von sybilla | 9. Juli 2014 | Außen, Sommer, Wildtiere |
It has been raining without interruption for nearly two solid days now. There is no end in sight and the outdoor life has come to a complete standstill. Even though I feel for the cats, I can do without insects for a few days. Rain means no insects, particularly...
von sybilla | 8. Juli 2014 | Verhalten |
Unfortunately the meerkat pun only works in English as these little animals of the mongoose family are called „Erdmännchen“ in German, which is a reference to them dwelling underground (and in case you have ever watched the UK commercials for...
von sybilla | 7. Juli 2014 | Verhalten |
First, let’s solve the plant mystery from last issue. Your trust in my gardening abilities is heart-warming but totally unfounded. There is no chance for me growing lychees, our weather is just too cold (you need the subtropics for that). I have to admit that I...
von sybilla | 4. Juli 2014 | Außen, Sommer |
We have a forest school where children (and grown-ups) can learn what nature is all about and what plants and animals still live in our woods and meadows. So if you can identify what can been seen in the above photo (and I don’t mean the clover!), you can be...
von sybilla | 3. Juli 2014 | Verhalten |
Yet another issue about body language and Maxine. This time it is about how she and Ginger get along. In the first years she only appeared at night so while Ginger could see her from his window, they actually never met. Now that she decided to stay, she sleeps in the...
von sybilla | 2. Juli 2014 | Verhalten |
After we talked about the eloquent cattail, I can show you an example and more body language today. Case in point is an encounter between Jaspar’s doppelganger and Maxine. As the only not neutered tomcat in the neighbourhood the doppelganger thinks he is the...
von sybilla | 1. Juli 2014 | Außen, Ausstattung, Revier |
…cat! Remember little, three-legged Minnie? Her owner Linda was wondering how she could offer her time in the garden without endangering her life – and without erecting a huge fence. When we moved in our current house we had the luck that the previous...
von sybilla | 30. Juni 2014 | Außen, Futter, Verhalten |
We spent an interesting Saturday – hunting for a mouse in the basement. Teeth or not, Ginger has discovered his old hunting skills and is very good at it. Not a week passes without him coming home carrying a mouse. Good for the mice: Thanks to the missing teeth,...
von sybilla | 27. Juni 2014 | Außen, Sommer |
We end this week how we started on Monday: With a glimpse at more flowers (and cats) in the summer garden. The delicate white flower that opens this issue is an orange blossom. If you like that smell, Prada managed to capture it perfectly in their scent Infusion de...
von sybilla | 26. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Gesundheit, Körper, Verhalten |
I cannot believe it! 300+ issues where we discussed every aspect of the cat but totally forgot the tail. Quite unforgivable! True, I talked about its important role as balancing pole and steering feature but the tail is so much more. You can read your cat’s...
von sybilla | 25. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Ausstattung |
How is your summer so far? Ours is cold. We have been in single digits (!) every morning for days. So instead of going outside, let’s stay inside and try to find a nice place to snuggle up in. We have a couple of expert who know just where to go....
von sybilla | 24. Juni 2014 | Ausstattung, Innen |
To match our low chair and to be able to put the outdoor furniture where it belongs we got ourselves a new, super low table on eBay. It turned into an instant favourite of Marvi’s who is sitting, lounging, jumping and hanging on it off it and under it. In other...
von sybilla | 23. Juni 2014 | Außen, Sommer |
What are those nice red beetles doing? They are working on the destruction of my lilies. They are scarlet lily beetles and they are the most common garden pest destroying lilies in Europe. If you have not seen any of them you most certainly don’t have any...
von sybilla | 20. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Außen, Verhalten |
In this fourth and last part of our focus week I want to come back to the recent events I mentioned on Monday. First the sad event: Herbert is gone. Not only did his humans move but also they committed the unforgivable error to let him go outside immediately. The rule...
von sybilla | 18. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Außen, Verhalten |
For this third part of our focus week I have to apologise to all non-German readers as I don’t know what local authorities, charities, rescue and animal protection organisations you can contact when the intensive search of your neighbourhood yields no result....
von sybilla | 17. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Außen, Verhalten |
The second part of our focus week is all about cats that have gone AWOL. Again, before contacnting authorities, shelters, etc. make sure that the cat has not been accidentally locked into your garage or shed or in the houses, garages and sheds of your neighbours. As...
von sybilla | 16. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Außen, Verhalten |
Anne was in tears when the rang our doorbell. She had stayed at her boyfriend’s house for the weekend and as she didn’t want to leave her 12 year old tom cat alone in her apartment, she had taken him with her. All went well but then he had suddenly...
von sybilla | 13. Juni 2014 | Außen, Tierschutz, Verhalten |
Jaspar’s twin is still around. He may not come to dinner every night – that is why I once thought he has left – but he does make an appearance a couple of times a week. As I have already told you the doppelgaenger has decided that it pays to be...
von sybilla | 12. Juni 2014 | Allgemein, Ausstattung, Innen, Spielzeug |
The world football championship starts tonight. What do ecstatic football fans need apart from the goals of their favourite team? According to our local newsletter, they require a comfortable supply of beer and barbecue sausages (in packs of 11, of course). And how do...
von sybilla | 11. Juni 2014 | Ausstattung, Innen |
Remember the cardboard scratchpad I bought to distract the cats from shredding my favourite rug? After little more than three months of intensive use by 5 cats (Joschi and Islay favour the vertical scratching devices) it has been scratched out. I have taken a picture...
