DENNIS - A CHRISTMAS STORY

Ciao raGatti. Tutto bene? Spero di sì. I am really excited to introduce this post which features the story of three very special friends, two of them human, and one, a tabby cat like me. The tabby cat is my neighbour Dennis, and the two humans are my very good friends Helen and Ritchie Dakin.

Dreamies!

If you have been following this blog, you have already read about Helen and Ritchie. These amazing humans have been living in Casperia for almost as long as I have and they look after me from time to time when my humans are away. They also introduced me to Dreamies!

As far as I know, they are from a place near Cambridge in England. I am sad to say that I don't know exactly where that is. I know that it is not anywhere near Vancouver. I am told it is closer to Italy where we live, but on a big island, perhaps in the Mediterranean. That might not be right. The only thing I know is that wherever Cambridge, England is, that it must be a wonderful place because really nice people come from there. That is my experience anyway. Come to think of it, another good friend who lives here in Casperia, Maria, was born in England too... but I don't think she is from Cambridge.

Anyway, before they moved here permanently, Ritchie and Helen had been coming to this hill town for a number of years. Apparently their first visit to Casperia was on a yoga retreat, which I understand is a special holiday where humans try to become as flexible as felines, perhaps to help them keep themselves clean as a cat can...

Whatever the reason—it might have been the stringozzi—Helen and Ritchie, like my humans, fell in love with this part of Italy, and have been permanent residents here from November of 2014. Dennis came into their lives a number of weeks later.

Smokey: Helen, this wasn't the first time you have shared your home with a cat, was it?

Helen: You are right Smokey. Before we came to live here in Casperia we shared our house with a female cat named Molly. She turned up one day when we were out BBQing in the back yard and slowly she adopted us, and we her.

Molly, a.k.a. Mollie moo

Smokey: I understand that you had originally planned to bring Molly with you, but somehow that did not work out. What happened?

Ritchie: Well Smokey, when you came over on that long flight from Canada, you were lucky to be able to come over in the cabin with Richard and James. Unfortunately, we were not allowed that option. The airline we were flying on promised that Molly would be safe at the airport in England and in the hold on the much shorter flight that she would make from London to Rome but they told us that they could not guarantee how she would be handled in Rome... We loved Molly and did not want to leave here in England but we also did not want to risk her being mishandled or injured upon arrival. We decided that it would be best to put her up for adoption. So we came without her. 

Smokey: That must have been very hard on you both... 

Helen: Yes, it was, but luckily Molly found a wonderful new home with a very nice lady who loves and cares for her. Molly even has her own room. We are in contact with Molly's new human from time to time and get reports and pictures. 

Smokey: That is wonderful to hear.

Helen: Yes, she seems very well situated. She even has her own room and own bed.

Smokey: Miaow! That's great! So... how long was it after you came here to Casperia that Dennis came into your life?

Ritchie: We arrived in early November and we first heard about Dennis through our mutual friend Maria in the week leading up to Christmas of 2014, so we had only been moved here about a month and a half.

Helen: As you know, Smokey, Maria shares her house with a number of cats, most of them who are former strays or who had been abandoned: Lupa, Giorgio, Sleepy, Marzia, Romulo and Chicco. Six cats is a lot for one house and when Dennis turned up, wanting in too, poor Maria was very torn. Her heart went out to this handsome friendly tabby... 

Ritchie: But I think she didn't feel it would be the ideal situation for all concerned if she took him in.

Smokey: I remember this... Right... It was just before Christmas and things were getting cold here in Casperia... I remember Richard and James talking to Maria and her asking them to put the word out about this handsome tabby who had turned up a her door needing a home. 

Helen: We went down for a visit. Maria was feeding the new pussycat but he was sleeping outside her house in a clay igloo-like shelter.

Smokey: How did you feel when you first met him?  

Helen: Well of course we loved him the first moment we set eyes on him. Poor lad... He was a handsome tabby indeed but he was doing poorly. He was thin and starving. His coat was full of burrs and he sure had fleas... We had to have a talk, Ritchie and I, but it didn't take us long to decide to take him home. That was Christmas Eve 2014. People say that giving Dennis a home was his Christmas present but it felt to us that he was our Christmas present.

Ritchie: The funny thing Smokey was that despite Dennis being thrilled at having a proper forever home, he still was very much an outdoor cat. We tried hard to keep him inside the house for the first while to get used to living with us, but he escaped a number of times...

Helen: Yes, bless him. He found a way to actually open a window and escaped through the window a couple of times. Of course, the first time this happened we were very worried, but the funny thing is that he would always end up back at Maria's place. He would miaow at her door in the morning, she would let him, feed him something, and give us a call. "Come and get your little man. He's here," she'd say and we would trot down to get him. 

Smokey: But he obviously settled down...

Ritchie: Yes, but he still likes to roam...

Helen: And wake me up very early in the morning to ask to be let out.

Smokey: You mentioned that Dennis was in poor health at the beginning. I have a great Vet, Doctor Rob Spooner, back in Vancouver, but I remember that I did not like being put in a carry case, nor did I like the car ride.

Ritchie: Sort of ironic Smokey, given the distance you had to travel in that carry case to come to your new life here in Italy.

Smokey: Miao, Ritchie!

Ritchie: Ha ha! But no, you are right, Smokey. We had to take Dennis to the vet a number of times. The way he was gorging when we took him in, we suspected he had worms.

Helen: That was soon confirmed when we checked his box, poor thing. And it took a while, but he has a clean bill of health now, and doesn't seem to mind the trips in the car.

Smokey: So Dennis, it has been a little more than a year that you have been living here with Helen and Ritchie. How is life with the Dakins?

Dennis: Well Smokey, you know Ritchie and Helen almost as well as I do, so you know what type of people they are. 

Smokey: Are you blushing Helen?

Dennis: Seriously! I remember very little of my life before Helen and Ritchie.  I know I had a home and food but somehow that was all taken away from me. I remember being on my own, struggling to find food and a warm place to sleep and finding Maria's house and her cats... At first I really wanted to stay there. Maria is such a nice lady... But being invited to share Helen and Ritchie's wonderful home with its big fireplace and comfy, dry, warm places to sleep, and a window and balcony to watch the birds, a huge cantina to play in and a back door onto the stone town walls... But that is just the home. Helen and Ritchie are my angels. They literally saved my life. Being invited into their house with all their love and care... Did you see my toys? It was like being rescued from a horrible nightmare. My life right now is a beautiful dream.

I get wonderful food pretty well any time I want it. I don't gobble like I used to now... I know there will always be food in my bowl and a treat or two when I get home from my walks outside.

Smokey: A treat or two or three, all the way to ten... I hear you taught Ritchie how to count.

Ritchie: Ha ha, Smokey.

Dennis: This thing is Smokey, Ritchie, and Helen taught me how to count... But not just from one to ten when I get my Dreamies. I mean I have learned that I can count on people... I mean these two people. You know what I am talking about. I know that this is my forever home and that Ritchie and Helen are my forever people... and that if they have to go away for some reason that there are other kind people, dependable people, who will come and feed me and brush me, look after my lettiere, and keep me company. People like Maria and your humans. 

No, I have to say that life here is very very good. I am a very lucky cat. We should all be so lucky.

Smokey: Well that really sums it all up nicely. Anything anyone else would like to add?

Ritchie: About England being in the Mediterranean, Smokey... and that thing about Yoga...

Smokey: I got that wrong, didn't I? 

Ritchie: Yes, Smokey, but we can discuss that some other time.

Smokey: Thanks for agreeing to be interviewed, everyone. Ciao for now!

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