France in Focus

Yesterday our cat brought in a very small young sparrow which I managed to get out of it's clutches. The bird was very bloody but alive with no obvious major injuries so I cleaned it up a bit with a damp tissue & spent the next few hours with it in my hand to keep it warm.
Later on it's little heart was still beating & it's eyes were now open so I 'wrapped' it in an old wooly hat & put it in a straw filled box in the open stable to hopefully recover.
This morning, fully expecting to find it dead, I went to investigate & on looking in the box the little thing flew out past my head into the garden.
What a magic experience

That's wonderful, well don LAF !

How lovely for you to have been able to save its life and how fortunate for the sparrow that its would-be Assassin brought it in.

Well done, LAF! Indeed unusual for a young 'un to recover enough to fly.

Seems it's a week for it.
About 10 last night a 'strange' pure white cat passed by on our terrace so I went out to have a look. My wife said it had been around in the field all day.
After a few lip sucking, cat calling sounds from me it appeared from below a caravan I parked years ago.
A handfull of dried cat food enticed it out & after a few minutes it allowed me to touch it & was soon doing the very affectionate cat 'head rub' on my hand. It was obviously starving so we assumed lost or abandoned.
Our cat was hissing & spitting at this stranger so I left bowls of food & water plus a box to sleep in under the caravan & left it alone .
Our security cameras showed it still around at 4 o'clock this morning & all the food was gone.
Haven't seen the cat around yet this morning & if it's still about on Tuesday we'll take it to the vets to check it over & see if it's chipped.

This morning I went for an early morning walk the first time in months and the first thing I see is a hedgehog in the road - entrails everywhere - I hope it was a quick send off - I took a different route back home!

Cat was back again last night. Starving hungry & very friendly.
Fed him & left him yowling to come in the house where our cat was hissing at him.
Vets tomorrow if he's around in the day time.

Gor him to the vets this morning. He was very well behaved & let vet examine him. No chip & a very feint ear tattoo illegible. Vet said he's no testicles & probably about 10 yoa.
we've made enquiries localy & nobody admits to knowing a white cat.
This evening Charlie, for that's his new name, is trying hard to make friends with Chancy our cat. Nobody is fighting, Chancy's hissing seems to have subsided & the two are sitting on the terrace within a couple of metres of each other.
Seems like things are working out & Charlie will be coming to stay.

Good for you LAF, lucky cat !
It's heartbreaking the number of abandoned or unwanted animals there are. There are hundreds of cats looking for homes, the refuges/associations round here are swamped.