The Maurader

Theres something up!!

Toby keeps running through from the kitchen miaowing at us Jura follows as well and both look back with concerned eyes at the kitchen. Oban tends to spend most of the day out so he is only here for the evening through to the morning so we can't gauge him for a reaction to whatever spooked the others in the kitchen. Socks just miaows whatever the occasion. Talisker takes everything in her stride and the only reaction from her is to avoid the kitchen every so often. So what is the problem?

Then there was the bells, "dear can you hear a bell" "No dear" the other one would say with a look the intimated that maybe it was time for the men in white coats.


The cats are fed in the morning and at night they have two tins of cat food a day and an unlimited supply of cat biscuits. At feed time they are all ready and waiting, they eat what they want and eat the rest throughout the day and night. Suddenly they seem to want more, the plates are licked clean and theres not a cat biscuit in sight. Its not even winter when we would understand them wanting more. We are having to stand firm and say no, no matter how pleadingly they look at us. "You will be getting fat and then how do you think you'll get over the garden wall"


The bells again, I am sure it came from the kitchen. I go and investigate, no there is nothing in the kitchen or the utility to make this sound am I losing my marbles after all.


It was playing in the back of my mind, bells in the kitchen it can't have been the cats because we removed the bells from their collars after being woken up night after night by the tinkling in the wee hours of the morning when one of them would decide it was time for an all over scratch for ten minutes.

Again Jura and Tobermory come in to fetch me, I followed them through to the kitchen when I got there they both hid behind my legs and this time I definitely heard the sound of bells I was not imagining it, but there was nothing there. I spent the next day or two listening out for the bell.

Aha was that a tinkle, very quietly I headed to the kitchen and caught site of a ginger tail dissapearing out of the utility window. Suddenly it all became clear the cats wanting extra food and being upset about something in the kitchen, we had a marauding cat!

There are a variety of ginger cats in the area so we had to catch him in the act. The next few days were quiet, then we both heard it. I sneaked out the back door and shut the utility window, my other half headed to the utility room admitting to me they would have to cancel the visit from the men in white coats that had been arranged. The cat was cornered and picked up and told in no uncertain terms that he wasn't welcome. All of our cats were standing in the doorway to the living room jeering and yelling general abuse about him for stealing their food and telling him what they did to theives. Their bravado was ten fold because we were there. The cat was escorted off the premises and sent off over the wall into the field.

The cats all patted themselves on the back for a job well done, and all went for a well deserved snooze.

The bells again, did the telling off, not work. Aha there are two ginger brothers who look alike. We have no idea which one we told off and don't know if it is one of them marauding or both. We are now planning to take photos next time, so we have a criminal line up to check them against.

"Hey up Bro, what you up too?"
"I got caught in the act of having an extra supper at the house down the road. I won't be going in there again I got a right telling off and I was stunned by the flashing lights"
Did you Bro, I was in there tonight and I am stuffed, ate until I couldn't fit through the window had to use the door. I think they got a photo of my tail. You know what your problem is, its that stupid bell you've got round your neck. Lose it and life will be a dream".