Who, me?

When she saw me watching she very carefully reversed and sat on the bench looking innocent.

Urchin and the Fairy Lights

Urchin was quite keen to get a closer look at the Christmas decorations. They seemed to pass her inspection.

Calculating the odds

Urchin was calculating the odds of being able to climb the jackets to the top of the door. She decided that discretion was the better part of valour.

Urchin and the box

A couple of months ago, we bought a sheepskin rug to put on top of this storage box, for enhanced cat comfort. Urchin was thoroughly horrified and has utterly refused to sit on it. This is her demonstrating how happy she is that the evil comfy sheepskin has been taken away.

Paul now has the sheepskin on his chair. It's an effective way to reserve his spot.

Urchin and the birdbox - redux

It's that time of year again where birdboxes become very interesting. As far as we know, nobody is nesting in this one, fortunately. But some blue tits have visited, so it does smell fascinating.

Caught in the act

Protesting her innocence

Urchin and the computer

Always something to fascinate a cat

Urchin has had both of us at home a lot over the last few weeks, and yet she still has days where she wants more attention than she is getting. She finds an excellent way to get our undivided attention is to climb on our desks and start flinging things off the computer.

Urchin and the spare bed

Yesterday Urchin was very vocal about demanding to be let out. Even though the weather was awful. It was very windy and even latched back the door was banging around a bit. We went out to call her and she was nowhere to be seen. Then I went upstairs and discovered that she'd snuck back in and put herself to bed in the comfiest spot she could find.

Bringing shame to her family

It's shedding season and thus is the time of year when a cat's reluctance to be brushed really shows itself. The wretched little animal really needs a thorough grooming to get all her loose undercoat out, but she isn't having it, and is fighting like a tiger when we try do it. There are matts developing. Cutting one out is a 2-person job. This was definitely the worst one she's had yet - I am hoping that by publicly humiliating her like this, she will be more amenable to letting us brush her regularly. Yep - pinning my hopes on anthropomorphism.

That hairbrush is bigger than my hand.

Urchin and the bonsai

Urchin can be a little menace sometimes. She has realised that gnawing bonsai branches is a very good way to make her father pay attention to her (she also knows it doesn't work on me). But we've never seen her get this carried away. This morning she decided to really get stuck into the bonsai pruning as a way to convince us that it was time for cats to be outside.

Urchin and the window

Urchin has recently figured out that to open the kitchen window, we do something to the handle. She hasn't quite worked out what she needs to do, but it's only a matter of time.

Urchin and the computer

Some days are more obstructive than others.

At her convenience

I was cuddling the beast. She climbed up to my shoulder, so I leant at an angle to give her an easier descent down my back. She got half way down and stopped, deciding that reclining elegantly on my hunched form was the way to go. She stayed there - with her tail up my nose - until we'd got a decent picture, then I had to stand up to dislodge her. I think she thought I was going to walk around like that, so she could ride like a sedan chair.

Urchin and the chair

One of Urchin's tried-and-true strategies for getting us to play with her is to climb on the back of Paul's chair. Having a cat's bum rubbing against the back of your neck is remarkably motivating.

Urchin and the cupboard

Apparently red-eye reduction doesn't work on cats...

Recently fuzzy discovered that she could ask for a cuddle, thence climb on my shoulder, up the kitchen door and onto the top of the kitchen cupboards. There are spider webs and all manner of excitement. I no longer listen to her when she says she wants a cuddle while we are standing in the kitchen.

A bigger cat did it and ran away

Making a point

Urchin doesn't really approve of computers. When she thinks it is time for us to go outdoors and play, she makes her feelings very, very clear.

Thwarted

These are the sounds a cat makes when she is separated from her prey.

Miss Optimism

Urchin's latest ploy is to climb the pear tree. She thinks that the birds who usually sit in it will accept her as one of their own.

Urchin and the Wardrobe

Urchin's latest thing is using my dressing gown to climb up to the top of the wardrobe. After her first success with this technique, I was determined to take the camera up to bed with me, so I could get a picture of the next time.

Unfortunately 6am is not conducive to photography, and I ended up putting the camera in "TEXT" mode (which I didn't even know was a thing) and therefore didn't get the action-cat climbing video I was aiming for. And she didn't like the flash so she got down before summiting.

Climbing the curtains

She can get all the way to the top, when she is being really attention-seeking.

ETA demonstration of being REALLY attention-seeking!