sort of Navajo patterned throw. Which Moll has taken for her very own, and if I have the cheek to sit down on it I get encrusted with ginger hairs and serve me right

[bobbys girl]

You're heading for winter & its 30deg here today 31 tomorrow. Just filled the water bowls. Vivian

Oh shut up!! (just jealous)

Then again it's still hovering at between 17-22C here, pending all the rain we've been getting.
"My ruff hath thou engulfed mine upper area. Good servant, please maketh the weather warmer for I can not breathe"

I thought the rain in Spain stayed mainly in the Plain? Sorry, couldn't help it.

As for Fermanagh - they don't call it 'The Emerald Isle' for nothing you know!

Bobbys girl, they are opportunists aren't they? I have two armchairs in the living room; one contains Emily's igloo and the other a beautiful deep orange chenille sort of Navajo patterned throw. Which Moll has taken for her very own, and if I have the cheek to sit down on it I get encrusted with ginger hairs and serve me right

While we were away (2 weeks back) OH bought me a cosy robe from the hotel spa. Very nice of him - shame it is, sorry, WAS white! Bob thinks it a LOVELY new bed.

[Lilith]

Ohh nooo, Bobbys girl, so now your beautiful new robe is 50 sheds of grey ... At least Moll's hairs don't show on the throw although it's definitely an example of the old joke about 'fur-niture'...

Lol, the rain in Spain ... I once went to Spain...long long ago when I were nobbut a lass and they were still building the hotels. When we landed there was a bit of drizzle but after that the weather was gorgeous, so on every postcard I wrote I mentioned that the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plane...errm yes, I was making terrible jokes even then, the temptation is just too much isn't it?

A good tip for cat hair, on fur-niture and elsewhere, wind sellotape sticky-side out round your hand and 'groom' the offending area with it, it will pick up all the loose hair

[bobbys girl]

Ohh nooo, Bobbys girl, so now your beautiful new robe is 50 sheds of grey ... At least Moll's hairs don't show on the throw although it's definitely an example of the old joke about 'fur-niture'...

A good tip for cat hair, on fur-niture and elsewhere, wind sellotape sticky-side out round your hand and 'groom' the offending area with it, it will pick up all the loose hair

I invested a few quid on a sticky roller thingy from Ikea - worth every penny.

[alanc]

Been doing a bit of digging through old photos and here is a pic of Misty on his igloo in 1999:

Just to show he did know how to use it properly, here he is on fireworks night 1999:

You can see from all the fur on top where he usually slept!
(The other igloo was Honey's but she hardly ever used it.)

[Joe_Danger]

Ms. Lilith these are some gorgeous cats!
and I'm just saying this, like you can see from the pictures alone just how well taken care of these cats are, amazing

[Lilith]

Hey Bobbys girl, I used to have one of those loose fur rollers - they are good, didn't know they still made them.

Alan, what a magnificent Misty! Emily had a kitten like that in her feral litter, with the classic markings. A proper marmalade cat. Why is it that gingers always choose a bed or blanket that harmonises with them?

Thank you, Joe, but I think I've just been very lucky with them; they eat anything and (paws crossed) seem to do well on it, and they're so laid back - though Moll still has her moments even she seems to be settling down into hibernation

[bobbys girl]

You can get those roller thingies from Amazon (if there is no Ikea handy). Only cost a few quid.

[Alice]

I've seen those sticky rollers in some of the cut price or pound type shops - can't remember exactly which, so can't name a shop at the moment, sorry. It's a while since I bought mine, but with two long-haired Ragdolls I find them very useful.

[bobbys girl]

I did have a 'reusable' sticky (silicon?) roller. but you had to wash it after a couple of 'rolls', then let it dry before using it again. I much prefer the disposable sticky rollers.

Just a thought, this thread is about 'the Black Winter Cardigan'. Why is it that black cats never get covered in fluffy white bits, but MY dark cardies are a mess?

[Lilith]

LOL! That is one of life's impenetrable mysteries...

So is the fact that black cats STILL leave white hairs on anything black (yes I know they've got a paler undercoat, but even so...)

I like dark/rich colours - and I've ended up with ginger cats. Hairy!

And as for the days of the Siamese ... don't ask

When I had an allotment though, I groomed the cats, then Emily and Finn (gingers) black tux Mouse and her tortie mother, Tess, all winter and saved the brushings. In the spring I'd take the great clump of brushings and put them into a wire peanut feeder for the birds to use for nests. I had a titbox on one tree and the tits made a tiny cat-hair nest to go in it, must have been nice and comfy

[bobbys girl]

I leave any clumps of hair tucked into the chicken wire fencing. It was used in the birdbox with the camera this year - very cosy.

[catslave16]

I'm going to be really smug here and tell all of you that my new carpet is an exact match with Rufus's fluff, which is invisible until I attach the special cat hair removal thingy to the vacuum cleaner and then I'm amazed at how much of it there is! The vacuum cleaner attachment has that red fabric that picks up cat hair, and then you rub it the opposite way to remove all the fluff. I got it either at The Range or Dunelm Mill, it's one of those JML products they're always advertising on TV screens ("Take yours to the checkout NOW!") and costs £6.99.
How lovely to make cat fluff available to birds for their nests. I can just imagine the little naked nestlings snuggling into it. I once read about a woman who collected her cats' fluff, spun it and knitted it into scarves and even a pullover. Unfortunately they were a very dull browney-grey colour. Maybe I could do it with Rufus's fluff, which is a lovely pale golden colour...

[catslave16]

By the way, how DOES one post photos?

[MarySkater]

By the way, how DOES one post photos?

Read this post and see if that helps:
http://www.catchat.org/felineforum/view ... f=29&t=227

[Lilith]

Hi Catslave, I used the link Mary gives, and the second option, 'Webresizer'. This is what works for me though I don't know if it's the right way.

First I call up the picture I want to resize and upload. I can't work out if there are other sizes to choose from; it just does it. Then I download it. After that I right-click on the downsized pic and choose the option that says 'save as' and give it a new title. It then saves in my downloads and when I call it up for an attachment a small box appears at the bottom of the attachment section with the photo name and the option to 'place inline' and there it is. Well you hope it is.

Or it was last time I looked. I'm terrible at this sort of stuff - I still can't downsize for an avatar although Mary posted a link and thanks again for that, Mary, but it said I hadn't got the proper facilities on my pc. Or words to that effect...sorry, one computer-type sentence such as 'paste into your url browser' and my brain collapses into mush

[MarySkater]

Lilith, can you take the picture you want as an avatar, and post it as an attachment in an ordinary post? If you do that, I should be able to copy it and scale it down to avatar size. Then if I post the modified picture, you could save it to your pc, and should be able to install it as an avatar.

[Alice]

Just going back to devices for de-furring clothes, carpets, etc this is another alternative to the sticky tape roller....

http://www.catchat.org/shop/index.php?r ... duct_id=93

I've not tried these, but the principle is similar to a mitt I have with little rubber 'studs' all over one side, and that's very good, too.

[catslave16]

Alice, I've had one of those cat hair removers and although it worked well, I found the little 'studs' wore down fairly quickly.

Mary and Lilith, thanks for the picture posting advice, I'll try it soon!

[Lilith]

Lilith, can you take the picture you want as an avatar, and post it as an attachment in an ordinary post? If you do that, I should be able to copy it and scale it down to avatar size. Then if I post the modified picture, you could save it to your pc, and should be able to install it as an avatar.

Hey Mary, I'm terribly sorry - I saw this but then forgot; it's been rather a hectic week or so. Thanks ever so much, and I'll look out a pic today

[Lilith]

...so far haven't found the ideal one! Tomorrow I'll get going with my camera and hope to get a pic of Em without the reflective eyes, since she's senior cat she ought to be on my avatar. Thanks again, Mary

[MarySkater]

This is strange, Lilith - I typed an answer to your posts, but it seems to have vanished. I suppose I forgot to hit "submit" or something.

Anyway, what I said was, I've just come back after a few days away, glad to get back to my computer, and a little avatar project will be enjoyable. I might be able to fix reflective eyes in a photo - I haven't tried, but if all you want is for the pupils to look black, it should be a simple edit. If there are any highlights over the pupil, that complicates it a bit, but I'll have a go.

My cats are still at the cattery. It's out in the country, and I thought it would be best to leave them there over the weekend. Fireworks have been going here all evening.

Mary

[Lilith]

Thanks Mary - that's great; I did have a really good pic of Emily but can't find it anywhere, and all my other pics are snapshots with washing hanging in the background or general mess, but I will, I'll find or take a decent one

Yes, I should think it'll be quieter out in the countryside for Rocky and Ria - you must miss them though. Hope you had a good holiday and thanks again

[Lilith]

Hey Mary, don't faint - FINALLY here is the pic of Emmy. It's not exactly top quality but it is 'her' - and I'm afraid I still can't get the poor girl's eyes right. Thank you so much

Her eyes are a little uneven because of a problem earlier in the year (she went to the vet and is fine now.)

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Hope you're enjoying being reunited with your two and hope everyone's keeping warm with their cats - and other furries, smoothies and featheries too

[MarySkater]

Thanks, Lilith. I have the log burner going every evening, and mine like basking in front of it. (Especially Rocky.)

Re Emmy - each eye in your picture has a bright yellow spot, which I think is highlight from the flash. Surrounding that is a dim yellow area, which I think is the pupil, but showing a bit of reflection from the flash. Then there's an area which looks grey in the picture. I think that's her cornea...? Which I would expect to be green or yellow? What colour are her eyes, in real life? I might try "doctoring" the photo a little, but I'll keep the original and any intermediate versions, and let you pick the final one to be used.

Mary