It has been unavoidable at times recently not to leave bags on the ground at the bins, but if you know there’s something tasty to the foxes in your bag, double bag it. Please try to break up cardboard and press down bags to make space for others. Once an area has been established as a source of food, the intelligent gourmet’s pass on the knowledge to their family.

If you do see the foxes, shoo them – clap your hands – we need to give them a polite fright to hunt elsewhere. (Before they get so used to us that they sneer, before mugging the Iceland delivery man. Although the reports in Hyndland, AKA, fox central, is of more prevalent attacks on Sainsbury vans.)

While we’re on the gossip, the scandal of the backcourt has been the phantom-jobbier who’s been using the spot outside No.7’s back door as a toilet ! According to our resident jobbie expert, the likeliest culprit is a fox.

Added to this fox induced chaos, those of us who have cats, (whilst knowing that very few cats are attacked by foxes,) are unnerved by their presence. Our semi-outdoor cat was chased through the quad railings by a young fox at dusk a month ago. Now the look on the cat’s face with ears pinned back, eyes bulging and legs at all angles cracks me up…but I was a bit stunned at the time ! The fox was likely just responding to a perceived rival for food.

There are two other ‘rivals’ from the GOW gang: Miss Kitty the magnificent and well loved feral backcourt cat :
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and Thomas, or Tom the cat/slug hybrid who chooses when he’d like to crash at our flat :
These two kitty characters can spend nights outdoors and are both getting on a bit in age, so they’re a bit more vulnerable to stress and a chase from a fox. Even if you hate cats, think of your neighbours at No.7 doing what is now known in that corner, as the ‘dunnie hopscotch’ to avoid the fox droppings. It’s seriously embarrassing when the tenants at No.21 Gibson St gaze oot the windaes while doing the dishes.

‘moan the human/cat coalition !

Story  post image (via page navigation, not left) by Leo Reynolds (Flickr)

It sounds like Lisa Simpson on helium.

One tribute addressed to Dave read: ‘We’ve enjoyed your company immensely over the years and will miss and remember you.’ Tony Brown, 66, knew the cat as Atkinson. ‘When he died, we thought we ought to put a notice up because he was so well known,’ he said.

‘Suddenly, there was an extraordinary outpouring of grief and this Diana-like shrine began to grow. It was only then we discovered just how many people were looking after him.

‘You couldn’t own Atkinson, he was his own cat. My epitaph for him is he was owned by no one but belonged to everyone.’

Link via Neatorama, via Arbroath

Photo from tribute Facebook site, attributed to Jan Edwards.

As with many strays, or sophisti-cats, as Miss Kitty would surely prefer to be known, we never quite know how far she wanders or how many residents here and elsewhere feed and care for her outside her natural hunting regime.

As sophisticated as she is, Miss Kitty occasionally gets herself into some scrapes. If you’ve been reading our newsletter for a couple of years, you’ll know she has a predisposition for venturing into the basements of Westbank Quadrant, only to be locked in. We think it’s her version of the Priory when she’s eaten too many mice and pidgeons.

Although we’ve been calling her Miss Kitty, she’s known by several names ; ‘The little black cat’, ‘Kitty’, ‘The Stray’, and probably many others we’re not aware of because of her wanderings.

What do you call her ? Does she visit your flat for meets and treats ? Have you seen her outside of the triangle ?

Let us know. Also, if you have any photos of her, please submit them.