Riley - volte-face

For those of you who have followed the tale of Riley - the cat who lives in Rye Harbour village - and my intention to re-home him, I received the following email from the person who led me to believe that Riley had been abandoned and left to his own fate. It has completely taken me aback as it is a complete turnaround from what I had been led to believe. I will be meeting with André on the 14th October to discuss the situation further. It has left me completely deflated, although if the content of the email is true then I have to accept that Riley will be happier in the environment that he knows, roaming as a free spirit. I will still have questions about the permanence of shelter for him when the weather gets colder. The following is the email I received:

Hi Mike, sorry to not have responded sooner, just lots of things to take care of recently.

At the moment I can tell you that Riley is well and he does seem untroubled by his life here. He is fed by the girls at the pub, and I understand he goes home at night for his dinner.

A Hungarian visitor at Harbour Lights mentioned his arrival and gave him milk and I found someone else giving him milk who lives on the other side of the pub. It seems Riley knows his way in through the window and makes himself at home there too with the owners blessing, as he seems to do wherever he goes.

I think he has the same nature as the other tabby Bengali that lived at the back of me, who was in every house and garden in the near locality. He often spent hours here and at my neighbours.

If I thought for a moment anything were untoward, I would be in touch straight away. I can only say he seems well and not at all bothered as he is always relaxed, never nervous or worried.

I don’t actually know the name or the person who owns him, and I feel you would get a negative response, as all the feedback says she doesn’t want to give him away.

I have to remind myself that the lady in question did post a “cat missing” message on the local Rye vets website, but in fact he was at the pub most of the time, where the fresh fish was plentiful.

I certainly would be in tune with you and Ros adopting him if I felt he were in any way at all compromised by his life here, as I know your feelings. As you quite rightly say he is not my responsibility, but several people, including myself, have always looked  out for him, ever since he made his presence felt.

My reservations are calculated. If you were to approach the owner with your name and address as a potential home, I am sure you’d get a refusal.  Should the hypothetical situation arise that he appeared less well and cared for in the near future, and then as it were, I were to inform you, and he disappeared, it may be obvious what has occurred.

I have purposefully not made myself known to the owner in case Riley ever needed cat-napping at some future point. Also I am concerned now, that I feel I may have painted a bleaker picture than is the reality; he is at the moment doing well roaming around all the loving locals who he treats as a cat stop on his travels.  

He does seem such a free spirit, and believe me if I thought there was something wrong I would be in touch immediately. I did initially feel that he needed a home, I feel the reality is that this was the natural conclusion of a cat lover who finds cats on their doorstep, freely feeding, curling up and going to sleep. He just seems at home wherever he finds a cat lover, willing to provide saucers of milk and bowls of food. He does the same here, which is why I wondered if he had a home. The reality is, he does, and just uses it as he pleases.

Obviously it’s not for me to say what you might do to satisfy any inferred concerns. But if you were to meet the owner (sister of owner) she would tell you he comes home every night gets fed and goes off on his rounds again. This is the local feedback. She may even wonder why there should be any concern for him. As I have said already, I have purposely not approached sister of owner, I haven’t tried to find out a name; it’s a small village, news and gossip travels quickly, and I thought it counter productive for any future plans.

I can only repeat that currently Riley is fine, and I am a bit concerned about transmitting what may well be an overreaction about a cat with a roaming spirit  to you and Ros.  

I am more than happy to have a pint and a chat should you feel you wanted to visit.

Best wishes  André

Rye Harbour Village and Nature Reserve

Rye Harbour village figures a lot in my current jottings, for reasons those of you who read my blog will know. Rye Harbour is a village located on the East Sussex coast in southeast England near the estuary of the River Rother: it is part of the civil parish of Icklesham and is located some two miles downstream of the town of Rye. The village has a large car park, two pubs, a shop, a café and a gallery and tea room. The Rye lifeboat is stationed here.

The RNLI Lifeboat Station

Having recently holidayed here with my wife Ros, met Riley - the cat we want to adopt - enjoyed the hospitality of the William the Conquerer public house, Rye Harbour village is a place I could happily relocate to.

View of the village from the nature reserve

The village is 200 years old, having been built on an extension of the shingle beaches, progressively deposited by the sea over the last 800 years.

The Rye Harbour Nature Reserve was established nearby in 1970 and it now offers special wildlife experiences to 200,000 visitors a year. It has national and international designations and is home to more than 150 rare or endangered species.

The vast expanse of shingle that borders part of the NR

Moorings on the River Rother

The area is vast, rugged and wild to a great extent. A wonderful place for those with an adventurous spirit. For those of us who never really grow old....

And I cannot resist another 'look' at our holiday cottage 'Harbour Lights'...

Tenterden - a Jewel in Kent's Crown

Remiss of me not to have posted much of late; I am somewhat preoccupied with concern for Riley, the homeless cat in Rye Harbour village - the cat I have offered to re-home - and it's rather complicated. But that's another story.

During our vacation earlier this week we visited the town of Tenterden in Kent. This is one of the most beautiful places I have been to, a town with a broad tree-lined High street that is bordered with a well-tendered area of lawn.  It is good to see a busy town centre which is home to many small boutiques and antique shops, as well as craft shops, book shops and various banks, side by side with larger national retailers.

The town boasts no less than six public houses:

• The Woolpack, next to the Town Hall.
• The White Lion, in the High Street.
• The Vine, in the High Street.
• The William Caxton, in the High Street.
• The Crown, at Ashford Road in St. Michaels.
• The Fat Ox at the corner of Ashford Road and Ox Lane in St. Michaels.

Following are some photos of the wonderful buildings in the High Street: a pictorial tour as it were - 

'Riley' - for the love of a cat

The following is the text of an email I sent this afternoon. It helps to explain the story of 'Riley' - the cat in Rye Harbour village:

Hello André

Ros and I are back home from our wonderful break at Harbour Lights; it’s 46 miles door-to-door and took 1½ hours.

It was a pleasure meeting you and I have added to you to the short list of people who I consider friends. Thank you again for the World Music recordings you burned for me. We played one in the car on the way home and it helped to subdue the rather melancholy mood I was in - still am. It’s all about Riley…

The little guy has captured our hearts; we never asked him to walk into our lives - but he did. Perhaps we shouldn’t have fed him - but we did. Perhaps we shouldn’t have allowed him access to the cottage - but we did. In just four days we came to love that cat. Yesterday evening he arrived for his tea; this was after you and I had spoken at length outside the pub. Riley had his tea and we had our dinner. Ros went to watch TV and Riley climbed into her lap and went fast asleep….

Come 10pm we had to part company. I opened the door at the back of the cottage to see if he would leave of his own accord. Several minutes passed before he ventured out onto the patio, washed himself for a few moments - and then he followed the garden path - and was gone.

This morning as I packed items into the car he appeared and wandered in the front door. We had one sachet of food left and gave him that. And of course we had to carry him out before we left. As over-sentimental as it might sound, it broke my heart. Looking at him as I drove away, on my mind for most of the journey, still is.

Please do let me know what develops with Riley’s well-being. So concerned now about the colder nights and inclement weather. If no-one offers him a permanent home, then he has one here with Ros and me and Bertie and Oliver, our two cats. That is our commitment. Perhaps he would be happier in the environment he has come to know but that is no substitute for the love to be found in a permanent home.

Do keep in touch André and send news of Riley....