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[Weaver]

Janet found a dead rat 🐀 again, this time it was not Thomas’ work; it was floating in water in a rain barrel, water butt. It had fallen in and had been unable to climb out again. Poor thing. It wasn’t decomposed so it hadn’t been in there long. Thomas keeps doing his duty, going into the garage where there are mountains of straw bales for donkeys (and a car, under a cover) and there he settles down for long stakeouts. Then when he has got cold in the middle of the night, he comes in, goes to the bedroom and then sits on Janet, as near to her face as he can get. Gets some fuss, some food from the ‘snack bar’ shelf by the bed, and the cuddles right up to the side of janet’s head in bed, for a serious sleep. The two former kittens will be sitting on me; they now manage to ignore and tolerate Tom being on the bed at the same time, without even a growl from either of the youngsters.

Janet heard the first single cuckoo today. I missed it. There will be lots of them within earshot soon, battling it out in song.

[burakkucat]

Janet found a dead rat 🐀 again, this time it was not Thomas’ work; it was floating in water in a rain barrel, water butt. It had fallen in and had been unable to climb out again. Poor thing. It wasn’t decomposed so it hadn’t been in there long.

Unfortunate for the rat but the only good rats are dead rats.

[jelv]

Janet heard the first single cuckoo today. I missed it. There will be lots of them within earshot soon, battling it out in song.

When we lived in Durham there were open fields behind our house. A cuckoo arrived and sat on a wire and started calling. Where he was there was a perfect echo, it was very funny as he called more and more and obviously his 'opponent' matched him call for call!

[Weaver]

Your echo cuckoo would have driven the real one mad! We have a chain of two or three of them in different trees. Trees being incredibly rare round where we are, although there are lots down at the south end of the island, they are prized as singing spots.

[Weaver]

Janet reports five dead rats 🐀 found in a wheelbarrow full of water now! She told me it was a water barrel before, truth is she had been storing rainwater in a huge tough wheelbarrow. They had presumably come in to drink and slipped into the water and then couldn’t climb out again.

[burakkucat]

I don't suppose pegging them, by their tails, on the washing line and waiting for a buzzard or some other raptor to take them away would go down too well with Mrs Weaver.   

[Weaver]

I will suggest that to her. Thomas has clearly been slacking. Too well fed.

[Weaver]

I apologise to Thomas profoundly for my earlier remark.

It’s 04:50 UTC. Janet was in bed with Thomas lying next to her head. She had her ear pressed to his side and remarked that he must have been eating something as his guts were rumbling. She got up and went to the bathroom, there she found half a dead rat 🐀, evidence of Thomas’s work. Janet said to Thomas , "you’re a good boy, but you don’t need to bring them upstairs." Janet went to the fridge to make me some cocoa and Thomas came running in case cheese might be available - he knows Janet sometimes makes cheese sandwiches and Thomas craves the cheese crumbs left over. This time he got a proper cube of Wensleydale as a reward for his ratting success. We really need him in a big way. We have been overrun at times in the past and we have to keep firmly on top of the rodent population.

I never understand why cats bring their catches into the house. Even less do I understand why a catcher should bring a prize up to the bathroom upstairs say. Anyone have any ideas?

I have seen cats giving live prey to kittens and giving dead prey to old cats who no longer catch; feeding the elderly is a remarkable thing, it really makes one wonder. As for kittens, is this a matter of feeding kittens or teaching them how to catch? Buidheag has been seen bringing prey into the kitchen and giving it to other cats.

There will be a problem if the rabbit population starts to take over Thomas’s interest and he’s so full of bunny that he can’t eat another rat as he simply hasn’t any room. Janet sometimes finds pieces of bunny in the kitchen and this is presumed to be Buidheag’s doing. She doesn’t do rats as far as I know so we are relying on Tom for that.

[Weaver]

Thomas brought yet another rat to Janet, then then next day, he left two by the door, on the same day. That’s more than ten dead rats this week thanks to The combined efforts of the water trap and Thomas. He’s a good boy.

[burakkucat]

Excellent work. 

[jelv]

.

[Weaver]

Continual slaughter now. Two more dead rats, one was an enormous adult. Good boy Thomas, we would have a massive problem without him.