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    • Littley the (Happy) Travelling Cat

      1 / 15 Jun 2014

      My initial travelling experience with Littley was less than encouraging. I needed to take him to the vet for his jabs and to have him micro chipped –   Liz kindly bought me a rigid plastic cage with a metal grill at one end, it seemed ideal as he was still a tiny little thing. (his growth spurt hadn’t started yet) I had never *owned* a cat before and so I did a lot of reading in preparation for his (hopefully) future car trips. I was a bit worried  that nearly every article I came upon, seemed to carry the warning that, unlike dogs who often enjoy car travel, most cats find it a frightening and upsetting experience… With regard to Littley the opposite eventually proved to be true, as he now really enjoys his car journeys – although I would not have believed it at the time. Littley never took to the cage, he seemed to dislike the bars and the air vents of his mobile prison. I also noticed that he was out-growing it rapidly. With the date of the vet appointment looming, I tried a few dummy-runs in the car…using Dreamies (his favourite treat) to lure him into the cage – but each time, the whole procedure became more and more traumatic for him (and for myself) 's Even the offered Dreamies seemed to be losing their persuasive power.  The eventual journey to the vet's was sadly traumatic, with rapid meows, wailing and whining down his nose - which continued during the first injection and micro-chipping. After the ordeal was over, there was no problem getting him back into the cage, as by then I was the owner of a terrified cat. As soon as I got him back in the house and released him from his dungeon, he climbed at high speed onto the top of the wardrobe and there he stayed, glaring down at me for the rest of the day.  He was somewhat calmer the next morning, but sort of distant and civil. There was no “Good Morning” head-butting and purring to greet me when I woke up…and sitting on my knee that evening was definitely off the agenda. Thankfully, as the days passed, I was gradually forgiven and his normal loving ways returned, but it took nearly a week before the morning cuddles, games, hunting and fun throughout the day returned…but when they did, I'd smile at the the sound of the cat-flap opening, followed by the pitter-patter of paws up the stairs…and finally a warm little lump, jumping up and snuggling down beside my feet at the bottom of the bed. I did try to get him to like the cage during that time, by leaving it with the front grill open and placing his meals inside - no chance! The only way to end the immediate hunger-strike that ensued was to relent and quickly put his dishes out in the open as usual. I also tried top-loading him, with the cage on it’s end. This resulted in hissing, wriggling and threatened biting - Littley was shouting “NO” in the only way he could and woe betide me and my friendship with the little soldier, if I ignored it. It was time to think like a cat… Now, other cats might be different and prefer a small dark space to feel safe in, but I reckoned that Littley, with his tough street-cat background and his lean springy body, needed space to stand on his hind legs and move around…and with his outgoing personality…lots of visibility to see exactly what was going on around him. I searched the internet and eventually found a extra-large cat show-cage, made by ‘Sturdi Products’ a US firm. At almost £100, it was more than I had anticipated, but when it arrived, I knew at once that I had made the right decision. I did a test-run through Coventry, with an excited cat, standing on his hind-legs, watching everything happening around him. People on the street did double-takes when they saw him. I stopped to get some diesel, with Littley jumping around his cage in an attempt to look out of all the windows at the same time - it was his first visit to a filling station forecourt and he just had to see everything at once . A driver watching Littley’s antics with a mixture of amazement and amusement,  remarked that I was so lucky to have a cat like that and how his own cat was always terrified and wailed all the time, when he travelled in the car. I felt very smug… The second visit to the Vet’s was a breeze (apart from the injections)…A couple of nervous meows when the car started moving, followed by total interest in the traffic around him and the people on the street. He also seemed to really like going fast! The next step was to prepare things for his first really big journey – 120 miles each way, to see Liz for a week’s holiday.  I made a check-list 1. Best time to travel – Littley loaded into car by mid-day. He gets sleepy around that time, which I thought would be good for sustained travel and would also mean that the whole jouney would avoid the rush-hour periods. 2. Lots of kitchen towel – In case of poo’s or similar ‘accidents’ 3. Old towel in carrier with a spare one in case of more ‘accidents’ 4. Plastic bags to dispose of old towels etc if ‘accidents’ did happen! (It has only happened once so far, after six months of travel.) 5. Bottle of water and plastic bowl in case of traffic jams or breakdowns  6. A packet of ‘Dreamies’ 7. Small quantity of hard food 8. Small hamper with enough wet and dry food for the whole week’s stay. I also made a mental note to... 9.  Try to choose a day with mild weather – no hot sun, or predicted storms. Try to avoid rush-hour times – mixing scorching weather with a traffic jam could be life threatening.  10 Check that my Travel insurance and relay cover with one of the motoring organizations (AA, RAC, GreenFlag  etc) was up to date. 11. Most Important ~ Use the same forethought and planning as if transporting a baby.  ~ The journey went really well and Littley, after watching the motorway traffic (especially the lorries!) for around half an hour, settled down and slept until we arrived.  He never cries (meows down his nose) or wails, except when he leaves Liz’s house after a holiday visit  –  he’s very fond of her! Littley really loves to travel – He’s a Happy  Travelling Cat! ~ If you’re interested in travelling with your cat  – go visit my cat product page, you’ll find the button on the top menu bar above this post. However, it's worth bearing in mind that your cat may be quite the opposite to Littley and prefer a small-dark space to hide in whilst on the move.                                                       Cats are like people - Each one is unique. 

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      4 / 28 Mar 2008

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Friday
Home > vernal equinox > Back-stage thoughts during a three-show Saturday

Back-stage thoughts during a three-show Saturday

Back-stage thoughts during a three-show Saturday
...So it's the Vernal Equinox - Adam and Eve are in the Garden of Eden  and the whole of the countryside vibrates with renewing life. The young rams of Aries (happy birthday Deb & Chris Barton) say farewell to Pisces (happy birthday Liz)   and the Fool on the Hill steps into the wheel of life of the Major Arcana.
Of all the decks available at the mystic shop in Southsea a couple of years ago, the Druid Craft  deck was the one I resonated (very '60's!) with. It's important to find a Tarot deck that feels 'right' - certainly the Druid Craft deck appeals to the Druid in me - and it's really  well illustrated with an excellent book to go with it.
Cover Druid CraftI'm typing this during our three-show-Joseph Saturday at Worthing at the Connaught theatre at the end of the Pier (the shore end) The other night, the "White Horses" battered the beach - very spectacular. I know that all life began in the sea, but I'm much more at home in the heart of Shakespeare's country (Warwickshire)...hopefully I'll get to see Martin's Oak tomorrow (Sun)
Interestingly, the past three weeks, have resembled an episode of the Keystone Cops - Nearly choking to death in a Chinese restaurant (my sloppy eating - not the food) One speeding ticket, a bust central heating boiler, cancelled credit and debit cards, a cancelled website hosting arrangement and a bizarre tumble, when I literally walked into a wall. The wall was just above knee-height and the summersault I then performed over it, complete with my computer-bag was as spectacular as it was painful. (at the time of writing, I hadn't had the encounter with the scaffolding pole...that was to come, a couple of hours later!)

5pm Show...
Last Sunday was a bit of a mess as far as my central heating boiler was concerned. In total I was 'let down' by at least half a dozen 'operatives' and the thought of another cold day at home was almost too much to bear. Nevertheless I decided to go to church (at least a prayer for an plumber might produce results.)
Druidcraft FoolI have an affinity with "The Fool" of the Major Arcana. (replace the cliff edge with a wall and his bag with my computer bag and you'll see what i mean. The Fool is "Everyman" (or woman) and is for me, not stupid but naive and with a wise instinct. The fool in Shaksper's plays has much in common with the Tarot fool..... both wise and vulnerable at the same time.
When that I was and a little tiny boy With hey, ho, the wind and the rain, A foolish thing was but a toy, For the rain it raineth every day. ...
The Beatles' "Fool on the Hill" has always reminded me of the Tarot Fool (see YouTube vid' on sidebar...)
Yes..the Vernal Equinox had crept up on me by surprise, I guess due to my pre-occupation with the disasters in my life. But I must say, things did feel different on the drive down to Worthing from Coventry last Monday. The whole afternoon lifted me up a long way. The further I drove south, the more I could see the green spirits in the trees and hedgerows. Life throbs and hums and the power is very evident. I'm sure that Dylan Thomas was a secret Druid, even though he was born in the bible-black Welsh valleys (with their ancient celtic ways):
The force that through the Green Fuse...
PA110030 It's now around 7.40pm and the last show of the day begins at 8pm. Chris Barton our Benjamin (from the TV show of last year..."Any Dream Will Do") had his 21st Birthday on the 21st of this month; one day after the Vernal Equinox. So the youngest sign of the Zodiac meets the begining of new life. (happy birthday Chris)
P7110156-1-1Card XX of the Major Arcana shows the sun god reborn and the symbol of  the hare (which we have now changed to the Easter Bunny).
It's a small shift from the Sun God to the Son of God and the Christian Easter celebration of the death and resurrection of Jesus, fit well and go along beside the more ancient celebration of the Vernal Equinox...Although the Christian church layered Easter over the original Pagan dates (which are astrologically correct) ... I guess they layered it suitably...as long as the Christian church does not forget and acknowledges the overlay.


Meal Break...between the 5pm and the 8pm shows, Tim our Company Manager arranges a meal to keep us going. This week's treat came in the form of a curry...*burp*


8pm Show...
P2110050-2The curry is weighing heavily as we embark on Act 1. I guess that's why I'm  a skinny one (and a lot of dancers) because I really perform better on an empty stomach. The trouble is that most theatricals eat after the evening show, which is not the best habit for good digestion. My diverticulitis diagnosis of the last few weeks is probably the result of a very disorganised food intake over the last forty years. Actually I had my first professional job when I was sixteen....so that means forty-eight years since I started in this strange profession, although I became a college lecturer for seven of them. (It still means 41 years of working and touring in the theatre)
When I was in Infant school, we used to have visits to the local school pond to collect frogspawn and I remember lying in my stomach and listening to the gurgles and sounds of life - my favourite insects were the Water Boatmen - I always imagined that they were out, like Ratty and Mole, for a pleasurable jaunt on a fine day. Yes Spring is here, even though storms are around....one of my favourite spring poems by EE Cummings also has a strong, wet and fertile Pagan theme....in Just-spring...


I stopped writing this post, after I was hit between the eyes by a scaffolding pole (I walked into it) There followed a fascinating sequence of events which I have written about in the Almanack http://www.soulmerlin.com/almanack/?p=148


Blogs I Like (1)


pentad2


Pentad (Tamara) visited the Almanack and left an encouraging comment...two actually because she did the best thing she could have done for my unstable blogging ego...she looked up a back-post and commented on it!


Wow! someone cares about what I write (I'm overdoing it a bit - ham actor) but it really was good to see a comment on a post I did around last July and which has lain buried under all my posts up 'till now.


Sometimes I feel that the blogosphere is full of people, all of them writing to no-one, in order to attract everyone...Tamara(Pentad) is a class act and I'm going to visit her site(s) often...


http://pentads.blogspot.com/  I found this one really interesting


http://www.pentad.no/index.htm Pentad~Simplifying Life and Love


http://www.pentad.no/blog.htm it's about baby alligators and...well, just go and find out.


I'll close this entry with a photo I took this time last year, of my favourite Oak tree. I thought it (the tree -not the photo) deserved to be shown again.


 approaching-the-oak-reduced-500pix


soulMerlin


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Copyright Policy ~ All illustrations by soulMerlin/henry metcalfe are copyright ~ however you are welcome to reproduce them for none-profit making use, providing you place a photo-credit and a link back to this site. For all other use, please email me with details before a decision may be granted. If you want a larger image, please contact me and if possible I will email one back to you, if available.For llustrations and material by other authors (in this case ©Tamera Daun/Pentad), copyright must be respected and any application, none profit or otherwise, must be made directly to the author.


The source of the ©Pentad Banner and the ©Druid Craft material can be reached by clicking on the illustrations.
Posted by Unknown at 21:07
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4 comments:

Tami Daun said... 30 March 2008 at 06:06

Dear, dear, SoulMerlin. How very kind of you! I was stunned to see mention of my site as I came in for this read. Thank you. This was a nice surprise.

I could sit for hours, and dig and read through your posts with all of your thoughts and experiences. I enjoy these visits, so keep on posting!

Unknown said... 30 March 2008 at 21:27

I was very impressed with your website and blogs and decided to do a feature on them...then I re-visited your site and discovered that you had already done a blog review and had a 'blogs I like' section...It really looked like I was being opportunistic.

So I guess I want to re-assure you that my admiration for your work was as spontaneous as it seems to have been co-incidental. (and I'm really not plugging for a review...I still have a lot to learn and iron out with my site and blogs.)

Your output is impressive and your blogs read so well.

xhenry

Tami Daun said... 1 April 2008 at 04:23

Oh no. Of course I did not think it as opportunistic.

I was very touched, and it made my day. Thank you.

Anonymous said... 4 May 2008 at 15:16

After this last month I could really relate to this piece. It did me a lot of good reading it. As always your writing is stellar, and moves me. Am going to go check out your other sites. I hope you are doing MUCH MUCH better than I am today. (laughing) :) Take care my friend, R Always look forward to your next beautiful post. Your writing is exceptional.

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