Dear Human Blog Readers,
As an Asian-born cat who was relocated to Europe, there are certain things I struggle with. One being the lack of air-conditioning during summer (electric fans just don’t cut it for me) and heating during winter. Thank goodness for my pyjamas! The temperatures have dropped in Berlin to 7c in the mornings, and there is no heating in the apartment! Why?! Well, as it turns out, the central heaters in this country are programmed in one of two ways: by temperature or by date. If you are lucky, the heating will turn on automatically when the outside temperature drops below a certain level. Otherwise, the heaters are scheduled for Oct. 1 each year, regardless of the outside temperature. Unfortunately we live in an apartment where the heaters are date-triggered. Last year we had the problem that it was so hot outside already and the heating was still on!
The neighbour next door came knocking this morning to ask whether we had hot water. Mom looked at her funny and said yes, we did. She apparently didn’t and grumbled about the heating as well. We are all freezing here, and she has three children to bathe too! Some people are already sick in the building, and Mom says you can spot the people around town who have a similar problem – they are grumpy in the mornings and have caught colds.
Normally I don’t like cuddle time, but cuddling up to Mom has the advantage that she wraps me up in her robe or shawl and it warms me up nicely. Half the time she can’t tell whether I am shivering or purring, because purring is not something I do well either. I snort, snore and grumble to communicate, but meowing and purring like other normal cats is something I never learned. My flatmates purr loudly and often, but I could never figure out the purpose of purring.
Well, there are enough blankets around the house, and in all else fails I can always run around to warm up. Hopefully the heating kicks in soon though.
Meowingly yours,
Champagne
FrogDiva Thoughts 