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Sa Majesté Louis Catorze, Le Roi Soleil, supreme ruler of Le Château, sworn enemy of canine foe and scourge of Ocado delivery drivers.

Mon esprit en feu, mon âme en feu

11/09/2023

On Saturday it was the hottest day of the year in the U.K., beating the record which was set, erm, the previous Thursday.

Cat Daddy and I absolutely hated it, and cursed all the people who complained about the short-lived summer (yes, the heatwave is YOUR FAULT). But, for Louis Catorze, it was business as usual, and the poor little sod couldn’t understand why I didn’t want him on my lap. Likewise, I couldn’t understand why he DID want to be on my lap. So it was a day of cluelessness and misery all round.

We have, of course, read lots of advice regarding keeping cats cool during a heatwave: multiple water stations*, that kind of thing. However, following the success of his advice on how to upend a bin bag, Catorze would like to offer his own tips for dealing with a heatwave. No, none of them make logical sense. But then nothing about him ever does.

*We tried this with him during the last heatwave. He used his extra stations a grand total of 0 (zero) times.

1. Sleep in the part of the garden that traps the sun all day:

*The shade is, in fact, my shadow whilst taking this photo. So not real shade at all.*

2. Head for the hottest room in the house:

3. Snuggle up on a woollen cushion, underneath a fluffy winter blanket:

If you are able to do all of the above whilst also drinking no water whatsoever, letting yourself shrivel into a dry husk that crumbles to dust when the wind blows your way, extra kudos to you.

Please, no more freak heatwaves. We want crisp air and pretty leaves and morning mist and pumpkins. PLEASE.

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36 responses to “Mon esprit en feu, mon âme en feu”

mary mcneil

11/09/2023

My cats, thankfully, forgo cuddling when it is extra hot.

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  Le Roi doesn’t. And despite being a tiny animal, he radiates heat!
  
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M –

11/09/2023

Our Summer came late here in Cali and I for one am very happy. We don’t get much in the way of “seasons” where I live, but I definitely could do without the months between October 31st and March 1st.

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  What’s it like during those months?
  
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  1. M –
    
    11/09/2023
    
    Here in the South Bay it doesn’t get too cold (or too hot) and doesn’t snow (Thank Goddess). We have what you would call a mild Meditteranean climate. I just hate the cold. Don’t mind rainy days if they’re mild temperature-wise. But I prefer warm, Summer days and nights.
    
    I used to “get into” the holiday season many years ago, but I have evolved into celebrating Spring/Summer/early Fall. Mabon’s coming up and I am looking forward to making my Mabon Apple Cake.
    
    And I DO love Halloween. Quelle surprise. Always have.
    
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    1. iamthesunking
      
      11/09/2023
      
      Ooh, I’m planning a Mabon plum cake! 😊 Our apples have already been and gone but I’m hoping I can scavenge some plums from somewhere.
      
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      1. M –
        
        12/09/2023
        
        Do you have the recipe for your plum cake online?
        
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        iamthesunking
        
        12/09/2023
        
        No, it’s not a regular thing that I do so I’ve not found a recipe yet! I’ll let you know when I do, though!
        
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        M –
        
        12/09/2023
        
        Please. It sounds really yummy and I’d like to try it this year.
        
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        iamthesunking
        
        12/09/2023
        
        I usually eat low carb so I’m probably going to look for a keto recipe. When we used to have a plum tree and more plums than I could handle, I used to soak some in vodka to make plum vodka and once all the liquid was bottled, I’d use the boozy plums in a cake. My mother-in-law, who was diabetic, ate a massive fat slice after an argument with her husband and it sent her blood sugar through the roof.
        
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        M –
        
        12/09/2023
        
        Here’s my recipe for the Mabon Apple Cake (I substituted one of the apples for a mix of raisins and chopped pecans last year and it came out even better!
        
        Celebrating Fall ~ Mabon Style
        
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        iamthesunking
        
        12/09/2023
        
        Thank you! And I love the picture of Ramses looking pensive!
        
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Sini M

11/09/2023

Maybe he’s banking solar energy for winter..? 🤣

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  Well, he is the Sun King! 🤣🤣🤣
  
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Mme Chapeau

11/09/2023

The weather in Belgium looks like yours, and Timon seems to behave as oddly as Louis.
😺

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  Is Timon a Chat Noir?
  
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  1. Mme Chapeau
    
    11/09/2023
    
    No, he isn’t. He is a tabby who, unlike Louis, doesn’t like sitting on any lap.
    
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Herman

11/09/2023

We’re in the third heatwave this year… Temperatures will drop down from tomorrow and just like in the UK, we’re breaking the hottest day record (in September) everyday. The hottest room in my house is my bedroom (29ºC), the coolest room: Jimi’s bedroom (24.5ºC).
I ordered an airco in June but I’m still waiting for the placement… Louis seems to enjoy that freaking hot weather…

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  Oh yes. 33°C and he was burrowing deep into those blankets.
  
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Penny Cooper

11/09/2023

It’s all down to black fur stupidity! Given HD a chance Merlot would have been out laying in the beating sun but I kept him indoors where he actually applied some common sense which really shocked me! I love the heat, in it’s rightful place in July and August but yesterday and still today I’m in so much pain from my body simply not coping. My legs feel as though I’ve run marathons yet I’ve been indoors and keeping dosed up on my pain meds. I always welcome a September Indian summer, where the temps reach 22 degrees but the world has gone crazy!

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  Black fur stupidity! 🤣🤣🤣
  
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Kate Crimmins

11/09/2023

Last week was hot and humid here but the cats still sought out the sunspots for naps. Maybe a sunspot in an air conditioned house isn’t as hot but it didn’t tempt me.

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1. iamthesunking
  
  11/09/2023
  
  So weird. They are covered in fur.
  
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  1. Kate Crimmins
    
    11/09/2023
    
    The fur insulates both ways. Keeps them cool in the heat and warm in the cold. For us mortals, it looks like an unneeded extra blanket.
    
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  2. Penny Cooper
    
    11/09/2023
    
    😂😂😂
    
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Marie-Luce, miaougraphe

12/09/2023

Here the heat is gone after a week of canicule. I don’t know if it’s for good, but I’m enjoying the brisk autumn air while it is here.
My cat, who passed away this year, wasn’t quite so fond of hot spots in the heat, but did stick to me closely. Winter or summer, it didn’t matter to him, he would cuddlecright next to me. After many hot summer nights, I realize that in doing so, we were trading heat in a way that was somewhat soothing. It wasn’t a cure to feeling too warm, but it made it more bearable.

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1. iamthesunking
  
  12/09/2023
  
  The brisk autumn air hasn’t quite made it here yet!
  
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  1. Marie-Luce, miaougraphe
    
    13/09/2023
    
    It will come, don’t despair !
    
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cat9984

12/09/2023

He must be solar-powered this time of year

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1. iamthesunking
  
  12/09/2023
  
  Yes, I think he’s charging up for more mischief later!
  
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Dr. CaSo

12/09/2023

Next time you adopt a cat, call him the Moon King, sounds much safer 😉

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1. iamthesunking
  
  12/09/2023
  
  Ooh! I like the sound of that cat!
  
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Pamela Lindholm-Levy

12/09/2023

A different subject from the post…..I’m giving my very, very fearful foster cat gabatentin to help her relax. It doesn’t seem to be working that well, but I remembered your posts about giving it to Catorze and the issues with disguising it in Spanish ham or something like that. I have a powdered form in capsules, half a capsule- contents stirred into wet food a.m. and p.m. She eats mostly at night when it’s dark in her room, but she doesn’t reject any food at this point (she’s underweight for her age). I could probably find exotic ham here in Portland, but so far it’s not necessary.

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1. iamthesunking
  
  12/09/2023
  
  That’s amazing that she eats it in wet food! Do you need to up the dose, maybe?
  
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  1. larrypam
    
    12/09/2023
    
    Maybe. She doesn’t eat as much of her a.m. food as she does her dinner. I don’t want to put too much extra gabapentin on dinner, but should probably run this past the shelter folks. This cat hides in her bee hive all the time that I go in to see her. She’s in a large kennel with food and water. If she doesn’t mellow out a little bit she will go back to the shelter and into a behavior modification program. I”m not ready to pull her out of the kennel and try to make friends and terrify her even more. When I sit in the room and read quietly she never comes out of her hiding place.
    
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    1. iamthesunking
      
      12/09/2023
      
      Oh yes, I did mean upping the dose with the proper advice.
      
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