Ratty Triumphant

Remember Ratty, half dead?

He's doing very well thank you.

Yesterday, we were sitting in the garden, listening to the fountain, sipping wine in celebration of Thursday.  Ratty's ambulance driver was visiting.  She was suitably impressed with the transformation in his health.  He tried to show off by jumping on the windowsill and missed.  His hind legs have not yet regained their strength, although he can walk and run pretty convincingly.

Marius and I agreed that if he couldn't jump he couldn't survive on the street.  Hmmmmmm

This morning, his little sister LG was on the front path.  Marius was out for his swim, and Ratty was in the kitchen with me.  I said to Ratty 'Why don't you go out the front for a minute and say hello to LG, so at least she knows you are still alive and well?'  I opened the front door and called to Ratty.  LG came bounding up the steps mewing and very keen to come inside.  Ratty inched his way to the door and put his nose around it.  I was trying to encourage him to say hello at the same time as trying to prevent LG from coming in.  (Strangely I suspect my marriage wouldn't be a very happy place if LG came in to make herself at home.) 

Ratty and LG touched noses and gave each other little kisses and then Ratty washed her ear for her, as he has always done.  I closed the door and came outside with them to have a little visit.  All was going well until Black Tom (LG's boyfriend) came around the corner and Ratty took off at high speed towards the wilderness of the golf course.

You can imagine how I felt - a simple act of kindness was teetering into disaster. I went after Ratty but could see no sign of him.  I met Marius walking back from the pool and told him my tale of woe and shame.  He said 'Don't worry, I'm sure he'll be back.  At least we know he can run.'

I went back into our garden to bring in Ratty's food bowl, feeling remorseful and kicking myself (I'm very good at that).  Then I went out again to move the sprinkler.  It would have been less than 10 minutes since I'd last seen him.

Yeowls.  Remember Ratty's siren?  He was calling me - but from where?  

Here:

The garden wall is more than 2 metres high.  How did the boy who can't jump get up there?  I guess he can climb and found a handy tree or bush to use as a ladder. 

He didn't seem too sure about how to get down again and resisted Marius attempts to encourage him.  We went inside to cook breakfast, Marius telling me 'He'll be fine, he'll get down.'

Two minutes later, I heard 'maaoooow' in the hall - and there he was.

He might not be able to jump but he does seem able to cope with the outside world.  Except, of course, he much prefers the inside world.

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