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Cats have to work hard to achieve balance in their full and extremely hard lives - especially if there are lots of them, and a dog. Living in the country and making the right cat and dog decisions can be quite exhausting.

Hot Dog

The house cats at Mooseys have all been real characters, from timid, squeaking Mugsy the Cat to the famous stomach-on-legs, Sifter. Even cats who never had the chance to live here in the country have become part of the Moosey myths and legends. There have always been at least five cats in residence.

Taj-dog (dearly departed) and Rusty the new dog get cat-status at all times, even though they are both dogs - Taj-dog always seemed to accept this. I will always admire the simple lifestyle choices that Taj-dog made, and Rusty the red Border Collie continues this wise dog-decision tradition. I don't like the things Rusty chooses to eat, and roll in, however...

When Taj-dog was a younger, lively country dog there were never any ducks in the Moosey pond - wonder why! Then we had some years of duck visitors - small flocks of mallards who would potter happily around on the lawns between the water race and the pond. Their favourite patch of grass was christened Duck Lawn. They were quite elusive for the resident photographer, though.

An itinerant bantam rooster with two hens arrived towards the end of Taj-dog's life. They liked what they saw, and stayed for over a year. Rusty the new dog, however, is obsessed with bird-chasing, and this has made free-ranging in the Moosey Garden less than desirable. The poultry has simply moved on - random as ever. We did have a lovely little gang of hens and a rooster, but they sadly left us in 2009.

A small flock of merino sheep, native bellbirds, and a large noisy family of fantails add to the country ambience with assorted squeaking, whistling and baa-ing. Pheasants sometimes visit (I once saw three trailing in single file along a Moosey pathway). There are tree frogs behind the garage and usually one or two green frogs in the Moosey pond.

Meet the animals in Moosey's garden

Little Mac the Black and White Kitten... Fri 20th Jan 2012: Welcome to Little Mac, our new black and white kitten, the latest furry feline to 'find' Mooseys. In three weeks he's gone from a far-too-small tiny creature to a strong and confident Size Four Kitten. At least Size Four!
A Week in the Life of Mrs Pig... Fri 28th Oct 2011: On my recent Ratoronga holiday I took an interest (not morbid, I assure you) in a large pig tethered alongside the Inland Road. The owners must have been puzzled by a pasty-skinned older woman turning up every day to take photographs. Was she planning a pig-heist?
In Memory - Sifter the Cat... Thu 8th Sep 2011: Sifter the tabby cat came to Mooseys in 1997, was given warmth, companionship, and great food, stayed as long as it suited him (about five years), and then wandered off. I've always felt I had 'unfinished business' with this cat - until now.
Winter Cat Pictures... Thu 1st Sep 2011: This winter the house and garden have been quietly purring in a warm feline equilibrium - not surprising, when I've had the log-burner going so much. All the Moosey cats are behaving well, and obviously enjoying the in-house services.
Kaya the Black Cat... Sun 23rd Jan 2011: Dear Lady Kaya, Black Beauty Cat, welcome to the Cats' Division of Moosey's Animal Farm. We hope you will enjoy your stay here with us in this pet-friendly, rambling country house and garden. Perhaps you may even stay forever. Allow me to introduce you to the facilities we offer...
You're a Good Lamb, Stu...... Wed 5th Jan 2011: My pet lamb Stu (oops - he sounds like a casserole) lives in the ram paddock above the pond. Stu is an easy-care, chubby merino lamb - he drinks his bottle, eats grass, and snoozes in my old fashioned rose garden underneath the Omar Khayyam rose.
Moosey Cats Update... Thu 30th Sep 2010: Cats do tend to come and go at Mooseys. The coming is often a happy accident (finding a kitten in the woodshed), and the going is often inevitable (saying goodbye to little Mugsy). But the September 4th earthquake has caused rather a lot more coming and going than I like!
2010's Pet Lambs... Sat 18th Sep 2010: September 2010, springtime at Mooseys, started off with an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 on the Richter scale, followed by lots and lots of aftershocks. Not the best time for young first-time ewes to have their lambs. On the third morning after the earthquake two abandoned new-borns needed rescuing.
Supreme Winter Gardening Cat... Tue 15th Jun 2010: In the frosty depths of the mid-winter garden, one week before the shortest day, a pale ginger fluffy gardening cat is busy keeping the Moosey Head Gardener company. Forget the toasty warm pet-beds in the house - this cat is weatherproof.
Vote in the New, Updated MVP... Wed 31st Mar 2010: On computers all over the gardening world, intelligent women(*) are exercising their right to vote! Oops... They're all friends on whom I've leant heavily, and they're voting for Histeria the tabby in my Most Valuable Pet competition. And Minimus the grey, Percy the ginger, Kaya the black...
Year of the Tiger... Tue 16th Mar 2010: 2010 is the Year of the Tiger, so I thought I'd pay homage to Tiger the tortoiseshell, now the senior Moosey cat. Tiger, whose legs are too short and body too fat, and who is consequently on a 'Shape Up For Life' programme of exercise and diet. Lucky cat!
The Changing Lives of Cats... Sun 7th Feb 2010: When I write about my cats I see them as they are at the time - I don't think about them getting old and boring, or being any different. But cats do change. And sometimes they completely rearrange their lives.
Sharing the Animals... Sat 12th Dec 2009: The Moosey animals enrich my every day in the house and the garden. And best of all - their stories and photographs are shared with others. My cats sometimes get more 'fan mail' than the Head Gardener does!
Smelling of Roses?... Sat 16th May 2009: Cat owners understand the protocols for kitty-litter. Some cats lead the happiest of lives indoors, and obviously the house pot-plants are not an appropriate cat-toilet. But unless the kitty-litter tray is freshened, or changed every day...
Lilli-Puss the Grey... Sun 8th Feb 2009: Lilli-Puss, my young grey girlie cat, has always been cheekily called 'The Apprentice'. She lives upstairs with Jerome the Grey (at seventeen the oldest, slowest, living Moosey cat). So 'The Apprentice' needs no further explanation - oops!
Minimus the Woodshed Kitten... Fri 6th Feb 2009: Rusty the Moosey dog is a hero. Rusty's wonderful dog-nose 'found' Minimus (a little wild grey kitten) in the woodshed, and saved her from the sad, scrappy life of a feral cat.
Garden Ambience for Dogs... Sun 2nd Nov 2008: Gardening dogs the world over are deeply puzzled about this thing called 'ambience'. Rusty the red Border Collie at Mooseys often thinks that the alpha-male of his pack (an older-lady gardener) has gone ambiently barmy.
Histeria the Tabby... Sun 2nd Nov 2008: Full, formal cat-name: Histeria the Tabby. Pet cat-name: Hissy. Why? Because she was the wildest, spittiest, growliest, hissiest kitten when she first came to Moosey's Country Garden.
Ginger Cat Percy... Tue 16th Sep 2008: Ginger Percy, the last of the Wild Cat Colony kittens, came to Mooseys to be fostered and socialised. He was about twelve weeks old and had never been handled. Percy started life as a feral kitten, living under a pine hedge in a horse paddock.
Animal Misdemeanours... Sun 24th Aug 2008: Living in a house with eight cats and a dog, sometimes things are bound to go wrong. Here's my rogues gallery of the worst Moosey animal offenders. Oops - some content may offend the shy reader.
Winter Gardening Cats... Mon 7th Jul 2008: My garden's a bit static and colourless in winter - there's nothing much of the vegetable state to take photographs of. That's why I like winter-touring with my camera and my cats (oops - nearly forgot - and the dog).
Foster Cats - One Year On... Thu 22nd May 2008: Almost one year ago I took in three wild foster kittens. My job was to socialise and prepare them for new homes, preferably in the country. They were not supposed to stay at Mooseys. Oops. One year later...
Dog Etiquette... Tue 29th Apr 2008: A river is the perfect playground for dogs to practice fetching things from water. Some dogs are lucky enough to have their own familiar chasing object, brought from home. Here are some dog-etiquette tips for chasing a tennis ball.
A Well-Groomed Dog... Mon 24th Dec 2007: Rusty the red Border Collie is a rather fluffy dog. Because he has serious gardening commitments his fur is always full of plant material - seeds, small twigs, gum leaves, and the like. He needs a professional dog-groomer!
Haru's First Shearing... Mon 8th Oct 2007: Haru my pet merino lamb was born in the spring of 2006. Just over one year later she's off with the other sheep in the flock to be shorn. This is a big day - definitely a sheep's coming-of-age - Haru's first shearing.
Nine Moosey Cats... Thu 16th Aug 2007: Nine cats are not too many. The Moosey house is huge, the Moosey garden is huge, and the Moosey farm reaches well beyond the gardens, with paddocks, orchards, and hay barns. There is definitely enough room for nine cats...
Ginger Gardening Cats... Sun 29th Jul 2007: Ginger cats make brilliant gardening cats. The newest ginger Moosey cat, Percy, is carrying on this proud tradition, started many years ago with old Ginger Puss, and carried on by Fluff-Fluff and dear Smoocher.
My Foster Kittens... Sat 2nd Jun 2007: I'm feeling quite sad! I've just finished my four week term fostering three little kittens - Hissy, Percy, and Lilli-Puss. They arrived here frightened and semi-wild, and are leaving smoochy and sociable. My kitten fostering has been a success!
Water Sports Dog... Sat 5th May 2007: Lead Rusty the red Border Collie dog to water and he's immediately charged with excitement. Throw a stick into the water, summer or winter, and splash! Rusty is a four seasons water sports dog.
Trap Neuter Return... Fri 13th Apr 2007: I'm playing a very small part in my friend Judith's Trap-Neuter-Return programme, helping her manage a feral cat colony. Already I can sense some progress, and I'd like to share some small stories.
Cat Rescue... Thu 22nd Feb 2007: Animal shelters in the city do great work, taking in abandoned cats and dogs. In my city there's an underclass of feral cats, often living on wasteland at the edge of the suburbs. I've even made my own small, though thankfully neutered, contribution!
Fluff-Fluff... Sat 30th Dec 2006: Fluff-Fluff - my gentle, fluffy, pale ginger cat with the amber eyes and the silly name - this is your own adult cat page! Welcome to the Moosey pets section.
B-Puss... Fri 29th Dec 2006: At the end of the year 2006 two Christmas kittens joined Mooseys Country Garden, injecting some youth into the resident cat community. One was almost pure white, with staring goggle eyes and a scabby face.
Lambs and Their Mothers... Sun 26th Nov 2006: Family portraits in the animal kingdom are usually just 'mother and child' - sorry, fathers, but you don't usually get in the picture! Our small group of beautiful merino lambs each has an especially caring mother.
Fred's First Shearing... Fri 20th Oct 2006: There are two pet sheep at Mooseys (as well as Haru, the 2006 pet lamb) - dear old George, a merino wether from way back, and the bumptious woolly bully Fred, breed unknown. This spring is Fred's first shearing time.
Dog in Disgrace... Wed 11th Oct 2006: Dogs do unmentionable things. Sometimes? Often? In the house? In the garden? If there were demerit points for dog misdemeanours Rusty the red Border Collie would be well and truly disqualified!
My New Chooks... Mon 25th Sep 2006: Once bitten twice shy? Or should that read 'Once pecked twice as wise'? The new hens and rooster at Mooseys have a fiercely organised routine - and they love it!
Charles the Merino Ram... Sat 23rd Sep 2006: Charles the merino ram came to Mooseys Animal Farm in March, 2006. We run a small flock of merino sheep, concentrating on fine wool production, and we wanted our own super-fine ram.
Our Spring Pet Lamb... Fri 1st Sep 2006: The Moosey spring lambs should be frolicking in the front paddock, looked after by their woolly merino mothers. This spring, one little lamb had a slightly shaky start...
Samoan Cats... Sun 27th Aug 2006: The basic physical shape of a Samoan cat is very different to my own cats. They are narrow and light, with long bodies, slim long legs - like cat-walk models, compared to the lumpy, fluffy fatties who live with me in my house and garden!
The Year of the Dog... Sat 29th Jul 2006: Moosey's Country Garden and Animal Farm is pleased to celebrate the Year of the Dog. It's been a great year for the current canine, Rusty, full of zooming bicycle rides, concentrated, repetitive dog-gardening, and long country walks.
Gardening Cats... Thu 20th Jul 2006: The two youngest Moosey cats, Fluff-Fluff and Beige Puss, are fast becoming my best all-weather, four-seasons gardening cats. And such stamina! They keep me company from dawn until dusk.
Travelling Without Animals... Mon 29th May 2006: A travelling garden reporter in summery England has a great life - zooming through the countryside on trains and buses, visiting new gardens, making new gardening friends, experiencing the (wet) English weather. What could be more heart-and-mind-warming?
MVC Annual Review... Thu 30th Mar 2006: It - that is the MVC, or Most Valuable cat Competition - all started as a competition between cats and honorary cats (the Moosey dog), something to do over the giddy summer holiday weeks, when the gardening weather became too hot to handle.
Designer Kittens... Tue 3rd Jan 2006: It's a serious business, getting the right Christmas present for a stylish red border collie dog. Bones just get buried, and toy squeaking ducks are very un-PC. How about a designer kitten? The perfect present!
Rusty Dog... Tue 13th Dec 2005: Rusty the Red Border Collie - it's well time you got your own dog-page! You're over a year old, and we still call you a puppy!
Pet Lamb... Sat 26th Nov 2005: Fred the pet lamb has come to live at Moosey Animal Farm. Fred is a Romney, with large ears and a large 'cute factor'. He's a pretty lamb - I'm sure this rather girlie adjective won't upset Fred's self-sheep-esteem.
Sheep Shearing... Thu 13th Oct 2005: Mid-spring is an exciting time on Moosey Animal Farm. Exciting, that is, for the small flock of merino sheep - it's shearing time!
MVP Guest Appearances... Mon 10th Oct 2005: Most Valuable Pet Contestants earn 10 bonus points every time they get a mention or a photo in another website or blog.
Tiger the Cat... Thu 22nd Sep 2005: Tiger the cat came to Moosey's Country Garden as a Christmas 2005 kitten with her brother Smoocher. The two newcomers soon named themselves - as soon as she settled in this little striped tabby female turned into a wee tiger!
MVP... Sat 6th Aug 2005: The Most Valuable Pet competition features a sophisticated pet scoring system, with contestants competing for Most Valuable Pet Points in 6 separate categories. Vote for your favourite Moosey animal every day and help decide the MVP.
Smoocher... Wed 27th Jul 2005: Smoocher the ginger cat came to Moosey's Country Garden in December 2004 with his sister - two small squeaking six week old Christmas kittens. She was content to sit, and squeak, and look cute. He was definitely a kitten on the move.
Walking the Dog... Mon 2nd May 2005: Gardening can be very repetitive. But gardeners who own dogs have no reason to get bored with their self-imposed garden routines. At Mooseys, when feeling a little gardened-out, I can take Rusty the puppy for a walk...
Moosey Animal Equilibrium... Sat 12th Feb 2005: It's some weeks now since the new 2005 Moosey animals (two kittens and a puppy) arrived. Pet owners will understand that animal equilibrium in the household is a delicate matter.
Most Valuable Cat Competition 2005... Wed 12th Jan 2005: The Most Valuable Cat Competition, or MVC for short, is a traditional summer animal contest. It is enjoying a revival this summer (2004 - 2005), as new Moosey animal arrivals give it new life.
Rusty The New Puppy... Sun 12th Dec 2004: Rusty the red border collie puppy has come to live at Mooseys. He's fluffy, bouncy, chewy, and completely adorable.
Animals' Tenth Anniversary... Fri 8th Oct 2004: Talking to animals - a sign of madness or niceness? Interviewing the animals on the occasion of the Tenth Anniversary of the Moosey Country House and Garden? Surely a bit of both! But since this is a very special anniversary...
Rooster & Hens... Fri 21st May 2004: I promised myself I would never do this - try to write from the mind of one of the Moosey pets. It's - well - just too silly. But the temptation is too great - there's not much going on apart from the antics of the visiting rooster and hens.
Cat & Dog Life... Wed 17th Mar 2004: A month in the life of a Moosey animal is exciting and action packed. What did the cats & dogs get up to this March?
A New Puppy?... Sun 7th Mar 2004: If you look very carefully in our pantry behind the flour and sugar, you'll spy a small pile of library books. Why are they hidden in here? Has the Moosey household got even madder?
Cat Tummies... Mon 23rd Feb 2004: I love writing about the animals. And I've always wanted to write about cat tummies, and the deeply significant feline ritual of showing ones tummy to the human world...
An Old Dog... Fri 20th Dec 2002: Taj-dog is getting old. He has been our house dog for many years now, and has spent most of his life enjoying the country ambience of Moosey's Country Garden.
Dog River... Sun 14th Jul 2002: It's Saturday afternoon and I'm building another purposeful path through my garden. I am a compulsive path edger, and today I need more stones. Taj-dog needs his weekly wash. We both need to visit THE RIVER.
Most Valuable Cat... Sun 3rd Feb 2002: My Most Valuable Cat Competition for the summer of 2001 - 2002 has been a complete flop. The prize tins of gourmet cat food are still stacked on the pantry shelf.
Cats & Dogs... Mon 12th Feb 2001: We have always had cats and a dog in our family. The animals sit on seats with us, sleep in/on beds with us, go for walks with us, wait for us to open the fridge...
Pets & People... Sat 10th Feb 2001: Pets and people can develop quirky relationships. The house pets at Mooseys are definitely creatures of quirky habits.
Lucky Cat... Tue 6th Feb 2001: Lucky was a white, ginger and black splodgy cat who retired to live here with us. In many ways she wasn't a very lucky cat...
Catfood & Dogfood... Tue 6th Feb 2001: Cat and dog feeding in our house is rather complicated. There is a routine - the bowls are laid out on the bench...
Cat Sleeping Spots... Sun 4th Feb 2001: Consider the vital cat question of the best sleeping spot. The sun is extremely inconsiderate to snoozing cats, moving across the sky during the day.
Sheep & Lambs... Fri 12th May 2000: We keep about 20 to 25 sheep on the property - the number varies from year to year. The sheep act as automatic four legged lawnmovers and provide entertainment in the spring by producing a new crop of lambs.
Gingerpuss... Tue 5th Oct 1999: Gingerpuss was an old gentleman cat of seventeen years when we moved here to the country. He settled in immediately, taking up residence underneath the house decking...
Jeremy Cat... Fri 1st Oct 1999: Jeremy was Stephen's black and white fluffy cat. It's hard to describe Jeremy without insulting her, for she was always a bit of a pathetic cat, timid, and frightened of her shadow. Yet she was a silly smoochy cat too, and extremely loyal.
Jerome Cat... Sat 25th Sep 1999: Jerome the cat is Stumpy's sister. She is a champagne and grey cat with very subtle stripes and a spotty tummy...
Mugsy the Cat... Wed 22nd Sep 1999: Mugsy the cat is not a very brainy cat. Her face is coloured half and half like a mask - one half is black, one half is orange...
Big Fat Sifter Cat... Wed 8th Sep 1999: Big Fat Sifter is our biggest cat, a large brown tabby. He came to us merely a medium-sized cat. In fact he was lucky to come to us at all.
Slow Puss... Sun 15th Aug 1999: Slow Puss was one of our earliest cats. He never had the chance to live here at Moosey's country garden.
Stumpy Cat... Thu 12th Aug 1999: Stumpy is a small grey female tabby cat, one of two sisters. She is named after the middle stump-camera at the cricket, which one T.V. commentator affectionately called 'Stumpy'.
Taj-dog... Sun 8th Aug 1999: Taj-dog is a simple sort of dog. His happiness depends totally on four words - bunny, walk, car and river.