BLOGGERS + CATS...

This week's Bloggers + Cats would not have happened today were it not for my extreme dedication to cat blogging! I've been without internet or land line for the past two days, and I'm set for five more days without it, thanks to BT, who have informed me they're not obliged to refund me anything either. Thanks BT! I hate you! Anyway let's not turn this into an anti British Telecom rant, but just to forewarn you that this is the third cafe I've bought a cup of tea at so I can use their wi-fi today and only the first where it has worked. And I'm not the kind of person who thrives on the buzz and noise in cafes for my internetting. I need earplugs and blinkers. So apologies if I post pictures of bicycles by mistake, or post the interview backwards or something.

SO. I am indeed very happy to have Famapa's cat Little Mo on the blog today. Whenever I see a picture of her on My Funny Eye, her poses and expressions always remind me so much of Lola. She is the svelte version of Lola. I loved hearing more about her - such a little character - which you can tell from just one look at her. Thank you Famapa - innit!

The basics: What breed is Little Mo, how old is she, how did you come to live with her, why did you call her Little Mo?

She's half-tabby and half who-knows-what. Her mum was a tabby, but we have no idea who Little Mo's dad was (her mum got around, hehe). She's a senior catizen at 15 years old, even though she still looks like a kitten. She was my husband's cat before we met, in fact she was born the year we got together, so she's as old as "we" are. Looking at her it's hard to believe she was the runt of the litter: as a tiny kitten her hind legs were lame. My husband gave her the name, as her mother (who in turn was my mother-in-law's cat) was called Mosie (Mo for short, and later called Big Mo to avoid confusion). There was a character in EastEnders called Little Mo a few years back, and people wondered if we'd named her after her... The nerve!

How would you describe Little Mo's personality?

She's never been a particularly social cat (to say the least). She's choosy with who she likes and gives her love to. In her old age she's become far more cuddly and friendly, and the timing couldn't have been better. You see, she hates kids, and with the arrival of our son 16 months ago we were a bit worried about how she's get on with him. However she's surprised us, and is incredibly patient with the little guy; she even lets him hug her and yank her tail, usually at the same time.

What is Little Mo's favourite food?
Fresh fish, which she doesn't get that often... She's allergic to meat protein and can only have specially prescribed dry cat food (which comes in only one flavour!). I could tell you the grim story of misdiagnosis by her vet and a year of cleaning up cat sick every day but I'll spare you the details!

Where is Little Mo's preferred lounging location? Does she have any signature poses?

She has several spots and they are season dependent. In winter she'll hog the radiators like there's no tomorrow and in summer she'll follow the sun around the house. As I write this she's parked herself as close as possible to my husband, who's toiling away on the Xbox. She regularly will sit on him and dig her claws in for balance, making him lose his concentration at crucial moments in his gaming. As for signature poses I'd say ‘the ball’ and ‘the roadkill’.

What is a day in the life of Little Mo like?

She used to be an early bird, but since we now get up earlier than her she has a lie-in on her own. She'll have some brunch, then either sit on top of the radiator or curl up on top of our bed and stay there for hours. She's been an indoor cat pretty much all her life and she seems happy just sauntering around the house. At several points in the day our son will ‘cuddle’ her and try to yank her tail (which we try to stop of course!). She's also a thorough self-cleaner and spends hours licking herself; she has the softest fur ever, and she smells really nice too (I bet she takes a shower when we're not around). In the evenings she'll lie either on my or my husband's lap and then finally goes to bed with us, wrapping herself around my husband's hand and falls asleep (a habit she started several year ago out of the blue, and has continued virtually every night since.)

Do you have any amusing/weird/cute Little Mo moments or stories you'd like to share?

There's quite a few! One of the funniest/scariest/weird ones happened about five years ago. It was summertime and quite warm, and after dinner I'd accidentally left one of the kitchen windows open and forgotten all about it (remember Mo is an indoor cat). Funnily enough I did this on the same night two weeks in a row when Lost was on (how ironic!). Just as we’d started watching it I jumped out of my seat, remembering that I'd left the window open. We looked for her all around the house and couldn't find her anywhere, so we figured that she'd seen her window of opportunity (pardon the pun). Now there's a problem here. Mo doesn't answer to her name. If you say "Little Mo" she'll ignore you completely, instead you have to make a weird sucking noise with your lips and teeth; a sound that doesn't travel well, and certainly not over a block of gardens. Anyway... we stood in the garden shaking her tub of cat food in a vain attempt of her hearing it, but to no avail. Adding to the worry of her being out there for the first time and not necessarily knowing the way home, was the fact that a large fox regularly sauntered around the local gardens. We sat by the kitchen table for hours waiting for her to return and finally heard a thud on the garden table. The sensor light came on and to our horror we saw that it was the fox (we call him Michael J.) and not Little Mo. Eeeeek. But it turns out he was the answer to our prayers! He jumped over in to the neighbour’s garden, and within seconds there was a very loud scrabbling sound followed by an immense thump at our kitchen window. Mo was splayed out like a cartoon character against the glass looking absolutely terrified. We quickly brought her in, reassured her and all calmed down...only for the same thing to happen the week after!

Quickfire round:

Birds or mice?

Mice. We've had mice in the house and this shy little lady has actually butchered one. Grim!

Sunlight or radiator?

Both.

Tap or bowl?

Bowl.

Lap or laptop?

Lap.

Snuggling or stretching?

Snuggling.

Cats or humans?

Humans. Other cats drive her mad!


{Photos: © Famapa}