Curly cat, Heidi hog and an abundance of fallen leaves

This may look like the back of someone’s head, but it’s my pygmy hog, Heidi, all curled up.

The problem I have with Heidi at this time of the year, is that she’s not a native hedgehog. Given she’s an African species and is only a quarter of the size of an adult native hedgehog, if she gets cold she will attempt hibernation and given her small size, isn’t capable of it, so will die.

This has me constantly worrying about how warm her room is. If Hubs and I have the logburner on, and the central heating off, I have to be constantly mindful of how cold she is. I do have a heater in her room, so I’m constantly up and down the stairs turning it on and off.

A few weeks ago, to my horror, I discovered Heidi’s quarters full of blood! I rushed her to our local vet…TWICE, on the same day! They knocked her out but had no clue what was wrong or how to treat her and sent her home still bleeding.

I was utterly furious, especially when they advised an exotic, out of hours vet, in Manchester, so I ended up ringing the rescue vet who is far more used to hedgehogs, exotic and native. Given what I told her, she immediately suspected a urine infection and treated her promptly.

Long story short, I was given a weeks worth of jabs to administer and was delighted to see Heidi recover almost immediately.

About halfway through the week, Heidi, who is now wild and hissy when handled, as I don’t treat her like a pet, jumped like a flea as I tugged on a suitable spot for her jab, and I unfortunately jumped with her and the shot went wild, straight into my left arm, and given I had my finger on the trigger, I injected myself!

Happily, there were no side effects!

Curly cat is now ancient, arthritic and totally deaf. The older he gets, the harder it is for him to decide if he wants to be in or out.

I’ve always known that he’d have to be a house cat at some point, so in preparation for this I decided to move him out of the lounge, where he sleeps at night, and into Hubs study, which is quiet and has a lock on the door.

Hubs has gradually [kicking and screaming] become resigned to the fact that his study is a place where innumerable animals seem to pass through.

Curly cat wasn’t keen on his new quarters initially and nervously prowled around the room before deciding to sleep on hubs desk, totally ignoring his bedding and cat basket, so I moved his bedding to the desk and he’s happily settled down to sleeping there. Given the awkwardness of cats, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly he adjusted to this huge change.

In others news…

buzzards are now gracing our skies. They moved into the area a few years ago and are now breeding. It’s fantastic seeing such huge birds soaring at such great heights!

There are still roses lingering on the rose bushes.

Yew berries are out, they’re great for wildlife but utterly toxic to us. Ancient yew trees can often found in cemeteries as it was thought that they acted as a channel between the living and the dead.

The leaves and nuts are raining off the beech trees, no brilliant reds and yellows this year, they simply turned brown and shed very quickly.

They are absolutely everywhere. I keep brushing them into heaps as it’s difficult for two and four-leggeds to walk on all those crunchy nut cases.

There are still tons of leaves to fall, it’ll take all autumn and winter to finally clear them.

Apples are also littering the ground. I leave them for the blackbirds who adore them.

The courtyard is a mass of leaves too and given all the rain it’s becoming dangerously slippy everywhere.

It seems a waste of time brushing them up at the moment, better to wait until they have all dropped.

And Finally….

I simply had to collect a few deliciously shiny conkers. These were priceless when I was a kid, we would even shake them out of the trees. It’s criminal seeing children walking right past them. How could such a brilliant game like conkers die out?

LET’S KEEP IN TOUCH!

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44 Comments

  1. Hi, its been a long time since I last visited but I’m kind of interested in blogging again. I can’t remember what my blog name was in a previous incarnation but I’m from Sheffield.
    It’s great what you do for animals and great you’re still writing about it. Funny about you injecting yourself, hope it didn’t affect anything adversely.
    Take care.

    • Hi Mick, lovely to hear from you. I’ve missed you. Last I heard from your blog what that your dad was suffering…..hope that went as well as it possibly could. You should start blogging again, Gill, Menhir, and AnneMarie amongst others are still around. Be good for the old crew to catch up with you!xxx

  2. I was sure it was a person!
    Amalia
    xo

  3. Great autumny post and great images. Winter is coming. We are having a mixture down our way but summer isn’t coming yet.

  4. You do have some strange creatures. That hedgehog is the strangest yet. I expext Hubs never knows what will turn up in his study next. But anything must be better than the pigeon.
    Autumn is happening quickly isn’t it? I have two horse chestnut trees, so conkers everywhere. I still can’t resist picking them up they are so shiny and beautiful. But I renember bruised knuckles from playing conkers and I never liked making holes in my best big ones.
    Buzzards have appeared here too, I have never seen them in Suffolk before. They are new like the gorgeous little egrets which first appeared a few years ago and can now be seen on all our rivers.

    • Can you believe I’ve had Heidi nearly three years now? How time flies eh? Hahaha, you remember the pigeon? That bird even pushed my boundaries, I’m still cleaning up the residue! I wish I had a horse chestnut tree, conkers are indeed beautiful!! Gosh,you have buzzards too, they must be on a roll! We have always had egrets….gorgeous creatures. Thanks Chloris.

  5. I was curious about your comment about buzzards since your delight in seeing them suggested that they have been scarce in your area. Were they almost wiped out at one point and now making a comeback? What we call “buzzards” over here are really Turkey Vultures. They used to be rare in Maine but now we have hordes of them, circling, circling, circling, with those enormous wings. Enjoy your buzzards and the change in seasons.

    • We never saw buzzards here, they are new in the area and most welcome. Interesting that you call them turkey vultures, I must go look that up. We’ve had buzzards in the rescue so I have a good idea what they look like so can compare them to yours. Oh yes! Circling at great heights resonates! Thanks Brenda!xxx

  6. I’m so sorry Heidi and yourself had to go through such stress but so glad you could be in contact with a vet that knew what the problem was .. and OMG ! injecting yourself must have been beyond a surprise ? .. phew ! so glad you didn’t have a reaction to that ! ..
    You are right about that picture of Heidi .. looks like some one’s head for sure .. haha
    Curly is like my Sophie …she wants her beds to be on the move to her next favorite spot 😉
    I’m glad you were able to find him a nice quiet one he finally likes .. I had to look up to see what a conker was ! .. you can actually put them in with clothes to act like a mothball if needed .. they become that kind of repellent as they dry out .. now that was interesting!
    Thank you for dropping by my blog 😉 .. I think your photos are very special .. they capture a wonderful atmosphere .. and your love for your little zoo there is very much a part of them.
    I’m off to try and work in my garden in preparation for planting Spring bulbs … big job, hope I can get it done in the next 2 weeks.

    • I was so relieved once I was in contact with the rescue vet. I’m often surprised at how little mainstream vets know about hedgehogs! Heidi is the same as a wild one and they treat those! Who knew conkers acted as mothballs, others have said they repel spiders, sadly that doesn’t work here! Oh…I really need to plant some spring bulbs too! Thanks Joy.xxx

  7. I so enjoy these days of autumn when the last flowers are still blooming, the leaves are falling, and the nature outside my house looks different every single day.

  8. lowcarbdiabeticJan

    “How could such a brilliant game like conkers die out?” … I know it’s such a shame, many a happy hour was spent playing conkers.
    In these ‘modern times’ we still go out searching for conkers but they are used for decoration and keeping spiders at bay!
    How times change, and not always for the better …

    I enjoyed seeing your photographs, it’s nice to see some colour still in the garden.

    All the best Jan

    • It is a shame to see such an entertaining game die out!I still collect conkers though, sadly, they don’t deter the endless stream of spiders invading our house! Thanks Jan.xxx

  9. Dearest, Fall is coming…
    with all things with it changes our gardens and lives outside the house. We have a lot of work to do, useless to say that we must need some help from a gardener. It’s the moment of the year I like and dislike at the same moment, I don’t know why maybe because of the cold season coming right after. Hugs and love to all :-)c

    • Autumn is lovely but such a lot of work indoors and outdoors! My house is overflowing with spiders building webs, they are always just out of reach so I can never put them out! It will take forever to clear all those leaves. Love and hugs to you all. xxx

  10. No wonder you were furious with that vet, I’m glad Heidi is recovering and that you didn’t have any ill effects after injecting yourself, I bet that was a bit scary,

    • You do expect a vet to be more informed, a pygmy hog is pretty much the same as a wild one and plumbing is the same in all mammals! Two visits and no treatment? Unforgivable! I was even making suggestions re probable causes! Thankfully, Heidi is tiny so to was the dose! Thanks Sue.xxx

  11. Personally, I’d like to send all the health and safety nannies off somewhere: preferably isolated, where they can’t do any more damage. I have no idea what conkers are, or what the game is, but the insistence on cutting children off from nature, natural play, occasions to indulge their curiosity, and to vent a little energetic steam in the process is nigh until criminal. That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it!

    Cats do have their own mind about things, don’t they? And your concerns about the temperature for your little hog reminded me of another Brit I know who’s had a pet tortoise (or turtle) and has to be very careful about arranging for hibernation. I haven’t see a post from him in a couple of years; I need to go have a look and see if he’s still around.

    I love falling leaves, but none here, so far. Of course, our palm trees and such aren’t anything like a good maple or elm!

    • Couldn’t agree more re all the health and safety nannies!
      Conkers, a wonderful little game, were you run a string through a horse chestnut and hit another conker threaded likewise. The aim is to have a champion conker that survives multiple games. I had a twentier once! There were many tricks used to harden conkers too, like soaking them in vinegar, or painting them with varnish, even shoe polish.
      I hope you catch up with your blogging friend, I feel for him, keeping exotic animals warm can be a tricksy balance. Thanks Linda.xxx

  12. Good post and pictures, it’s all looking very autumnal. I’m glad to see that that both Heidi and Curly are now okay.
    Seeing those conkers made me smile and brings some fond memories from long ago. xx

  13. Autumn has clearly arriving at Chez Dina and Co:). Glad to hear that the little hedgehog is flourishing, thanks to you and also glad to hear that you don’t have some rare disease having injected yourself:)

    Enjoy the autumn days…it’s actually sunny today – and all your animals and of course because little granddaughter. janet XXXX

    • Autumn has certainly arrived here with all the falling leaves and endless rain! I’m happy that there were no side effects from that jab too….who would have thought such a thing was even possible! Little grand is such a source of joy. Thanks Janet.xxx

  14. I’m pleased to know that blackbirds like apples! I’ll move some storm damaged fruit from the veg patch to the car park garden to see if I can tempt the friendly blackbird to come back.
    There will be no leaves to sweep up for me this autumn as the lime trees were severely pollarded last week. They look horrible now, just large totem poles; more importantly, all the birds now have to find new homes and shelter – and I have to find somewhere else to hang my bird feeders!
    Shiny brown conkers are so beautiful – little kids still pick them up here but the older ones are too busy with their phones and social media, such a shame.
    Lovely story about Heidi Hog’s return to health – lucky the injection wasn’t harmful to you, what a shock! Have a good weekend, xxx

    • Blackbirds and many other birds love gorging on apples, I put them out all year round! Oh…those poor trees, hopefully they’ll grow back by next year! I just love conkers, as you say they are so shiny and rich! Thanks Caro.xxx

  15. I think that the game of conkers has disappeared for several reasons, not least health and safety but also because children play out much less than they used to, sadly.

    I hope Heidi is feeling better now and you have not suffered any side effects since.

    I loved your story of Curly and the study, love that he is sleeping on the desk, hope Hubby is still happy about it all!

    • How true re children not playing out these days! Such a shame to see the game die out and conkers left idling on the ground! All was well after the self-inflicted jab! I’m really thrilled Curly has taken to his new quarters with so little fuss. Hubs has given up re the animals sharing his study. Thanks Sustainablemum.xxx

  16. Oh no! It could only happen to you, couldn’t it? I’m glad there were no side effects, and I hope you eventually managed to get the required medication into Heidi without any further mishaps. Cats are strange creatures, they know their own mind and there’s no changing it for them. Curly will sleep where he wants to sleep, I’m glad he didn’t put up too much fuss about changing rooms. I don’t think kids even know about conkers these days, they’re not allowed to play with them in the playground, health and safety!, totally ridiculous.

    • I’m just surprised now that it hasn’t happened before! Heidi is the hardest hog I’ve ever injected, the wild one curl up and don’t move, she was leaping around like a flea! I’m so pleased Curly switched rooms so easily, I expected more of a raucous! Kids don’t know about conkers any more….goodness, fancy schools banning the game! I shall teach Littl’urchin! Thanks Jo.xxx

  17. The garden looks so colorful and beautiful, Dina! But yes, those leaves can be very slippery, so please be careful.

    I did laugh at the jab story, but that could have been dangerous, so I’m sorry for laughing and glad you weren’t hurt. 💗

    I’m always amazed at how many animals pass through your home. Your sweet husband is a wonder, and you, my dear, are a saint. Goodness! All those precious lives you’ve saved! Thank you; you inspire me!

    I would play conkers! They do look like chestnuts… we don’t have to throw them at each other, do we? 😜

    Blessings on sweet Heidi, darling Curly, and all the others in your care, plus Hubs and you, of course! I hope your autumn continues to be glorious!

    • You laugh away, I did! I’m just surprised it hasn’t happened before given how many jabs I’ve administered to animals! A saint? Me??? Sadly, not remotely close!!! Often the animals drive me stir crazy! You’re the inspiration!!!
      Hahaha, no we din’t throw the conkers at each other, just often accidentally hit each other in the face and knuckles with them. Conkers was a wonderful little game were you ran a string through a horse chestnut and hit another conker threaded likewise. The aim was to have a champion conker that survived multiple games. I had a twentier once! There were many tricks used to harden conkers too, like soaking them in vinegar, or
      painting them with varnish, even shoe polish.
      Thanks Kitty, love to all at Full Moon. Hope the house hunting is going well.xxx

  18. Interesting to read about Heidi’s problems … bad luck to inject yourself though! Good to see Curly cat is settling into her new abode… Hubes is doing well to accept his study being taken over… I thought you kept Heidi in there sometimes? Your garden is full of autumn colour … looks lovely, enjoy it all.

    • Thankfully Heidi has been as right as rain since her bleed. Poor hubs has given up re animals flowing through his study, it has a lock on the door which keeps Buddy out. The last hog we kept in there was the one Laura found. Heidi lives in an upstairs bedroom, again, with a lock on the door. Thanks Gerrie.xxx

  19. Your garden and courtyard look deliciously Autumnal. They are an allegory for Curly Cat. It’s lovely that Curly has cosy comforts.

    Inject yourself!!!! You wouldn’t happen to know which antibiotic it was and what the dose was would you? Delighted to hear there were no repercussions. Talk about risks……..

    It was interesting to see what Heidi looked like. What is an optimum temperature for her type of genus?
    Xxx

    • I’m delighted that Curly took to the change in rooms so easily. Cats can be horribly stubborn about such things.
      The vet made up the weeks syringes so I have no idea what the dose or antibiotic was. I’m glad there were no problems!
      Regarding pygmy hogs, the advice is if we are chilly so are they. Thanks Menhir, hoping your recovery is going well.xxx

  20. You made me roar with laughter with your story about injecting yourself instead of Heidi! Poor Curly Cat – I’m glad that he’s settled well into Hubs’ study! Your garden is looking wonderfully autumnal and I now want to rush out and gather conkers – there’s probably some health and safety rule which bans school children from playing with them anymore! Happy sweeping :0) ! xx

    • Haha….I couldn’t believe it when I took Heidi’s shot! Never work with children or animals!
      Curly cat is coming in earlier and earlier each evening which I’m grateful for, he’s too old to be out in the cold. Yes, I’m sure conkers has been banned! I did take many a hit in the face and knuckles though! Thanks Veggiemummy.xxx

  21. I don’t know Conkers the game, but those look like chestnuts — are they edible?

    So glad you got poor Heidi sorted. She looks adorable all curled up like that.

    There’s good news and bad news to having taken out the Chinese flame tree in my garden. It was the only deciduous tree and with it gone, there will be no falling leaves. Looks like you’ll have enough fallen leaves for the both of us!

    • Oh conkers, a wonderful little game were you run a string through a horse chestnut and hit another conker threaded likewise. The aim is to have a champion conker that survives multiple games. I had a twentier once! There were many tricks used to harden conkers too, like soaking them in vinegar, or painting them with varnish, even shoe polish. Sadly these aren’t edible. I certainly have enough leaves for the two of us! Thanks Anne.xxx

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