Set Up


Albert is being bullied by a new cat on the block
It's a tortoiseshell mix with a whole lotta attitude.
I know it's got attitude because it squared up to Mary when we were out walking around the Churchyard ( yes I walk the dogs there daily as a protest to the uniform ban ) and a cat that will hold its ground against a dog of any size has balls.
Although Albert is a hunter, he is no fighter. His deformed back leg makes him slower and slightly ungainly at times and so when faced with a more determined assailant he usually decides that retreat is the order of the day and makes a bolt for the cat flap home.
This morning the fight with the tortoiseshell  took a tern in Albert's favour.
After the dogs morning wee stop, Winnie, William and Mary went back up to bed as per usual. George disappeared into his bed underneath the kitchen table and leaving the back door open , I went to read the news on the toilet.
I'd only got to a juicy tidbit about Anthony Hopkins stating he should have been a Welsh drunk, when I heard Albert frantically bouncing up the stairs followed by a deafening howl from George which was followed by some very angry barking, a few bangs in the kitchen and the scrabbling of clawed feet on the coalbunker's wooden cover.
With my pants round my ankles I looked out of the window just in time to see the tortoishell streaking over next door's lawn as the rest of the dogs thundered down the stairs to join in with the chaos.
The tortoishell had seen his opportunity in finally cornering Albert and had chased him through the open door into the kitchen.
He hadn't banked on George lying quietly in his bed.
Now George is a typical Scottish Terrier. He has a big mouth and a stout heart and a strange cat, no matter how tough and streetwise is no match for him. And so , like old lions have to do sometime,  George at twelve roared and roared his head off.
The tortoiseshell shat itself and after bouncing around the kitchen for a bit, legged it through the kitchen door and up over the coal bunker with George in close pursuit .

Albert rubbed my scabby knees with his head as the barking increased to fever pitch downstairs
Like nothing had happened

57 comments:

  1. Obviously that pack of dogs sees Albert as one of the pack - he has good support. Maybe tortie will stay away now. x

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    1. the only two dogs to acknowledge Albert are Mary and winnie

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  2. No day is the same with cats and dogs.

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  3. So good to see (we can picture it) and hear your tales from the lav. All hope is not lost, flushed away with the contents of the pan.

    LX

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  4. "the news on the toilet"
    The toilet continues to flush as normal. It continues to be able to hold the full weight of a nineteen stone man. It remains white (mostly). And now over to Taffy Jones for the news on the kitchen sink...

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  5. My tortie was horribly aggressive to innocent dogs walking by. She used to hide up the side of the car and then launch an attack. She was tiny, old and had a gammy leg. They definitely have a bit of an attitude on them. She would fight with any other cat given half a chance. That's why we called her Psychocat. Our current black one runs away from his own shadow and he's a big bruiser of a beast. Arilx

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  6. Never a dull moment in Trelawnyd.

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  7. A quiet weekend at home for you.

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  8. Ah yes, that is what they call Tortitude. ;) We have one Tortie and they can be a real handful.

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    1. so the breed is a tough one? I never knew

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  10. tortie cat had guts to wander into your place...but got his/her comeuppance!

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  11. I love it when the animal family band together to protect one of their own. Good for George.

    We had a lovely ex-feral cat called Toby, who took an instant dislike to a new kitten we got just as we married. He wouldn't let the poor little thing anywhere near him for months, and hissed and spat if Archie tried to make friends with him. Then one day I was washing up in the kitchen with the door open, keeping an eye on Archie who was bravely exploring our large yard which had a raised area at the back full of bushes. He was having a great time chasing leaves and playing as kittens do, when all of a sudden there was a great big thug of a cat squaring up to him snarling and spitting at this tiny little ball of fluff . Suddenly there was a flash of black as Toby launched himself out of the bushes directly at his little brothers aggressor and saw him off right out of the yard. He sauntered back with a real swagger to his walk and came into the house with little Archie following closely behind.

    They were never best buddies but lived for years with Toby always in 'big brother' mode and Archie hero worshipping Toby. 🐱🐈

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  12. Love it when a bully get's their comeuppance!

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  13. That's a bit like brothers and sisters isn't it. Fight like cat and dog but let anyone else start in on your sibling and all hell lets loose! My youngest son has a cat which seems to be an alpha male. I hate the bloody thing, no matter where you sit or put your hands that thing reaches out and claws you! I don't even try to touch it because I know what he's like - he could do with a good whooping as far as I'm concerned.

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  14. For your sake I hope the tortoise shell didn’t ‘shat’ literally.

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  15. Good for George! Taking care of his brother by another mother....

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  16. Good for Albert - 'Top Cat' for once, even though the credit goes to Georgie!

    Btw: Some 25 years ago or more Anthony Hopkins did an 'In the Psychiatrist's Chair' with the (now late) Dr Anthony Clare. He totally opened up about his alcoholism, which I found riveting as well as being an education for me, never having personally known a 'true' alcoholic'. I've got the programme taped somewhere on an audio cassette. I should imagine that a lot of this would be covered in the article you read.

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  17. Several months ago, I was walking my dog when it was attacked by a ginger and white tom cat. Now Betty is no shrinking violet and hates cats with an unreasonable passion, but this moggy was not for backing down. It ended up with me carrying a squirming Bojack off and four children attempting to herd the cat off in the opposite direction. Not something I wish to repeat.

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    1. some cats can be terribly aggressive I agree!

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  18. What an exciting life your animals live, bet the rogue cat will think twice now before stepping over your doorstep.

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    1. it was only 1 minute from many thousand boring ones today

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  19. Hurrah for St George. It's hard to imagine you and the team anywhere but in that lovely cottage. Jan Bxx

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  20. Carry water everywhere to throw at the new cat every time it comes near you and yours.

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    1. I'm careful of throwing anything at any animal now, I once swung a feedbowl at a bad tempered cockerel called bogbush and hit him on the head and killed him

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  21. Does the tabby not know that Albert and George are internationally famous! George to the rescue.

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    1. a while ago a local black and white feral cat got caught in a similar way. he made it in the living room when all four dogs ( meg instead of Mary) were asleep

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    2. I remember this encounter - was going to mention it if you didn't. It was one of my favorites of your blogs. It so illustrated how your gang, whatever they say to each other on the side, are, in the end, one-for-all. I especially love Albert, little character that he is. :)

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  22. There is a bunch of large toms from the nearby village that are attacking my girls, (they're fixed) things are going to go very bad for those toms if they don't kiss off.

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    1. a gay farmer's gotta do what a gay farmers gotta do

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  23. Good job George ! ! ! Never get a Scotty mad. The voice alone can send shivers down a spine.
    No one can mess with your pack, Albert is loved.
    I just blogged about my Daughters old, deaf almost blind gud dug who is visiting us for awhile.

    cheers, parsnip

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    1. yes u know only too well how loud they can be when upset.

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  24. Please tell me that George got a special treat for his defense of the Home Front.

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  25. Lucky Albert, to have his own pack of enforcers. That George, though... what a hero!

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  26. Albert is a dead ringer for our old Nick right down to the little white heart spot. Nick had a deformed back I hope George got a treat for his hard work.

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  27. good old George. He is my favourite

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    1. hes been perky all day because of this

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    2. Haha! The thrill of the chase!

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  28. With those big round eyes, Albert looks so innocent!

    George was a brave brother. I just hope there was no actual poo involved with the event.

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    1. he has killed more rabbits than appeared in WATERSHIP DOWN

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    2. I remembered, and I was going to say "looks so innocent, for a baby bunny killer" but I chose not to bring it up - ha ha

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  29. I don't think imposter cat will return.....

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    1. I saw him down the lane this evening

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  30. I feel your pain. A new kit on the block is a nightmare. Our Basil as big lad is a pussy when Felix the bully from 2 doors down appears. Basil has no balls (hes neutered) at all. However he happily beats our elderly tabby up. Hopefully the lads have seen him off for Albert. I love his wide eyed look.

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  31. Yay Albert. And he was going to call on you (scabby knees and all) for reinforcement if necessary.

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  32. I stood up to a human female bully who disgustingly threw her s**t physically into my garden when challenged x

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  33. Here's a link to an article about a study that found calicoes and tortoiseshells are more aggressive than other colours of cats: https://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/pets/article51617920.html

    Our current calico is certainly a challenge. She is friendly, but only on her terms and only for as long as she wants to be. And she is extremely territorial. We cannot let our other cat be with her; she flies into a murderous rage.

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  34. Good thing No.21 had long gone to sausageland.

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