Miss Oswin has moved

Miaow

I knew there was something going on. I knew it! Every time Mara came in, she smelled funny. Opa also smelled funny sometimes and Oma was sitting behind the whirring machine with a lot of fabric that smelled funny. They were nearly too busy to give me a pet or let me out. 

And then the day came I was put in the basket. No no no!!! I don't want to go anywhere else. Mara took me to the vet and then I smelled funny too. But the vet said I was okay, just a little overweight. Hey, I am the most beautiful cat in the whole wide universe don't you know!

Then, the next day, the basket came out again. And I had to go in again. And this time when I was let out, there was a whole new house, where everything smelled funny and there were strange noises and my food was in a strange place and and and miaow?

Mara said I could go anywhere in the house. But I wasn't allowed outside. Well, I wasn't going outside anyway thank you very much. Since I am the most beautiful cat in the whole wide universe, I am not supposed to be scared, but I can tell you: I was a bit. So, I hid under the bed, or the couch, or the chest of drawers. 

But, I did also check everything out. There are so many places I can sleep on like a chair or a weapon's blanket chest. There are window sills to climb on and see what is happening outside. I can even smell outside as Mara has most of the windows open a tad. 

I got used to the new house and wasn't hiding anymore. I sleep on the bed mostly, but in the evening I come down to let Mara stroke my fur. Well, I am trying to get some food, but so far it hasn't worked. She says I need to lose weight. Harumph.

One day Mara went outside and I wasn't allowed, so I told her in no uncertain terms that that was just not on. She said I had to wait a few more days and then I would be allowed. 

Guess what? I am now allowed to go outside. And the garden is a great place to hide. So many plants and trees and even really high grass. 

Do you know what? I think I might like it here...

Birthday

May 2014

When I first got Miss Oswin back in May 2014, they told me she was about 1 year old, but couldn't be entirely sure about when she was born exactly. Well, for the most beautiful feline in the whole wide universe, that was just not good enough, so a celebration day was picked. And what better day than a royal birthday? Like King Willem Alexander of the Netherlands?

On Tuesday it was King's Day in the Netherlands. The day when we celebrate the King's birthday. Normally there are massive parties everywhere, but because of something small and invisible that is keeping the whole world in its tight grip, the festivities were cancelled. 

April 2021

However, there were still plenty of Dutch flags and orange pennants everywhere. The village through which I walked had decorated a bit as well. It's a good thing having your celebration day on the King's birthday! And yes, she did get some new toys as well.

Seeing the doctor

It was doctor day today. First of all it was me. I was going in for a check-up on my knee. The doctor had a look and a feel and a listen (the latter to me, not my knee) and thought it wasn't too serious. Basically, the three and a half months of doing nothing had put a tendon in a place of such rest that it was now protesting to any movement. 

The doctor's advice: stop walking so much (2 km?) and train up the upper legs. That should take the tension of the tendon and let me walk again. Fortunately cycling was deemed okay and in fact beneficial. The fact that I was trying to loose weight was also a plus. All in all a good thing, because I was dreading more serious news!

This afternoon it was Miss Oswin's turn to see the doctor. In her case it was the annual check-up. She had lost some weight as well, which wasn't bad as she was getting to be a bit on the chubby side. Of course she doesn't agree. Her teeth were fine, her skin was great and even the bald patch on her tummy didn't look too bad. 

All in all a good day at the doctor's office!

Miss Oswin makes the jump

Miaow

Just to let you know: I am still here! According to Mara I am a bit of a lazy bones, but I do like to get out and about. But I don't like to be out and about when everybody else is out and about too. I prefer peace and quiet, me.

Like the other day. The weather had turned a bit. Over the last few weeks it has been hot and summery, but then it wasn't anymore. There was rain in the air and there was wind. I still wanted to go outside though. 

Oma and Opa have a fence to separate their garden from the Dalton brothers' garden. And that fence is perfect for balancing on. I don't often do it, but I knew Mara had a camera close by and thought I would give you a chance to admire me.

First I had to climb up some diagonal bit. Which I did absolutely wonderfully. Then I had to sharpen my claws on the straight bit. Mara was very good in taking photos of that. But once that was done, she went inside. Tsk tsk.

But Oma was still watching and I heard her call out to Mara: look at Oswin! Mara looked and then ran and grabbed her real camera. The next thing I know is that she is clicking away, just like I had planned. 

I was walking on top of the fence. Like a proper tight rope walker. Because that is what us felines do you know! It was a good thing there was some security though, for safety and to keep Mara from worrying. 

And then the fence came to an end. At first I thought it would be a good place to stop, but as I was there anyway and the other fence was only a short hop away, I thought that I might as well. 

Of course, you first have to get all your feet in the right position. Then you have to make sure your bum is sitting just right. 

Then you just let fly!

Of course I landed. On the dog's fence, but I think he was inside. I stayed there for a bit and then I made my way back home. To rest, as it is hard work this showing off!

Miss Oswin is on the hunt

Miaow

Wow, it has been a long time since I was allowed here. I know Mara sometimes tells you a bit about me, but I think it's very important to make sure I do tell you about the MBF in the WWU myself. Just so you won't forget...

The tree in which they reside we think
look closely and you can see an adult great tit

And today I will tell you all about my hunting skills. Because this week I didn't catch one, but two birds! The first one was a baby great tit (oh, Mara told you about it), but Mara took it from me and after that I wasn't allowed out anymore that day. 

Chittering on the fence

Yesterday I was sitting next to Mara in the garden and there was another great tit just chattering away to us. It was hopping from one end of the fence to the other and back and just chittering and chattering. I didn't move a muscle, although I would have liked to have caught it, I can tell you.

You just fly, I will catch you someday!

Today I was allowed out again because the weather is quite nice right now. And all of a sudden I saw another little birdie. With an almighty jump I caught it and brought it in. Where Mara got hold of me and locked me in the kitchen! And when I came back out the birdie was gone. I will have to catch another one now to play with...

The first great tit

Note from the editor: the first baby great tit was very alert and very determined to get as far away from my hands as possible. As it was fledging anyway, I put it in the garden and crossed my fingers for a safe return to its parents.

It looked really sad in my dad's hand

Alas the second baby great tit was perhaps fledging (as it was on the fence where Miss Oswin caught it), but after being caught it was definitely not alert. It barely moved apart from breathing. My dad put it at the other side of the house near a garden wall, where we hope it will be okay, although Miss Oswin isn't the only feline roaming the streets here and it was in a fairly bad state. 

A blergh day

A couple of nights ago I went to bed early, feeling a bit blergh. Just a bit not okay really. There was nothing wrong with me, I didn't have the sniffles, nor a headache (two weeks and counting, yay), I was just a bit ... oh you know... blergh.

I might have gone to bed early, but I didn't sleep well. I woke up every so often, having to visit the bathroom. Or I was hot. Or not comfortable. And when I finally got up, I didn't really feel like doing anything at all. It was my turn to cook, but it wasn't going to happen, so my mum made dinner instead. 

I posted about it online. And somebody asked me why I had a blergh day and this is what I wrote (translated into English): It's just... I want to go to work, I want to see people and I am totally fed up with the 1,5 meter rule. So...

I think a lot of people will feel like this. Just fed up with it all. And platitudes like 'people who have Corona are literally fed up' don't work. I know that. I know people who live alone (like my sister in NI) have it even harder. They speak only to people through a line, not even face to face. I can talk and touch. 

But that doesn't mean I don't feel blergh. Or that me feeling blergh is to be pushed aside with platitudes or well meaning nothingnesses. I just had a bad day, feeling the situation was getting a bit much.

I wasn't the only one feeling a bit blergh yesterday, although it didn't start out that way. Miss Oswin was out and about and enjoying her freedom. And then she came in to show us what she had caught. A little great tit. Alive as well. Only young, too young really. A bit like last year (read more here). But we rescued it, it fluttered a bit (no flying just yet) and in the end it disappeared under the hedge, from where it disappeared altogether. Hopefully not in some other cat's stomach!

Time flies

Isn't it amazing to think that it's nearly February? I have been working some, I have been knitting some and in the mean time, time flies indeed. There are some fun things on the horizon, like an outing to a large amusement park. Provided the weather is good of course. Another fun thing I am still hopeful for is Eurovision, but I will need to keep my fingers and everything else crossed for that, plus I will need the help of several others if I want to get tickets. We will see what happens.

On the not so fun side: Miss Oswin had a problem back in the summer with her licking her belly a lot. It had to do with a urinary tract infection, which got sorted and she stopped licking. But only for a short time. So, out came the plastic pellets again and off to the vet the sample went. Imagine my surprise when he told me her pee was fine. And that is quite likely stress-related.

I bought a stress reducing plug-in pheromone bottle. Which seemed to work. Although the licking didn't really stop, she became a bit more calm. Of course we couldn't really check it just yet, as New Year's Eve in the Netherlands is 'celebrated' with lots of fireworks and this year was one of the worst my parents said. On we went in January. And we finally started noticing something else.

According to my mum Miss Oswin is antsy during the day. She will miaow, she will walk around, she will not sit still for more than a few minutes. She wants to be petted, but not for long. My dad says the same. But when I'm at home: she is quiet, she sleeps, she can easily be petted for half an hour at a time. Perhaps she has abandonment issues? Even though my mum is home most of the time? 

At least the pheromones seem to be working. Now she just needs to stop licking excessively and the fur needs to grow back...

Just something that happened

Warning: this is quite a graphic post about a smelly subject. Just so you know!

Disclaimer: this has absolutely nothing to do with Miss Oswin. Obviously a feline of her caliber would never be involved in something smelly. And any photos are for illustration purposes only... Just so you know!!

The other day there was a certain feline who was making a racket. This particular feline wanted to go outside, but the weather was rain, hail and thunderstorms, so that was a no. At some point this feline seemed to give up and visited a certain area. When this feline came back to the living room, it was thumping its tail, which made both humans in the room look up. Why was it doing that?

On closer inspection it was found that the feline had a poo hanging out. It sometimes happens to felines with longer fur. The thing to do was to remove said poo. First to catch the feline though, which happened after a little chase was given.

The feline was held closely and then the poo was removed, which caused the feline to howl a bit. Because the inch of poo showing, was still attached to two inches of poo that were stuck together with something that looked a lot like a twig. And all that was still stuck inside the feline! 

Once removed however, the feline seemed to be much happier. The things they get up to though...

A bigger update

I have to start with Miss Oswin of course. Who is being stubborn and not wanting to use the plastic pellets at all. However, she needs to, because I have to collect another sample to take to the vet's to get checked. 

She was off her food (starting before she got her first dose of meds) and even her treats, but after a couple of days she seemed to be feeling a bit better and started eating again. I had given her plenty of wet food, always mixed with a bit of water as well and she would get her syringe of meds and then a syringe of water. No food is one thing, but no water was very much not good.

Back in 1992, when I was used to very hot

Especially as the temperatures were going up. And up. And up. Yesterday a nearly 75-year old record was broken as the highest temperature ever was measured. Well, since measuring began anyway! They are expecting it to go even higher today. Close to 40 degrees. Body temperature sits around 37, so you can imagine it's a bit warm...

The temperatures are expected to drop as of Saturday, but not by much. It will still be hot. Just not very hot! And they will stay very warm to hot for some time. Joy.

When I was at work the other day my mother took a phone call. The gynaecologist had an opening and would I be interested. After some detective work from my mother regarding the work rota I have, she accepted. Which means that on Tuesday I will see the gynaecologist regarding the endometriosis and the pill. 

In other health news: I decided to skip the walking this week. I don't mind walking when it's warm (I did last week), but very hot is another matter that could be very dangerous. Especially as I have some extra weight, am not trained and not used to this weather. So, I will continue again when we are back in regular summer temps.

In the mean time though: ICE CREAMS!

A little update

In the neighbourhood

Miss Oswin has told you about her encounter with the plastic, she didn't tell you however about how she lost her appetite. It started already before she got her first medication. Normally she would eat a lot of her dry food during the day, leaving only a nominal amount (or nothing) to last through the night. Last Monday, she ate a nominal amount and left the rest!

They are everywhere in the area right now

Which basically means that whenever she eats now, she is complimented and praised. Not sure how much that works in cats, but she is still eating, albeit less than normal. Not even her normal treats are in favour at the moment. It will come again. 

Still in the neighbourhood

However, another thing that she did a lot (lick her belly) has disappeared completely. The painkillers/anti inflammatory drugs seem to help in that respect. She gets it by syringe and after her meds, she gets another syringe full of water. She doesn't like it much, but she seems to be okay with it. Other than that, she is her bright self, alert and happy enough I guess.

Not too sure about those

But that is not all that has happened. I finally got paid again. I get paid weekly and for the past few weeks that didn't happen. They had changed the system at work again and the people responsible to log the hours and send it off to the temping agency were swamped basically. But I finally got some money again, which was good, especially as it was a nice high amount!

In the National Park not far from where I live

I have had a headache now for quite some time and the pilates thing is not happening just yet. What with holidays and such, I felt it would be easier to wait a few weeks and then get started. In the mean time I have started to walk though and even before Yamini mentioned it, I had started using a great site that maps my walks. Literally! 

I have to get back there in the autumn

It shows me exactly where I have walked, all squiggly lines and all. After posting my first walk, I got some reactions, which was totally unexpected, but very welcome. People telling me to keep it up, but don't overdo it. Stuff like that. They really stuck a heart under my belt. 

Mmmm, real blueberries!

Another thing I wanted to get done was a visit to the gynaecologist. Ever since my operation four and a half years ago I have been taking medication (the pill), but have never had a check-up. I just want to know whether everything is still okay and as it should be, or that more action is needed. 

See, real blueberries on my face too!

Of course it is the summer time and they are completely booked through July and August. So, I have to call back in a few weeks' time to make an appointment as the new schedule for them doesn't come until early August. 

Other than that, everything is going okay I guess. I am going places (sort of anyway).

Miss Oswin joins the fight against plastic

Miaow

Even though I am a respectable feline and the mbc in the wwu, even I have to visit a certain place from time to time. The little kitty's room so to say. Nice and private with a roof and a door. So, imagine my surprise on Sunday when my lovely room had gone!

Instead there was a washing up bowl filled to the millimeter with some plastic thingies. Definitely not my high absorbant clay pellets that you can really dig down in. Not even the wooden pellets that fall apart when you look at them. Just plastic little pellets that don't do a thing! Well, I wasn't going to use that!!

But then on Monday morning, I really really really had to go. I was thinking about rebelling, but only for a minute. So, I went on the open to all bowl and well... did what any well brought up lady does. I peed!

Not ten minutes later, guess what: my own private room was there again! As if by magic. While Mara was working in the kitchen doing something with ehm, my P? And then she threw the pellets with the P away! Those two-leggers sure are funny.

She had better keep my little private room there where it belongs from now on, because next time I might just rebel. Jus' sayin'...

Note from the editor: I have recently noticed that Miss O was licking her tummy a lot. A LOT! And when we visited the vet last Friday for her annual check-up (all okay), the vet thought it might be one of three things: bladder infection, allergy or stress. So, we had to do a P-test. Which came back as P with blood and infection cells. She now has a treatment course for ten days after which another bout of plastic pellets will decide whether it has cleared up or not!

Miss Oswin gets excited

Miaow

Well, finally! I have wanted to tell you about what's happening to me for about 87 days now. Don't worry though: nothing bad has happened. To me...

First things first though. I am allowed to go out nearly every day. Sometimes I stay out all day, not coming back until it's dark, other days I come back in all the time. You have to keep two-leggers on their toes you know! 

A few feathers and some down

One day I came back and Mara petted me and said: not good! So, I stayed quiet while Mara figured out what was wrong. It was a tick! Yuck! But Mara and Oma removed it and I have been completely okay.

The other day though, I was allowed out and was having a grand time and when I came in, I had something else with me: a baby bird! And I was not going to let go. Mara and Oma were quite devious however and in the end I was locked in the kitchen with Oma and Mara did something to the bird. 

When I was let out of the kitchen again, she said the bird was alive, but there were some feathers missing and there was some blood. I wasn't allowed outside again to give the birdie a chance. The rest of the day Mum Dad was chirping and chirping and chirping to get her young to follow her. The following day I was let out again and immediately Mum Dad started chirping again. Until I went in and Oma shut the door. Mara says she thinks the bird has survived and is recovering from the ordeal. 

Today I am not allowed to go out though. And they used the sucky thing as well. I had better rest up for my next adventures then...

The left side was caught between the jaws of doom (Miss O's teeth)
but it was taking food (worms) and fluttered up a few branches afterwards