Monday, December 10, 2012

Alley died

THis is a very disorganised collection of posts about Alleys passing... Its here just as a start.  I,ll polish it up,   and add some to it.   I think Kathy described Alley best bellow



RIP Alley - for a bad tempered cat, you were well loved!

Our main consolation is that you were only actually unwell for a week - and only badly ill for a couple of days :-(


David Thomas RIP Alley Thomas 17/9/88 27/10/2012 Peacefully with people she loved After biting Kathy and drawing blood Aged 24 and one month. Best smartest most loved cat ever. Best ratter ever. Wonderful wonderful cat. I guess we put off your birthday party just a bit too long.   Died in my arms at about 1 in the morning. 






    • Edward Hore That is so sad you two, sorry about this, I understand the loss, this is going to be a bad and long recovery, but remember she always loved you two, always gave lots of cuddles, and I do believe she fully understood you Dave, cats are smart.
    • Simon Breen So sorry to hear - thoughts with you guys RIP Alley
    • Kathy Exley Thanks everyone. It's going to be tough - but your support counts
    • Edward Hore Come here tonight, have a keg, needs to be drunk. Use a cab.
    • Kathy Exley Thanks, Edward - we will think about it. Do you want the laptop back?
    • Edward Hore Thats up to you guys, if it is a good reminder, then keep it, if it is a painful reminder, then bring it over when you are ready. {HUGS}
    • David Thomas Alley memories . Her biting me when the vet microchipped her. Straight though the thumb. Then apologising. The way she would not forgive an insult until she had got even.... I smacked her once for something it turned out she had not done. She hid all day.. sneaked into my room that night and in the middle of the night ripped one of my toes open and then ran and hid for a week. But she would forgive an accident if you said sorry..and never ever held a grudge. She came in to the bathroom one day and found me with my eyes closed and one of them under the water (easing conjunctivitis) I opened my eyes to find her hanging to the side of the bath reaching out over the water and trying to snag me with a claw. For years after she would rush in and anxiously watch me have a bath. She bought home rats bigger than her.. once to ask for help cos she had a claw stuck in its backbone.. And one really big one when I was on the way out and did not applaud enough .. when I came back she had arranged it precisely in the centre of the step and was posing on it in classic great hunter mode. She was mysteriously ill for a week once and then a year later went rigid in horror before leaping on a bike cable on the floor and hitting it so hard her claw had to be freed from the carpet. We figured out that she must have been bitten by a little snake. She had bad kidneys her entire life... and I never thought she would get into her teens. I got in a fight out the front once and she tried to take the guy down. She ripped one blokes arm up for daring to pick her up one day. She used to run down the end of the block when we lived in north balwyn and greet specific school kids. Who .. and I have no idea how new her by name. She had a bf who was a brushtail possum and he tried to talk her into walking on phone lines. She got as far as a step or so.. but is not silly. She had a pet owl in North Balwyn and I would come out to find the owl and her both on the roof of the garage.

      • David Thomas This last year is the first time she ever felt the cold. Before she would always get up and open the doors in the middle winter. This year she had no down. She used to sleep on my bed and occasionally in it and when she was too active I would go to sleep with her stuffed in my armpit. Usually bum up where she would caress my ear with her tail. She was the most tailcentric cat in the world.. used it like a paw and always knew exactly where it was. This year she had no down layer, really felt the cold and slept in the bed. She loved her laptop and cried when her first one died. By then she had figured out how to make it do all sort of things. She never figured out that the same button could turn it on and off tho... thats just not a cat concept. She died snuggled in my arm She was the only person who thought I was a brilliant guitarist. And would listen to me entranced. She has not spoken in a few years but she had a vocabulary of two english words. "No" and "Now" and always used them in appropriate context She was very good at threats. But we had fights when she went on her heart medication, in which she woud put a paw on my eye .. pull the claws in then push me away. She didnt like most people .. did not like raised voices or crowds but she shared houses with many people over the years and all of them loved her.27 October at 11:42 · Like ·


        David Thomas She mellowed a lot over the years. Became even a little overtly affectionate. But she mostly put up with affection. Sometimes she would give a kiss. Or a purr. Most cats purr for themselves but Alley would only purr to let people know she was happy. She considered you would know she loved you if she was nearby. She would snooze on the hood of my sportscar making an Alley shaped ding in the vinyl or on the seat of my Kat motorcycle. Which had to be on the centerstand so she would not slide off. SHe loved watching me work. She was a hell of a sprinter. Only a few months ago she was across the road where she is not allowed (looking for Shadow her admirer from down the road) and was sprung. I recon she did that standing 100 metres in 3 seconds. And then she stuck her bum up in the air curled her tail out of the way and just waited for her smack.
        Kathy Exley She had decided that I made food more exciting - David just put the food out, I could never get him to be enthusiastic about it for her. So, if I was trying to complete some work, I would tell her I would look after her in 5 mins (which she understood). But heaven help me if I didn't actually do something at the end of that 5 mins - OR if she decided she really needed to be dealt with NOW... I have a number of small holes in my chins - from the Alley claw that would follow the Alley paw on my leg.
        She also sometimes decided to be a lap cat (again, due to the cold) - and if I had my legs tucked up on the chair, she would jump up anyway, climb onto the top of my legs and wait for me to sort out her lap.
        She will be dreadfully missed
        Sally Cloke So sorry guys. She had a lovely life with you two.
        David Thomas I,m raving here... bear with me. SHe was very non talkative. One loud "mew" a day to get your attention was a talkative day for her. ONe day in Glen Iris tho she was up the 40 foot gum tree. We just told her to come down. At the flats there she ended up with a bunch of spectators all desperately worried about her.. and me .. entirely disinterested. She sat up their yowling occasionally and looking more and more forlorn as people looked for ladders or talked about ringing the fire brigade. Eventually I just told her to 'Come here'. She ran straight down the side of the tree and landed on my shoulder. That entirely non expressive face of hers was laughing hysterically.

      • Norm Gray Commiserations & empathy for Alley's passing. Seems October is the month for losing furry friends & family.
        David Thomas A maltese terrier with an owner who didnt believe in leads went her one day. He thought he had tangled with Freddy Kruger. Apparently it cost thousands to put him back together. If I had not rescued Alley she would have killed him. She never thought she was a cat. Would only drink water out of a cup. Enjoyed people food including quite hot food. You looked in those eyes and a smart aware person looked back at you. Yesterday morning that was a sed and loving person who did not want to leave me but was entirely aware what was happening She had the most amazing sense of time.. She know what 5 minutes meant. And she knew what 10 minutes meant. To the second
        Penny Robinson  Sorry to hear your sad news Kathy and Dave.

        When I was over in September, I enjoyed watching her snuggle on "her" laptop ... and even manage to turn it back on again once!
        Roger Hammond 
        Julieanne Beckham oh poor old Alley, I didnt know she was leaving us. I am very sorry for your loss of your dear old gril. David I am so sorry I know how much you love her xxxxxxxxxxx
        Kathy Exley She got sick on Monday, Julieanne, was very off her food, but we thought she'd probably come good, as she's had upset tums in the past. But this time she didn't. So we took her to the vet on Fri night (VERY scared about it). The vet suggested some things we could try, to see if she'd improve, but she didn't really want to try anymore. We did everything we could to make it work, but it was not to be
        Julieanne Beckham I love your stories about her David, I think they need to become cartoons 
        Helen Evans So sorry to hear you have lost your friend, but glad she is at peace love to you all xx
        27 October at 14:10 via mobile · Like · 1
        David Thomas W

      When I was driving taxi,s she would be wide awake and waiting for me at 5:30 in the morning when I knocked off and she would clearly be worried if I was late She would harrass for food and say goodbye and vanish. When I woke up she would always be there. Never acknowledging me and usually facing in a completely different direction. But by sheer coincidence her tail would always be touching me. When she was thinking deeply the tail would move like a metronome. When she was agitated it would swish. When clumsy people passed near it would be straight up so it could not be stepped on. She used to go outside or use the people toilet. until she was about 15 when Robbie trained her to Kitty litter. Damn it. When I had a bad day and I had a lot for a while... little grumpy miss show no affection would come and sit beside me. Stroking me with her tail We would have fights sometimes where I would try and ticke her tummy and she would try and stop me You could see the claws coming out and going back in as she tried to force them in and the excitement tried to force them out as she tried slap my hand away as I tried to tickle her. In spite of her I used to get shredded in those fights I bought her a catnip mouse and a helium balloon once .. setting it up so that the mouse was just touching the ground, She loved it, She was an easy minimum maintenance mate SHe loved motorbikes working on cars, music., she figured out how to make her first laptop play music... the outdoors... weather...wind and me

  • David Thomas Always the teeniest daintiest eater she could never be given the same food twice in a row She had to be on a low salt diet but would never eat any of the low salt special diet cat foods. literally never. She liked the CD crunchies dry food and never got bored with them but that was it. I arbitrarily decided after discovering that a single meal of normal wet catfood would hurt her and get blood in the urine that we would buy cat food up to 0.03 salt. Which leaves very little. But we stuck with that for 20 odd years and as we did the number of foods available steadily dwindled. It must have worked tho because she lived a good long life. I hoped she would go for the record. But there you go , Feeding her was always a problem.. was always a pretty small cat under that fluffy shape. We threw away many times the cat food she actually ate It was the only way in which she was at all difficult.
  • Kathy Exley Not silly at all - thanks, Jenny M!
  • Kathy Exley Thanks for the offer, Edward - but we will be terrible company for anyone tonight, so we'll take a rain check if it's on offer
  • Edward Hore When you guys are ready
  • John Tucker Very sad news, hope you two are getting through okay. But so many wonderful memories 
  • David Thomas Everyone had advice on how to give her tablets. No one managed to do it. Even though she was a very old lady. She was a stubborn tough grumpy dangerous little shit. My best mate.
  • Kathy Exley Yes, we did manage to give her tablets... it just took both of us and at least two towels and generally resulted in me getting bitten!
  • Hadley Jones Just found out. Yes, Dave, you were raving but you probably needed to. Very sorry (slight sniffle here) - I SO wanted to hear that "the Bitch was back" but, as you say, she had done quite well to live as long as she did, all things considered. I'll miss her too.
  • Kathy Exley She has such a widespread family... one of the toughest things about today is trying to contact some of the people who need to know quickly - it doesn't matter how many times I tell people today, it doesn't get any easier or hurt any less 

  • David Thomas Yes Carl Ivan Brewer I have not forgotten that many go through this. And you must have many times. Alley was not particularly friendly, she never warmed to JAC for one. But she was intelligent. A bit alien. Not speaking or even understanding exactly the same language. But scarey smart. And brave. One of her last actions was to try and comfort Kathy. THanks Hadley. Alley was different. You and me. Ian, Robyn Marky , Adam, Moors, Sara, Roger, Ashley Helen Teder, and a dozen others will remember that grouchy little cat for the rest of our lives. She understood love.
    Hadley Jones Will she be cremated? It would not seem right to bury her in a rental home.
    David Thomas yes and yes (there is no doubt that Alley made a powerful impression on her friends hey) We are going to have a wake. Her long put of 21st birthday party that we never had because she would have hated a party
    David Thomas We will pick a windy day .. cos she loved watching weather .. and let her ashes blow away. Some park with a barby. She would like that.
    Karen Jane Margaret Corbett Aw, sorry to hear puss has gone, glad puss is out of pain. I had a couple of that temperament and found awkward to know how to mourn their passing - Gin or tequila????
    Stuart Lynch Just saw this... sorry to hear this, Dave and Kathy. I loved reading all your stories about her, Dave. We should all be so lucky to have had such a great friend.
    David Thomas She has this boyfriend across the road. A big dumb lummox tabby called Shadow. He has followed her around for years. If he is lucky he has been ignored. Once or twice he has missed being blinded by millimetres. I sorta think Alley is mildly affectionate towards the sod. She just feels insulted he is so dumb. And he isnt... he is just a cat. I spose I will have to tell him. But he is just a cat.. he wont understand
    Susan O'shea Bless
    David Thomas Thanks Stuart. I have had people I loved die before... this is what its like. I am not getting better at it.

    David Thomas Phone call from Sara and Roger in London to express sympathy and loss. Grumpy cat loved all around the world. Sara Merriman is the best mac person I know and a terrific gorgeous girl. And Roger is the welsh prince that captured her heart. And both of them loved the Alley. Who is surprisingly good at capturing peoples heart.
    Kathy Exley It was Sara and Roger's wedding that we went to in the UK. We fully expected a month (at least!) of diss-ing when we got back - because we all went away together (those who usually babysat her). However, she was fine - as far as we can tell, she thought we went away just so that she could have different staff on rotation - and accepted the results as the accolades due to a beautiful furry person. In fact, we did a house swap for the honeymoon - so they spent time with her here, while we stayed with their four-footed family just outside London. Which is why it is lovely that they called - as they also feel her loss
    Dale Webb I'm so sorry to hear this hope you and David are coping. you must feel privileged that she chose you as her servants. Hugs for you both
    David Thomas We had a tradition of having fish and chips on the lounge floor a few times a year. Alley loved this. We would get everything done with no salt so she could join in. And she would actually eat something. She loved being part of a family. She would always greet friends and clearly recognise them even after not seeing them for years. Strangers she would usually coldly ignore. Sometimes with marked distaste She liked guys more than girls. I would pick her back legs up by her tail and she loved that. It was a mark of her affection. Very few people were allowed to do that,,,, others would try and discover the hard way they were not in that select group. With that totally expressionless face and that tail she could communicate rather well. Danny interpreting said once.. as Alley stalked haughtily away.. turned to glare... jabbed her tail upwards and walked away without a glance back... "oh and by the way... up yours"


    David Thomas ;No Dale None of us is doing well. Alley is our child substitute of course but she is also my best mate... the person in my life I have known longest who has been there for me the most. In a couple of stories I wont be sharing she certainly saved my life. Without her I would be long dead. My family mostly have not been there for me..Alley always has. I am doing not well at all. But thats my fault I guess... I knew she was not going to be around forever.. she tried. Cats dont do unconditional love.. and most cats do more affectionate than Alley. But she was my girl... she was quite possessive of me and she loved me so much.she mostly did not feel the need to demonstrate it. If I was sick tho.,,,,suddenly she was there,,,, two feet away.. studiously looking in the other direction and stroking me with her tail.
    Julieanne Beckham With cats eye contact is an insult . She obviously understood this rule very well and didn't want to be rude to you xxxxxx hug. I am so sad for your loss and pain. She will stay with you now in dreams and other ways until you can let her dear soul go to it's next adventure. All our dead do this for us
    28 October at 12:23 via mobile · Like · 1
    Michaela Cladingboel Loved reading the stories about her guys
    Kathy Exley There will probably be more... Not everyone has to read them, but they will be there as we need to share them
    Caren Nelson Oh so sorry alley is gone from ur life. Many memories will always hold her close. X C
    28 October at 14:38 via mobile · Like · 1
    Caren Nelson It's time for glitter phone guards. Well mine Made me smile
    Kathy Exley OK - small correction to the timeline I posted about her being unwell - it was Thurs evening we took her to the vet, not Fri. I knew I'd got something out of kilter
    David Thomas She started out as my brothers cat. He picked her out from a shelter. Not because she was the most beautiful kitten there.. although of course she was.., but he picked her for the same reason no one else did. Because when he reached out to pick up this tiny little ball of red brown fluff she ran forward and bit him. Those who know ALley will understand this is exactly how she would behave. My brov eventually abandoned her with me when she was about a year and a half old and she has been my little girl ever since
    David Thomas She loved jumping . If she were human she would have been a manic skydiver. Hell she would have loved it as a cat. I thought about it.. but how to explain the first time. She was a realist.. she knew what a fatal fall looked like She understood a lot of english but not that much. She used to climb up and sit there.. grinning with anticipation before jumping. Not trying to nerve herself up but just the anticipation. SHe would jump of anything. Race down trees. climb up to the roof of the house and jump off.. then climb up and jump off. Grinning happily for yours. When we got the second story flat in Glen Iris (Robbies place) she would go out on the balcony .. nerve herself up and jump. Sometimes across to the tree; sometimes to the ground. Sometimes she would run down the wall. And even then she was 15 oe 16. Already an old cat. She slowed down a lot as she started to feel and to be more fragile.... the last few weeks jumping off a chair was it,,, but she still loved jumping. She used to sit and watch the birds for hours... she never hunted birds.. she never figured out that they tasted of chicken. I only ever saw her kill one bird and it landed on top of her while she was snoozing in the garden. She woke up... was grievously insulted and tore it apart. But I call messing with her like that suicide. Anyway I always thought she watched the birds cos they could fly and she always wanted to fly. It sounds like a stretch but Alley had heaps of imagination. and I can see her making that connection.
    Cory Boardman Gerat stories Dave. Thanks for sharing. Remember the good times.
    David Thomas Thanks Cory. I,m really not coping well. Sooner or later someone will say she is just a cat and I,ll hurt them badly I didn't race yesterday cos I didnt want to talk to anyone. And this morning... the guy riding towards me in the middle of the path got clipped So this is what I am doing to cope. I think I,ll grab this whole thread and keep it sooner or later. I dont really let many people get close to me... the down side to that is that it means the people I am close to really matter And Alley has been my best mate for a long long while for some of which I was not that together
    Cory Boardman You are in mourning. You've lost a great friend - an old friend. Give yourself time... it'll get easier. But, sometimes, it will stil be bad. Perhaps even years later.
    And you wouldn't want it any other way.
    Kathy Exley Agreed, Cory. One of the tough things for me is actually the fact that it is reminding me of the other losses - some of which were totally out of my hands and one of which I will blame myself for (to some degree) until the day I die.
    And then, there's having to let the important people in her life know the bad news - which, it turns out, is NOT any easier by email than it is by phone. Along with the general 'getting on with life' stuff.... I knew that washing this week would be tough - but I don't think I realised quite how tough such a simple process would be
    David Thomas When Robbie and I were living in Hawthorn.. I was working for the Post Office. And studying IT at swinnie. This period of living in Hawthorn was when Alley was most prolific as a ratter. Lots of rats in Hawthorn it turns out. Doesnt Warnie live there? Anyway I used to walk to Swinnie. We lived not too far from Glenferrie.. on the river side. And one day I saw movement from the corner of my eye as I was walking down to Glenferrie. And I looked back in time to see Alley duck into a driveway. I blinked. Walked back. Looked down the driveway. Alley looked back at me. She had her 'sprung' look on. She turned around. Put her head down. Stuck her bum up. Curled her tail out of the way and waited to be smacked. She had been following me to see where I went. I told her.. it was OK.. she had not actually broken any of our rules.. not having crossed a street. "Not allowed on the black stuff at all" And she should go home now. She flew... absolutely flew away from me and home. From then on .. she would follow me down the drive and onto the footpath and forlornly watch me walk off. She often would present me with a rat or mouse on return. One day a mouse ran past Robbie in the kitchen. Followed by a Mach 1 Alley with traction issues on the lino. Alley grabbed it.. walked up to RObbie with a proud prance. Robbie "I dont want it... you have it" Alley "huh" Robbie ... kill it" Alley.. snap Mouse stops wriggling. Robyn "Now eat it." Crunch crunch crunch. " Alley looks up expectantly. Robbie... "The tail stupid.. eat the tail" Alley looks down.. looks up. "Really" "Eat the tail" Alley "Well you are no fun" Gulps down the tail. Robbie. "What a good little girl.. you are such a good girl. Alley preens. Apparently tail does not taste good tho.. we found dead mice and bits of mice and several tails but she never caught one in front of Robyn again Gradually the number of kills diminished.. I dont think she lost interest tho.. she just ran out of rats and mice. in the block she was allowed to hunt in

    • David Thomas Although I can now roll over in bed without care for the small feline I might be squishing.. turns out I cannot. I would like to say one thing. Jenny is annoyed I mentioned Alley did not take to her. But Alley actually did not take to most people. Not at first. She had the odd person she loved at first sight especially in her later years. But I was not one of them. It was at least 6 months and maybe a couple of years before I was convinced she loved me. Most people she did not take too. SOme. Her upstairs (as Robyn calls her) in Glen Iris. and her dog... THe turkish guy down the road.. some of the schoolkids.. children generally with some exceptions .. .she despised or hated on sight. And you really did not want her to hate you... some of the time she was a stone killer. Most people she was OK with.. Very very few people did she like and even fewer were loved by her. But if she loved you.. she loved so seriously... People she loved were mer enthusiastically years later. clearly remembered. She would sit beside them.. looking away.. touching them with her tail. She loved Ian. Adam.. Me .. Kathy .. Robyn.. Roger and of course Marky not of course in that order. Only I really got to do the cat tail pull.. she would tolerate one or two from all those she loved. The thing is she was basically an unfriendly cat. She did not love almost unconditionally like.. say Ms Breens cat Ollie.. she loved after careful consideration and thought. And yet somehow she touched peoples hearts. Including mine. I have no idea how she did that. Perhaps it was that it was obvious she did not care for most. And if she cared for you it was special. I dont know. She made an entirely disproportionate impression for 4 Kg of fur that at her death weighed two. Rather a lot of people loved the little girl
    • Murray Nicholas Sounds like she was one pretty damn special moggie. Hang on to those wonderful memories.
    • Kathy Exley She was definitely that, Murray - and we're working on the positives - but it's tough as yet.
    • David Thomas We could not have rows Alley hated fights. She would look up anxiously at a raised voice. A full blooded row would always end with a worried little cat standing between us.. looking alternatively from one to the other of us and mowing urgently . (often talking more than in the last week) Those big expressive alien eyes looking at us. (and more recently peering as she tried to make us out in her cloudy vision And in earlier days she would yell "NO" in her tiny little voice She hated rows. Between people she cared about anyway. She would listen not terribly interestedly to rows amongst neighbours. She was a terrific calming influence on me for one.
    • Kathy Exley One of our friends is in trouble for removing a skink from her cat's ambit - AND throwing away the tail (which, it being a skink, it had dropped in an attempt to escape)... One of the mixed memories of Alley here in this house... she caught a mouse - and eventually! killed it.... was told to eat it... and did, except for one kidney - which was, of course, bleeding gently on the carpet - so I asked her to finish it, she didn't, so I picked it up and put it in the bin (and mopped up the mild blood stains on the carpet) .... Of course, a couple of hours later, she came back... and looked very confused... was I in the dog house for having to tell her that I'd thrown it away because it was bleeding on the carpet!!?!
    • David Thomas If you kill it you eat it is my rule for Alley. Except for rats. Rats apparently taste bad.
    • Kathy Exley I tried to enforce it - but the remains were bleeding on the carpet - so I took it away... !? 
    • David Thomas Lots of Alley stories. She was a person. Smartest cat ever. She did not think like us... she was of course alien. But smart. If you could explain a rule to her and she got it... well mostly she would stick to it forever.. or try and explain why it was wrong. Or ignore it and let you know it was stupid. I bought 2 boxes of 24 tins of the CD wet food for cats. She ate one third of the first tin. Ever. When she was about two. On thursday the vet tried to feed her a teaspoon of it. When she was too sick to walk Not a chance 22 years later. He told us.... expressing some surprise. We didn,t. Not a chance. She was one stubborn tough little shit. And smart. I dont think she got computers exactly.. but she knew if she stepped here then here then here. it would play music. And if she stepped here it would make a noise. And if she climbed on Daddys laptop she would get attention. We wont see another cat that smart I dont think.
    • David Thomas I miss the nightly tradition. Very into tradition the little cat. THis one is only a couple of years old but still Pick up the cat.. take her into the bed... put her under the blankets. Go into the lounge. Wait 5 mins. THe escape happens. ALley sneakes into the lounge. But the heater is off. Honor is however satisfied. Pick up the little cat. Take her to bed. She snuggles up into armpit.. bum first. Goes to sleep. Strokes my ear with her tail. Its a tradition. IN the morning .. the alarm goes off. I try and ignore it.. Little shovel nose pushes the blankets away escapes.. Comes back a few minutes later and walks up and down me until I wake. Or goes into the lounge and mews loudly. When I was younger and driving cabs and had to make a shift I had no alarm clock. And I used Alley. I could say to her. "OK 5 oclock.. 5 in the morning.. thats 5 oclock... got it? . And come 5 in the morning a frantic little cat would be running up and down my body trying to wake me and doing a good job. SHe had an amazing sense of time. I dont think she could read a clock... she just knew what 5 oclock felt like and what 5 minutes felt like. I have met people with the same gift. At that time I had a house in Airport West and Alleys uncle H had the unit out the back.. So after I had gone to work she would go and visit him.
    • Kathy Exley Well, 4.30 this morning, I woke up thirsty - so went into the kitchen to get some juice. Which is fine. Except that there was no little one demanding an early breakfast - cos if I was awake and upright, it was obviously breakfast time
    • David Thomas She loved storms. Not being in them although she was perfectly happy in them until the last couple of years. But watching. We have sat behind windows watching many storms. Her just that little distance away... bu always with her tail just touching me. Sometimes a really impressive crack of thunder would have us both glancing at each other. Very companionable.
    • David Thomas Misses being welcomed home. Misses not having to talk but just the affectionate touch of a tail.
    • David Thomas She used to never leave a mess on the floor at dinner.. I would touch her nose and point at the spilled crunchies and she would eat them. Often with a note of sufferance "Oh if you insist.' but sometimes enthusiastically "See i AM a good cat" In her last few years various unnamed people managed to train her out of this but one of my memories is how litrle mess she made. On the other hand... stale food in her bowl.. and cat food must go off REALLY quick was not to be tolerated at all .



    • David Thomas Only cat ever that would knock on doors. People knock on doors. Alley was a person. Hell she didn't actually like cats
    • Kathy Exley Last night we had possums hissing and howling outside... today the boyfriend came calling... The possible partners - potential suitors - wishful friends - have visited, and been told that she's not here to greet them any more. And yet - despite the fact that she attacked some and followed others - the hole is no smaller or less painful
    • David Thomas I would come home.. to find her sitting on the petrol tank of the motorcycle waiting for me. Or ust randomly sitting on the petrol tank.. actually waiting for someone is apparently very uncool. Except that once I was home she would lie on the seat of her motorcycle and snooze. And she never.. not once clawed the seat. And anytime 
      I cam near her the tail would come up and touch me