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| Photo: Darren James |
Then I looked her up and found she's the author of a couple of memoirs, The Romantic and In My Skin, about her time as a heroin addicted sex worker.
I do like a writer with an interesting oeuvre.
Back to the cat. Being a Country Wife in rural Tasmanian now, I had a strategy or two to offer her in fending the little blighter off.
Least drastic, a swift and hard squirt of water from a washing up bottles: fast, effective and satisfying especially if you’ve lain in wait for it to come through your cat flap.
Slightly more elaborate: electric fencing. Amazing what resources living in the country gives you access to.
Okay, I haven’t erected electric fencing myself, but I’ve seen what my Other Half has put up to keep the pigs in. It seems quick, easy and effective to me: you don’t need much equipment, just the fencing tape and the grippy rubber thingies that hold it in place, and it runs off a car battery. Put up a stretch of that on top of any trespassing cat’s favourite fence and I think it’ll be fairly clear about where its territory ends and yours begins. After the attacks that Kate’s suffered I think the inevitable yowling would be most welcome.
And it’s not going to kill the cat.
When I was looking up Kate’s contact details on The Age’s website, I came across a review of The Romantic, and realised I’d caught a snippet of her on the telly a few days ago, before my children insisted on switching to Sean the Sheep, talking at the Sydney Writers’ Festival.
So I think I might search out Kate’s memoir. In the meantime, here's wishing her all the best with the cat, and the electric fencing.
I contribute to parenting and raising my child as much as my wife. After reading your blog, I was the one who felt marginalised.
ReplyDeleteRE: Electric fence
The local council might disapprove. So might the police, RSPCA, the neighbours, the children in the neighbourhood and the evil cat's owner. Even Kate's cat might disapprove.
--- Simon
Hi, don't get a fright -- it's me, Kate. Thanks for the post! And looking me up, And for reading my column about bloody Chief the terrible black cat. I've tried spraying him with water and vinegar (on advice of his owners) and all cat-deterrents like fences have the problem that they will also deter my own little Boo... but I'm still hoping for a solution, this cannot go on.
ReplyDeleteIf you happen to find my books I hope you enjoy them, and yes, women speaking about women experiences is always good. I wasn't at my best at that Sydney Writers Festival gig you saw on telly, but I'm always interested in talking about and prying into female experiences, god knows I've had some but not all.
Would you mind crediting the portrait of me to Darren James? He is a lovely man and deserves credit. :)
Thanks (sorry I don't know your name) and forgive me bunging into your blog, happy reading
xxxxx Kate
How lovely to have a response from Kate - thanks for that.
ReplyDeleteAnd Simon the Anonymous. It's a little hard to engage in debate with you on the strength of the few lines you left. However...
You contribute to parenting as much as your wife? That's fantastic. I know two other men who do, one blogs as Bringing Up Charlie, the other blogs as Single Parent Dad. They're both stay-at-home fathers. I know a couple of dads personally who are very hands-on. But I have to say, you're in the minority. And most of the dads I know would never claim to have the same experience of parenting that their partners do which can only be gained by being the primary carer.
I can't quite see how you feel 'marginalised' by one blog. Perhaps you feel a bit miffed because there are quite a few jokes here at my husband's expense and the blog is very much a wife's point of view.
It's fair to say the blog has been a bit heavy on the female angst lately, but I am feeling the weight of being at home with a four year old boy who's having the surge of testosterone Steve Biddulph says they have at that age. I have very little privacy, not much time to myself, a lot of child-level conversations and a fairly unbelievable amount of housework to do. After several years I'm feeling the relentlessness of it.
But then, if you do as much of this as your wife does, you'll know what I mean. My husband and I just need to even up the balance a little. We'll get there.
Re: the electric fence and the cat. I think you might have had a slight over-reaction. I'm not suggesting electocuting the local schoolchildren with a barricade along the pavement fenceline. If I were in Kate's position and had the infrastructure we have, I'd be erecting a very small, temporary tripwire outside the cat flap and flicking the switch as it approached. One zap and you'd never see it again.
Sure, the cat might 'object'. But it would remain unharmed. An electric fence is not pleasant, but it doesn't cause injury.
Please visit and comment again if you'd like to take issue with anything I've said.
Kind regards,
Apple Island Wife
Simon made my eyes roll. My hubby does 90% of the house work and preps all of my vegies for me and he'll still tell me that we have different experiences of childbirth and breastfeeding.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to second the electric fencing comment. Electric fences are excellent, especially the ones that only require tape, as it's no worse than the static electricity zap from fuzzy carpet, or a trampoline.
I'm about to hunt down Kate's books on the book depository now, based on what you've said and on her lovely comment above.