Cats& dogs: Tom, Moppie, Bo, Moos, Mats, and Maan
When we left the Netherlands 6 years ago, the 2 dogs Moppie and Bo and the tomcat Tom came with us.
Tom soon found a spot in the front garden. There he looked out over the street and was regularly cuddled by neighbours who walked by. One was his favourite, he often saw him coming from far away and then went straight to meet him, he came back in Lennart’s arms and after many cuddles and a treat they parted again. So nice to see. He was a very social cat, loved by many! Unfortunately he is no longer with us. He found his last spot at the water well where he liked to sit on top. And the grandchildren painted a beautiful stone for him.
Moppie and Bo are happy with their own part of the garden. They have a fenced-off area behind the house where they can run around freely, dig (Bo) and lie in the sun (Moppie). In the winter, Moppie likes to play in the snow, while Bo really likes his cushion, so inside. They are both very social dogs and really enjoy the attention they sometimes get from the guests (their property borders the “parking lot” for the guests). Once a day they go out with their owner, their daily round through the village. On the way they sometimes come across deer, foxes and hedgehogs, which you can bark at and then they run away. Too bad for them, but fortunately for the deer etc. And often one of the cats walks along.
5 years ago Moos came to live with us, born on a farm nearby. Even though he was only 8 weeks old when he came to us, it was almost impossible to keep him inside. A very enterprising cat that regularly sat high in the tree, liked to play with the guests and became a friend for Tom. He was a cheerful, lively cat, very present, but now that he is a you-know-what tomcat, he is a lot less cheerful and sometimes even grumpy. To cheer him up a bit, we thought we would find him a friend because he probably misses Tom….
At Katthemmet (animal shelter for cats) in Halmstad we found Mats and Maan (formerly Timon and Pumba), almost 2 years old, used to dogs and used to being outside. They are brothers so it was a wish to take them both. And we didn’t really think that was a problem. We went to meet them on Saturday and took a crate with us as a precaution. The introduction to the two went so well that we took them with us right away. We were able to keep them inside for a while, but it was almost summer so the doors and windows were open.
Mats is a very enterprising, naughty and curious cat and a great charmer! He loves attention and cuddling. He likes to investigate everything and then sometimes something goes wrong. We find him in the craziest places, in a basket, bag or on top of a shelf between all kinds of stuff. He is also able to open doors himself, so we warn our guests in advance to lock the door if they don’t like that.
Maan, on the other hand, is a bit mystical, lives up to his name and likes to be outside at night, does his own thing. A few years ago, one of our daughters made a tent for Moos, but he hasn’t used it much. Maan, on the other hand, finds it a nice place to retreat to. When the dogs are let out in the morning, Maan is already waiting to go inside and enjoy his kibble. Every morning in a fixed spot.
We really enjoy our animals, during the day but also in the evening with a cat on our lap and the rest curled up around us. In general, the guests are also charmed by the cats, they walk through the entire house while the dogs don’t come upstairs.
Deer regularly walk across the driveway or across the road.
A hedgehog lives in the bushes and sometimes Mr. Fox walks through the street.
And every now and then, on the way to Halmstad or Ljungby, you suddenly see a moose crossing the road. All that wildlife around and sometimes so close, it remains a special experience.