100th Post! A tale and a tail.

Baxterknits suggested that it would be a good idea to celebrate my 100th post with a Magnus retrospective. How could I refuse?! While looking through the old pictures of the Mog, I came across a file labelled 'Magnus Identification' which reminded me that I had not told the story of Magnus' catnapping. Now seems like the ideal time........

A year or two ago, Magnus disappeared. After two nights without sight of him we began to get worried. After all, this is a beast who never misses a mealtime. Days passed, then weeks and I began to fear the worst. Archie checked the main road for a familiar body and we walked throught the village calling his name. I used to stand at the foot of Magnus' favourite tree, by the circle where he had trampled the long grass into a nest. Tears were shed and the Mog seemed to have gone forever.

Then one Friday morning I was reading the local paper and there amongst the public notices for Jumble Sales and Evenings of Clairvoyance was a thank you from a Cattery about ten miles away. A lost cat had been returned to them at about the same time Magnus went missing and it had been found in our village in a street near to our house. I called the Cattery who were sympathetic but no, it couldn't be Magnus as the cat in question was female. Anyhow, the owners had collected their cat and were overjoyed to have her back. Something didn't feel quite right and I visited the people who found the lost cat ( it's a small village and people are easy to find. ) When they saw pictures of Magnus they agreed that it could have been the same fellow. The Cattery were having none of it though and they wouldn't let us contact the owners of the cat who had stayed with them. The people had also moved house and were living in the next county.

Time to bring on the big guns. Constable Steve, the village policeman took up the case and the Cattery owner cracked. We got the phone number and called the lost cat's owners. A visit was arranged but I didn't get my hopes up, after all, as far as everyone was concerned the lost cat had been a lady, not a big bruiser like Magnus. That weekend Archie and I drove to the next county and there, in a complete stranger's house, lying on a beautiful pastel sofa, was Our Boy. Magnus was so overwhelmed by our efforts to find him that he ignored us completely and the man we were visiting was convinced that the Mog was actually his female. In fact he went as far as to say: "That cat has a vagina." Yikes! However, we had done some forward planning and brought a selection of photographs with us, the resemblance was unmistakeable. The man began to waver and we agreed that the Mog could stay with him till his partner returned from a business trip and then they could both decide what to do. As we left, he joked that we would get Magnus back sooner if he misbehaved.

Two days later the phone rang - it was the man from the next county. "I'm bringing your cat back." he said. " It's just attacked one of my dogs."

******

And that is the tale of the disappearing Magnus. His own tail has had a reprieve - the vet is holding off from amputating as it looks a good bit better and there is a chance that it will be alright unmolested. It will never be as good as new but good enough will do us.

A competition to celebrate the 100th Post. The prizes are slowly being gathered and so far I've got a lovely tea towel with roses on the front, some of the most unlikely vintage knitting patterns and a hank of handspun. All you have to do is answer this question:

We got Magnus from the Cats' Protection League in Dundee. Which British footballer was he originally named after?

Hint - he has a famous wife and American connections. If no right answers, or all right answers appear, I'll pull a winner out of the hat. If anyone has been reading the Mogblog without commenting, now is a great time to come out and say Hello.