It is now four years ago today since my cat Merlin died and despite the time that has elapsed, I still miss him. Merlin’s death was particularly traumatic because he was only nine months old when he died. It happened at about five a clock in the evening when I heard the sound of a cat coming through the cat flap. This was not unusual, nor was the crying sound Merlin made as he laid on the floor. What was unusual was the fact that he didn’t run towards me and jump on my lap as he usually would. Initially I assumed that Merlin had been playing with bees again and had got himself stung which was a common occurrence.

On picking him up to look for the bee sting, however, there was no sign of one. I set Merlin back on the floor and it was then that I realised he couldn’t stand up. Merlin’s back legs and lower body simply lay limply on the floor. In a panic I ran outside to start the car whilst Rory phoned around looking for an emergency vet. There was no response at all from my car so Rory phoned our friend Owen who immediately set out to come and get us, so we could rush Merlin to the vet. Despite our best efforts Merlin got weaker and weaker on the short drive to the vets surgery and when we arrived he died.

Coming back without Merlin was a shock; although his injuries were severe I had assumed everything would be fine as long as we could get him to the vet quickly. We still don’t know what happened but it is most likely that Merlin had been hit by a car and managed to crawl home. Later we made the heart breaking discovery that there were claw marks all around the path outside the house and on the gate where Merlin had dragged himself home to where he felt safe and where he knew he would find help. I still wonder whether we could have done any more to help him although I’m fairly sure his injuries were too severe, but I can’t help feeling guilty that he died in such pain and I could do nothing.

As most pet owners know losing a much loved pet is like losing a member of the family and this was very much the case with Merlin. Not only did I have to deal with my huge sense of loss but Merlin’s sister Willow spent every day looking for him and crying. It was for Willow mainly that I took on two rescue cats Norman and Ornery (now called Oliver and Oscar). For me taking on those two cats made Merlin’s death more bearable because they so were so badly in need of a loving home. Willow accepted the new cats into her home and they are now one big happy family.

Merlin was such a distinctive personality. He had a very affectionate nature but was also fiercely independent. He was extremely naughty and would swat you with his paw whenever you walked past him. Above all Merlin was full of life and that is how I like to remember him.

Several of the UK’s supermarkets have announced they will phase out the sale of battery eggs. The decision has come because of consumer concerns over the impact of cheap food on animal welfare. Sainsbury, Morrisons and the Co-op will phase out the sale of eggs from battery hens. Marks and Spencer and Waitrose have already stopped selling eggs from battery hens. Sainsbury expect to end the sale of eggs from battery hens by next year. The Co-op has similar plans and Morrisons will phase them out by 2010. Tesco are reducing the shelf space for eggs from caged hens but have not yet announced a ban. Personally I always buy free range because they tend to taste better.

There seems to be hundreds of websites offering online bingo and all claiming to offer something different. With all this choice it can be a little confusing knowing which ones offer the best games. That’s where websites such as BingoPort are useful. BingoPort was created by Scott Logan and Roo Wright who have over 15 years experience in the gaming industry between them.

Their idea is that the website functions as a resource for UK bingo players by allowing them to see where to find all the best bingo action. They monitor bingo games in action allowing you to see where the best jackpots are, how many players are using each bingo website and what the current pot size is. They then rank the bingo websites based on all of these factors.

The website also includes a forum where users can talk about their experiences of websites they have used, how much they won or lost and generally how they rate the whole experience. If you want to play by don’t want to spend any money the BingoPort also offers a free bingo game. The free game allows you to chat online with other users so you can meet people within the online bingo community. It is available 24 hours a day and simply requires you to sign up to play the game. BingoPort certainly seems like a useful resource for all bingo players whether you are an experienced player or a first time user.

I have long been dubious about the use of fluoride in the drinking water as it has many potential side effects. One that I have experienced first hand due to having too many fluoride supplements as a child is permanently discoloured and mottled teeth. However, it has also been suggested that fluoride is also responsible for other complaints such as irritable bowel syndrome (from which I also suffer). This article suggests that overuse of fluoride can raise the risk of disorders affecting the teeth, bones, brain and the thyroid gland. The report published in 2006 recommends that the federal government lowers the current limit for fluoride in drinking water because of the potential risk to health. I’m not entirely convinced that there are any real benefits to adding fluoride to drinking water but I do think that if there are potential health risks associated with it, then it should not be added.

I read this article about a cat that survived two months in a shed by licking the condensation off the windows. The cat had become trapped in the shed after she followed her owner inside. The shed was then locked up for the winter with the cat inside. Whilst it is fairly amazing that the cat survived I find it a little strange that the cats owners didn’t think to check the shed for her. When one of my cats goes missing the first thing I do is retrace my steps to see whether they have followed me and become trapped when I have shut a door.

Cats seem to love blankets. My cat Willow particularly likes newly washed fluffy blankets. As soon as she finds them she starts pummelling the blanket with her paws whilst purring loudly before settling down to sleep. This picture was taken when I wrapped the blanket around her. As you can see Willow is quite happy.

According to this article energy saving light bulbs could trigger migraines and even seizures in some people. The Migraine Action Association has said that the flickering and the low intensity of the light do trigger migraines in many of their members. There have also been warnings from epilepsy charities about the increased risk of seizures from energy saving bulbs. With the government pledging to prevent the sale of the conventional light bulbs within the next four years this could be worrying for sufferers of both conditions. As a migraine sufferer myself I have replaced most of the bulbs in my house with energy saving bulbs and so far have suffered no migraines. However, it might be prudent for the government to research this issue further before going ahead with an outright ban.

I was reading this article the other day about a man called Arthur Boyt who has a novel idea for what to do with road kill. He thinks the best thing to with it is to make a casserole. One of his favourite recipes is badger casserole made using a roadkill badger, broccoli, parsnips, potatoes, tomatoes and wild mushrooms. He has also tried fox, sparrow, horseshoe bat and even porcupine. Needless to say his wife is a vegetarian.

I watched a documentary last night about a new type of doll called a Reborn. The dolls are highly customised to make them look as close to a real baby as possible even down to features such as veins and scratches. They weigh about the same as a real baby and have rooted hair and even manicured nails. The result is a doll like the one below.


The documentary which was shown on Channel 4 last night followed a lady who customises these dolls in order to make them look as real as she can. Personally I find the dolls more than a little disturbing but what I found more disturbing was some of the people that purchase them.

The programme centred on a few individuals, one lady who has converted a room in her house into a nursery. She owned several dolls and spent her time buying them expensive clothes, changing their nappies and styling their hair. She even went as far as to take them out shopping with her in a pram. The programme went onto to show her excitement at going to the US specifically to pick up her new “baby”, only to find it was not perfect and she would need to leave it behind, despite the fact she had already bonded with it.

Another lady featured in the documentary wanted a baby as a substitute grandson. Her grandson Harry had lived with her for the first few years of his life, when his mother had met a new partner and emigrated leaving the grandmother, missing the baby. Her solution was to visit the doll maker who made her a “Harry baby” which she appeared to adore. Her husband, however, was not so enthusiastic bout the new addition to the family. Personally I felt this lady would have benefitted from either spending some time with her real grandson or seeking some help to get over her feeling of loss.

You can view some of the clips from the documentary here but I think most people will agree there is something slightly odd about a grown woman pushing a doll around a shopping centre in a pram. As for the dolls themselves I’m not sure why but they remind me a little bit of Childs Play, maybe I’m missing the point? Either way the programme made interesting viewing.