Stable Cats

I have two kittens!!! Every stable yard needs a cat especially when you have a major rat problem as we do. So I asked the syces to find a cat. They said they had a big cat before and it did not stay so it would be better to get two small cats. What I failed to understand by “small cat” is that they meant two tiny little kittens. Allegedly they are three months old but who knows. They are utterly adorable – one tortoise shell tabby and one grey tabby. I was a little dubious when they arrived because they are so tiny, but I got them some bacon and milk from the kitchen and they tucked in. I then had to go to Nairobi and I was half expecting them not to be here when I got back, or to be half starved because no one had bothered to feed them.

To my delight, I returned from Nairobi - with some Whiskas kitten food - only to find that (a) both kittens were still alive and well in the tack room, and (b) one of them devouring a rat that it had just caught! Not only that, they have become quite friendly quite quickly and they definitely consider the tack room their safe place. They are allowed to venture out during the day but they race back there as soon as anything scares them. Just as long as nothing tries to eat them, they could be a success. They are so sweet to have around the yard.

Had a very quick trip to Nairobi with Kate to get my visa sorted. Drove down one day and then back the next after a tedious morning at the passport office waiting to get my stamp to allow me to stay in Kenya another three months. Why is it that the world over employees in government offices are so unhelpful and rude? Even when you get to the front of the queue, they then like to pretend that they are too busy to even look up and acknowledge you for another five minutes. Then disappear with your passport for an hour whilst you sit and wait, just hoping that someone might appear at some point with it and tell you what to do next… Anyway, I am now a “registered alien” in Kenya so mission accomplished!

Kenya must be one of the cheapest places in the world to get a puncture fixed. Luckily for Kate and I, when we stopped in Nanyuki we noticed that one of the tyres was almost flat. It cost a little more than one English pound to get a garage to fix it and took less than ten minutes. We were so excited that we tipped the guy another pound which is probably almost as much as he earns in one day going by the smile on his face.

Finally, I saw a leopard on Lewa. Leopards are very elusive and not frequently seen here, although they are obviously around because many people have had their dogs taken by them. And then to top it off, after seeing the leopard, I saw six lions and six rhinos all in the same spot. The rhinos grazing away and the lions just lounging around. Not a bad game drive…