Heresy I know, but I wish we had a different nickname. I loathe magpies! I`m sat here at my computer and have just seen two magpies do a smash and grab raid on a nest in the hedge. Our cat from hell has been watching it for weeks, and the young birds, quite well feathered now, have been well and truly protected by their Mum (I assume) when they have ventured out. She chased our very own Mogzilla, and scared him half to death! These two magpies have just dragged one of the young birds out and onto the patio. It`s actually made me feel quite sick - bloody cannibals. I`ve chased them off, but the young bird is all but dead, and I don`t know what to do! Help!!!{:o0

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Answers

How badly injured is it?

Is it fully fledged?

If it's badly injured and not fully fledged then you'd be doing it a favour by putting it out of it's misery....if it's fledged and not too badly injured (and you haven't touched it) then just leave it and hope for the best....

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Galaxy

Leave it a while, it might just be very badly shocked, so just put it somewhere safe and quiet and keep an eye on it. Once it's calmed down you'll be able to see better how badly injured it is.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Thanks for the advice you two - but I think I`m too late. B@astards have dragged it off somewhere while I was locking the cat away so he couldn`t have his four pennyworth. I know you should just leave baby birds alone, and hopefully mummybird will know what to do, but I think this one was just about fatally injured. It`s mad, me feel quite queasy, but having said that, there is no way I could have despatched it anyway, just wouldn`t be able to do it. Ugh - nature in the raw and all that! (:o|

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Well at least Magpies aren't as bad as Black Cats! Thos b@$t@rds kill far more than a few baby birds. BTW - sorry you had such a nasty experience Gal. However, it is nature and not a lot you can do about it. You're right to try to keep your pet Mogzilla under control but you can't be expected to do the same with magpies - unless you get a gun of course, but then we'd all be up in arms if you shot a magpie!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I've heard that the Antipodean variety of magpies are far more vicious and even attack people!

We get loads round our way, and personally I love them...and the nickname. Beats "the black shats", "red devils", "the blues", "toffees", "bantams", "gooners" etc et.f**kin'.cetera

Get proud Gal! :-)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Fortunately neither of our cats are proficient killers. The young cat hasn`t presented me with anything yet - thank God. And our old Persian cat, George, has only ever had one hunting experience. He should have died six years ago, serious liver failure with toxin levels in his blood that went off the scale. However, he did survive, but it left him ever so slightly dappy! So his a bit doo- lally, but happy, and never ventures beyond the edge of the patio. We do, however, have a family of collared doves in the garden, who occasionally take a stroll on the patio. They are particularly dim birds, about as bright as chickens, but at least they can fly, and are very pretty too. Anyway, one landed on the patio, and George, who knows what was going through his mind, took a flying leap and landed on its back! I was gob-smacked! George, dove squashed beneath him, looked at the dove, looked at me as if to say `well, what do I do now?`, then just gently stood up and released the bird. And the bird, with not much haste I have to say, looked over his shoulder at George and eventually flew off!(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Alright Bobby - I`ll be proud of Magpies, but not magpies, OK?(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

My cat has only ever brought back one catch: a sausage. She tried to convince me that she'd killed it all by herself.

Not a born hunter, I think

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Pistacchio nuts. Hundreds of them. I don't have the faintest idea why. Oh, rolled up socks out of the laundary basket...asking for it they are.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Yelli`s old cat, Geronimo, who we sadly lost last year at the age of 19, was incredible. He was a real killer I`m afraid, but had this astonishing habit of, whenever there was a litter of kittens or puppies in the house, bringing his kills home and leaving them in the porch. He never brought them home at any other time, only when there was a litter in the house! He obviously took his roll as provider very seriously.

My Irish Setter used to pick kittens up and bring them to me. First time he did it, I expected him to drop a headless kitten at my feet! But he didn`t, he was SO careful, and ever so gently handed me a completely unfazed kitten. Wonderful dog! (:o)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I'm afraid my cat has started presenting me with the heads of seagulls. She's a tuff bugger I'll give her that!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Wor cat used to bring in rabbits. Live ones which then hit behind the washing machine, only to be rescued by me and returned to the warren up the road. Only after the second time did I notice the cat had run up the road ahead of me and was waiting right above the warren for me to release the rabbit back to the wild for the whole thing to start again.

'fraid I put an ened to that. I never took the rabbits back after that.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

It's amazing how many of us say how much we love nature and how much the reality of nature sickens us.

I am no exception.

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Jonno

Don't think I'm sickened by it...it's just a bit messy clearing up after Raymond's brought in a wood pigeon...then clearing his sick up after...and scolding him for plucking the sofa arms.

But he's still a big tart who ingratiates himself with everybidy in search of the elusive Eldorado of the ham world :-)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Eldorado? "Marcuth, why is the old Englishman shagging Paco?"

Notice how drunken husband Drew, from dysfunctional Scottish family in Eldorado, went on to be a policeman in 'Stenders and also got a part as drunken Scottish sidekick, Gordon Marshall, to Harchester United chairman, Jerry Bloch, in crap football soap Dream Team...not that I'm lacking in a life or anything ;-)

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Been very quiet on here today - you can tell because we have even resorted to talking about our pets! (:o)

There must be something exciting happening somewhere!

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

Hey Screacher - I never realised you lived just up the road from Bartinho. ;o}

-- Anonymous, June 22, 2000

I take it I live in the Antipodes. ;-)

Well most magpies down this end of the world will attack anything during the nesting season. They swoop down from behind and try and peck your head or ear. There have been cases of people having their skulls cracked or ears ripped.

There can be two hundred kids walking to school and a nesting pair of magpies will try and attack every single kid just to make sure they won't come back near their nest.

We do have a pair of magpies that live in a gum tree in the park over our back fence. It used to be that every spring they would attack me everyday when I went to catch the bus. I had to wear a hat backwards with sun glasses on it so they wouldn't. But when I sarted wearing my first Toon top they stopped attacking me. They would fly down to the ground and hop along behind me, following me from the back fence, accros the park and then right accros the soccer field before they would return to their nest.

See Magpies recgonise their own.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Mornin` Tre! These here magpies certainly seem to have an attitude problem!(:o)

Dreadful news coming in from Australia this morning about a fire in a hostle over there. Yelli has friends over there at the minute, but I think they had moved on from the fruit-picking they had been doing. It sounded as though the fire must have been terrifying.(:o|

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

As for cats.

We had a cat called Cruise that died last year. He was a tuff little bugger, solid as a brick out house. Anyway he would kill anything and everything. The only way for him to get in the house was to jump up onto a wheelie bin (about 1.2 metres high) then jump the same hieght again on rop of a wooden trellis, then jump a further foot onto the bathroom window ledge and come in through the window.

Once he was old enough to do this, at about eight months, he started bringing home alsorts of lizards, mice and birds. Then he graduated onto bigger things. Like possums and other cats. Possums around our way are about the same size as a large cat. Cruise was a relatively small cat. But that didn't stop us from finding dead possums and cats in the mornings on our bathroom mat. God knows how our cat managed to drag his kills up through the bathroom window.

By the time he was two years old, every possum around our way learnt to stear clear of the trees in back yard, and run like hell if Cruise was around. Also by this time Cruise had managed to kill every other cat in the street bar one (his girlfriend/rape victim) and beat up every dog.

If you have ever read Footrot Flats the cartoon series, well Cruise was equal to their cat, Horse.

Also he was a fairly effective watch cat. If someone came to the unit that he didn't know, he would growl at them and try and stop them coming in the unit unless we called him off. His favourite game was stalking me when I was on the couch, becuase I was the only person who would fight back with him. I still have a couple of scars on my arms and legs as testament to our fights.

Now we have a part persian that is about 5 months old and it's only goal in life, apart from stuffing it's self and sleeping, appears to be catching the magpies that live over the back fence. As soon as one of the magpies lands in our back ot front yard, Marakesh (that's the cats name) runs out onto the front or back stairs, which ever, and starts these little strangled meow growls. He knows he's not big enough or fast enough to catch the magpies as of yet and it drives him mad.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Oh no! Another cannibal scenario!

As for the persian - eating and sleeping is what they are good at! You`re going to have your hands full with the grooming! Make sure you get him used to it now!(:o)

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Terrible news about the backpackers fire Galaxy. Last reports I heard were 15 confirmed dead with 3 still unccounted for (believed killed). At least 10 from the UK. Causes still unknown. It was at a hostel in a little place called Childers. No reason for any of teh backpackers to be staying there unless they were working at the local farms.

In case Yelli has concerns about her mates she could try getting through to the number they've set up:

1800 451 399

It's a freephone number within Oz, but unsure if it would be dialling from overseas. I hope she doesn't need it, if you see what I mean.

ATB

LT.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Thanks Loony Toon - she had an e mail from her recently, so that should pinpoint the area she was heading for. Hopefully well away from this awful event. (:o|

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Galaxy,

My family has always had persians from the day I was born. In fact the day I was brought home from the hospital our persian at the time Missie, tried to kill me as she was a very jelous cat. She never did get used to mum and dad having children. She was also a cannibal, well at least a bully. She beat up every dog in the street and I can't remember how many vet bills mum got becuase of it. She died from cancer, as she was pure white and got sun cancer on the nose and ears.

Then we started getting colour points and tortise shells. We had one tortise shell cat that loved water, and if she heard a bath or sink filling up would come running in from anywhere and just dive in. It was a pain if you were trying to do the dishes. And it was funny to see all the lank soaking hair. It's where our family coined the phrase 'great thundering persians'.

I have always been the one left to groom the cats, being the only other cat lover in my family other than mum. Oh except for my uncle who breeds them and whom we got Marakesh from. Marakesh is already used to being brushed and loves getting brushed and then fighting with the brush and chewing on the brissles. He's part colour point and part I don't know. Anyway he's predominantly charcol and cream striped with faint orange tinges, with black ears, paws, tail and nose. He was the pick of the litter. The rest were either black or cream.

I'm already traing him to be an attack cat, but it's difficult becuase he's lazy and fat.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

There is also a number that we are giving out on Radio and TV this morning

00 617 4126 2222

The victims are 5 English, 2 Welsh and 2 Irish, although they don't yet specify Northern or Southern Ireland.

The survivors are all apparently being kept together and they are being given the use of mobile phones, land phones an internet connection and are being encouraged to get in touch with home straight away.

Hope Yelli's friend is OK

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

It's a terrible tragedy, but back packer hostels really need to be inspected more thoroughly in the bush. I've stayed in same that were truely fire death traps waiting to happen.

However I don't know the particulars of this incident, so I can't say if the establishment was partly at blame or not.

I hope Yelli's friend is safe where ever she is, and I pray for the families of the vistims.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

It seems that Yelli`s friends are well away from the area - and have moved to Broome(?) That`s a relief, but I feel so sorry for the victims and their families. I can`t think of anything worse than getting devastating news like that, especially if you are so far away from your loved ones.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Well Broome is on the other side of the country in Gus land. If they haven't already visited Perth maybe you could cheer Gus's life up by getting them to stop in and visit. That said if I was married to Gus's wife I wouldn't need any further cheering up. ;-)

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

>>>>>>>That said if I was married to Gus's wife I wouldn't need any further cheering up.<<<<<<<<

You can't leave it with a cliffhanger like that, Come pray tell......whats the story with Lady Sue?

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

You must've missed it before ITK....apparently Gus's wife is a bit of a corker ;))

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Don't get too carried away. I think when I posted the earlier stuff I was using whats it called, Satire?

True she is 5'10', well proportioned, blonde and was a model. I would not call her a "corker". Well not to her face anyway.

I may send a pix when I get my digital camera back in about 2 weeks.

If Yellis' mates head down to Perth let me know and I will help them out with places to go, see, and drink!!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

A phot with the book when it arrives will suffice.....don't bother with the Toon top!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000

Cheers Gus, I will find out exactly what their plans are and get back to you on that!!!

(;o)

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2000