Hello! I’m so happy you’re here.

First up, we seem to have vanquished the fleas! I don’t want to speak too soon, but nary a flea has been seen for a few weeks now. I guess going ALL OUT must have worked? It was exhausting, so I hope so.

Obviously I have to keep giving both cats the monthly treatment for, I think, six months. Daisy is totally chill about it, but Noodles…

Have you seen the new Spider-Man? The part where he’s trying to attach the [redacted] to [redacted]? That was me trying to give Noodles her flea treatment.

How is the introducing going, I hear you ask?

It’s not. First we waited for Feliway. Then we realised we need to get Daisy used to being in the wider flat. Then we got fleas. Then we went to London. And since we’ve been back, we just… haven’t done it.

Joe is still bringing Daisy out for a look around and she tolerates it, but skedaddles back to the safety of Joe’s room as soon as poss.

What did we go to London for?

Cat-sitting. We’ve done it almost every year for nine years and we love it. Obviously this time, we also had to get a cat-sitter of our own, but it all went swimmingly.

I wasn’t sure if Noodles would hide the whole time, but you can see from What’s that you’re eating? below that it wasn’t the case.

Meet the excellent Babs and Alan…

We also have two cat-cams and they are highly entertaining.

This - Daisy at 1:11am - is my favourite.

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What’s that you’re eating?

I don’t know if you can tell, but it is one solitary Dreamy Daisy’s after there.

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Hello! I’m so happy you’re here.

This month’s biggest news is, I’m sorry to say

fleas. We’ve got fleas.

Well, Noodles and Daisy have.

If you’re a paid subscriber, I apologise for the repetition, but first there was scratching (cats) and then itching (Harry) and then a penny dropping (me).

Followed by £100 at the vets (also me, obviously) and, since then, much combing and spraying and cleaning and hoovering (mostly me, but also the boys).

The cats seem fine in themselves. Daisy seems to enjoy being flea-combed and even lets us roll her onto her sides to get at her belly. Noodles will generally only tolerate a few seconds before giving a yap warning, followed by either a smack or jumping up and stalking away.

And on the upside, the flat has never been so clean. I might have to keep this regime up. (I won’t.)

Project Fleabag (as I have taken to calling it) does mean that we’ve stopped introducing the cats for the time being. They - and we - have enough to deal with.

I did buy a Feliway plug-in and I think there’s been less swiping under Joe’s door? But maybe that’s because Noodles and Daisy are more focussed on the fleas than each other. Or maybe it’s the heat.

The plan was to prioritise getting Daisy more comfortable with being out of Joe’s room, so that we can introduce her and Noods in a neutral space, and Joe’s been carrying her out of an evening to show her around. She is boggled by it.

I mentioned to the woman from the rescue that I was concerned about Daisy being in Joe’s room all the time and she said she lived in sheltered accommodation with her previous person and was limited to a much smaller room, so no wonder she’s nervous about having more space.

When I took Noodles to the vet, the vet mentioned that Noodles had lost a little weight and suggested it might be due to the stress of Daisy. Harry immediately suggested breakfast for Noodles (she was previously only having an evening meal) and Noodles has taken to this with great enthusiasm.

Given that for two years, she hasn’t had breakfast, within just a couple of days she was demanding it and, if I’m not quick enough, she tries to climb into the Felix box and get it herself. A menace.

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What’s that you’re eating?

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Hello and welcome to new followers who found me via photos of cats spotted on my paper round on Substack Notes!

Lately, our main focus has been on introducing Daisy and Noodles. We’re going slowly, carefully, and trying to be consistent.

If you’re a newer reader, this abundance of caution is in part because introducing our last foster, Bunny, went very badly. Both for Noodles, who was traumatised, and for me who, as a result of trying to comfort Noodles, ended up with a handful of claws and an afternoon in A&E.

Also, Joe wants to keep Daisy, of course he does, and we can’t keep her if she and Noodles can’t learn to coexist. (Of course, since no one seems interested in adopting her, we may well end up keeping her by default. But still.)

They both seem cautiously interested rather than aggressive or upset. Daisy seems more relaxed than Noodles - eating while Noodles stares and then wandering off. A couple of times when Daisy has walked off in Joe’s room, Noodles has followed but in the hall, apparently unfamiliar with the concept of walls, bless her.

Yesterday, we tried a lower barrier. Daisy studied it for a while - Noodles still in the next room - and then, suddenly, Daisy darted through the barrier and into the other room. All of us, including Noodles and, apparently, Daisy, were startled. Daisy zoomed back to the safety of Joe’s room, leaving Noodles looking shell-shocked and the rest of us relived that there hadn’t been a cat fight.

I think we’re swiftly approaching the moment we have to let them come face to face and just hope for the best, but I am dreading it. Maybe they’ll be best friends! Maybe they’ll simply tolerate each other. I just don’t want either of them - any of us! - to be upset.

Introductions aside, they’re both happy and weird and we love them a lot.

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What’s that you’re eating?

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Hello to new followers who found me via photos of cats spotted on my paper round on Substack Notes! Welcome!

To bring you up to speed… my sons had been asking for a cat for ages and then my eldest suggesting fostering. In September 2024, we fostered Noodles and, inevitably, ended up adopting her.

In September 2025 we fostered another cat, Bunny. She was sixteen and not in great health and we sadly lost her just before Christmas. (In the short time we had her, she was very loved.)

A few weeks ago, Daisy arrived. She currently lives in my younger son’s room while of course Noodles has the run of the flat. We’re planning to introduce them, but when Noodles and Bunny were - accidentally and admittedly badly - introduced, I ended up in the hospital, so we’re taking it slow!

Daisy, Daisy

Daisy is settling in well. She loves Joe, likes me and just about tolerates Harry (presumably because he smells like Noodles).

She likes to sleep on - or in - Joe’s bed, loves chasing the laser pointer and sitting on the windowsill, and rushes to her scratching post whenever she feels anxious.

We’ve let Daisy out of Joe’s room a couple of times to have a wander and she’s gone a bit further each time, but she’s still skittish. Once she’s more confident we’ll do a managed meeting with Noodles.

Noodles

When not worrying about Daisy, Noodles is her usual lovely, clingy self. Since I’ve been back from Dungeness, she is even more clingy - as soon as I sit down, she is on my lap and she sleeps in my room most often.

Yesterday afternoon I fell asleep on the sofa. As I was drifting off, I felt Noodles climb up onto my hip and start making biscuits.

I’d set a timer for 45 minutes, but when it went off I a) didn’t want to get up and b) couldn’t if I’d tried because Noodles was deeply asleep on top of me.

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What’s that you’re eating? Now also featuring Daisy

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I am not currently at home. Earlier this week, I travelled to the south-easternmost tip of England to cat-sit for a friend. Just me. No kids.

The day before I was due to leave, the local rescue messaged to ask if we’d be able to foster a cat. Impeccable timing! I told the boys of course we can’t! I’m buggering off tomorrow. You’d have to take care of her alone.

They said, yeah, we can totally do that. Off you pop.

Introducing Daisy

Daisy’s person died earlier this year and she’s been with a foster since. But one of the foster’s other cats had five kittens and she wasn’t keen on Daisy bothering them. Because Daisy? Can open doors.

(The rescue told us about the foster having a camera set up in the room with the kittens and, at night, seeing the door handle turn and Daisy come strolling in, while the kittens’ mum hissed and growled. Sounds like a horror film!)

We bought child locks for Joe’s door, which, it turns out, were warranted, cos when Daisy arrived she went straight under Joe’s bed but 24 hours later, she was dangling pointlessly from the door handle. Foiled!

So far she seems to sleep a lot in the day, and stamp on Joe in the night, but he tells me they’re happy together.

You know who’s not happy though?

Noodles is Not Happy

The night Daisy arrived, Noodles was waiting outside Joe’s door, her tail swishing. I cried thinking about how we’ve made her safe space feel unsafe and then I left my bedroom door wide open so she could come and be safe with me. Which she did, sleeping on my legs. (Remember last month I said she’d added Joe’s room to her sleep rotation? Well that’s out now.)

After the cock-up with Bunny, we’re going to make sure we introduce Noodles and Daisy properly, slowly, carefully. But not yet. So far, Noodles is getting extra treats and love, and they’re getting used to each other’s scent.

And how about the cat I’m sitting?

She’s called Derek. She’s adorable.

And, like Noodles, she really wants to eat all my food.

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I have fallen behind on all my Substack posts, which means Noodles news is a week (or maybe more) late. Sorry about that. I will try to add extra cuteness to make up for it.

While we had Bunny🤍, Noodles avoided Joe’s room where Bunny spent all of her time. After Bunny died, it took Noodles a while to go in and even once she did, she would just stalk around - as if reassuring herself Bunny was really gone - and then leave.

And then she started staying and hanging out with Joe. Just for a little while. And then, last month, she suddenly started getting up on his bed, cuddling him - cuddling him! she doesn’t cuddle me! - and before long, she’d added his room to her sleep rotation.

Harry’s room used to be her first choice for sleep, but I think it might be mine now. A couple of nights ago, Harry said she led him downstairs and stood outside my closed door, meowing and looking up at him.

I close my door on alternate nights because I NEED MY SLEEP and do not need an admittedly adorable cat waking me for a chat at 4am. One night last week, I opened the door for my final (we hope) bathroom visit and she was waiting right outside. She darted past me and under my bed before I could even react. A menace.

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What’s that you’re eating?

A series that I assume will run and run.

She’s very good though. She only wants to sniff. Unless it’s cheese. Or ham. Or Mini Cheddars.

More Noodles news next month and if you have any questions, ask away!

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The biggest news is probably that I somehow only just started using live photos on my phone, which means it’s now full of Noodles gifs. Like this one

Check-up

Early last month, we took Noodles to the vet for an annual check-up. It took a while to wrestle her into the carrier, but once in, she was calm, if rather fearful.

We had no idea how she’d behave with the vet, but she was a perfect angel. Actually quite annoyingly perfect. The vet felt Noodles’ belly and yet retained all her fingers! She looked in Noodles’ mouth and Noodles just… let her.

Harry and I were agog! “She wouldn’t let us do that!” we kept saying. She even let the vet casually put her back into the carrier, as if she hadn’t acted like the very same thing was a living hell not half an hour earlier.

Oh and she even had a booster jab. Didn’t even appear to notice. Given that earlier today she sat on my glasses and when I tried to retrieve them swiped at my arm and then tried to bite me, it was galling.

Talking of gall…

Oh also the vet said Noodles is the perfect weight, so the boys have had to stop constantly fat-shaming her. Even if her belly does hang down between the radiator pipes…

Bunny blanket

I think maybe the day before she died, a Christmas present arrived for Bunny from my friend Diane. We opened it on Christmas day and it was this lovely, super soft blanket, which first Joe took a shine to and then Noodles adopted as her own.

Looks relaxed, doesn’t she? She wasn’t quite so relaxed opening her own present from Diane.

Yes, it was a catnip toy. She loves it.

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(I need to update Instant Noodles with Bunny news, but still haven’t had the heart.)

More Noodles news next month and if you have any questions, ask away!

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I’m so sorry to have to start this post with the sad news that our lovely Bunny died at the beginning of December.

She hadn’t been very well - she’d been off her food and had a couple of trips to the vets, who thought she had a UTI and also early stage thyroid issues, which they gave her medication for. But she went downhill pretty quickly.

On the day she died, I’d messaged the rescue to say we were all worried about her. She was lethargic, not herself. They made another vet appointment for the following day. But that night she was floppy and unresponsive and after some googling we could tell it was most likely the end.

The three of us - me and my boys - cuddled up with her on Joe’s bed. We talked to her, stroked her, told her we loved her. And before too long, she slipped away. It was, of course, awful. But we knew we did everything we could and that she had a relatively quick and gentle passing.

God, we all miss her though. What a lovely, loving cat.

(This fostering is probably not for me. The boys, however, want to do it again. Ugh.)

It took a couple of weeks for Noodles to accept Bunny was no longer living here. She kept waiting outside Joe’s room, looking suspicious, waving her tail. Eventually, she ventured in and had a look around and finally seemed satisfied that she was once again an Only Cat.

(The boys laughed at me because after Bun died, Noodles was looking perturbed - probably because we were all crying - and I said, “Bunny’s not doing so well.” An understatement! Breaking it gently to the cat! Grandma’s on the roof!1)

The Shape of Noo(dles)

A couple of nights ago, I took this photo and said “The shape of her!” Harry said, “Yeah, cat-shaped.” Well, yes. But also, look at the shape of her!

I also love spherical Noodles.

Historical portrait Noodles.

And head-on-backwards Noodles.

Feral for Marmite

I learned in December that Noodles is, yes, feral for Marmite. I was eating Marmite on a crumpet. She jumped up on the arm of the sofa and LICKED MY CRUMPET. The audacity!

I then had to finish my breakfast walking around the flat while Noodles chased me, trying to jump up for another go.

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(I need to update Instant Noodles with Bunny news, but haven’t yet had the heart for it.)

More Noodles news next month and if you have any questions, ask away!

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Contains (gentle) mouse death. Please skip if it’s not for you.

One night last week, I was woken at around 5am by Noodles crawling out from under my duvet and buggering off. After trying to get back to sleep for a while, I got up to pee and found Noodles trying to hook something out from under the fridge. Not long before, I’d caught her playing with the…

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So I introduced a new posting schedule and I am immediately changing it. But I have a good reason! I’m spending the next week in London doing London things, so it makes sense for me to write about them all next week rather than this week when I haven’t done them yet. So I’ve brought Noodles News forward a week. I doubt anyone will complain.

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No matter how hard I work on my Substacks - this one and The Ladybird Purse - it’s Noodles people are really interested in. And I get it - she’s adorable. So from now on, Happy Endings has a new schedule:

First Tuesday of every month will be Noodles News

Second Tuesday: 5 Fun Questions

Third Tuesday: Mum’s Suitcase

Fourth Tuesday: My monthly round-up -

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