Feline Invader!

Goodness me, we're both all a flutter at the moment, due to the UNWANTED INCURSION of another feline into OUR TERRITORY!

First thing we knew about it was one morning a couple of weeks ago, when through the catflap we saw a flash of black and white fur at the end of the garden. We thought it was the big scary longhaired cat from up the road, and Mia ran upstairs to the farthest point of the house... but later on that day, we were outside, and saw more clearly that it was a BRAND NEW cat! And she was playing in OUR playground at the end of the next door neighbours' garden!

A closeup of the cheeky monkey...

She's quite small, so even Mia wasn't scared of her. We went over to let her know that we were the bosses around this garden, but she could play, if she showed suitable respect. However, she just IGNORED US!! How rude!!

Look, she's not even scared!

We thought we'd better put her in her place. As she got busy exploring the playground, we instigated a pincer attack. Mia distracted her on this side by making her chattery bird noise, while I sneaked around the back....

Ninja Lila

But... by the time I went to jump at her, she'd disappeared!!

Where'd she go?

Hmph. We've seen her around a few more times - still showing ZERO respect for her elders and she doesn't really want to play with us either. She's been lounging about on OUR shed roof, where we like to relax, and even went into the garden on the other side of us and chased OUR butterflies! Those are our favourite neighbours  - they let Mia come and sit on their sofa, and don't even mind when I sneak into their upstairs windows from the flat roof. What if they decide they like her better than us?

Rachel said she talked to the cheeky cat's human, who lives just 2 doors down, and the feisty new kitty is called Bella. She did say that Bella isn't allowed outside at night either, so that's one good thing I suppose... but we're off to the cattery for a little while tomorrow, and I'm very worried that she might think that our garden is there for the taking!! I'll keep you updated...

In the meantime, we have been letting Rachel take lots of photos of us, just so she wouldn't forget that WE are the cutest cats around here. Once again, hmph.

Fight Night

It's been sooo cold the last week or so! Obviously we couldn't possibly set foot outside the catflap when it's so chilly, so we've been cooped up inside, with lots of energy to burn, getting on each other's nerves. I know, it's a surprise, isn't it, that we don't always get on...

Believe it or not, it often starts like this:

One of us (usually Mia...) is just lying down, chilling, when the other one (usually me, I must admit...) comes over and initiates a bit of unwanted physical contact. Usually this involves some face licking (think spit on the hankerchief; well, I am her mother!), but if that doesn't get the desired response, then the instigator will resort to flicking their tail in the other one's face, and if THAT doesn't work, then the last resort is a quick bat on the head with a paw... This video shows the usual procedure!

 

The alternative scenario is more common when we're hungry, especially when Rachel or Pete gets home from work and doesn't IMMEDIATELY put food down for us. Then, anything goes, but generally it involves one of us hiding behind a door and sofa, and waiting for the other to appear so we can AMBUSH them. Mia is just as guilty of this tactic as I am. It's great fun, but harder to capture on film (much to Rachel's annoyance, because these games of hide and seek are very entertaining). The end results are the same, however:

Ears back, teeth out

 

I veel drink your blood!!

Festive Relaxations

Boo, the holidays are over :-( Did you have a good Christmas? We did!

We were in the cat hotel for a few days - we had so much fun that Mia didn't want to leave, she clung on with her claws when Pete tried to put her in the carrier! Then we got lots of time at home with Rach and Pete and best of all, with our Christmas present. We had been expecting a new scratching post for Christmas, as ours was looking a bit the worse for wear...

Anyone got a spirit level handy?

But clever old Rach took the wobbly bottom off (perhaps she can do the same for herself after all those Christmas chocolates...), and then flipped the whole thing over, so it's (almost) as good as new. And best of all, it still smells Just Right.

So with that problem solved, we turned to our next most pressing problem. Just how DO you get comfy while staying as close to the radiator as humanly (felinely?) possible?

Well, my butt is warm, at least...

To solve this perennial problem, I present to you the greatest invention known to catkind, and our Christmas present: the Radiator Bed! We LOVE it and have spent the last week either cuddled up in it, or waiting for it to become free so we can cuddle up in it.

I waited and waited for Mia to get out, surely she must need the loo soon...

In the end I gave up and went for a nap in the cat shelf (which has it's own specially made cat curtains) ... It's really tough being a moggie, sometimes.

*sigh*

Leftovers From Year One

OK, so Lila promised you some nice photos of us - here they are! They never made it to a blog post of their very own, so we figure it's time to clear them out in preparation for a new year of beautiful photos of us *preens*.

Firstly - us out in the garden. We love to hang out on the garden wall keeping a neighbourly eye on things. [nosing at the neighbours, more like - Ed.]. Cats make excellent guard dogs, you know... oh wait, not dogs, you know what I mean...

We'd headbutt intruders to death

Here I am watching TV at Christmastime - I never usually take any notice, but I loved these polar bears!

I want to play in the snow!

Usually when Rachel & Pete clean the house we escape to the garden - don't worry, it doesn't happen very often ;-). This time it was raining outside when they got the hoover out, so we didn't fancy going out, instead we bravely huddled together on this chair ...

We don't usually sit as close together as this...

Me hiding under the cupboard in the study. I probably can't fit there anymore...

Who's tail is that?

  Ahh look at pretty Lila! She's very playful sometimes, you know. But what's happened to her ear?

Pardon?

Out in the garden again, and double decker kitties! The best thing to do in the wheelbarrow is to roll around in the dirt in it. And then go inside and roll around on the carpet.

Mia it's your turn to push me now...

We do try to be helpful when Rachel is working hard on the business side of Mog's Togs. Look, I've filed myself away for future reference.

Should I be in C for cat or F for feline?

We hope you've enjoyed our posts over the last year!!! Don't worry, we've got no plans to stop. If you're new to our blog, why not have a look at our older adventures, there's a list over there on the right hand side.

Circle Of Life

Rachel and Pete were out all day today, and apparently while they were out they watched the Lion King 3D at the cinema, which is supposedly, like, the BEST Disney film, like, EVER. When they came home they were singing Elton John songs (badly), and then this happened!!

Can you feel the love tonight?

I know, the similarity is uncanny...

 

 *Sigh*. Mia is going to need a LOT of Whiskas Temptations for this...

Blogiversary Giveaway!

To celebrate our first anniversary of blogging and a year of Mog's Togs too, we are having a little giveaway!

The prize is a lovely collection of bits and bobs for feline and owner alike. For your cat: firstly, a cat collar of your choice... which will you choose? We've put a few ideas below for you, and we will be on hand to provide feline fashion advice if you require it (or check out this post)!

Two catnip mice toys made by Rachel's fair hand from upcycled fabric and remnants from collar making. These are carefully sewn to keep them in one piece for as long as possible, and each contains a heaping teaspoon of the good stuff to drive your cat crazy!

The one on the left is Edith, and on the right is Reginald.

For the human... A sheet of cute cat stickers, a cat craft punch, and a fabulous "Beautiful Cats" set of playing cards! It's true, they were purchased at the local bric-a-brac store, but they appear to be unopened and intact. There's a different photo of a Beautiful Cat on every single card!! THAT'S 54 ADORABLE MOGGIES!

Ooh, with these exquisite cat goodies you are really spoiling us..

So, I hear you ask, how can I enter to win this cornucopia of goodies? It's pretty easy, you just need to leave us a comment on this blog post, either letting us know what your favourite blog post has been over the past year, or which collar you would pick if you won (have a look at our shop for that). The winner will be chosen at random from all entries received before midnight GMT on Thursday 10th November. The giveaway is open to EVERYONE, EVERYWHERE!

GOOD LUCK!

PS - Please make sure there's a way I can contact you if you aren't commenting from a Blogger account - a twitter name, facebook page, etc (or your name if we know you from a previous Mog's Togs order). As a last resort you can email your email address to rachel@mogstogs.com, or just make sure you check back on Friday 11th to see who the winner was!

Nobody Likes A Fat Cat

Anyone got any exercise tips for us? We've heard that Fat Cats are the most hated people in Britain, so we need to do something drastic before we're lined up with Fred Goodwin and the like...

Sooooo... there's a gate in the fence at the side of the house that leads onto the driveway, and Rachel is always very careful to leave a couple of flower pots in front of it so that we can't squeeze under the gap. As it turns out, she might as well not bother.

Lila had sneaked round through the next door neighbour's garden to the driveway and was telling me about this FEATHER she'd found out there! omg! I thought I'd better go and have a look so decided to take the shortcut.

Yep, plenty of room for a svelte feline like myself...

Just slip through under here, no problem...

Um.... bit of help please?

Ah yes, I remember, I think there's a bit more room on the other side ...

No problem.

Ah crap...

Lila WOULDN'T stop laughing at me! So I gave up, and was about to go round the long way, when she said she'd show what a little chubster I was by coming back under the gate.

With my shiny fur I'll slip right through

Looks like it's not just me who's a little chubster!!

Curses! Foiled again!

Bob the Big Issue Cat

It's one of those rare occasions where we allow another cat to take centre stage on our blog (I know, shocker!). Last time was after Rachel and Pete visited Marrakesh and we wanted to share some photos of the street cats who didn't have a sofa to cuddle on or a box of Whiskas Temptations between the lot of them, sob (you can read that post here).

This time we are (almost) gracefully making way for Bob the Big Issue Cat! [GET OUT OF THE WAY, Mia, it's not about you for once!]

You may have heard about Bob before. Someone on Twitter told us about him, and we were rather intrigued to read his story. You can read it here and here and see a video here but in a nutshell... Bob was a stray London cat who ended up worse off in a scrap (he wasn't even called Bob then...). He curled up on a doorstep and sat there feeling sorry for himself, and eventually someone living in the house found him - this was James. James doesn't really live in a proper house exactly but rather in something called a bedsit which is basically just one room, as he doesn't have much money, and he sells a magazine called the Big Issue on the streets of London.

Anyway even though James had hardly any money he took Bob to the RSPCA and got him medicine to make him feel better. Once James had finished giving Bob his meds and he was all better, Bob had decided he rather liked life with James and so stuck with him. Now it's four years later and they are inseparable. They make a great pair - while James sells his Big Issues on the streets of London, Bob sits on his bag and just chills out. He wears a harness so he can stay safe when they are walking around London, but the rest of the time he just stays sitting on the bag, posing for photos and generally just being a really cool cat!! He always looks very dapper, as he wears a wide selection of cat scarves which you can see on this flickr photostream.

Anyway yesterday Rachel was walking through Covent Garden and LO AND BEHOLD she saw Bob and James!! She was so excited to meet the both and after buying a Big Issue took some photos of them. Isn't he handsome in his lovely stripy scarf! I think we should have cat scarves for Christmas...

Bob guarding James' mags

Bob gets a fuss from a passer-by!

He's so dashing!

When we first heard about Bob, we weren't really sure about how much fun staying outside all day on the noisy street sounded, but Rachel says he looked ever so happy and content, and he had lovely thick fur like Mia and bright shiny eyes. Plus, he gets LOADS of strokes all day, and James even had a pot of Whiskas Temptations in his pocket to keep him happy - lucky boy!

Bob gets some noms.

Most amazing of all, James has written a book about their story which is out in March 2012. We can't wait to read it!

O-strich Of The Imagination

Look what we've got! Giant feathers! Woooo! They are like normal feathers, but WAY WAY bigger, and so obviously WAY WAY MORE FUN!

Let me tell you the story of how we got them...  So, Lila and I were just relaxing out in the garden.

I was just having a wash, and was about to have a nap...

...when we saw these birdies out of the corner of our eyes!

They looked so yummity, and we hadn't had lunch so we chased them around the garden... caught them... and ate them, one each. After we ate them we were super sleepy so I had a snooze.

But then the scary man-cat from up the road came into the garden and we both ran inside, so we brought the feathers in with us.

And so THAT is how we got our new toys! They are so much fun to play with, they are big enough to stand up to a bit of bunny-kicking, plus you can really get your teeth into them, and they taste great when you lick them, mmm ostrichy goodness.

Like all our favourite toys though, they go away into a cupboard at night. Boo!