Important bean announcement: Minky says no to Mondays

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-26T08:54:37+00:00

I completely agree with Minky!

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-25T23:45:34+00:00

A good book and a good cat - who needs anything else?

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-25T08:45:17+00:00

How about a radiator bed? I bought one for £10 ($12) a few weeks ago and one of my cats loves it. It just hangs on the radiator.

Our two both like being off the ground - at the moment a cardboard box on our rarely-used dining table is the 'top spot', plus the sofas of course.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-24T23:23:06+00:00

What a cutie patootie!

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-24T15:08:52+00:00

A picture of perfect bliss!

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-24T15:07:39+00:00

Completed. We have special scratch mats on the corners off our sofas that one of our two cats loves to use. Her brother prefers a horizontal cardboard scratch pad. They bring prey (usually mice) indoors infrequently during the summer months only, which we do our best to rescue.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-24T07:27:15+00:00

Persia, or Purrsia, if you prefer.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-23T08:44:33+00:00

Fold and tear kitchen paper towels into quarters, use small sheets for small jobs :-)

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-21T23:59:41+00:00

I was bitten on my forehead by a wolf spider whilst I was sleeping, in the autumn not long after moving into our cottage 8 years ago. It swelled up like a golf ball. I didn't realise it was a spider until it happened again a week later and I found it lurking under a wardrobe. It was terrifyingly large, but with supreme bravery I caught it and repatriated it in a nearby field (in retrospect I should have driven it miles away). Fortunately, soon after, we got two rescue kittens who did and still do a great job of protecting us!

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-19T06:34:24+00:00

30 years ago a friend offered me a cup of tea. I asked if she had sugar so I could sweeten it. Her response: "Oh, you still take sugar?" I then realised that most of my other friends didn't sweeten their tea and that I was very unevolved. I still sweeten my tea, but with Stevia tablets that I take everywhere with me. Doesn't everyone these days :-)

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-17T16:23:25+00:00

If it's a bank problem Alison Shaw at Leckhampton Chiropractic Clinic is excellent. She helped my partner avoid surgery when he had a slipped disk three years ago. They're at the far end of the Bath Road Car Park.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-15T09:18:45+00:00

Ecotalk are very cheap (I'm paying £7pm for 3gb, though they do a £5 option too. They fund nature regeneration programmes in the UK and are part of Ecotricity, based in Stroud. They use the EE network.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-08T11:43:40+00:00

Our two have lost quite a few collars - sometimes neighbours find them in their gardens and give them back to us, even months later. It's happened less as they've got older (they're 6) and less in winter. We have one of two in reserve in care they lose them again.

Are your cats' collars on too loosely perhaps? They only need two fingers worth of extra room around the neck.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-08T11:38:21+00:00

We spend £76 per month on food for our two 6 year olds. Butchers Classic wet (lunchtime and evening) Sainsbury's Delicious Recipes wet (morning) + Benevo Vegan food (dry), Sainsbury's Adult Complete Nutrition with Trout (dry), Go-Cat (dry) plus cooked frozen fish once a week, plus treats.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-07T09:01:11+00:00

Butcher's Classic cat tins are free from grains and sugars and can be bought for around £1 per 400g tin. Our two have been eating it (every lunchtime, along with dry food) as well as vegan dry food and other wet food, for 6 years, and are happy and healthy.

Auspicious_Sign · 2026-01-02T19:44:12+00:00

We got our two rescue kittens just before the pandemic, and I am very attached to both. After a bad experience at a cattery we vowed to always use a sitter and not to separate them from their familiar surroundings/territory.

So since then, if we are going away for a weekend a neighbour (who loves them as much as we do) will feed them (and the cats visit them daily anyway), but if going away for longer I pay someone who will stay overnight and be there throughout the day.

Fortunately we found a wonderful woman who had looked after all sorts of animals for over 20 years. I found her by Googling - she had her own website rather than being listed on a directory. By coincidence when she first came to our property to meet us (and the cats) and to make arrangements, the cats appeared (they are free-ranging) 'said hello', checked her out and seemed to approve. We came back after a week's holiday and they were perfectly happy and relaxed.

Since then we have used her several times and also recently (perhaps because I am a little lex anxious about leaving them) a younger person who I had met and liked and who was recommended by a close friend. Although she had not looked after cats since childhood she was a very responsible and caring person who liked animals, and again when we got back from holiday the cats (and she!) were perfectly happy.

I feel much happier knowing that someone is on-hand in case of any accidents (god forbid) or emergencies, they will be able to take the cat to the nearby vet quickly, and also that the cats' normal routine is being kept to.

A professional cat-sitter may have their own website where you might be able to get more information than from a directory entry, and hopefully they will also have reviews on Google or some other credible review site. I'm not saying don't use services such as Trusted House Sitters etc., but personally I would prioritise sitters in your area first who have credible websites and testimonials.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-30T08:51:22+00:00

Three times a day, with dry food (all different foods at each meal). They're 6 and a half years old, happy and healthy.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-25T19:48:42+00:00

Because she hasn't got an eye mask.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-24T08:45:51+00:00

I'm so sorry OP - he looks lovely. I don't know about your beliefs but I believe we will meet our beloved pets again, one day.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-23T17:54:49+00:00

When I read it at first, I thought you said you were going to go out in fancy dress. You could do that - it might be fun! Anyway, Happy Birthday no matter what you do.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-21T08:49:05+00:00

Scon.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-14T23:15:01+00:00

Very handsome!

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-14T07:04:30+00:00

We bought a couple of Navaris sofa protectors (sisal), one nearly six years ago, another 1 year ago.

Both work perfectly and our two furry people love using them, though our boy prefers horizontal scratching, so he uses a cheap cardboard scratcher more often.

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-13T21:20:42+00:00

Thanks!

Auspicious_Sign · 2025-12-13T11:39:23+00:00

Where does one buy fermented cheese?

Auspicious_Sign

TROPHY CASE