Shape Shifter (Tuesday 1st September 2015)

Sitting on my driveway as if it was his birthright to be there is this colourful character, the only literally magical cat I know. He appeared on our patch a couple of years ago. We don't know his name but Fluffy's mistress quickly named him Uther, after Uther Pendragon, who sired Arthur by coming to his mother in the form of her husband, who he had killed, using Merlin's magic.

I have seen him in quite a few places around our area so he has a fairly large territory, which unfortunately includes both Fluffy's and Smokey's homes.

He was such a frequent visitor at Fluffy's, even when Fluffy was there and watching him empty her food bowl that he was assumed to have become her friend, and allowed to stay. It was quite a long time before it became clear that this interloper had cast a spell to dominate and subjugate Fluffy, and so new catflaps were installed which only she could get through.

He has also been caught on numerous occasions at Smokey's food bowl (as has Fluffy on occasion), usually during the night. He is a polite cat and will always make a loud purring call to say thank you before making a swift exit. I have sight of the food bowl from my bed and have now spotlit it to identify who's there, so that I can shoo Uther away. Shouting isn't enough; I have to get out of bed and stamp towards him before he will run off at the last possible moment.

On one occasion, I heard someone at the cat bowl, and sat up to see that it was Smokey, so I relaxed back in bed, only to then hear his unmistakable "thank you" and saw his thick bushy tail retreating. It was then I realised that Uther, like his namesake, was a shape shifting cat. I think you can see something of his master Merlin's shadowy features in his visage, once you know.

L.
7.9.2015 (1141 hr)

Blip #1646 (#1896 including archived blips)
Consecutive Blip #002
Day #1988
LOTD #880 (#1001 including archived blips)

Cats series
Driveway series

Lozarhythm Of The Day:
Jesus and Mary Chain - Just Like Honey (recorded live, Glasgow Barrowlands, November 2014)
The Jesus and Mary Chain have been performing their entire first album, Psychocandy, three decades after its first release, on a live tour. The gig at Barrowlands was recorded for a live album, which arrived in the post on this day.


One year ago:
Somerset Levels