And Now That The Winter Cold Is Here - Here's to the Cats of Sabina and Roma!

My pal Dennis honing his computer skills

Ciao Ragatti! I am still waiting for my friend Dennis to hone his computer skills... He is new to all this so it will take some time, but stay tuned. I am sure that he will have a very interesting post as he, being young and more adventurous, explores a much larger territory than I do.

In the meantime, let's talk about the change of the seasons. The last time I wrote I was basically prostrate from the summer hot weather here in Casperia. Sabina's summer heat can be hard on a long haired Vancouver-born tabby, but thankfully I got through that... with some help from my friends...

Me getting some Sabine summer comfort from my good friend Maria

Now, however, my older bones are feeling the winter cold. It is different living in an Italian stone house. It takes longer and, according to my humans, costs more, to heat. I find my paws are colder when I walk on the floor. Thankfully, my humans build a fire almost every other day.

Sometimes they cook sausage and other meat on it and share it with me. I love this wonderful combination of heat and good food. Often, when I am feeling the cold I sit myself down in front of the camino—that's fireplace in Italian, I am told—and look over at my humans. They usually understand and get a fire going.

Me on my chair beside the camino supervising my humans making the fire

There are two ways they cook over the fire... Sometimes they put the sausage and meat directly beside the fire when it is burning strong, but most often, they move the fire in its metal grate and spread hot coals all across the bottom of one side of the camino and place the rack on top of the glowing heat. 

I love it when they do this because the glowing coals throw off a lot of heat. I sit as close to the fire as I can, trying not to get in the way of the cooking, watching the sausages sizzling in the heat, listening to the hiss of the fat as it drips on the glowing coals. Sometimes the mix of smells and anticipation get the better of me. I get up and do a little dance, calling to my humans, letting them know I am having a hard time waiting. 

When I am nibbling on the pieces of just cooled smoky sausage or grilled pork, my humans talk about how the meat is so delicious here in Casperia... that Armando and Alessandra, down at the Macelleria outside the town walls, have the best sausages for miles around, and I believe them. I certainly thank them. I feel pretty lucky...

I know that here in Sabina and in Rome that there are a lot of cats who live without a proper home and have no companion humans to be with them all the time. My pal Dennis was one of those cats. I am so glad he has found wonderful humans who look after him. 

Recently we had a number of different visitors from Canada and the United States. Everywhere they went, the cats of the Sabina came out to greet them.

Like this very friendly cat who came to greet and escort our friends through the ruins of the castle at Catino,

And this friendly tuxedo cat who came out to say hi, and I think mooch, at Trattoria Del Compare at the very top of Roccantica.

There were cats waiting to greet our friends in Rocchette

and these two cats waiting in the sun in historic Montebuono.

Of course, there were lots of wonderful cats to greet them here in Casperia. I have heard that some people jokingly refer to our village as Catsperia because of all the cats here. I am okay with that.

One of my humans getting a good morning kiss from my friend Marzia

Cicciopalla, perhaps the most well known cat in Casperia. His name means "chubbyball"!

Two of our visitors, after spending three nights here in Casperia spent a number of nights after in Rome before heading off to Florence. In Rome one of my humans took them to the Cat Sanctuary at Torre Argentina. 

I wrote about this wonderful facility and the history of the cats of Rome in one of my earlier posts. There are about 150 cats living in this sanctuary which is a set of temple ruins that go back over 2300 years. Volunteers feed, clean and look after these cats seven days a week.

This time, instead of observing the feline residents of the sanctuary from street level, they actually went down inside the sanctuary to visit the volunteer centre and gift shop.

This magnificent long haired great and white cat led the way.

Machiavelli - He is Mr. November in Torre Argentina's 2016 Calendar

Down inside the visitor centre, there were dozens and dozens of cats being looked after and played with by dozens of human volunteers and visiting admirers. If you visit Rome, this place is well worth a visit. Here are a number of photos that were taken during our friends' visit.

Many of the kitties were very happy to see the visitors and wanted to play. Some were shyer and less outgoing.

The important thing is that these once abandoned cats now have a safe home, shelter and good food, veterinary care, and people who love and look after them.  

As you can imagine, maintaining this sanctuary costs a lot of money. There are lots of ways you can help the cats of Torre Argentina and their supporters. These include donations, adopting cats from the sanctuary, and if you live outside Italy you can even adopt a cat long distance.

Another great shot of Machiavelli - Mr. November in Torre Argentina's 2016 Calendar

There is a wonderful Cat Shop inside the sanctuary where you can buy all sorts of wonderful t-shirts, aprons, calendars and other souvenirs. Long distance purchase of some of this merchandise is available online. 

If you are interested in learning more about the Cat Sanctuary of Torre Argentina, or are interested in supporting the work of the volunteers there, here is a link. I can guarantee you that the warm feeling you get from helping out my furry friends will help keep the winter's chill away.

Well, I best get talking to Dennis and see what he wants to do with his guest post. Thanks for taking the time to read this. Miao for now! A presto!

Mannagia! Fa caldo qui in Italia! They Never Told Me It Would Get This Hot!

Ciao ragatti! My apologies for the long silence. I am not sure if you have seen the news about the weather here in Italy, but it has been very, very hot. I have never felt heat like this in the house before... and outside, it is even worse. 

For the past couple of weeks, the temperatures have climbed and stayed in the high thirties, and some days it has even climbed past 40!

It is so hot that the pads of my paws burn when I walk on any of the stone cobbles that have been long in the sun, so I don't go out exploring much in the day. Luckily, Via Latini, the street where we live here in Casperia, is narrow and has high stone houses on both sides of the street so for most of the day the street is in the shade. I worry though for the cats in the colonies in the cities like Rome where it is even hotter.

Me checking to make sure that my cat grass isn't getting burned in the heat

According to my friend Maria, most people in town shut and shutter their doors and windows during the day to keep the hot air out of the house and the cooler air in. This works well for Maria who has two layers of apartments above her, but this does not work well in our apartment which is on the top of the building. The beautiful tiled ceilings of our apartment transmit the heat of the day directly into our house, and if we don't keep some of the windows open the apartment becomes a forno... that's Italian for furnace!   

So for most of the day I am sleeping or at least snoozing in a cool place, either downstairs in the kitchen, or on the floor of the bedroom or the library. The bed in the bedroom is often too hot to sleep on. It's a wonder my human gets any sleep. 

Did I mention that one of my humans has gone back to Vancouver? He's been there for almost a month now and is supposed to come back in a couple of weeks. Every so often I hear the two of them talking, using the computer. I used to worry seeing one of them locked in the computer screen, but I know all about Skype now. It is comforting to hear their voices together. I miss my human who has gone, but I know he will be back soon. 

So, yes, I rest or sleep most of the day. In the late evening though, when the sun begins to set, there is a noticeable drop in the temperature. That is when I wake up and want something to eat. During the day I don't eat much but I drink a lot. I have a martini glass of water beside my bowl in the kitchen, and another up in the bathroom. My favourite water to drink though now is the delicious cool acqua which my human leaves in a cool watering can beside the door to the street. My human is always watering the flowers, herbs, and tomatoes outside, so the water is always cool and fresh how I like it. 

As soon as the temperature drops, my human goes out for a couple of hours to spend time with his friends down on the piazza beside the bar. Apparently a refreshing breeze begins to blow there as soon as the sun begins to set, and the people of the town and visiting tourists alike gather there to chat and enjoy drinks and something to eat while watching the sun set. 

My friends Helen, and Ritchie, and Giampiero enjoying a drink on the piazza outside Vigna 

I hear from my human that my friends Helen and Ritchie sometimes go there. They too seem to be hiding as best as they can from the heat these days. I haven't seen them as much as usual, but I understand. The human friend I see most these days is Giampiero. He visits every now and then with my human to do a language exchange on the steps outside the house. I have learned a lot of Italian overhearing the two of them reading together. I don't know if they realise, but I watch and listen to them from the window above, making sure no pigeons bother them. 

Me trying to talk to Sconsi. She just kept on eating my kibble!

I tried to do a language exchange with a little female cat that comes to visit us every now and then to check and see what is in my food bowl, but she didn't seem to want to talk to me. I did my best to talk to her as she munched on a handful of my kibble on the stone steps outside my house but she never responded.

At first I thought it was my bad Italian. Then I thought she was just interested in me for my food. Later I found out that her name is Sconsi, short for Sconsolata, and that Sconsi can't talk. I cat that cannot miao! Pensate!

Yesterday there was a thunder and lightening storm here in Casperia. Bright forks of lightening lit up the sky. The storm began with a lightening strike very near our house. The loud crash of thunder woke me and my human from our afternoon nap and knocked out our electricity for a while. A strong cooling wind blew all during the storm and by the time evening rolled around, the temperature, according to my human, had dropped 13 degrees from 39 to 26. The house was comfortable for the first time in months. Maybe this means the worst of the weather is over. I sure hope so, because I sure don't feel like writing in this heat. 

Me, resting in the cool evening breeze coming in through the library window 

I have asked my friends Helen and Ritchie to see if Dennis, their cat would like to do a guest post on my blog. I would like to hear more about how life is for cats here in Italy... especially from the viewpoint of a native. Apparently, Dennis is interested, but he too is a bit under the weather, so to speak. I hope it cools down soon so we can all get back to writing. So stay tuned, there will be more posts coming in the next month or so. So, ragatti, Miao for now! A presto! Stay cool!

Dennis, resting on the cool floor of his, and Helen and Ritchie's house on Via Massari

OKAY... THIS IS A BIT EMBARRASSING - Sometimes I Hate Technology

Ciao RaGatti! Okay, I admit it... Sometimes technology and computers confuse and even scare me. You may think that just because I have learned to use a keyboard and post on this blog that I know everything about computers, but I don't... 

The last time I posted I was writing about missing my humans who had to return to Canada for some reason. I know my humans love me and would never abandon me, but we cats like our routines and when they are changed all of a sudden that can cause some stress. 

First of all, let me reassure you that I am completely fine now. Both my humans are back home. James, who was away from Casperia for over a month, finally came back last week so we are back to our usual routines, the three of us.

What caused me some anxiety and confusion while he was away is that every so often I could hear his voice but I could not see him. Richard would be talking away as if James was in the room, but I could not see James. I could only hear his voice.

James' voice came from the computer. Richard would be sitting in front of the laptop I use for my blog talking as if James was in the computer. I could hear James calling my name. "Smoke! Smoke! Smoke!" He always calls me Smoke instead of Smokey... unless he is somehow upset or annoyed with me. 

I looked up at Richard and called to him. He looked down at me and then all of a sudden picked me up and put me in his lap so I could be closer to the computer. Then I saw him. James, stuck in the computer.

He was squashed flat... and making an awful face. Was he hurt? How did he get inside there? Did Richard have something to do with it?

It was scary to think that Richard might have somehow trapped James in the computer...

Later on when James finally returned to Casperia, he explained to me a little about something called Skype. I still don't understand it completely, but I now know that James was not in the computer but that he was communicating with Richard from far away with a type of video message... What a relief! 

Yes, I am a little embarrassed, but how was I to know? Oh well... Anyway, I know about this now. Piano piano! Passo dopo passo, I am getting used to my new life in Italy and to computer technology. 

I have been thinking about what my next post will be. We are going to be busy over the next while, visiting Orvieto with our friend Candace from Vancouver. I am thinking of doing a couple of other interviews, but I think I will sleep on it... Until then, ciao for now. Vi voglio bene!

I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY HUMANS LEAVE—But I Love The People Who Come To Look After Me

Ciao RaGatti! Come state? It has been a while since I have been feeling like writing. My life this past while has been interesting to say the least... You would think that as a cat got older that life would become a cycle of comfortable familiar events... sunny days spent wandering through the grass, long lazy walks through a familiar neighbourhood... hosting the same friendly visitors... avoiding the same curious dogs... chattering at the birds who dare to play outside your window... but no... At 14 years of age, my life has definitely taken a turn. 

Stringozzi — Avoid this life-changing pasta at all cost!

I wrote in a past post about how my humans lost control of their senses after eating stringozzi, a strange, string-like pasta, in a village in far off Italy called Casperia. From that moment on, most of their attention was focussed on finding a way to visit that country as often and for as long as they could. Their fixation, became an obsession, and that obsession resulted in my humans deciding to move from our home of fourteen years and transplant themselves in Italy, bringing me too. Yes, I blame it on the stringozzi.

During those times when my humans went away from our house in Vancouver to visit Casperia, there were always people looking after me. These people would sleep over in our house or be already living in our basement suite, so I was never really alone. I missed my humans, but I knew they were coming back. I was in my house of fourteen years, and though I missed my humans and our routine together, there was no major disruption in my life. I was never alone for long. I was always okay.

Relaxing at home sweet home

But since we have moved here to Casperia, life is topsy turvy. Before we moved to Italy, the longest journey I ever had to endure was the ten minute car ride to visit Dr. Spooner, my veterinarian at Yaletown Pet Hospital. The journey from Vancouver to Casperia is a blur now, but since then, I have been taken on long journeys on busses and trains. I have visited Orvieto, and who knows where else my humans are going to take me. 

On the train to Orte enroute to Orvieto

My first view of Orvieto's Cathedral

To tell you the truth, I actually like travelling with them on these short jaunts. A cat can get used to many different things and travelling seems to be one of them.

I couldn't believe how many times in a day they rang bells in Orvieto... It made the birds fly... I loved it...

But then one day one of my humans disappeared... and it wasn't just for a couple of sleeps... it was for a very long time... I tried to think back if there were any warning signs... but all I could remember were happy nights by the fire, listening to my humans talk and sing and laugh as they cooked and ate... 

...or quiet times on the couch together after dinner while my humans sipped wine and watched Cuochi e Fiamme and Chef Per Un Giorno on television. 

No... There were no warning signs... But my other human didn't seem worried or particularly upset. He spent a lot of time talking to me, patting me, brushing me, giving me catnip from time to time and coming outside with me as I explored the stoney streets outside our house as I looked for grass and waited for my other human... 

Richard! Where are you?

...so I thought that everything would be okay... that my other human would be back soon... That's when I noticed the telltale signs... My remaining human was packing a bag, and buying unusually large amounts of my favourite tinned cat food. What was going on? Was he going too? Didn't my human realize that I can't open a tin by myself?

And then one cold morning as I lay curled against my favourite  radiator in the upstairs room my remaining human came up to see me... He knelt down and patted my head and put his face close to mine... I knew this was goodbye... but for how long?

  
He gave me one last long pat and a scratch on my chin and he was gone... 

It was like I was in some sort of bad dream... What was going to happen to me? Was my other human coming home today? I jumped off the chair and went downstairs to look at my bowl... There was tuna in my small bowl and dry kibble in a larger bowl. My martini glass was full of water... I had food and water enough for the day... maybe two days if I was careful. I nibbled at the tuna and had a sip of water, then headed back upstairs to my chair by the radiator and hunkered down and tried to sleep...

I fell asleep and began to dream... I was back in my old home in Vancouver, out in the garden, hiding behind the tall green plants, watching people and their dogs walk by...  

  

I was startled awake by a noise... It was the door to the house being opened. My human was back! I jumped off the chair and rushed downstairs, but it was neither of my humans. It was our friends Ritchie and Helen coming to visit me. I wasn't being left alone after all! Ritchie and Helen knelt down and gave me some pats. Ritchie reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a package which he shook to make a sound. I knew that noise! I recognised that tantalising aroma! Ritchie had brought me some Dreamies! Things were looking up! 

Dreamies from Uncle Ritchie

Helen and Ritchie opened up a fresh tin of my food and poured the other bowl full of kibble. They topped up my water, all the while talking to me and patting me... I started to feel more relaxed... 

Then later on Helen and Ritchie went upstairs to the living room and put on the television. Helen and Ritchie sat on the couch and called to me to come up and lay down between them... I cuddled up  with my back against Helen's leg and my hind paws against Ritchie and fell asleep. 

I woke up in the middle of the night and I was alone on the couch... Where were Helen and Ritchie? Were they sleeping in the other room? I went down the stairs and looked in the bedroom but there was no one there. Strange... Why didn't they stay over? And then I remembered... they have their tabby Dennis to look after. 

I jumped up on the bed and lay on the pillow where my human had slept the night before... I could smell his scent on the pillow... I put my head down and before I knew it I had fallen asleep.

Early the next morning I heard the door to our house being opened again. I thought... Now for sure my humans are back... but when I came down it wasn't my humans. It wasn't even Helen and Ritchie... It was our friend Maria whom I had interviewed for this blog a while ago. 

"Hello Smokey!" she greeted me in her cheery voice! "Miao Maria!" I replied, elated. So there was a plan! I had a team of friends visiting me twice, sometimes more times a day, to feed and water me, give me pats and treats, and change my litter box from time to time, and sometimes sit with me on the couch to watch television.  My life fell into a new happy rhythm with visits from Maria in the mornings and visits from Ritchie and Helen in the evenings... This went on for about a week. 

I continued to miss my humans, but I knew they had made arrangements to look after me, not only were Maria, Helen and Ritchie wonderfully kind and attentive humans, all three were very good at opening tins of cat food, bringing me treats, and scratching me in my favourite places...

On sunny days I would sit by the window and look out at the green world beyond the stone town we live in and wonder where my humans were... what they were doing... and when they were coming home.

One night Ritchie and Helen came earlier than usual. They brought with them bags of food and things that humans drink... They unpacked these things and put some away in the fridge and arranged some on the counter... Were they going to stay and make dinner here? Were they moving in? Was Dennis moving in with them? But no. After they put the human food away, they refilled my martini glass with water, refilled my kibble bowl and put out a fresh plate of chicken and tuna, gave me a couple of pats and some Dreamies, and then they left...

What was going on? No TV? What could have possibly happened to change our wonderful new routine?

I went to my bowls and had a nibble, then took a sip of the fresh water they had poured me, then went upstairs to the couch and lay down in my usual spot... but it was not the same without Helen and Ritchie on either side... Suddenly I felt sadness well up inside me. I felt homesick for Vancouver, the green abundant grass, the soft loamy earth in my garden... the freedom I enjoyed there, coming and going from the house through the front window whenever I pleased.

I must have dozed because I woke up in the dark to the sound of the front door opening... What a dark morning! Wait a minute! It was still night. Had Helen and Ritchie returned for a TV visit? Was Maria coming early?

I got up from the couch, had a quick stretch on the rug then hurried down the stairs... And that's when it happened... That's when I saw him! 

Richard was home! He scooped me up in his arms and covered me with kisses. Was I dreaming? No! He was really here. He was back home! All of a sudden I understood. Ritchie and Helen had brought the food and drink for my human. What kind and thoughtful people! 

I don't understand why my humans have to leave me from time to time, but I love the people who come to look after me. Uncle Ritchie, Auntie Helen, Zia Maria, thank you! Grazie di cuore! Now can you tell my other human to come home soon? We miss him.