Cat's Night Party

 I have a bit of a cold, nothing serious, just annoying!

Last night I went to bed early, about 10 o'clock. The house was nice and quiet, I thought I could have a good night's sleep!

I was woken up at midnight, the cat's nighttime party had started!

At first, they were running up and down the corridor, which was the noise that woke me up! I don't mind that; they need the exercise, and it's somehow comforting to hear them! That went on for about half an hour, then the crying started. First, it was Steve, he picks up a toy, then carries it around crying!  Again, that's alright. Shortly after that, the yowling started!

I could hear two of the cats yowling at each other. I got up, separated Fred and Steve, then went back to bed! The problem with getting out of bed is that the house is very cold, no central heating in Japan! 

I got back into bed, got warm, was just dozing off when the yowling started again. This time it was Fred and Frodo. I got out of bed, got cold, sorted the cats, got back in bed, got warm, started to doze when the yowling started again. At this point, I'm wondering if the cats have some 6th sense, that they know when I'm warm and about to sleep! I'm not sure how many times I had to get up last night, at least 7 or 8 times. At 3 o'clock, I gave up and fed them! I know it isn't good, but I really needed to sleep!

This morning, I found three of the cats like this.

After fighting most of the night, they curled up together!!

Throw Back Thursday

 Hannah sent me some photos of the first litter Mama had. I forgot how tiny and cute they were. They are still cute but not so tiny!

I decided to see if I could find more photos or videos of them. I came across a video of when Mama first turned up at our house. She was very friendly, even on the first few visits, she would go and sit on someone's lap! I think she belonged to someone before, but we checked local places that had listings of missing cats and asked our vets, but no one came forward.

About a month later, she came inside and, as they say, the rest is history!

Here are some of the photos from Hannah, and some that I found!

Steve and Alan

Fred

Sleeping in the dirty laundry basket

Before they could open the screen door!

I also found this very short video!

Typical David!

Just Cats Being Cats

 I love my cats. They are the most amazing creatures ever. 

But they are also very destructive! I guess living in a house with paper doors isn't a good idea with nine cats!

This is the tatami room. 

The top photo shows the shoji doors that separate the tatami room from the engawa, which is like a corridor that runs in front of a tatami room.

The cats don't wait for the doors to be opened; they just climb through the shoji!

The bottom photo shows the doors that lead to the entrance and the corridor. They are completely destroyed. There is a hole in the one that the cats can crawl through!

I tried to stop them from scratching at the doors, but I'm not here all the time. They have lots of scratching boards around the house as well. Maybe some vertical ones would help!

Once I have a bit of money, I will change out these doors. Also, I saw some shoji paper that is strong enough so the cats can't break it! But I wonder if the manufacturers know how strong my cats are?

Alan is a lot better. I really hope he doesn't get sick again. 

Alan, waiting for dinner!

The Stand Off

 Alan has recovered from his urinary tract problem.

He is now back to racing around, digging his claws into anybody who is standing near him and fighting!

Six of my nine cats

When I see my cats like this, I think how sweet they are.

But I know the reality! 

This is when they are waiting for food! They were purring and meowing, giving love to anybody who came near them. Real cupboard love!

Just staring at each other. This went on for a few minutes. They came to blows, a few swipes and a lot of hissing!

I know cats fight, I know that this house is too small for all the cats, but the constant fights drives me crazy! I've been wondering what I can do to help. I try to play with them, to use up their energy. The problem is I'm the one who gets tired, not them!

Still, they have their moments of absolute cuteness, so that outweighs the bad things!

A Few Cat Visitors

 We've had a few cats wander around our garden.

This one comes every other day. If our cats are near the window, he'll sit and talk to them!

This one is new, he started to come around the past couple of weeks!

Looks a bit like Mama. He's very shy, so difficult to get a good photo!

This little black comes every now and then.

He'll come around for a few days, then disappear for a couple of weeks!

I like to see these cats, just to know they are alright. I don't think they are strays; they look well-fed. But I don't understand why people let them out! I know we live in the countryside, but there are still a lot of dangers; people drive very carelessly here. Also, the farmers use a lot of chemicals on the crops. I would worry about the cats getting poisoned! Plus, the wildlife here is really wild. Wild hogs, snakes, massive insects, crows and sometimes monkeys! Maybe the cats here are used to the area, but I'm not sure my cats would survive!

Keeping Warm

 It's gone very cold here; we even had a few flurries of snow the other day!

The cats are very good at finding the warm spots!

One good place, in the morning, is in front of the big window. It gets a bit of sun on it, and there are usually birds outside for entertainment!

Alan is enjoying the morning sun.

Of course, the best place is on the beds, especially when the electric blanket has been left on! I don't like the cats in my room, but these three managed to sneak in! I was going to kick them out, but they looked so comfortable!

Sam, Frodo and Mama, all snuggled up!

Then there's Fluffy, who always has to sit on something! Even one sheet of tissue.

Fluffy on a sheet of tissue.

According to the weather, it's going to get a lot colder next week. I like the cold weather, but not this cold!

Happy New Year!

 I hope that 2026 will be great for you! 

Update on Alan, he's doing much better. His last vet visit was on Monday. The vet said that he was peeing alright, just finish the medicine he was given and keep an eye on him. I can see that he is a lot better; he is walking around meowing at everyone and everything, which is normal for him!

Alan is enjoying the sun.

All of my cats got spoiled over the holiday. They all got some of the leftover chicken, plus my daughter is home for the holidays, she loves these cats and really misses them when she's at her own place. She has spent most of the holiday playing with them. They follow her around all day!

Just a couple of photos.

Steve looks angry, but he was really purring.

This is Sam's favourite spot, the middle of my bed.

Fluffy is guarding my cup.

Alfie, sitting with his paw up. There's nothing wrong with it!