Mary Grace the Christmas cat (2025)

22/06/2025

It has been good to get back to work in the kitchen this week even if my enthusiasm is not yet back to where it was a few weeks ago. I did enjoy preparing some fresh salmon, grilling it simply in foil with some sweet chilli sauce & serving it with a side salad & some garlic infused baby new potatoes. Maintaining the garlic theme, last night I made a black garlic chicken stir fry which was well received. Not all the meals I have created this week have been suitable for kitties so on those days I have the Daddy well trained & he makes sure that all my brofurs & sisfurs get bigger helpings than usual of our wet kitty nums. One thing none of us kitties like are the green leaves of a salad although at this time of the year our humans seem to enjoy them. As for today I shall probably delegate to my sous chef, Kaz ( & Dave), who will throw something tasty on the BBQ. Oh yes, the humans will want some more green leaves as well. Yukky!

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

15/06/2025

We’re sure you’ll understand when we say that after the last few days our humans are just not ready to post our news & stories today, they need a little time to themselves which, naturally, they will spend with us as together we take stock of our losses & begin the climb back from the dark place we find ourselves in right now. Thank you for all your love, prayers, support & kind words. The Daddy says we will be back with you all next week.

All our love, the Anderson Kitties (plus our humans, Reg & Julie) ###

13/06/2025

I’m not usually lost for words but today is that day. I don’t know how to write this but here goes. We sadly had to say our goodbyes to Georgy Girl, one of Marklets trio (along with her brofur Harry & sisfur Lillibelle), as she was put to sleep following a road traffic accident this morning. To say our hearts are broken is an understatement. We live in a quiet cul-de-sac & a neighbour alerted us that Georgy had been hit by a vehicle. We are not blaming anyone. The driver may not have seen her so did not stop. We got her to the vet in a matter of minutes but her injuries were extensive & there would have been a big question mark over her quality of life had she made it through a major operation & a long period of recovery. She passed peacefully with Julie & myself by her side. This is three kitties passing over the Rainbow Bridge in just fourteen days (the others being Evie – who was effectively Georgy’s step-mother - & Alfie). Right now I blame myself for letting her down. Although we had the back garden professionally cat-proofed a few years ago, prior to this all three Marklets were used to coming & going as they pleased during daylight hours so I would let them out into the front garden & beyond first thing on a morning. All three Marklets had their very own distinctive purrsonalities & Georgy Girl was very much “the needy child”. OK, she was never really at all but she liked to think she was & it sure got her the attention she craved (& deserved). Along with Harry & Lillibelle she stole the show a few years ago when they appeared on our Christmas card as the Three Wise Kitties. We know she is no longer in pain as she flies free over the Rainbow Bridge but right now this is little consolation as our Three Mouseketeers are now a duo. We love you, Georgy Girl, & always will.

All our love, Reg on behalf of Julie, myself & all the Anderson Kitties ###

P.S. We ionically took out insurance on all three Marklets just a couple of days ago. At this time we do not know if they will pay out as there is a fourteen day exclusion clause. They will definitely not cover the cremation costs. Even before initial x-rays were taken this morning the cost was £500 ($700) so the total could well be nearer £1000 ($1400), this coming on top of Evie’s & Alfie’s costs. If anyone feels called to make a donation no matter how small do please PM me for PayPal details. Thank you.

08/06/2025

With so much upset over the last week following the loss of both Evie & Alfie neither cooking nor eating have been a priority as we all mourn their passing over the Rainbow Bridge. It looks, however, like new arrival Misty (see below) has quite an appetite so she will be keeping me busy in the days ahead. On Caturday night she discovered beef steak kebabs & micecream. She needs building up so I shall be preparing meals this coming week geared up to helping her & with help from my sous chef, Kaz ( & Dave), we shall plan a nutritious, kitty-furiendly menu.

Please welcome Misty, the latest addition to the Anderson kitty clan. She joins us from Bahrain via a ten month stay in-between Manchester & Blackpool on the West Coast. Although originally named after the footballer Lionel Messi the spelling was “Messy” & her UK adopter changed her name to “Ophelia” & now she’s “Misty”. Sadly her adoption hasn’t worked out as everypawdy hoped & this has been complicated by Misty having a flea infestation & she has developed pica, eating plastic, silicone & the kind of stuffing found in soft toys. She joins the furamily as a foster kitty & we will be working closely with our friends at her rescue charity to get her back on the road to recovery. The flea problem is being quickly resolved, the pica will take longer as our humans strive to work out the trigger. Genetic is unlikely given it has only recently begun. Medical also seems doubtful. This leaves dietary or stress as causes & from what we know either of these is a strong possibility. Most of our toys have been put away in case she eats them although our humans are organising set play times with Misty to keep her occupied & stimulated. Update: The Daddy collected Misty on Thursday night (just hours after the sad passing of Alfie). She was well behaved on a long drive home. She has been treated for her fleas as well as being given a worming tablet. On Friday the Mummy treated her with a “no water” anti-flea shampoo. She spent the last two nights with the Daddy in the spare bedroom & has been very well behaved. She has spent her waking hours eating & eating (& then eating some more!). She obviously has a gap to fill. Interestingly there is no sign of her eating anything other than food. She loves attention & being petted & is steadily integrating with the other kitties here. At the end of such a sad week losing both Evie & Alfie it is both a joy & an honour to have Misty here with us & we look forward to sharing her progress with you.

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

06/06/2025

A week that began sadly last Friday with the passing of Evie came to an end today (Thursday) with Alfie joining her over the Rainbow Bridge. His breathing had been laboured for quite some time together with a cough that clearly bothered him. Over the week he took to hiding away, his only obvious enjoyment being feeding time. A visit to the vettie confirmed what we all thought. Alfie was purring so loud that it was hard for the vettie to listen to his breathing. Although he was eating well his weight loss had been dramatic. There was the chance that with some medication Alfie’s stay with us might be prolonged but it would only have been for a matter of days. It was Alfie’s time to cross the Rainbow Bridge. We are almost certain it was lung cancer & it had probably spread. Our humans strongly believe that if you are keeping a kitty (or, indeed, any animal) alive for your sake rather than their’s then you shouldn’t have had them in the first place. Much as it hurts, you have to love them enough to let them go. So it was with Alfie who passed quietly on the Mummy’s lap with the Daddy stroking him. Alfie & his sisfur Maggie May (both now aged thirteen years old at a vettie best guess)were dumped in our garden in late 2020, they obviously stayed & soon established themselves as very loving kitties & part of the home. Alfie will be greatly missed but we can console ourselves knowing that he is now pain free & fully restored. Fly free over the Rainbow Bridge, Alfie. We love you so very much & always will.

For now, our love to you all, Reg, Julie & the Anderson Kitties ###

01/06/2025

I’ve had an interesting week in the kitchen with some quite complicated recipes & then some quite simple meals, going from one extreme to the other. Something new was wasabi Korean BBQ beef with sticky rice (it went down well with the humans so will be repeated!), pork, chicken & lamb kofta kebabs with a side salad & salmon with a sweet chilli sauce & new potatoes were then followed by sausages, baked beans & potato wedges. Friday night meant the usual pizzas which was probably just as well. Following the passing over the Rainbow Bridge of our sisfur Evie I was in no mood to cook & for their part our humans were not particularly bothered about eating either. Last night I prepared pasta stuffed with beef & served with a tomato, garlic & red wine sauce. Hopefully if the sunny weather returns this coming week I shall fire up the BBQ once again. It does confuse my brofurs & sisfurs, however, because when I tell them we are eating “al fresco” they think this is some Italian recipe I have prepared. Silly kitties. MOL.

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

30/05/2025

Sadly we have to announce that we said our goodbyes to our sisfur Evie this evening. After all the upset of this past week it is ending on an even sadder note. Evie had been going downhill for quite some time. She went to the vettie on Tuesday & was given an injection although we knew that we were on borrowed time with her. This afternoon our humans knew that the end was near & she was booked into the local surgery of our vettie for tomorrow morning. Late afternoon our humans knew that tomorrow would be too late. The vettie had two emergencies coming in. Our humans felt that although they would be gentle with Evie it would be too stressful to take her the ten or so miles to the main veterinary surgery in the next town. Evie passed away peacefully on the Mummy’s lap. For those of you who don’t know Evie’s story, she turned up here as a stray in 2017. The vettie reckoned this week that she was about 18 years old. When Fifi Trixibelle, mother of The Marklets ( Marklets), was ready to let them go (even though they stayed!) it was Evie who not only took on Daddy Mark but the three Marklets, Harry, Georgy Girl & Lillibelle, as well. She was the purrfect step-mother & loved them as her own. Despite the sorrow & tears we know that Evie is now pain free & reunited with Mark over the Rainbow Bridge where they are flying free.

For now, our love to you all, Reg, Julie & the Anderson Kitties ###

25/05/2025

Apologies to all our friends & furiends (& this applies across all the Anderson Kittybook pages today). We must, at least for now, be very careful with what we share with you. Some extremely libellous comments have been made against our humans on both Kittybook & Instagram. Some of the comments made are almost laughable were they not so serious. Our humans have the support of both the senior partner at our vets, the RSPCA & an extremely reputable cat rescue charity here in Britain. The police are involved & a firm of solicitors are being engaged. The unfounded posts from the other party have stirred up threats of violence against our humans. Our humans have been named, their pictures published & the town in which we live has been named. As you can imagine, our humans are concerned not just for their safety & wellbeing but ours as well. Anyone who knows our humans will equally know that they would do anything & everything for the safety, protection & health of not just us but any kitties they are involved with. On behalf of our humans we ask for your love, support, prayers, encouragement & understanding at this difficult & time. We are sorry we cannot explain the situation more fully but trust you will understand that we cannot whilst legal action is under way. We need you now more than ever. Thank mew. All being well we will back with our usual posts this time next week.

For now, our love to you all, the Anderson Kitties ###

11/05/2025

Sirloin steak on Monday (with plenty left over for my brofurs & sisfurs to share), a Chinese meal on Tuesday – beef in black bean sauce, char sui pork in kung po sauce & egg fried rice – pork steaks in a honey & mustard sauce with mashed potatoes & mixed vegetables on Wednesday & the usual pizzas on Friday. All very interesting I hear you say & obviously very tasty but what happened to Thursday? Well, it was grilled sausages & tomatoes, baked beans & potato wedges. Not too taxing for this Michelin starred chef but my humans said they enjoyed it so that’s all that matters really. No Sunday roast today. Instead we have some salmon which I shall grill in a sweet chilli sauce & then add some mixed vegetables. I’m sure there will be enough for humans & kitties alike. I took some time out from my hot & busy kitchen yesterday & joined my humans in the sun moving regularly from one lap to another, purring loudly & enjoying being petted. Yes, I was one very happy kitty.

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

05/05/2025

Another busy week in the kitchen although I did get a break on Wednesday as the humans went out for the Mummy’s birthday. Chinese beef in black bean sauce & Indian chicken balti curry with basmati rice, poppadoms & onion bhajis gave the week an international flavour. The usual Friday night pizza was followed up yesterday with fish pie (the latter enjoyed by humans & kitties alike). Today I am serving a traditional Sunday roast chicken with all the usual trimmings & vegetables. Bank holiday Monday will probably be sirloin steak – who knows, if the sun shines the steaks may even go on the BBQ? A chef’s work is never done.

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

27/04/2025

What did I write last week about my having an easier week in the kitchen? Well, it certainly didn’t happen. Easter Day’s roast leg of lamb was well received by the humans & when carving it the Daddy left lots of meat for my brofurs & sisfurs to enjoy. Displaying dog-like behaviour they stripped it bare, at times using it like a tug of war rope as they attacked it from both ends. Roast gammon on Easter Monday led to another kitties versus humans battle with everypawdy purring contentedly afterwards with full tummies. (Ed. I didn’t know that the humans purred as well). Last night I prepared a dressed crab salad as a starter followed by grilled salmon with a sweet chilli glaze. Soon the other kitties had swapped their bone for the crab shell. The Daddy describes it as being like feeding time at the zoo! Today I must prepare nums for a birthday party as Marklets (yes, all three of them) are celebrating their sixth birthdays. One day I will get to rest. MOL.

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

20/04/2025

Happy Easter! A busy last few days will culminate later with an Easter Sunday roast leg of lamb seasoned simply with garlic & rosemary. My sous chef Kaz ( & Dave) has already laid claim to the lamb bone &, when carving, the Daddy will be sure to leave plenty of meat on the bone for him. I’m sure he thinks he’s a dog – Kaz that is, not the Daddy! Pizza night Friday became pizza night Caturday as on Good Friday I prepared a meal of plaice, langoustines & Vietnamese tiger prawns in a cream & white wine sauce accompanied by baby new potatoes, petit pois & a Caesar salad. Tomorrow I have a smoked gammon joint as a further Easter treat. During this last week my super busy kitchen has also served up mixed meat (diced & marinated chicken, steak & lamb plus doner meat strips) kebabs served in pitta breads with garlic & chilli sauces & a side salad, savoury beef mince in Yorkshire puddings & chicken breast with a mediterranean style seasoning & special fried rice. I think after Monday I shall have earned a well-deserved rest!

Sending all my love & purrs, Gracie ###

Mary Grace the Christmas cat