Cat a lena and the Ardmore mice (Flying)

Cats and Mice

Pussycat pussycat where have you been

I’ve been to Ardmore to visit the Queen
Pussycat pussycat what did you do there
I chased a mouse from under her chair

Admore has a cat. Probably more than one, but the one I am thinking of is a pure breed, shorthaired, *British blue. Certainly some of her pilots are short on hair. British blues are known for their insatiable appetite, akin to a Labrador in the dog world. They are very tolerant and great with kids. They love company and start to purr when a large crowd gathers. Their claws stay retracted, except when threatened with vacuum cleaners or water. They like water, but only around their feet, not a complete dunking.

British blues have an ability to make even the non feline-lover want to pat them. They have barrel bodies, with short legs, but what makes them really cute is their round open faces with wide-open eyes that look at you like Puss in the movie Sherik. If you’ve got food in your hand they can somehow turn up the charm and move like a spirit to be at your side in seconds.

This British blue, lets call her (Cat-a) Lena, appears to snooze on a favourite patch of lawn in front of the Warbirds clubhouse. She lazes about soaking up the sun (between showers), with a paw draped over her eyes. (She’s not called the Z-cat for nothing). 

Don’t be fooled. She is still a Cat.

All hangars have mice. Two hangars at Ardmore have bigger than normal mice. Shall we call them Foxy Felicity (CJF) and Dame EditH (EDH). They are small innocuous creatures that hardly anybody notices. They are not big on crowds, and they generally scurry from hangar to hangar in the hope that nobody spots them, especially a cat. If they have to venture out they usually poke their noses out into the wind, sniff the breeze, twitch their whiskers and confer with another mouse before making any dangerous forays.

Occasionally traps are set and baited with cheese to catch mice. The cheeses commonly used are; Young Gun yea-ha eeee-damn, Cloudy bay Camembert, Destination Blue vein, Compliancy Colby, and Dry as a bone tank aged Cheddar. I am pleased to say the mice at Ardmore are far too wise to fall for these traps.

Lately one of the said mice, Dame EDitH has been darting around the hangars more than usual. Avionics workshop, paint shop, and the engine shop are some of the places she’s been seen. Then on a Sunday not so long ago, out the taxiways, down the runway and into the sky! Lena is no slouch when there is live food in the offering and she was in hot pursuit. If you listened very carefully you would have heard Dame EDitH taunting Lena with “you can’t catch me” and Lena replying “Can-so” (Which happens to be her middle name) while they chased each other’s tails around the circuit. Thankfully she didn’t and Dame EDitH raced back into her hidey-hole just in the nick of time.

Now if you’re out and about at Ardmore in the near future and you are very observant you might even catch a flash of red from the tail of Foxy Felicity. I hear she is getting brave enough to make a dash out onto the runway. Egged on by Dame EditH of course. If you’re incredibly lucky you could see the green country mouse, Hot Harriet (CJH) too. A handsome trio with 20/20 hindsight.

Cats have always loved to play with mice and mice have always teased cats but there is one other reason why Lena is especially watchful of EditH, she is jealous. There is a certain pilot who shares his affection between both. So if you see said pilot out with EditH keep it to yourself because it’ll all end in tears if they don’t get a head start on Lena. Mouse-kee-tears.