Ben and I had a nap this afternoon.
The wind had got up again and Julien was using the Karcher to blast clean the tiles on the terrace.
We were escaping the noise.
Ben is a rescue cat and gift from a kind cat person who–like Old Mother Hubbard with her children–had so many cats he didn’t know what to do!
Ben is a mover.
He comes into a room at the fast trot with a sense of purpose–not to stay long, though; often to snack briefly but intently on his favorite dry food, then off at a scamper and a skip to a siesta–like this afternoon.
He can also be perfectly still.
Stillness for an actor is an effective tool, it grabs the attention; Ben’s stillness is innate, no artifice involved, but it is stunning to witness.
When he sleeps he sleeps the sleep of centuries–he does not stir when stroked–asleep.
He got “stuck” on the roof a couple of nights ago–in truth he wasn’t stuck, just being a bit weedy.
The roof in question slopes down to family tombs in the graveyard–the friendly resting places of some of our late neighbors.
The cemetery is a favorite playground for the cats–plenty of places from which to say “BOO”.
Ben used the grandest tomb to leap onto the roof of the dependence, then decided to call the “fire brigade” rather than descend by the same route.
It took our newest arrival–Midnight–to shame him into taking the leap by showing him the way.
Midnight resting on his laurels
Midnight, or “Fluffernutter” as Meredith often calls him, is normally Ben’s shadow–in awe of him, one could say–following him everywhere much to Ben’s disdain; that night Midnight showed his mettle.
Ben (left) with his shadow
Young Midnight is long-haired, black and dark brown. He was left after dark (near midnight, in fact) in the courtyard–a small bundle of bones and fur with two anxious staring eyes.
He too was a “donation”–anonymous, this time.
We must be known as a “cat haven”– this is not the first time it’s happened.
Beau taking his role as Top Cat seriously
Our “Top Cat”, Beau, Meredith found in the garage. Someone had popped him through the catflap–well, better than drowning.
He sat in the palm of my hand, purring for dear life. How could he know then that he’d fallen in the butter dish?
Young Beau auditioning for doorstop replacement.
So our resident (indoor) three, all relative youngsters, are Beau, Ben and Midnight–in that order of their arrival.
We also have two outdoor cats–a mother and daughter and a piebald, Peanut–whom I have never liked.
Peanut
(Is it allowed not to like a cat?)
Enough to put on a musical!
[A house full of cats Part Two to follow!]
Robin Ellis 
Beautiful kitty cat family!
I enjoyed this one.
Based on the look in Peanut’s eyes the feeling is mutual?? Ha
Love this!! Beau could also be a tea cozy look alike!!
Sent from my iPhone Barbara Boling
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A man that enjoys cats is truly a gem! It just means you’re in touch with your nurturing side. Cats are like people,you like some more than others.They truly have their own personalities, They actually (as you can both attest) are drawn to people that respect their unique qualities. Life for us would never be the same without our 2 rescue kitties. Thank you for sharing your stories.
Every cat has its own personality just like people and no one ( at least if they’re being honest !) likes everyone. Our latest rescue is a difficult one to like , she is spoilt and standoffish but being cat lovers we wheedle and cajole in the hope that she will deign to be nicer to us….not going well so far !
Hope that all is going well with your purchase of the church..you will be wonderful custodians.
It’s cold and raining where I am in the US, but this post gives me a warm glow. I so enjoy your posts about your animal family and their antics. Bless you and your wife for giving these beautiful creatures a loving home.
Susan in Rainy NJ
P.S. Please give Peanut a second chance. 🙂
I assume Meredith has told you what fluffernutter sandwiches were – marshmallow “creme” and peanut butter on bread. Revolting and delicious at the same time.
I’ll ask her if they featured,
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluffernutter
Hello Robin and Meredith
‘A House Full of Cats,’ that has to be the title of a future book from you!! 😊
I think cats know when they’ve landed at the best house, or as you so elequently put it, ” fallen in the butter dish”, a delicious description! It was lovely meeting you both in Truro and I love the new book Mediterranean cooking for diabetics, my daughter is type 1 diabetic, discovered when in her teens, she is now 45, and also enjoys your books, and your ‘Ross’ persona! By the way, I haven’t seen any photos from you this winter with snow, does this mean you haven’t had any?!
Kind regards to you both and your lovely cats
Beryl
Hello Beryl. No snow this winter–in fact no winter!
I think there is a theme here: Didn’t Beau, as a kitten, venture too high up a tree, and get stuck there? Bravehearts at your workshops, bravehearts among your cats–they venture, and then then need expert help for the finish.
i like Piebald!
I meant Peanut.
I love cats too and have had them most of my life. It is Ok to dislike a cat. My sister’s cat from some years back was not a friendly cat to anyone but his mommy. I would walk around him if I came near him . He liked that I did that and so did I. He was black and white named Lancelot He had a stare that told you to keep away. Be happy that your cats like each other . Peanut looks mean but then sometimes they all have that look to keep away. Love your cat stories.
LOVE your post, Robin…and also that picture of Midnight on the stone wall! He looks a lot like our Blackie who had adopted us out of nowhere. 🙂 Can’t wait for part 2.
Peanut doesn’t look very friendly. 😦
Wooow! From the spiritual point of view cats are very important to convey and transform energies! So your house is full of energies too!!! I love cats very much and guest one in my house! Yours are very beautiful because they are loved…one can perceive it. Wait for part 2…catia…and if you cut it.. my name becomes cat!!! 😉
Peanut has an evil stare!
Voila! I rest my case.
Lovely! lovely! lovely! Your cats are really beautiful! I don’t know how to express what I feel when I see and come into contact with cats. We have got three, sometimes they do some damages but we love them! They are wonderful creatures, funny and mysterious, sweet and savage. You are never alone with a cat!
Love your post Robin. I am soooo envious of all your cat family – hubby won’t let me have any more pets and the house seems very empty these days. Enjoy all of yours, and do keep the pics coming. 🐱🐱🐱🐱
Hubbies can be worked on!
Just curious as to why you’ve never liked Peanut ? ,but it shows the cats know where to come ,they realise they are on to a good thing ,I have 2 strays who just turned up 3 yrs ago and have stayed and are now are boys Laddie and Tsavo ,also we have another Feral Thomas who comes for food and milk then off he goes .
I’ll expand a bit on Peanut in part 2!
We live in the Vendee and at the moment have Pepper, Gremlin and Carmen Electra, the felines. Archie, Border terrier, 15.
Outside, 3 hens Segohen Royal, Marine le Hen, Carla B. Plus 4 Japanese bantams and a long-eared owl called Arthur who roosts in our fir trees and surveys the garden in between snoozes. Have pics but no idea if I can upload them here so I won’t crowd your blog.
I love the political undertow of of your hen names. Arthur though is opaque as a name!
I echo what others said before, you definitely should make a book out of this post, Robin. “A house full of cats” is a perfect title! I think your house is kitties paradise and one can perceive love everywhere. Cats know it. They love to be loved (who doesn’t?). Just out of curiosity, why don’t you like Peanut? Is he unfriendly? Our oldest cat, a female Persian of 16, has been unfriendly and aloof all her life long. We never understood why as we adopted her since she was two months old and as far as we are concerned she never had traumas of any sort. She doesn’t like to be touched and would scratch and bite if you insist on touching her, which you have to if you want to brush her fur and groom her. No, she definitely isn’t your typical loving cat. It looks as if she hates all the world. We love her anyway. Because cats (animals) have their own reasons to behave that way.
Kitty kisses to you all
Nikki ❤️
You make valid points, Nikki–I will try harder! I will expand on Peanut in part two!
Looking forward to reading it, Robin! 😘
Love the theatricality (my stupid auto type actually thought I meant theatricalkity) of this and all your blogs, Robin. I enjoy cats, but have to do so from a distance, as I discovered I was allergic! –to my dismay when I took care of two tiny cat brothers who used the insides of my sleep sofa for a soccer field all night long. So cute! My uncle had a cat called Sport, named for his Sportin Life, I guess. Meanest feline I ever encountered. Absolutely NOT domesticated. Came home regularly with multiple battle scars. He was a BIG cat, so I suppose his opponents were even worse for the wear.
Yes, absolutely, we all await Part Two with bated breath!
Best from NYC,
Nancy N
Love your kitties. Cats are so intuitive and read people so well. I always told my daughters to stay away from men that don’t like cats. One took my advice. Using your two cookbooks and waiting for the next one. Enjoy your felines and a wonderful spring. Still snow on the ground here in Ohio, but May isn’t far away. Onward and upward! barb
I loved your House Full of Cats blog. I have had cats my entire life. I discovered a Feral Family living in my Mother’s shrubbery last year and I worked on keeping them safe these past 2 Winters with shelter boxes as some were very young cats and I was concerned they wouldn’t survive the cold. There are 4 cats in this Feral Family and are different shades of gray (from dark to light).
I now am able to pet and hold two of them when I bring food and cream out and I’ve named them Duchess & Ghost. The rest of my Feral Family tolerate me. LOL Eventually, I hope to take in Duchess & Ghost. 🙂
Thank you. You need to own one – or rather, have them own you – to realize the sweetness of them. We always thought we are dog’s people, with Boxers for almost 20 years after falling in love with them. That is until I decided to get a cat for the back yard. Needless to say, Simon rules ever since, accompanied by miss Tulip who appeared one day and chose to stay, neither pay any attention to the back yard and both give aggravation to Gadie the Boxer.
: ) Roni
Robin, it’s not wrong to dislike a cat but you waste your emotional energy. He won’t care……………….and he’s still living in your house !! 😊
Oh Robin, what are we cat lovers to do when they show up on our doorstep and peer into our patio doors looking for someone to care and love them. This is how we discovered Mr. Darcy one fine afternoon. I named him that due to his handsome markings and regal manner. Turned out he was the cat from hell. My Molly and Polly were cat food for him, he thought. Ended up taking him to a no kill shelter where he found a new forever home at a farm. I cried all the way to the car and, yes, I didn’t like him for disrupting our purrfect home life with his demand to be king of the hill. Molly being 17 and Polly being 15 are growing old with us and it’s a toss up as to who will be going over the rainbow bridge first.
Cheers!
Charlotte Huffman
Lovely, Charlotte.
Absolutely adore your cat stories (and photos, too!). Hope you have the opportunity to put them in a book someday. I would definitely buy it! 🙂
They are so beautiful and they are like children with fur. Are you going to be able to take care of the phenomenal Fleur this summer?
I don’t know yet…
go for it robin cats do care. i am a cat lover like you
I Love cats too robin. They are beautiful animals,good on you
6 years ago when my father was living with me, after 88 years of being a fanatical dog lover he suddenly demanded we adopt a cat. We popped along to the local animal shelter, Faith, in Hickling, Norfolk. Where we acquired a beautiful black and white ‘Bitsa’ who had been very badly mistreated. She sat sadly at the back of a cage, as though all hope was gone. Dad gently coaxed her forward and she settled in the crook of his arm. As we travelled home she never moved from her position. We christened her Cookie (because she was one smart cat!). She became Dad’s shadow. Sadly, Dad passed 2 years later and I designed a small memorial garden in his honour, buried his ashes and directly over them planted a beautiful Golden Rose, Cookie who had not stepped out of the house once since the day we got her, strolled along the path, curled up alongside the rose and promptly fell asleep, every day since, no matter what the weather Cookie, without fail, always manages a visit, if its fine she snoozes, if it’s rain she has a quick wander then darts back in.
Lovely, touching story, Alexandra–thank you.
ps Robin would you consider writing a vegetarian cookbook for diabetics?
There are many vegetarian recipes in the books, Alexandra. At present I think I’d like to keep to the wider scope.
Hi Robin, so lovely to hear about Beau, Ben, Midnight, Peanut et al. I would love it if you would write something for my website on cats: http://www.thedailymews.com. You have a beautiful writing style and who could help but not fall in love with your wonderful cats. They’re all beautiful cats.
I’m a bit stretched at the moment–but thanks Pauline.
OK, Robin, I understand, but if ever you get a spare five minutes …..
Stunning cat photos. I used to be a cat hater until my brother moved in with me and brought his cat, Betty. She has adopted me, and I am so humbled! We get along splendidly. I wonder: Do cats have endorphins? (Karen in Wisconsin)
I love hearing about your cats Robin, even the you claim you’ve never liked. Lol, I have a cat like that too. I brought her home half dead from a cemetery as a tiny unweaned kitten solid white but covered red spots from massive amount of fleas biting her. Anyhow, I got her healthy and planned to find a forever home for her. That was ten years ago. She, Zelda, still lives with us. LoL! I found that she and I just weren’t quite right for each other but she got on well with everybody else. At least this was the case until I had major surgery on my shoulder two years ago. I was put on a serious pain medication regiment that had a side effect of giving me bad night terrors. I als spent the following six months sleeping in a recliner. Zelda began to sleep on the recliner too. In fact, she became a little mother hen to me so to speak. She reacted to my nightmares by nudging my head and purring which was quite soothing. This cat that had avoided having anything to do with me and vice versa for eight years was now becoming a great source of comfort to me. It has been two years and this little white ghost cat I strongly disliked is my constant companion and I must admit I now love her to pieces and would be lost without her. Cats just have a way of doing that.
Thank you, Andrea–a lovely story. cats have remarkable and unexpected powers.
even though my cat smokey isnt around anymore i still treasure the years we had together.
I’ve often called my two Shetland Sheepdogs by the nickname “Fluffernutter”. Great minds think alike, Meredith!