Monday After packing his stuff and getting him cleaned up for his stay next door, I struggled to carry his blanket and cat litter, and toys spilled out of my hands as I tried to get out of the door without Rameses. I planned to make another trip to come back and get him but he had other ideas and managed to squeeze out of the door before me. When I got to my neighbours Rameses was sitting on the doormat wondering what was taking me so long. #sphynxcats #rarecatbreeds #profess

Sunday night and Rameses lay atop me on the sofa clinging to me like a little koala bear.When I tried to detach him he clung tighter and buried his head in my neck licking so hard that I worried he’d break my skin. Holding him tight he feels warm and solid like a needy baby that is attached to my neck by suction. I try to calm him down but before long the nuzzling turns to biting and I am forced to detach. His ears flatten back and I notice his pupils are wide and wild. Launc

#sphynxcats #overgrownkitten #cuddlycat #gingertom #nottinghillcatboarding #nottinghillcatboarding

Saturday morning and Barney and Tilly were still not happy with each other. Barney wasn’t talking to Tilly and they sat on opposite sides of the room with their backs to each other. If they happened to pass each other, in the narrow hallway for example, they would both grumble so low and long that it felt like the beginnings of an earthquake, the rumble growing slowly beneath the floorboards. I had a busy day ahead and as well as checking on Rameses upstairs and giving him a

On Friday morning I woke to the gentle tapping of a furless paw on my face. I thought Rameses was trying to wake me up, but he was just testing to see whether my face could take his weight. He decided it/I could and I felt the weight of his body as his paw landed in the hollow of my cheek. I was just opening an eye to see what was going on when the second paw landed, filling my socket and briefly turning everything black, before quickly stepping over my face and continuing on

From the moment Rameses arrived he made himself at home, springing from sofa to cabinet, running full speed across the rug and skidding into the hallway, nuzzling my legs and nibbling my ankles, his enthusiasm for everything was infectious. When Najwan, Ramses’s glamourous owner left, he meowed his objection and pawed longingly at the front door, but there were so many new things around him that his attention was soon diverted and we spent the rest of the evening staring at e

Over the weekend I had an enquiry for a last minute booking. The client was going abroad and in a breathy, accented voice, said she needed someone to take care of her one year old Sphynx, Rameses. 'A Sphynx?' I repeated back to the customer. Although I'd never actually met a Sphynx in real life, I'd seen plenty of pictures. Compeltely bald and boney, wrinkled cats, with massive ears and huge staring eyes. The owner sighed quietly, before pausing to allow time for all the goog

Whenever Alex drops Pandora and Chicken off, he asks me if I think they'll remember him, 'Yes' I say 'Of course', and although I am sure cats do remember their owners, when they are collected by them, they often act as if they've never seen them before and ignore them completely. When the fabulous Maine Coon sisters Pandora and Chicken were picked up yesterday I was surprised by their reaction. When Tara (Alex's partner) arrived, Pandora, as is her nature, approached with cau

Pandora likes to snooze on the cat stand on the left of the balcony while Chicken normally hangs out in the furthest corner on the right. She’ll usually lounge on the bench or curl up in the large potted Jasmine and come in covered in bits of leaves and dirt.Yesterday evening while enjoying a glass of wine with a friend I looked out to the balcony and noticed to my surprise that Chicken was not only sitting on Pandora’s cat tree, she was also sitting right on Pandoras back. I

When Pandora and Chicken first arrived I was taken aback at how big they’d grown but I am very happy to report that Chicken, at least,is still a big overgrown baby. I had some painting to do the other day on the balcony, and with a pet gate keeping the cats on the inside and me out, I got on with the job. Before long Chicken wondered in and peered at me curiously through the gate. She pushed her little nose up to the bars and tried to force it through, then stood on her hind

Carnival Sunday and Pandora sits on the printer and stares agitated at vibrating window. Her eyes are wide and her ears stand up stiff and alert. I close the window, muffling the sound and stopping most of the vibration but the cats still look agitated and make their feelings clear by staying in the bedroom for the rest of the day. When I go to check on them I am relieved because the bedroom is quiet and sunny and apart from the distant beat of music, they seem undisturbed.