| Rescued
as a tiny kitten, Tigger became our first member of staff
when he was 4 years old. This part-Siamese (or part-Birman),
beautifully marked champagne and white, exceptionally soft-furred
tabby eagerly anticipated each working week with its variety
of tasks, humans and opportunities for communion with them. |
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A
strictly indoor boy, Tigger was a cat-of-all tasks who excelled
at welcoming visitors at the door, especially those not
used to acknowledging felines. If overlooked, he encouraged
the culprit to stroke him by gently tapping a retreating
leg. On the rare occasion the desired result was not forthcoming,
following the offender, sitting at their feet and asking
politely invariably did the trick. |
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| Computer-literate,
Tigger often demonstrated his ability to produce unusual
responses from one of the office computers as he tiptoed
past the keyboard for a spot of desk-top window “outdoor
guarding”
(usually done while the humans were having morning tea). |
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Tigger’s other specialities
were proofreading and checking outgoing mail, although it can
truly be said that he found every aspect of magazine production
interesting and never failed to notice something that required
his special touch.
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After a wonderfully
loving and productive life,
Tigger walked over the Rainbow Bridge.
14 December 1987 – 31 January
2005
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Introducing Lucy
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Having
had a “Ragdoll
in disguise”
in our midst for such a long time, our Very Special Boy
could only be followed by a real Ragdoll. |
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| Lucy
(“Ragdream
Lucinda”)
is a blue-cream mitted girl who joined us when she was 11
weeks old. A ball of the softest mostly white fur, she has
both the cheekiest nature and the most energy of any kitten
we’ve ever known. |
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Playful to the max,
she is highly intelligent and keen to learn how everything
works. While computer and telephone cords have their understandable
fascination, Lucy’s
favourite office “toy”
is the shredding bin. The combination of a few carefully
selected strips of shredded paper meeting the breeze of
the main office fan is irresistible. All work ceases while
Lucy dashes, leaps and somersaults about in an attempt
to control the pesky paper which the humans can only joyfully
observe without being in the direct chase zone.
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With the morning’s
aerobic exercise done, Lucy turns her attention to helping
the humans with some desk work, especially if it involves
highlighting paperwork. She favours the colour pink and
considers it an honour if the skirmish results in having
a coloured stripe on one of her paws.
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Like Tigger before her, Lucy has
quickly found her favourite sleeping spots in each of
the offices. In the subscriptions office she favours a
small empty box under one of the desks, while in the editor’s
office she favours the space behind the waste paper bin
(as well as its contents). Needless to say, there are
too many really interesting things happening in the packing
room to even think of sleep!
Also like Tigger before her, Lucy
considerately divides her time, choosing to sleep in the
subscriptions office in the morning and in the editor’s
office in the afternoon. All in all, she has the makings
of another fabulous VIP Staff Member.
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And then there were two…
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| Phoebe (“Dollywood
Phoebe”),
a bluepoint Ragdoll, came into our hearts the day
before her 2nd birthday. Swiftly nicknamed “the
gentle giant”
she is everything anyone could ever want in a Ragdoll
– extremely affectionate, sweet, talkative and
s-o-o relaxed – she loves sleeping flat on her
back, anywhere, any time! |
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Phoebe had
two previous “staff”
(as in dogs have owners, cats have staff) but
some determined cat genealogy located her breeder
and we learned that Phoebe looks very like her father,
both in colouring and size! Despite her previous relocations,
Phoebe settled in to her new home so smoothly that
within a few days it was difficult to believe she
hadn’t always been with us. |
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Phoebe enjoys office life
and has expressed a preference for the visitor’s
chair in the editor’s office, and is also partial
to camping out in the mail tray. Seeing an 8kg cat
curled up in a space into which Lucy (who is half
Phoebe's size) can only just fit is truly a sight
to behold.
Life is certainly sweet with
two gorgeous Ragdoll girls to supervise (and amuse)
us.
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