Calling all Cat Spotters of SE23

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As I walk home through Grierson Road, Garthorne Road and Ebsworth Street, I see these little guys almost every time:

Buster, in Garthorne, who has a huge, tangled mop of hair and must get hot in the summer, but is always cheerful. Very friendly owner, too.

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Grumpy Cat [nickname], who sits on a high wall observing people as they walk past. Has become friendlier lately and likes a chin rub:

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There are a couple more that I’ll try to grab photos of - “Chatty Cat” in Ebsworth Street (anyone who lives here will know the one I mean), and the lovely tuxedo cat on Bovill Road.

Anyone else have favourite local felines?

Look forward to more pics. Usually harder for me to get cat pics for some reason lol

Here’s Jack, the Bovill Road tuxedo, always on the move, very hard to photograph!

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And Jack’s young ginger playmate, who’s never far from him:

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This was our sometime regular visitor in Ewart Road, taking advantage of the absence of a dishwasher, before going upstairs to sleep. She still visits but prefers to stay outside now.

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This is Rudy. When I bought St David coffee house he was the stray that used to hang round & come in & sleep off his heavy night. We used to feed him and after about 6momths were all very fond. He ended up (we think) getting run over as he came in very battered one day so I took him to the vet and they told me, much to our suprise he was chipped! Turns out the chap next door who now no longer lives there owned him but didn’t want him. So rudy has been mine since 2012 he’s now a real indoor cat & loves food, sitting in boxes he’s far to big for or sunbathing in my back garden!

I remember Rudy! I was delighted the first time I discovered him in St Davids a few years ago. Snapped this photo at the time:

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There’s nothing more relaxing than being the presence of a purring cat, and it’s one of the reasons I fell in love with St Davids as a venue, too.

Thanks for sharing your story, Sian. I was heartbroken to hear that he’d been involved in an accident (and also that he was abandoned by his previous owner), but I’m pleased to know that you have taken him in and are looking after him.

Yep, Jack has a pretty full schedule of neighbourhood engagements – probably why everyone seems to know his name!

Here’s Jack with his (far shyer) brother Ollie.

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The kids at the Horniman School love the mottled ginger cat that waits for the kids every morning by the school gate.

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Does anyone know the name of this lovely cat? We nick-named him Walter, he lived behind the Dartmouth Arms a couple of years ago but haven’t seen him since. He was a bit flea-ridden last time we saw him and had to chuck him out of the house, so think he is a stray, but would love to hear he is ok! (If anyone knows…)

Gulliver, Ebsworth Street’s chatty cat. Every time he sees me he lets out a long “meeeeeewwwww” (he’s doing it in the photo below)

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No, what’s this?

What amazing blue eyes!

Wow, stunning cat.

Rudy used to sit on a wall on Devonshire Road some mornings meowing in the face of passers-by heading to the station to pet him. My wife and I called him Mr Mistoffelees.

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Met this friendly fella today. A look alike for Rudy?

Yes he does!! ️:heart:️:heart:️

Ah that amazing! He’s such a friendly cat! And so loving! X

Fancy local cats among your tweets? You can now follow us on Twitter @SE23cats

Noodles and Cookie, also of Bovill Rd

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Had to join this group and stop lurking just to comment on this. My wife and I used to say hello to Rudy when he hung out on Devonshire Road as well - we called him Monster. We were worried when he disappeared so it’s great to know he is doing well!

Spaced out

Gorgeous sandy tabby in Bovill Road

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Best way of stopping a toddler tantrum? “Oooh look a cat!” I’m forever thankful for the cats enroute to nursery. There are a LOT of cats in HOP.

Hi, I am new here and still finding my way around. Sorry to begin with a criticism, but I would think that cat owners are entitled to object to their pet being photographed and details given of the road (in one case even the house number) where to find their particular cat. To me it seems irresponsible to publish these details without regard to the feelings of the pet owners, or to encorage “outing” local pets as personalities when there have been a number of very worrying incidents in south east London lately that have been widely reported in the press.

If a pet owner objects to a photo of their pet being shared then I will ensure the photo is taken down.

If there was any evidence to suggest the pet killer specifically targeted internet celebrity pets then I wouldn’t have started this thread.

But there’s no evidence to suggest that, as far as I know, and IMO it would be very sad and unnecessary to stop sharing photos of cute pets because of the actions of one deranged person somewhere within the M25. Similarly, a blanket ban on sharing photos of our children because of the existence of one paedophile somewhere in the country would be an overreaction IMO.

What do others think?

Hi Chris, I would like to add that a pet is like a family member, so it does seem a bit of an intrusion to take photographs of domestic cats for use on a web site without first seeking the owner’s approval. I don’t think permission can be assumed in every case, nor is everyone aware of this forum, so they may not know to object (esp. the elderly).

You may not have seen all the press coverage so please do take a look at the article linked below which reported the incident which took place in Forest Hill:

Evening Standard Tuesday 12 April 2016

…Pat

I’m with @anon5422159 on this one too.

Here’s my take as a cat (and dog) owner.

First, I don’t think posting photos of cats here will attract this lunatic cat killer. These attacks have taken place over a huge area. If anything, knowing locals are keeping an eye on local felines would be a deterrent.

Second, I’ll admit I felt the same when I first saw this thread - it seemed rather impudent to take pictures of other people’s pets and post them here. But for the life of me I can’t rationalise that reaction. It’s not logical. And if I found a picture of mine here I’d be flattered rather than offended.

The argument that people who don’t know about the forum might be upset to know their pet’s picture is on it is self-defeating. If you don’t know, you can’t be upset by it.

This is HUGELY different from taking picture of people’s children.

Notwithstanding as the proud parent of two cats myself, I’d be thrilled to know how they were interacting with the local community.

There is another more positive aspect to this thread. If a precious puss goes missing, the familiarity of that cat to others through a forum like this could help in tracing or finding the pet. I’m not a big fan of letting cats roam freely because of the possible dangers they face. I liken it to letting your cherished child go wondering the 'hood in the wee hours of the morning. I’d be much happier if my cats were becoming part of the community through a forum like this.

And if you see either of these two pudgy pussies around the neighbourhood, let me know immediately. They shouldn’t be.

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Agree with Chris

Ah how wonderful!! Yes he’s with me & has been for the last 3/4 years - he’s so funny & just a really lovely loyal cat friend! X

Just discovered:

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https://twitter.com/thecatreviewer

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Not sure of this guys name (Bags Maybe??) but he hangs out all day in Shannons Garden Centre - generally sleeping and being made a fuss of by the likes of me!

@Foresthillnick

A handsome visitor to the garden today
Sunderland Rd.

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Met this gorgeous girl on Thorpewood Ave yesterday. Begged for tummy rubs and very chatty. Then walked with me for a bit.

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WE JUST GOT A KITTEN!!

She’s too young to be spotted on the streets of SE23 at the moment, but keep an eye out from October time.

She’s called Tally, and is (supposedly) a bengal-cross.

Apologies for the ropey picture - she’s not too keen on sitting still for photos…

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What a beautiful kitten, congrats @Phil

I live on that road - never seen him before! He looks like a fluffy version of my cat Otis!

Seems our neighbours’ cat Arlo loves the auto-watering system!

My neighbour’s cat won’t leave me alone.

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This is what happens when one of my two cats thinks I’m paying more attention to the F1 than him …

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This is cheating, I know, as this is a feline thread, but that last photo reminded me of Henry enjoying the showjumping at the Olympics.

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@henry

Pretty much exactly what our cat Sugar does when she sees Henry. Luckily we have a big house. To balance things out, here is Sugar the Cat.

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Love Sugar’s tail colouring!

My two cats, Frank and Milly, are indoor cats so don’t get to meet these lovely locals (although I do from time to time!).

I’ll post up some photos if I remember to stick some on my laptop.

There’s a couple of really friendly cats on grierson Road and Riseldine Road that always seem to enjoy following me as I walk along; doing that thing where they run ahead of you, collapse on the ground, writhing, and then start again.

@Cazimo that may be Doris, who has been missing for a couple of weeks. We are on Sunderland Road… are you nearby? If you get the chance, could you take another photo, as we couldn’t be 100% it was her… in any event, thanks for feeding her and taking the effort to post.

Yes, she does has a small white tuft on her chest. I think it is her - but there are lots of black cats around! If you do manage to get her in the flat would you mind texting 07967 857 173. Thanks so much.

Have just seen the post containing the comment to the effect that some people may not read the forum and not know how to object , especially the elderly.

I am sure there are many elderly forumites and equally sure that they are forum savvy and know how to object. I am equally sure that there are younger people who do not read the forum and would not know how to object.

This is Bazil, originally a Battersea rescue cat but now a full time local villain and fox botherer

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He thinks he owns most of Cranston Road and we have seen him in Como Road amongst others. He will eat virtually anything other than his biscuits and begs off the neighbors all the time - he loves bbq season. He is always getting into trouble - so much that we started his own savings pot to pay for the vets. He has one canine tooth left intact and is missing all the lower teeth at the front but it still doesnt stop him getting into the odd scrap and as I say above he has been see to chase foxes (maybe with that tail he thinks he is one!)

Arlo comes into our garden too! He is my cat’s best friend

Please meet our handsome Lui…

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Looks like a big boy!!

Ah, he’s yours then Nick? We were wondering who he belonged to. Frequent (welcome) visitor to both our garden and the inside of our house, even the upper stories. He does usually clear off when told but the various pairs of DIY gloves we have dotted around the place have occasionally come in handy when he needs carrying out! Shame he doesn’t get on with the other neighbourhood cats, have witnessed (and heard) many an epic scrap with Basil invariably coming off on top.

Yes he is mine - sort of as he goes go awol for days at a time and comes back smelling of lavender. I think some elderly lady has been cuddling him! I really don’t know how he wins any scraps as he has lost his teeth but he never backs down. Sadly this does result in visits to the vet and he is always covered in minor scabs. Amazingly he get on ok with our other two.

Do feel free to kick him out - he has never bitten me although I did take a claw to the nose once but in all fairness I deserved that one.

If any of you see Bazil - pic above - can you shout me on here. Not seen him for a few days and my wife is a bit upset.

What 'hood does he frequent?

Also might want to start a new topic as I’m sure many aren’t following this one.

Bottom end of Cranston Road and thereabouts…

Not seen him since last weekend I’m afraid, will keep eye out

Did he turn up? Think we saw him this morning (or at least a cat looking very much like him) scaring next door’s cat, but he’d vanished before I could get outside to check it was him.

He’s so majestic! It’s amazing how different they all are, just like us. I used to have a former stray cat and I was aware that he had been bullied a lot. You could say by the way he behaved with all the strangers that came into my house. He was faltering and kept his distance. He was a very special cat on the whole.

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This is the skittish and ornery Blanche, aged 10 and a half. We don’t let her out the front and she (probably) couldn’t figure how to get there via the back door of our terraced house The other day she followed a mouse from the hall to the kitchen then squatted down to wait for it to reappear. It didn’t for a while as she was sitting on it.

Such a beauty.

Oh I want a cat again…

Hi Stephen - Yes he is fine and thanks for asking! I think our mutual neighbour, Charlene, mentioned you had said he had gone awol.

He was just there one day when we got up - sitting on the table waiting to be fed like nothing had happened. We have been away for a week or so recently and our cat sitter said he has been around most days so happy to say he is back in the fold.

Good to know. He did pop in a couple of times in the meantime, even tried ‘helping’ with the washing up.

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Sigh! He is very helpful and very naughty!

People say LOL a lot but I did actually laugh out loud at that…

Saw this at HOP sainsburys today

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On good authority, owners for the above found. He is just enlarging his territory and seems to be at the centre of a quite a few of the early morning cat fights we’ve been hearing.

Oh good, thanks for the update

I’m posting on behalf of my friend Carole that asked me to help as I ‘do computers’
She is desperately looking for her cat and would love to be reunited. She says…

I NEED YOUR HELP. My cat has been missing since Sunday 10 July from Pearfield Road, Perry Vale and although I have tried hard to locate him he has not been found. He is much loved and I am very worried. Wolfy is 15 years old and almost totally blind. He has long silver grey hair and will find it difficult to navigate his way around. If you have seen him or know where he is please call me on 0208 699 4230. Thank you.

If you spot him please could you contact Carol on the number provided or message me. Thank you

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Well done you!
Sooo cute but I am a complete sucker for kitties. I am sure he has found a great home and Puds will come round eventually, ours always have even if they aren’t best friends they tolerate each other.

I had a bad experience with Celia Hammond which I hope is not usual as they seem to be well regarded. After a long home visit they said we weren’t suitable for kittens they could get on to the street! I thought every house had a door on the street and argued my case but they insisted that I could only have a cat that was “experienced” with roads. Fair enough but we have had many cats over the years and we had two at the time and we needed a cat that got on with others. So we took the day off work for our appointment in Lewisham and they showed us just one cat who had to be kept away from other cats! Not really sure why we bothered - went to Battersea and got Ralph in a day so we were happy in the end…

I’ve heard similar stories about Celia Hammond - it seems very difficult to actually get a kitten or even a cat from them!

Bob the builder kitten!

Arlo spends a fair bit of time in our garden (78 Bovill Road) hanging out with our cat Carmen, who is pure white, and Otis from number 80. they’ve got quite a scene going

I have to say, I have noticed an explosion of cats passing through or garden in the last 6 months or so. We get all shapes and sizes coming through.

He is divine @Cazimo!

Tough times for the Lewisham Celia Hammond, but their fundraiser for new vans looks to be going well:

Hi Everyone! If you see my cat in your garden, firstly I am sorry if he digs anything up and secondly, please do not feed him! he is getting very fat…his name is Otis and he’s only 8 months old although is the size of a tiger.

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My heart breaks everytime I see one of these flyers.

Oh no…this breaks my heart. @Cazimo do you know if he’s gone missing on Elsinore Road or nearby?

I’m towards the Stanstead road end and haven’t had one. Been out and checked the shed and the garden…nothing. I’ll have a good check around tomorrow as well…It’s my worst nightmare. I so hope he gets home.

I have just been browsing through this thread - and have seen a few of these faces around sometimes.

I used to have a cat when I lived in SE13, who passed away from old age in 2015. Where I live now, SE26, I am not allowed a cat and won’t get away with having one on the sly.

As many of you are cat owners, I wondered if anyone ever need some pet/cat sitting when they went away on holidays etc, I would be over the moon to help out. I love cats, and have been a cat mummy most of my life. I’m 26, female.

• Just thought I’d put it out there. I am quite flexible with my availability and time as I am a mature student on a part time basis.

Mon

We are owned by this furball

Spot me! I blend in really well amongst my Mom’s favourite animal and other assorted furry friends

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Don’t feed the Mogwai after midnight!

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Yes, my name is Mogwai and, you are?!

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A great character and a Totoro fan. Brilliant.

Oh great. I am not sure how to PM on here - but i can happily give you my personal e-mail or number, for you to keep for when you do go away or something.

I’d also be happy to meet before you went away any time - and meet the cats too so you are at ease with me and them.

• Feel free to PM me, I can’t quite figure it out

We would be interested too - I have a sitter for the long holiday we are going on in March, but if she falls through then will be handy to have you on board! Can you PM me your details?

Thanks

Hi Nick, I’ve been flicking through in the forum in the hope I’d find some information about what we thought was a lost cat. We live on Como road and Bazil (I’m pretty sure it’s him) has been visiting on and off from the Autumn. He’s no problem but likes to come inside on occasion and eat titbits, especially over the Christmas period. I thought I’d let you know as you might be worried, although I can see from some of the other posts he’s a bit of a wanderer. Let me know if you’d like me to do anything.
James

Hi James - thanks…
Yes he does wander about and is a frequent visitor to several neighbours but he generally comes home but thanks for letting me know.

I totally understand that people let him in the house and feed him titbits (he is very friendly!) but I would rather they didn’t really. He really needs to have dental biscuits to keep his teeth healthy and if he is fed nice tasty morsels then he often doesn’t eat when he comes in.

Any Junior cat spotters might like to know we have an event on this weekend at the library.

At 11am on Saturday in the Children’s library we have a visit from The Cats Protection League, who are coming to hold an interactive talk about cats - ‘Feline Facts, cat care and crafts’ that includes making your own moggie from a paper template, how to draw a cat and that sort of thing. Suitable for accompanied children over 4 years old.

Have you worked with them before? I have a real issue with this group recently. As a lover of cats, I appreciate the work they do. I am not a fan of their fund raising initiatives. They seem to pop up at loads of consumer exhibitions like Daily Mail Home or Grand Designs. They are so aggressive on their stands, really just inside chuggers (charity muggers) who try to guilt you into making a regular donation. Such a shame these chuggers as they turn me off the good work the charity does.

I really hope this CPS visit is purely informative but I’d be wary of their hard sell tactics.

Interesting, I’ve not worked with them before, but have had good reports from other libraries. Will certainly try and make sure there is no chugging at the library though - thanks for the heads-up.

We don’t feed him, never have, probably explains why he’s not been back in a while!

He is getting on and doesn’t like the cold so he tends to stay in and sleep on the shelf above the radiator

Since this is a fairly lively thread, I thought I’d post this here: I’ve been doing a clear out and found quite a few bits and pieces of nearly-new gear for the dog that are barely used for one reason or another. Rather than just dumping them or going through the hassle of selling them on, I thought I’d check if Battersea could use them. And low and behold, they have a list of kit they need for both cats and dogs, and an address to mail them to. So if anyone is in the same situation, have a look here:

This handsome lad was scoping out our terrace from the top of tge wall

.

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I love the cat pictures, but given that there is a cat killer around in S. London and Kent, maybe locations would be best omitted.

Hi Valerie and welcome to this forum.

As a huge fan of cats I have given this a lot of thought, as have other members of the forum. I find the whole concept of the cat killer really disturbing and if I currently had a pet I would try to keep it in at night, as per official advice. Regarding your point about sharing photos and roads, we discussed this very question last year as it happens.

Just seen this gorgeous and friendly tabby in Honor Oak near me - new to the area I think, and also possibly pregnant (or very well fed):

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Basil has gone AWOL again. Hopefully still in and around the area but we haven’t seen him for a few days so if you do see him can you give me a holler.

Nice to see Cow Cat and Grumpy Cat making peace not war on Garthorne Rd:

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They look too fat to make war.

Hi Nick, we saw him last night, meowing loudly and soaking wet. We dried him off before heading over the Neighbour’s fence to chase their cat pretty sure I heard him meowing this morning. If he appears do you want me to let him in for you to come collect?

Thanks @James1P - he did come home briefly yesterday for some food and a lie down. Unfortunately he is a wanderer (we got him as a rescue cat) and he does this every now and then. As you have seen he is fond of chasing other cats and foxes so we do worry that he has gotten hurt. Thanks for looking out for him but I there isn’t much point in trying to keep him in as he just likes being oputside - as long as we know he is safe then all is well - thanks…

No worries, let me know if you want me to keep an eye out. Good set of lungs on him btw

I did wonder why one of the local foxes had quite a chunk missing out of the scruff of his neck this morning. Perhaps Basil is just sleeping off some very rare cachaço da raposa?

Having been chugged again today, was wondering how this went?

It was very quiet from what I can work out (I wasn’t there at the time) - they seem to have been very nice, drew some cats with the children and left some materials and cat care literature and chugging didn’t seem to occur.

Good to hear. I was beginning to lose faith with them.

Of all the photos they could have chosen

Classic!

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I think they’re cat-buddies

Bazil has been helping out with the gardening this week

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Not that you can see them fully here, but these are our two:

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A post was merged into an existing topic: Twitter PR disaster

Found cat. Sign posted on Sunderland Rd.

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does anyone know the name of this beautiful cat? He visits us on a daily basis :))

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Looks like Bazil. He also visits us quite regularly on Como road. He belongs to @Foresthillnick. Cool cat.

He travels far! We are on Ebsworth Street.

Oh ForestHillNick, are we allowed to feed him?

Thanks James

Hmm, maybe not then. There are more photos above of him so see what you think.

Ah - it’s probably Gulliver in that case. Does he have a long meeeeooooow?

no, he hasn’t meowww at me the last couple of times I approached him. He (if male?) looks at me suspiciously though
He doesn’t have a collar around his neck like Gulliver and he has shades of brown on his fur. Gulliver looks like he only has shiny black fur.

It could be Bazil but I cant see him getting as far as Ebsworth St - He does like a wander but crossing the South Circ would be a epic journey. Having blown the image up I don’t think it is him as Baz has a slight nick out of both ears and is a little thinner in the face.

I would appreciate if people didn’t feed him as we would like him to come home more. I know he is damn handsome and charming (just like his human) but he is to be resisted!

@SgtBiddle please tell Amie she’s not allowed to look at cat pictures on here, only jesting she loves her cats & they are so cute. She should share

We will be getting two kittens from the local cat shelter soon. I dont get to pick one of course, just look after them, feed them, clean them and run after the mice they will most certainly bring in. But if I could they would look like that! Sans the tequila and sombrero of course.

This handsome chap is a regular fixture on our shed. He just challenged our neighbour’s cat, Arlo, for this prime position:

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Anyone from Bovill or Ebsworth recognise him?

He’s known as the Fog-Coloured Cat in our neck of the woods. I think he lives somewhere along Garthorne Road, but he’s got a huge territory.

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This is our monster cat he is a norwagian forest cat.

Ah, he’s a fine beast. Makes me long for my late great Maine Coon.

He is a beaut! Our’s has a bit of NFC in him but yours looks like the full ticket!

He is a full NFC he was a stray who turned up in my inlaws garden. Not chipped no one came forward to claim him. So he came to live with us he makes me smile every day.

If he were mine I’d be scouring the streets to find him. They are amazingly characterful cats.

They do seem to be slightly different to your general feline. Ours is quite unlike any other cat I have known - extremely sociable, totally untrainable, doesn’t seem to mind water at all and is a wanderer of great distinction…
@Blindbear - does yours have any idiosyncrasies??

I had a Maine Coon, which are very similar in personality to NFCs. Sort of like an aloof dog, but extremely loyal and occasionally knowingly goofy. Mine would meet me at the end of the road when I came back from work and ‘talk’ to me as we strolled down the street. We had to rehome him when we went to live aboard. After three years I visited him - he looked at me, then sat in front of me with his back turned. Until everyone else left the room, when he sidled up and leaned against me. God, I miss that cat.

What is an NFC?

PS… tried to post NFC = ? Apparently the software double as grammar police.

Body seems unclear, is it a complete sentence?

NFC = Norwegian forest cat

Exactly!

He is a very sociable and chatty we get a full run down of what he has been up to when he comes through the cat flap. Loves water and climbing trees. And uses Jedi mind tricks to get us to open the loft for him.

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Last one

@Foresthillnick you may want to check Basil’s paws before you let him in the house if the pawprints in our newly-laid conservatory screed base and description of the culprit by our floorer is anything to go by.

So dont throw him in the sea??

Best not to, cod numbers are bad enough already

Now that I think I’ve puss-proofed our back garden so our two housecats can have a little wander, I had the back door open to deal with this awful heat. I was working away in our living room when I saw a large grey cat out of the corner of my eye. Given ours are Russian Blues, I assumed it was our boy, until I looked properly and saw the stripes. It seems the Fog-Coloured Cat is getting very bold! I’m used to Gulliver walking in, but it seems there’s a new Top Cat in town.

@FaeryCatmother. What system did you use for puss proofing?

We’ve got trellising on the top of the fences that is a bit too wobbly for them, plus I blocked off access in other spots with expanding trellising. It probably wouldn’t work for adventurous cats, but our two have lived indoors for years so they are easily put off.

I was originally thinking of getting this: https://oscillot.com.au/ which friends in Oz say is brilliant, but my low tech version works just as well here. Perhaps when we move to the country one day.

Thanks. At my old house I had a much smaller outdoor space. I replaced the fences with 6 ft trellis and then used garden netting angled inwards. It worked a treat. But not the nicest to look at.

Close the doors and the windows and the curtains. All you’re doing is letting the heat in. Open them again about 8pm.

Nah - that doesn’t work as well in this kind of heat. The most effective way to cool a house when the relative humidity is higher is create cross ventilation by opening doors/windows on both sides of the building.

That’s what I do morning and evening, but shut up the house mid afternoon, especially when there is not wind.

If you open up both sides you’ll pick up even slight breezes. It’s relatively still today, but I have to keep both doors blocked open because of the cross-breezes.

My other half tended to go with the closing up the house approach too, but I convinced up to take the approach from the tropics when we tested temp differences with both ways of doing it.

The closing up approach works better if the RH is below 45%, or if you’re blocked in by so many tall buildings you’re effectively cut off from any breeze. Although I’m inclined to think there’s a psychosomatic element too - if you grew up in hot countries, dark rooms are associated with hotter conditions, but here I gather it’s more likely to be associated with coolness.

At least my method keeps the bold cats out.

Nice to meet Saffy in Brockley today. 10/10 for friendliness:

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Can you pls all look out for Blanket - she is a little Ocicate cat that has been missing for a few days.
She lives in Vetris Road - but her owner has unexpectedly passed away and no one has seen her.

She is a very sweet cat and we are all quite worried about her.

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Blanket has been found - thank you for your help

Hi. We used to live in Vestris Road and knew Blanket’s owners well. Is someone taking care of Blanket? If not we would happily do so rather than her going to a cat home

Thank you for the offer but Blanket has been already taken in by another member of the family.

Thanks, that’s good news.

Took a moment to find the Shannon’s Garden Centre cat today…

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Happy International Cat Day. Here’s some lovely tweets from our favourite political cats.

Here for your delectation, is my late moggie Spice stating the obvious through the art of box appropriation.

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This is my missing kitty, Tootsie. She’s been missing since last Friday night from Westwood Park, right behind the Horniman. If any kitty spotters spot her, please get in touch! 07471 932525.

Thanks!

Vicki

We have a garden centre in forest hill? I’d love to know where!

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Hi Vicki… I’d suggest you start a new topic on this. SE23.life will often then tweet it out as well.

I have, thanks. Just thought I’d add it to the Cat Spotters thread too, just in case.

Cheers!

Vicki

Hi, I’m aware this is the local cat appreciation thread and so I’m sure this post is going to go down like a lead balloon, but it seems the most appropriate place to ask the question:

Do cat owners feel any responsibility for where your cat goes to the toilet?

Two local cats have decided to turn my small back garden into their local toilet. On a daily basis I have two fresh piles of faeces appear. The smell is horrific and it is impacting on my enjoyment of my garden (I have deliberately not had friends around for a BBQ this summer because the lingering smell is so unpleasant).

I have spent a lot of time online trying to find ways to stop this - the upshots seem to be (1) this is a widespread problem for any of us who don’t have a cat (as your cats apparently won’t defile their own territory but much prefer to do it to someone who doesn’t have a cat) and (2) there appear to be very few proven effective solutions to prevent it (ironically the best being to get a cat).

The thing is, if a local dog owner allows his dog to foul in public and didn’t clear up after it there would be uproar and they would (rightly) be vilified. Similarly, I’m sure if someone’s dog routinely came onto your property to relieve itself you would be upset and would raise it with the owner. I struggle to see the distinction? Why should I have to spend time and money to (so far unsuccessfully) try and prevent other people’s cats fouling all over my property? What is the solution?

I’m genuinely interested to understand whether cat owners think they have any responsibility for their animal’s behaviour.

For the record, I don’t hate cats, I’m more of a dog person but I like cats (my brother has two, lots of friends have them) but I really am getting to my wits end with this nuisance.

I am sorry you are having this problem. As a cat owner I try hard to prevent my cat from doing this by not letting her out for long bursts of time and by encouraging her to visit her litter box before being let out. Judging by the “presents” in her litter box everyday, I think that I am mostly winning, however it is hard to keep and eye on them when they are outside.

There are some ways to keep them off your garden: Curry plant, lavender and rosemary are widely used as cat repellents. There are also some chemical ones in the market.
Cats also hate being sprayed with water, they think that you pee on them, so try that too. It is harmless.

Where do you live? If there is a chance that my cat has littered your garden, I d be happy to buy some repellents for you and I am sure that if you spoke to the cat owners around your area, they would be happy to do the same.

Think of the positives of having cats around. They discourage mice and rats.

Thanks for the reply - I am going to plant some lavender and (reluctantly) I think I will order a couple of the ultrasonic deterrent devices that seem to be somewhat effective. I appreciate your efforts with your own cat to minimise the risk of it fouling elsewhere, I wish all owners were as considerate. You make a good general point for cat owners which is, if your cat is not going to the toilet in a litter box every day then it is doing it somewhere else, most likely someone else’s property. And as convenient a solution as that might appear to be for the cat owner, it’s pretty selfish behaviour.

So pretty please cat owners would you all do everything you can to make sure your own cat isn’t fouling other peoples gardens. Many thanks

Our neighbours don’t have a litter tray, and their cat craps in our garden, so I discover little ‘gifts’ when I’m weeding by hand. Love the cat- she’s very affectionate, but yuck.

T’other half has just agreed to catsit for a fortnight.
Time enough to train cat to use a tray…?

My cats are mainly indoors so don’t cause this problem but, on the point more broadly, it’s not realistic to expect cat owners to be able to control where their cats go to the loo (unless they are mandatorily kept indoors, which is not fair on cats not kept that way since birth).

I see this as just one of the facts of life of living in a built up city. I have to put up with screaming kiddies, fox crap, other cat crap, yapping dogs and other irritants where it is not practical or possible to get other people to control the cause of the problem. I’d prefer not to have to deal with it, but I accept the fact that my only choice if I live in a city is to develop some Zen-like calm and take whatever mitigating actions I can.

In addition to the deterrents suggested to you, you may wish to try napthelene flakes or mothballs (cats hate the smell). They also tend to hate foil, so foil strips around the garden can work a treat, as well as reflecting sunshine back onto your plants. I also found the rate of other neighbours’ cats deposits reduced when I allowed one particular cat to claim my garden as her territory. She won’t let anyone else near it now.

#bovill-rd’s Ollie, Autumnal sunbathing this morning:

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He looks as though he is posing, very majestic ha ha!

That is very sad - what a beautiful cat

He is fine now, thing it was a rat. I just keep threatening him with the cone hat if he keeps on kicking the scab off! Which he then give me a death look like no other.

Oh no he is beautiful, but unfortunately they do get into scraps don’t they.

Another beauty ️

I wonder if the black cat that lived locally still visits, or should I say spend most of his day there as well. Might be claws at dawn if he does ️

Here is out NFC - I’ve never known a cat sleep in such odd positions. This is one of his more normal ones, he typically has one leg fully in the air! As mentioned above an amazingly friendly cat so good with children. The squirrel population however is not going up near our house…

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This is my favourite thread of all time.

A well-brought up cat should bury its faeces. However the proliferation of foxes, who use this way to mark their territory, seems to have had an adverse effect on cat manners. I suspect they are using their droppings to warn off the foxes as well as dogs. You could try pepper on areas you wish to protect. Or stick a load of wooden skewers in the ground to make a barrier. Or lay holly branches down. Our cats seem to only use their own garden.

Meet Sid - Le Chat Misérable. He’s been having an existential crisis since he was born.

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@promofaux Sid is an absolute beauty!

It looks like you don’t mess with Sid.

On the contrary, I mess with him all the time. He needs to know who is boss…

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She don’t like fireworks

You know cats have a long memory and a penchant for revenge… right? I fear for you.

@Estelle_Lauren Her little face…! So cute.

My daughter in law sent me a photo tonight of her cat doing the exact same thing on the grass outside their flat

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Love Jacob, the @Shannonsgc cat:

What a gorgeous photo!

I think we need more cat photos! Here’s a few more of our Norwegian Forest Cat. We rehomed him 3 years or so ago and he is more like a dog in many ways, cuddles up every night with us, you can call him over often and he sheds like crazy! The absolute gentle giant!

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Here’s Heidi our Maine coon, just turned one year old.
[_DSC9186 by Ian, on Flickr]

Beautiful cats!

Heidi looks great - is she fully grown at 1 or still some to go? I think they are about the same size or slightly bigger than my type of cat so quite big!

I think she has quite a way to go yet, they take 3-4 years to max out, and she is already quite a bit bigger than our old Boy who passed at 14, she is so long -)
Here is Dan
[bidan by Ian, on Flickr](bidan by Ian, on Flickr)

Dan looks great in your photos - sorry he’s gone. Lovely colour and looks fairly fluffy!

My cat growing up was also a lot smaller than our current one. I had him from when I was 3 until I was 21 - I was so upset when he died but he had a great life. Am glad my kids have a cat they can grow up with also, although we didn’t get him young.

Years ago when we got our first MC, we were close to getting a Norweigan forest cat, i think they share similar traits, almost doglike.
This is Artie our first, she passed a few years back.
[arttou by Ian, on Flickr]

And finally Marie who we adopted while on holiday in Thailand in 2017 and arrived in the uk
in march 2018.
[1halmarie by Ian, on Flickr]

Nearly forgot Peggy, she came to our garden 14 years ago, couldn’t get near her ages, so housed her in a blanketed lidded litter tray, then noticewd she had been knocked up, so managed to grab her, and a few days later had 5 kittens under our bed, and has been with us ever since.

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Those cold steely blue eyes. Gorgeous but could be a bit scary having those stare at you from across the room.

Wow you’ve had a lot of cats @Hogboy - all quite different but look great. Well done for rehoming as 2 it appears - great thing to do.

As an aside most of your photos were showing up twice in your posts, looks like the link was there twice for some reason, so have edited those out, hope that’s ok.

I do still miss Basil - quite the oddest of cats. Part Norwegian Forest and full time lunatic.

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That is a very fine cat indeed!

This is our goofy ball of fluff Cookie

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I wonder how long he was head to tail Nick!?

@Dom_Mo Cookie certainly looks relaxed! What a great mix of colours!

He sounds lovely & very happy!

Looks like she is laughing

They are all lovely. Such great pictures.

Gorgeous cat. Such lovely blue eyes

It is a gorgeous cat, very aloof.
It does need a good groom though, it has lumps of fur around its neck.

The colouring of a tiger. I wonder if he/she is called the same!

Good to see that feline killer instinct at play with the pigeon

He did catch a mouse the other day and off out of the garden before I could take a photo to improve his image.

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Sadly not mine, but my absolute favourite local cat (resident of Rockbourne Road). I’ve heard him called CatFink, Sid, and Marvin by various people.

He has the best eyes. It’s always a good day when the sun is out and he’s on the pavement saying hi to his many admirers.