Graham Mayor

... helping to ease the lives of Microsoft Word users.

Cats

Those who have visited this site's picture galleries before cannot fail to have noticed my affection for cats. I don't actually keep cats as pets because I am allergic to them, but I still like them enough to feed an assortment of strays and thankfully a local charity has an arrangement whereby feral cats will be spayed free of charge - provided they are taken to their premises. If you have ever seen the teeth and claws on an adult cat which doesn't want to be captured, then this is not as easy as it sounds.

As the cats were slowly taking over the other galleries, I have moved all the pictures to this new page.

Click on a thumbnail for a larger view of the photograph.

Here's mum with the full brood There is no doubt that Cyprus kittens are very cute They may look cute, but go any nearer and this ball of fur bursts into a hissy fit
The kittens disappeared the day after these photos were taken. Mum may have moved them, but I suspect a fox may have had them. This is 'our' black tom. He has an identical twin, but this one is the king of the castle Here he is again, doing what cats do best.
And this moppet would be our house cat, but for the fact I am allergic to cats - so she has to stay outside. ... ... where she seems quite happy with the world. And for those taking notes the fox didn't get the kittens. Here in a near reprise of the earlier photo the kittens have heard that there is food about.
Sadly 2005 did not end so well for our moppet, which was taken ill and died. This affectionate little chap has done much to take her place .... .... and these two are inseparable.
Where's our breakfast? Feeding time at the zoo - and there's one missing! April 2006, and we have three more kittens (the third is missing from the picture) snapped while Mum was moving them to ....
... their new hidey hole in my neighbour's garden. Unfortunately I damaged my camera a few weeks ago and focussing is a problem. I'll have a replacement camera next month. An old friend came to stay and brought his camera, so we have a better picture of the newcomers. The kittens, now about 8 weeks old, are getting more adventurous .....
.... Mum. I've found the biscuits! ....  .... I'm not too sure about this? .... .... OK I've got the hang of it now
Cat on a hot tile roof .... ... or getting ready for a night on the tiles Another driving hazard?
Mum has a new brood ... ... only two this time ... ...our doormat is safer than the underside of my car, but still not the safest place for them
Mum has abandoned the kittens, though as she has been unwell for a while she may have succumbed to the illness. However the kittens seem to be managing to feed themselves. Nothing to do with 'my' cats, this photo was sent to me by a friend in the USA. I include it because it amused me and because of the resemblance to .... ... my elder daughter's new kitten
Is this the biggest cat in Paphos? 'Our' black tom went walkabout during the summer - whoever has been pampering him in the meantime must have gone home for the winter ... ... as he's back, larger than ever and making himself at home
Good game ... ... but it plays havoc with the fly screens. We never did see this little chap's mother again, but he seems to be thriving ...
... and big sister has taken the role of Mum. This fellow (same cat as in the 11th picture in the set) went walkabout in May. More than seven months have elapsed and he has returned for a feed .... ... looking much larger and rather battered from his adventures  ...
... probably after tangling with the black tom. The eye injury is not as bad as it looks and should recover .... if he stays away from the other guy. The little tom is very inquisitive ... ... and developing fast.
His sister grows at a slower pace. I was probably right about the big tom, but he came off worse. Someone took him to the vet to have a nasty shoulder injury treated and the vet took the opportunity to chop off his bits Damn! Something missing here.
I put out a couple of boxes to provide some shelter for the winter, but this one appears to have been commandeered by interlopers. The resident cats prefer this one. Picture taken with flash in pitch darkness, hence the wide-eyed look (apart from the little chap at the back who is very sick but on the mend). The male kitten is now too big to get through the shutters ...
... but that doesn't stop him from trying. Big sister likes this game too.

Sadly the big tom, possibly the best natured cat I have ever encountered and pictured here in happier times, became incurably sick and had to be put down .

 
The kittens have recovered from the nasty bout of flu, but still don't care for the weather.... ... so have retired to their box along with big sisters.... ...until the sun shines again.
We are now down to three cats. This male one demands a lot of fuss.... ...and remains unconcerned even for a close-up ... ... but big sister is unwell and prefers to stay out of the way...
... but his sister from the same litter is always alert and has already used up several of her nine lives. Sadly this cat, my favourite, was killed in a road accident ...  ... and this one grieved so much for the loss of her sister that she refused to eat, and quickly fell ill and hid away. By the time she returned she was too sick to help and we had to have her put down
So now we are down to two. This one ... ... and this one ... ... which prefers the hedge to sitting on the barbecue ...
 
... but only this one wants to move in. After a brush with a nasty virus he has been restored to his favourite spot.