Albert Rowe, Lofty's homepage

Before I tell you about the kittens if you are the owner of a cat or kitten be aware that the pollen on the Lilly family of flowers can harm your cat and in severe cases kill the cat.
To avoid this if you do bring lilies into the house as cut or pot grown plants remove the small pollen carrying nodule (Anther) from each of the steman,(see centre photo above) the flowers will then be safe should your cats brush up against them.
In these pictures the flowers are on an Amaryllis plant but we have still taken the precaution of removing the pollen covered nodule (Anther) from the flowers as they have come into bloom, this is easily done and they just pull off with no damage to the flowers. you may find six or more to each flower head.(see right hand photo above)
Better to be safe than sorry.

The Kittens

Hello every body, my name is Monty Choco, Monty because I am an "Aristocat" and 'Choco', because it looks as though I have been in the chocolate ice cream pot. You see I have chocolate coloured ears, tail face and feet, and I have big blue eyes in fact I look like a cat called 'Siamese' but my Mum says we are not posh like them you see my Mum is black and they say my Dad was a big cream coloured Tom cat, but we are not really sure.

I was born about the middle of April 2011 and am now about eleven weeks old, and I now live in a big Bungalow.

At present I have a fence around my cats box so that I feel safe, you see I haven't ventured very far yet as I am still a bit scared of all the new things around me, we didn't have anything like this in the big barn where I was born.
I have already been to see the Vet, I even had to have an injection but I was brave. The Vet Amanda says I am cute!
She was very kind, and really understands cats, other pets are not allowed in her clinic. I like that because there are no big dogs to frighten me.

Well lofty was introduced to my three brothers and sisters and myself by the kind man who feeds my Mum and us in the mornings, she's the Black and white cat at the back of the picture, that is her friend at the front.
My Mum lives mainly on what she can catch, like mice and voles and vermin, and when we were all very young she used to kill them and bring them to us to eat in the big barn, you see we were not allowed out of the barn for a long time because she thought we may come to some harm.
When were all about eight weeks old , she used to take us to the farmers House where we were given our breakfast, food like Aristocats eat.
I liked it in the big barn because there were loads of places to hide.

How is it that I have come to live with lofty and the nice lady?
Well Lofty tells me that when he saw me he fell in love with me and wanted to adopt me, but it took him along time to make up his mind because he knew that owning a kitten who was going to grow into a big cat and live for many years was a big responsibility and so he had to be really sure. But eventually he made up his mind and I came to live with him and his wife.

I was very upset when I left my brothers and sisters I would not even eat my dinner.
My Mum said she was pleased because I was going to the 'good life' where cats have waiters, they do everything for you and you do not even have to catch you own dinner, but she said she will miss me.

I have only lived in this big house for four days but already I am getting used to the noises and all the things that go on but I do still sometimes hide because I am frightened.

If you look at the photograph on the right you will see my Mum's friend keeping watch over my brothers and sisters my Mum has gone hunting.
I am not in the picture because I am now living with Lofty.

Some of my friends were born after me and you can see are still quite small, although they do have to look for their own dinner and wash themselves .

I have a toy mouse the Vet gave me and I am already starting to play with it, last night when it was dark I caught it and took it into my box, it was easy to catch because I am a cat and I can see in the dark, but it wasn't like the ones my Mum catches.
I have just had my dinner, now I am having a rest.

I am already settling down and I love sitting of the soft furniture and peoples warm lap's , it is ever so snugly, and I am starting to purrrrrrr

I go into my own house at night where I am nice and safe. Well it is when lofty puts the roof on straight!

Yesterday I slept on the big settee, it was very comfortable and I was on my own.

In the evening, which is when I woke up, I practice jumping on my mouse it was very exciting, you can watch me in the video below.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture and watch me go.
Takes a few seconds to load if you have broadband.

I hope you enjoyed watching me ? Wow, now I need a rest

This is me looking at the camera ,I'm this colour because it is night time and lofty will not use the flash because it might hurt my eyes.

Can you see my whiskers, my Mum told me they were to help me get around after dark, they should be as wide as my body then if I go through a gap and they touch the sides I will know if I can get through without getting stuck.

Now that I am famous and have my own web page, the farmers daughters have kindly sent lofty some photographs of me when I was very little.
They used to come and see us quite a lot and take our photographs and pick us up, they were very kind to us.

This picture is of my brothers, sisters and me in the big barn, my Mum said not to wonder off or we might get lost, so we all stayed together on the warm straw.
If you look closely you will see I have not got chocolate on my face yet and none of the others in my family have a coat like mine.

There are lots of strange noises, like when the tractor starts up, we have to keep out of the way or our Mum says we might get run over or hurt.

This is me exploring on my own, you will see I am starting to get my chocolate face and feet now, that is because I am getting older.

What have I been up to in the last twenty four hours?

Well because I come when I'm called I have been allowed out of my compound, the corner is now open in the day time so I can come and go as I please.
I have also found a new game football, Lofty says I'm going to be as good as David Beckham if I keep practicing.

I have also been exploring in the other big room, there is so much to do, and so many places to hide but I can find my way back to the settee.

I have lived with lofty and the nice lady now for 12 days and I think I really like it, I am not shut in my compound anymore I can come out when I like and when I want to play.
I am only shut in now when the doors that lead to outside are open, you see I am not allowed out yet because I might get lost.

This is me in my house I really like it and it is very comfortable, when I am tired I go to my house for a sleep, I curl up in a little ball and really go fast asleep. I wake up when it's getting dark , that is when I like to play because I am nocturnal, that means I am awake when boys and girls are asleep.

And now I have three toys, a ball , my mouse which I love to play with and now I take it back to lofty or the nice lady who throw it for me to catch and then I bring it back to them again. I call it, fetch. And my other new toy is Leo the lion, he has a ball as well, and has a fluffy tail and mane that I play with. you can see me playing with Leo further down the page

If click on the photo of me carrying the mouse you can watch me play 'fetch'.

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This is me, Monty Choco, catching and retrieving mice, this one is grey.

I have three mice lofty had to buy some more because I keep hiding them. lofty cannot find them.

This picture of me was taken very early in the morning just as it was starting to get light , that is called dawn, normally it is before any body gets up, you see cat's hunt at night and then sleep during the day.

When I first came to lofty's house we went to see Amanda the vet, she put me on some scales to weight me , I weighed 1.32 kilograms, now I am eating my food all up I think I weigh more. lofty says I growing up quick.

That means that I did not weigh as much as this packet of sugar which is 1'1/2 Kilograms , but lofty says I am just as sweet!

You see cat's have claws which they can use to catch mice, and when they do not want to use them they can withdraw them and then you cannot see them.
Lofty says I am a very good cat because I do not scratch people, some cats do but I am a good cat.

I will have lived with lofty and the nice lady for three whole weeks tomorrow,
I have been exploring the bungalow which is very big, I like it because there are so many places to hide.

In the nice ladies workroom I have found some nice ribbon to play with and I love going into the cupboards.

The problem is they keep finding me, so I have not got a real hiding place YET.

I am now learning to walk with my harness coat on, but I am too embarrassed to have my photo taken just yet, perhaps towards the end of this week I will have got used to it, I will see.

See if you can spot me in the picture on the right?

To day the postman brought me a special card, it was from all the people who work at the vets, that is what the cats and animals doctors are called, they were welcoming me to their practice.
And they have nurses just like peoples hospitals to look after the animals and at my vets, just cat's if they are unwell or need to have and operation.

Can you see I am just opening the card so that I can see the words written on it.
If you look carefully you can see the card has a cat on it, but he does not look like me.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture and watch me.

Lofty says he is not sure who should be called Leo, because I am acting more like a lion that a kitten.

I expect you have all been wondering how I am getting on in my walking coat what lofty calls my harness, it is not a harness, horses have harnesses for pulling things along, I am not going to pull things along, although I am in this picture because lofty wanted me to go for 'walkies' but I am not ready yet, so I pulled him back in doors using my new extendable lead attached to my walking coat.

To day I had to go back to the Vet's for a small operation, it didn't hurt because Amanda the vet gave me a little injection that did not hurt either and then I feel off to sleep. When I woke up it was all over but I had to stay in the cat's hospital for several hours. Then lofty came to get me and now I am back home, I am hiding in my cat's box for a while because I was a little frightened, I am not sure I like going in the car because it is so noisy, you see I have very good hearing and my ears are made to hear every small sounds so that makes car's engine's very noisy.

I also had a small' micro chip', there is a picture of it on the right, a bit like you get in computers, that was put just under my fur coat. It is very small, only 12 millimetres long and two millimetres in diameter, That is quite small.
Then if I get lost any Vet can wave a special wand over my shoulders and it will read my number and then they can fined out where I live.
If I did not have that and I got lost I might not get back home, and I would be sad.
You see I like living with lofty and the nice lady, lofty told me she was his wife.

What have I been up to in the last few days, well I have been to the vets, Helen the new nurse said I was fine so I have not got to go again unless I am unwell.

I am now learning to use the computer, but Lofty will not let me play with the mouse, that is the one with the long tail that fits in to the back of the computer, I really need a touch screen display because I could use that easier.
Lofty says I am very helpful when I walk on the Key board but I do not think he means it?

I really love Leo my Lion I play with him a lot and sometimes I go to sleep with him.

I am slowly getting used to wearing my walking jacket, but I have not been out of doors on my own, you see I am still getting used to the big bungalow, I have found loads of places to hide and nobody can find me , but I do now come when I am called.

If you look at the photograph of me above when I first came to live with Lofty, you will see I was only little.
Now I am getting bigger and am the full depth of the big settee, Lofty says he hopes I will leave room for him to site down.

Lofty's been spending more money on me.
I now have this new sort of house thing, it has a board on which I can sharpen my claws and three suspended rope covered balls I can play with and a scratching pole.
That is to try and stop me scratching the settee and chairs, lofty tells me off when I scratch them so I go and hide.

Lofty putt's my toys in there when he helps clear up the mess I make but I can get them out again on my own.
You see I am getting very big now and I can reach things very easily, and I can jump
I still will not go out doors though, even with my walking jacket on, I am still a bit frightened of all the strange noises.
There are great big birds that make a lot of noise , lofty told me they were called 'seagulls', I do not like them they are too noisy.

Well to day I was allowed a special treat, Lofty let me play with one of his special model fire engine's, when I hit it with my paw it went very fast. Lofty has put it back on the shelf now.
Can you see the Fire Engine?

Today I have been very brave I went out on the balcony with my special coat and lead on, the wind was blowing I am not sure I like the wind, Lofty says we will try again when the wind is not blowing.

This week I have been very good, I have starting going for short walks outside. I do like it outside in the open there are lots of things to explore and I like the green grass but it does tickle my feet.
In this photo I am just coming back into the house, I was in a hurry because I still do not like the wind.
I am not allowed to go for walks on my own yet, Lofty said he thinks it will be some time before I am allowed to do that, but I might be able to if I come when I am called.

Well I am pleased to say that today the wind stopped blowing and so I went out just as it was getting dark, that is when cat's like me go out, I wasn't on my own lofty's wife came with me and I explored the big garden
Lofty says I look like a pony at the show ground because I am picking my feet up just like a pony and my tail is standing up straight, that was because I was pleased I like exploring.

There are lots of things to see and I discovered a big tree, It is an apple tree with lots of apples on it.
I have been living in lofty's house for nearly eight week now and I really like it.
My Mum was right, cats that live in houses do not have to catch their own dinner, although I have caught two flies and one moth. I have my dinner in my own plate.

So who is this? I have come to live with Lofty his wife and Monty , if I am a girl cat then I will be called 'Amy'. lofty knows a lot about Motor cars and other things but he is not sure if I am a boy or a girl? he now thinks I am a girl but he is going to wait until Amanda the vet tells him when I go to see her next week before we settle on my name.

If I am a girl cat then I am Monty's Sister, if I am a boy then I am his Brother, but I was not born at the same time , you see our mum had some more kittens and I am one of the three she had, Monty was born in the big barn, but I was born in the space above the stables.

Lofty says that when they go on Holiday in the future Monty and me will keep one another company, and we will be able to play games together.
He has a special lady who loves cats who will come to see us and feed us twice a day so we will be looked after. I only came to their House yesterday, Sunday the 25th of September 2011 so everything is still very strange to me. But I am eating my dinner and drinking my milk. I have milk because I still only a baby kitten, but I do not need to be fed. I am about 8 weeks old, and I even have to wash myself.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture.

I am still a little shy and hide in my box , can you see me in this picture?
If you click on the picture of me hiding you can watch me play. You will see that naughty Monty eating my dinner, so I told him off, then I ran back into my box in case he chased me
You see while I am so little I am going to live in this big cage, but when lofty or his wife are in the room we are allowed to play together.

Lofty tells Monty off if he is too rough but I do not mind because I am used to being with big cats some of them were Monty's brothers and sisters, born at the same time, they still live in the big barn.
I am in the picture on the right I am at the top of the picture can you see me?
I loved playing in the deep clean straw. If you look carefully you will see that there is another kitten just like Monty when he was baby kitten, but this one has a very fluffy coat.

Lofty says he is really worried!
If Monty keeps growing at this rate he will have to get a bigger settee.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture.

To day I have been to see Amanda the vet, she said I was a girl cat, so my name is 'Amy'

Last night I played in the big room, it was great fun.
If you click on my photo you can watch me play.

Well as you can see from this picture I do come out of my cage which now is nearly always open, accept at night. Lofty says I am shut in because he needs some sleep.

You see Monty and me play a lot together now and Monty is showing me all the hiding places, in this photo we are sitting on the big bed, Monty really is my best friend I love him.

In this picture Monty is washing me, He must think I cannot wash myself! I can, perhaps it just because he loves me?

'left Click' anywhere on my picture.

In this picture we are playing together, lofty say we are about to have a 'rough & tumble', he shouts at Monty if he gets too rough.
He says I am a typical girl always getting boys into trouble.

If you would like to watch us, click your mouse on the picture on the left.

Sometimes I have to listen to what Monty is saying and remember that like Mummy and Daddy he knows Best.

I really do like living with Monty in the big bungalow , he is very kind to me and he helps me wash and keep clan like my Mum used to .
I help him as well now because he can't reach some of his body, but we can both reach the important bits. What we do is wet our paws and then rub them over our fur , that keeps us nice and clean

In the mornings when the sun gets up Monty and me lay by the bedroom window. it get nice and warm and in the winter Lofty has a tubular heater that comes on to stop the condensation , that is water that forms on the inside of the window, it keeps us warm as well.
In this photo I am laying on Monty because he is nice and warm he does not mind.

Guess who we found the other day sitting on the floor ?

Big Ted, Lofty said he has been living with his grandson's Louie and Ethan, and they brought him round to live with us for a while , We love him but he is a bit. big.

I am not even frightened of him he has lovely fur but we have not seen him wash yet!

Now that it is getting near winter time and it is getting cold in the bungalow Lofty lights the Multi-fuel, that is a heater where you can burn coal and logs, we like it because it keeps us warm if we lay in front of it .
Lofty has put a Fire guard round it to stop us burning ourselves you see it gets very hot.

I am getting quite brave , I have been watching Monty and he sites on lofty's Wife's Lap so I thought I would give that a try and I loved it, you get lots of cuddles. It was so comfortable that I feel asleep.

You can see here that we are both getting big , Monty is going to be a lot bigger than me But I do not mind
If you look at my back feet closely can you see what I am standing on ?

It is lofty's key board for his computer, He gets cross when he is typing because he says all the words go wrong.

Do you now what, that Monty has started going out on his own, he has learnt to open the cat flap .
He pushes it with his foot and then opens the flap with his head.
I am not allowed to go with him because I am a bit to young and lofty says I might get lost.

If you look at the picture above you will see Monty on the out side, and me on the inside.
I got told off because I would not let him in .
I was made to move so that he could open the flap and come inside.
I just wanted to learn how to open it so that when I get bigger I can do it myself.
Monty did not tell me off but he did chase me later in the evening .

The other morning while Lofty was getting in the logs and Coal he left the door open, we were good we did not go out , But Guess what we saw in our Garden ?

It was Big Ginger, he lives a few doors down the road.
We are not sure yet whether he will be friends with us, lofty says he drinks water from the fish pond so perhaps later when we are bigger we will meet him.

That is him, We call him Big Ginger .

Lofty has told us that we will need to keep our eyes open when we are in the garden because sometimes foxes visit , he told that last year one was in the garden in the daytime sunbathing so take care, he seems to forget we came from a fish farm and that our Mum told us all about foxes, she said they are not brave if you confront them so we will be alright, we even give lofty a run for his money when we do not want to get caught.

Now if you were a cat and it was very cold outside where would you find that was nice and warm?
Well both Monty and Amy have the right idea they are sitting on the big armchair that has a nice big radiator behind it where of course it is nice and warm.

When your a cat it is most frustrating to watch birds in your Garden and when the birds are big seagull's you really have to watch them because given a chance they will even catch and eat the goldfish in your pond.

Sometimes you have to stand up like a 'Meerkat' just to keep an eye on them, and now that I am nearly fully grown I can see into the garden without going out in the cold. Now I know why Meerkat's stand up on their back legs, They can see more of what is going on.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture.

While I am out in the Garden Amy practices catching mice, or she plays with the Pheasants feathers that lofty brought home. Amy will be able to come out with me soon, as you can see she is getting bigger, but lofty says she will never be as big as me!

Lofty said this is the biggest box of trouble he has seen this week.
You see Monty has decided to come and share my bed, he is just being kind by keeping me company, he is a very good kind cat.

I let him share because sometimes he lets me share his hiding place, that is where he runs to when the door bell rings, he will not come out until the guests have gone, lofty says that most of the guests do not know there are even cat's in the house because we are so quiet.

On Monday Amy had to go to the vet for an operation, Amanda the vet told her she was not to race around like we usually do and to rest, so she did as she was told and we rested together on the big bed, it was very comfy I just looked after her.

Today I have been out in the big garden, Amy will be able to come with me soon, like me when I was very young she is a bit frightened, lofty says she can just take her time and go when she feels she is ready, it is a big world outside. She does come to the window and watch me, so we are sure it will not be long before she ventures outside with me, I will look after her.

Meanwhile Amy makes sure that Leo the lion does not get up to any mischief by sitting on him.

Today is the 14th of April 2012 which is about the time that Monty Choco was born , so he is one year old. If it is your Birthday today have a 'Happy Birthday', to celebrate I have been out doors on my own.
You see Monty keeps going out exploring and leaving me indoors, so this morning very early just as it was getting light, lofty got Leo the lion to hold the cat flap open for me because I do not know how to do on my own yet.

I did not take me long to make up my mind, Monty just steps through the hole but my legs are too short so I had to jump through.
Having got outside I had to get Leo to promise he would stay and hold the flap or I would not be able to get back in .

But I need not have worried because Monty came back and gave me a demonstration of how to do it, he must think my legs are as long as his.
Can you see me watching him from outside, because I am white I am difficult to see.

I paid attention to how he did it but I still had to jump through the hole. Monty just sat and watched me to see I could get in OK.

Well I expect you have been wondering what Monty and me have been up to?
Well we both go out doors in the early morning and in the evenings now in this photo Monty is sitting on the wall of the pond, he sometimes drinks the water but that is alright because it is very clean and because we have had lots of rain in the last few weeks it is fresh as well, Monty does not try to get the fish, that is because they move away from the sides of the pond and hide under the Lilly leaves which are now starting to grow again.

We are both sitting on the balcony, that is an area with a roof which is out the back of the big bungalow away from the road, that is where Monty and me, Amy can site at watch what is going on in the big garden.
When it rains we can sit in the dry, sometimes Monty goes out in the rain but he does not seem to get very wet , Lofty says he is water proof but he still dries him with a special towel when he come back in doors otherwise he makes all the chairs and things wet.
I do not like the rain, so I do not get wet like Monty.

Can you see Monty ?
He is telling 'Big Ginger' off because he tried to chase me, Ginger is bigger than Monty but he laid down and did not argue with Monty, Can you see Monty arched his back so that he looks bigger than he really is. You see Monty really likes me and so keeps an eye open to see that I do not coming to any harm, we do not really know how friendly Ginger is so are taking no chances but we do want to be friends.

How many cats can you see in this picture ?
Well there are three, did you see Blacky? He came to see Monty and me but we would not let him come on to the balcony, so he went underneath it , that is where all the wood for the fire is stored for the winter. Both Blacky and Big Ginger come into our garden a lot, we think they just want to be our friends, we do not fight but we do keep a close eye on them.

when I first started going out I use to stay on the balcony but now I am getting brave I go for walks with Monty, but we are cautious because we do not know where Mr fox is, he quite often comes into the garden.
To get in he has to climb over a five foot wooden fence but he can do that quite easily.
Can you see how Monty's Eyes light up in the dark?

Exploring the big garden and chasing Monty, as well as climbing up the trees , yes I can climb up trees.
Yesterday I climbed to the top of the crab apple tree and I managed to get down on my own, I do not have to worry because Lofty was a Fireman and they can rescue cats from trees when they cannot or will not come down. Monty does not climb trees so you see we do different things but some things we do together like running and chasing.
When I have been out for a long time it makes me tired so then I come indoors for a cuddle and a sleep, I love going to sleep on a lap because it is always nice and warm.

'left Click' anywhere on my picture.

Monty has caught his first real mouse!
When lofty got up from his bed this morning he had a big surprise, Monty had caught a real mouse, killed it and brought it into the bungalow.

Lofty told him he was very good because mice eat lots of things and the damage crops in the garden, but he did not want it indoors so put it back in the Garden. You see if you plant peas to eat the mice come and dig them up again and then they eat them before they can grow so Monty only did what all cats do.
Cats and lions kill their prey, then the young lions and cats play with it. But he did not eat it.
When Amy came near his mouse he growled at her, telling her he did not want her eating or stealing his mouse.

After he had finished playing with he brought it onto the balcony , he did then let Amy come and see it , I think it was so she could see what a real mouse looks and smells like.

Monty and Amy have a new cat flap. So what was wrong with the old one?

Well while Lofty and his wife were on holiday a few weeks ago, the lady who looks after the cats said they eat all their food up.
But when lofty and his wife were back home the discovered one night that another cat was coming in through the cat flap and eating their food and one night it made Lofty's wife jump when it ran back through the bungalow and out through the cat flap.

So now they have a Microchip Cat flap!

So how does it work ?

When lofty first brought Monty and Amy home from the fish farm they went to see Amanda the vet and she put a special thing called a 'microchip' under the skin of the each cat.
That chip has a special number, so now when Monty and Amy want to come back indoors the electronics of the cat flap checks to see if they have the right number, if it is either Monty or Amy standing by the cat flap it will let them in but if it is a cat like 'Blacky' that does not live with them or has the wrong 'microchip' number it will not let them in.

When you are young cats like Monty and Amy every thing is new.

Monty loves exploring the Garden to see who has visited and Amy is quite surprised when she looks into the clear water of the pond to see that there is another cat just like her! Can you see Amy's reflection in the pond?

Now that the water plants have grown, the big net that stops Jack the Heron from eating the fish has been removed, Now Monty and Amy can really explore and watch the gold fish

Can you see the fish? This fish is called a 'shubunkin'. It has a very long tail and has different colours on it's body. some of the fish in the pond are gold colour and some are black, as they get older they change their colour to gold. The bits floating on the water are the fishes food.
There is also a 'pond snail' in the picture Can you see the snail?

Hello everybody, we though we would just let you know how we are getting along.
As you can see from this photo of us both we are getting big cats and still the very best of friends.
Amy is not quite as big as Monty Choco but she really has grown and now has a beautiful coat which is nice an warm it keeps out all this cold weather and rain that we are all getting in England.
Lofty says at this time of the year, July it should now be warm weather but it is not, some days it is very cold, some days it is raining and not sunny at all and on other days the sun shines and it is hot. The weather just cannot make up its mind what it wants to do.

We do not mind the rain because we can still go outdoors and sit on the big seat on the veranda, we do not get wet at all.
And Amy, she does not mind because the vet, Amanda said that she should be careful not to get too much sun on her ears or she may get burnt by the rays from the sun, she does not want sun tan lotion put on her fur, that would make it very sticky. You see because she is white the pink of her skin shows through the thin white hair on her ears, so she will have to be careful if she goes out in the daytime when the sun is hot. Just the same and children but children can wear a hat , Amy does not fancy wearing a hat!

One of Amy's favourite games is crawling under blankets and covers it is so funny to see her just moving under the covers, In this photo she has crawled under her blanket and then decided to have a sleep, it looks as though somebody has covered her up But no Amy made this bed all by herself.
Lofty had to make sure he took the photo using a telephoto lens or Amy would have been off. You see Amy is as cat that only does the things she wants to do, and runs away and hides if you try to stroke her when she does not want to be stroked, other times she comes and rubs herself against your legs, then she will let you stoke and make a fuss of her.

Monty always likes being made a fuss off, perhaps one day when Amy gets a bit older she will be the same.

Poor Monty, although he is still a young cat he found the few days of warm weather too hot, you see he couldn't take his coat off like humans do , so he lay by the open door where is was cooler with a nice cool breeze, then he just went off to sleep.

Amy is getting up to all sorts of mischief, she jumps on Monty when he is a sleep and chases his tail, last week a squirrel came into her garden, and she chanced him to.

In this picture she is practicing for the Olympics sitting on the beam, she was able to balance very well and did not fall off.

As you can see Amy is now nearly as Big as Monty , but he is bigger when he stands up because he has long legs.

It is a job to tell what Monty is telling Amy. But I think he is telling her not to chase after the foxes while in the Garden after dark. You see Monty is very cautious and watches the foxes from the Balcony but Amy thinks that is it alright to chase them out of the garden.
Monty I am sure is just telling her to be more cautious, and to give the foxes more space.
She is better off just chasing the grey squirrels which she loves doing but even they can bight.

We shall see if she has listened to Monty or if she feels they should not be in her big garden.

Amy having listened to Monty has come up with the answer!
She has decided that if she climbs the Conifer tree and pops out at the top just like a bird she will be able to see Mr Fox without being in Danger, she can also see all the things going on in the neighbour's garden
And she was clever and found her own way down again

Well Amy is still up to her tree climbing, this time she was near the top of a tree that was very tall about 10 metres, If you live in a house with rooms up some stairs, then that is as high as she climbed.
We really did wonder if she was going to find her way down because she was up there a long time, but eventually she did come down on her own, she really is a clever cat. Monty does not climb up tree at all, but he has now caught two mice.

If you decide to get a cat remember they will want looking after they cost a lot on money in vets bills and for food. And they take over your house , Monty + Amy = one less armchair to sit in as you can see when they are both in the same armchair they fill it up!

Lofty just had to take a photograph of Amy with her New tail! You see she is sitting on Leo the loin and his tail looks as though it is Amy's tail, and his back legs look funny on Amy as well !!She just loves sitting on Leo.

when you are a cat you can do just as you please, unless you do things like getting on the table then you get told off and are made to get off. You can just lay on lofty's wife legs and keep her warm, or if your like Monty Choco you can lay upside down and just enjoy using lofty's chair, he will not mind

Cheeky Mr Fox has been in the garden again to day. Both Amy and me, Monty Choco watched him, when lofty opened the window all he did was look, we think he just liked his photograph being taken. he looked at lofty to say, I am not doing any harm.
And he is right , Lofty and his wife do not have any chickens or rabbits for him to eat and he does not chase cats so we do not mind if he comes as long as he does not make a mess in the garden and on the lawn.
Amy and me are very clean cats, when we do a number two, we bury it in a special place in the garden which has Cats litter spread on it, but Mr Fox just walks off and leaves his on the lawn and sometimes even on the path. That makes lofty very cross.
You see lofty say he would not have a dog because he would not like to clear up the mess after it, then along comes Mr Fox who is as big as a small dog and lofty has to clear it up, that is why he is not keen on Mr or Mrs Fox coming into the Garden.

Well how did you get on in the Snow? Amy just loved it and actually played in it she played for some time, but was quite difficult to see because she has a lot of white fur in his coat, it made good camouflage.
Monty Choco just looked on from the balcony, I do not think he liked the cold snow on his feet.

When Amy did come in she sat by the warm fire to get warm again. We hope you all kept warm in the cold weather.

So just what have Monty and Amy been up to? Well Amy has decided she really like the snow and has been up to all sort of things , running and playing with the snow as well as doing something quite dangerous, because the pond was frozen with ice all over it she decided to play and walk on the ice.

Because Amy is little she was all right and did not break the ice and fall into the water but if children or adults do this and the ice is thin then the ice might break and they could fall into the water.
Because the water is so cold that is dangerous so do not ever go onto ponds or lakes because you might break the ice and fall in.
If you really do want to go onto some ice then get your Mum or Dad to take you to the ice skating rink, that is a place that is made special where people can go onto the ice and you can not fall though, so will be safe.

Monty Choco has been busy to, he has at last climbed and explored the big apple tree, climbing nearly to the top and managed to get down without any fuss.

And after they have been that busy they both come in doors in the warm and just find a place to go to sleep.
Monty sleeps on his warm blanket and Amy has decided at last to sleep in her new bed which is snug and warm.

Lofty and his wife went away again for a whole week and left us to look after the bungalow, a lady did come twice a day and fed us I made sure we were all alright and kept Amy company because we both missed them.
We both made a fuss of them when they came home and they were pleased to see us.

The same day as they got back home they had a big surprise! When lofty's wife looked into the garden there was a great big Egret sitting in the apple tree looking at the fish in the pond, it could see the fish easily because there is no weed growing at present and the water Lilly leaves have not grown yet.

It has a very long beak that it stabs the fish with and very long legs so that it can stand in the water and frighten the fish so that it can catch them, Just like Mr Jack Heron, this photo was taken by lofty when he was on his Holiday in Holland. Mr Heron has a long beak just like the Egret but is bigger and is grey coloured, it also has longer legs.

Lofty's does not think the Egret eat any of the fish and has now had to cover the pond with a net again , he has left a small bit uncovered because Both Amy and me, Monty Choco like drinking the water from the pond.

Lofty says he does not know what will appear in the garden next, you see it is not very often these big birds come into gardens.
The Egret has come to live in the South of England in the last 10 years or so but normally searches for fish in our rivers and streams.

Now what has Monty Choco and Amy found?
It is Stumpy the slow worm, slow worms look like snakes but they are a legless lizards! although they do move over the ground like snakes, moving their bodies from side to side.
We call this one stumpy because he has lost his tail, although it is now starting to grow again.
You see when lizards and slow worms are very frightened or get caught their tip of their tail sometimes comes off, Stumpy lost his tail about two years ago when he was caught by 'Tilly'. She was a cat that lived with lofty and his wife before Monty-Choco and Amy came to live with them.

Because we have had a few hot days the Slow Worms which live in the big Garden have been coming out to enjoy the warm sun.
Both Monty and Amy discovered Stumpy and brought him and another slow worm up to the house, they did not hurt stump or the other slow worm , Lofty has now put them in the compost heap where there are lots of things for them to eat and they will be safe.

Monty and Amy are now nearly two years old and are fully grown, they are still very shy when people come to the house and hide until they have gone.

They do spend a lot of time playing in the garden and get up to all sorts of mischief, when they are indoors they usually rest and go to sleep together. In this photo they fill up the whole armchair.

Well here we are in 2014 They are now both over two years old.

As the weather has been so wet Monty and Amy do not like going out and when they do they come in very wet, both cats will allow lofty to wipe their coats with a paper napkin so they get dry quite quickly .

Amy has been very busy climbing the trees and chasing the squirrel that still comes into the garden.

So, what do they get up to when they are indoors, well apart for looking for food they play chase around the furniture just like young children they usually sleep in the mornings, get up for some food and then go back to bed, they both get up in the early evenings and just play. Amy hides behind the long curtains that cover the French doors and then jumps on Monty when he get near to her. Monty then chases her but she can run very fast.

'left Click'on my picture and watch me being groomed.

Both of us still like being groomed, that means having our fur coats combed, by doing that there is less loose fur to get on the carpets and the bed which has to be cleaned every day.

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After we have been groomed we are tired we just lounge around as though we own the bungalow.
As you can see we are still great friends and look after one another, sometimes we even wash one another and we are never far apart.

In the evening Amy has a favourite place to lay, On Lofty's Wife's legs, she has done this most of the winter, Lofty's wife does not mind because keeps her legs nice and warm.

At last we have had a few nice sunny days. Monty and Amy have been exploring the garden, Amy always wants to sit on top of the bush or climb the trees while Monty is content just to sit down below.

It is a job to see Monty because the colour of his coat blends in with the background, That makes him hard to see and he can easily creep up on the pigeons that come into the Garden.

Because Amy's fur coat is white and black they can see her easily and fly away as soon as she tries to creep up on them.

2015

Well it is a long time since lofty put any information on this page about us. We are now both three years and some months old and we are both well and are still very good friends
In this photo Monty is letting me share his bed,

One of the things Monty likes doing is playing the 'Yamaha' organ, When ever Lofty goes to play a tune and he does this quite a lot around Christmas time, Monty has to join in, he even gets out of bed to come and join in, he makes lofty move along to make room for him on the organ seat then joins in, he sometimes gets out of tune but it does not matter because so does lofty! but they still like playing the organ together.
Here you can see Monty playing the organ.

Monty & Amy

18th November 2017
I thought it was time I gave you an update on Monty Choco and Amy, they are both very well and still living with lofty and his wife, I cannot believe that they are both now six human years old, where have the years gone?
Monty Choco, or Monty which is what we call him is a big cat and he still loves lots of cuddles, he spends quite a lot of time in the garden and catches mice But there is one BIG problem, he brings them indoors for Amy but they are still alive and unharmed. he then lets them go and guess who has to then catch them and take them back outside? Lofty. We have to move all the chairs and furniture to catch the mice and they are very quick and difficult to catch. sometimes they go into the humane mouse trap, we then take them away form the bungalow and let them go.

One of Monty's favorite pass times is occupying lofty's arm chair, he nearly fills it up, when lofty wants to sit down he has to get Monty to move over and Monty really makes a big fuss and grumbles about having to move, some times when he knows lofty is coming to sit down, he runs and deliberately gets in the chair, so that lofty cannot sit down.

Monty and Amy still spend quite a lot of time in the big garden but it usually early in the morning or evenings after the sun goes down. We still have lots of visitors to the garden Amy can't quite work out how the frogs can jump so far! But she does not hurt them although keeps a close eye on them.

Other visitors come during the day when they are both fast asleep.
In this case a very pretty bird called a spotted woodpecker, it is called that because it pecks holes in the bark of the tree to get at the grubs that hide in the rough bark, sometimes we get green wood peckers they are quite different and as their name says they are green, they also peck holes in and in the ground to get at the ants which they love to eat. trees.

Monty and Amy are still the best of friends and sometimes lay together they also sleep in the day time they sleep under the bed where it is quiet and dark, they go to bed about eight o-clock in the morning and do not get up until about three o-clock in the afternoon.

Monty and Amy have been to see the vet every year since they were kittens, both make a fuss about going and neither of them like going into their cat box but when they get to see Amanda the vet they are very good.

Some people have cats and when they go away the cats go to a cattery, where they are looked after while the owner is away, because of this they have to have injections to make sure they do not catch cat flue which can make them very ill.
Monty and Amy do not need the injections because The lady still comes and looks after them when lofty and his wife go on Holiday.

Because cats are animals they do not live as long as humans, some experts say that a two year old cat is about 24 cat years old and for each human year the second birthday you add 4 more cat years, so that means that both Monty Choco and Amy are now about 40-42 years old.

Monty just loves company Lofty or his wife but both cats hide if the door bell rings, Monty loves laying in warm spots and in this case is in lofty's office , he has had to move the orchid plants to make room for Monty to lay on the warm windowsill.

I will try and put some more photographs of them on this page soon so please come back and see how Monty and Amy are getting on.

We go out for 15 minutes and when we return Monty is taking advantage of the best seat in the house, it is quite obvious who he thinks is in charge.

Double Click on the Woodpecker and watch him dig for and eat the ants.

Monty and Amy go to bed in the morning and get up about two or three o'clock in the afternoon while they are asleep under our big bed, many colourful birds take advantage and come and feed in the garden.

To day the Green Woodpecker came and found lots of ants to eat, the Gold Finches on the bird feeder were eating the Niger seed provided for them in the special Bird feeder
We also had blue tits, great tits and today long tailed tits, we also have a Robin and a Wren that live in our garden so we feed them all in the winter months. We think they have come to our garden because the weather is getting colder in the North of Great Britain and so the birds fly South where it is warmer.

As we live near the South Coast of England, that is as far as they can go without flying off to France which is just across the English channel.

I am just pleased Monty Choco and Amy do go to bed in the daytime it gives the birds a chance Monty would site and watch them from the balcony but I know Amy would want to catch and bring one indoors and if she does as she does with the mice she would then let it go.
I can catch the odd mouse but the woodpecker would be a much bigger challenge.

18.12.2017. Mr Squirrel appeared this morning looking for something to eat, he enjoys eating the food the birds drop. I think he knows Monty Choco and Amy are in bed asleep. If Amy saw him she would chase him away.

Because we live in the warm part of England squirrels feed all winter, further North they stay in their dreys where it is warmer (their house they built in the nearby trees) they only come out when it gets warmer. In Autumn the squirrels dig and bury hazel nuts in the Garden and lawn, when they need a meal and food is in short supply the go back to where they buried them, dig them up and eat them. The nuts they do not eat jerminate in the ground and grow, we have a number of hazel nut shrubs growing in the garden that the squirrels planted did not find and eat. as the hazel shubs get bigger they make a good hedge. As they mature into larger bushes they then produce nuts providing yet more food for the winter months.

There are a lot of visitors to the garden this week.

Today we have has this young Heron Gull looking for food if you look at the video you will see how he taps on the ground with his feet as though he is running on the spot, this normally make the worms come to the surface then he able to eat them but today the part of the garden he was searching in was still frozen and so the worms did not respond. He eventually gave up an flew away, perhaps he went down to the sea side which is only about two minutes away from our bungalow. It would take us longer to get the beach but he can fly over the houses which makes it a much shorter journey , lets hope he has more luck there.
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