The incredible elastic ears of Scrumpy the rabbit

Yes, Scrumpy's ears are getting longer and longer every time I draw them. Maybe it's because he uses them so much, they're stretching with overuse.

In sadder news, Gizmo died on Tuesday last week, his renal failure having finally caught up with him. It's been a tough month, losing Smudge and Gizmo within a month of one another, but not a surprise. It's hit us both hard, though - today's been the first day I've had the strength to write about it. Linda and I would like to thank everyone at the Chase Vets Practice in London Road for helping us to make their last few months so comfortable.

Smudge and Gizmo, 2010

A house that is suddenly without cats feels so empty. The water fountain no longer burbles merrily away in the corner of the living room. There are no food bowls to trip over in the kitchen. Gizmo no longer perches on the far edge of the bath whenever I take a shower. Smudge no longer gives running commentaries while trying to talk to Linda's parents on the phone. There is no furry body blocking the view of my Mac as I type. Every now and then I catch a moving shadow in the corner of my eye and have to remind myself there's no longer a cat there to cause it.

Over to Linda, who wrote this obit on Facebook on Tuesday.

Hi, Everyone. Andrew and I are saddened to tell you all that our little big scrawny ol'Snaggedypuss boy Gizmo went to sleep this afternoon at the vet's office, with me holding him as he went. He might have been about eight or nine years old. He came to us about two years ago, when a friend had to give him up to keep him safe. He was a great source of fun for us, and I've never seen a cat who was better able to imitate Stevie Wonder or someone who should have been spread on the top of a grand piano, singing torch songs.

His hind legs were weak when he was a kitten and never got any better, so among other things, when he would crawl up into your lap for a cuddle or a Stevie Wonder pummeling session, he would sit, not on his haunches like other cats, but flat on his butt. He only had one tooth, which made him all the more lovable because his tooth was on the lower jaw in the front, so he had a snaggle tooth. He was bright eyed and earnest, and had a peep that sounded like a dog's squeaky toy. I think, though, before she died, Smudge must have told him he needed to learn how to meow, because for a little while, he was able to MEEEAAAAOOOOOUUUUWWWW in a very deliberate fashion.

I am at a loss...I have had an animal in my life constantly since 1995, and for the first time in nearly 20 years, I am alone with my human companions, which is fine, but there is some life missing. As I always ask, please donate to your favorite animal charity in Ol' Momo's name.

The one Gizmo projectile vomited over.

You think you've got critics - I have a cat that vomits over the strips that he doesn't like! I made the mistake of leaving the book that I draw these strips in open on the floor in the study (I draw on the floor - a habit I've never got out of since I drew cartoons as a kid) and then going out of the house. I also made the mistake of not hanging up my jacket and leaving it on the back of my office chair. Then I fed Gizmo and left the house for an hour.

When I came back I found that Gizmo had decided to bolt his food, then sit on the back of my chair. Then he exploded. There was pureed cat food all over the carpet, the chair, my jacket, and the cartoon book. Blee!

The jacket's survived, thanks to some nifty work by the dry cleaners, though I shall treasure forever the look of horror on the face of the counter assistant when I first produced the jacket, explaining that my cat was possessed by demons. The carpet has a nasty stain and needs cleaning. The worst of the blee was scraped off the cartoon - thankfully I don't use water based inks - and some photoshop work got rid of the rest. The final result is above - while an initial scan of what I had to work with is below.

Cartoon nerds will also note the use of photo-blue pencil to make the initial sketches, and the fact that I actually paste in archy's typewritten dialogue rather than add it in post-production.

Gizmo - biding his time....

Ahem!

Have you quite finished with that Blog yet? I demand some attention and I'm going to sit in front of your screen until I get it.

Just be thankful I'm on your old folder of Millie scripts and not sitting on your keyboard.

Incidentally, have you seen what Gizmo's up to in the front room? I've seen this happen before with neutered toms - one snip and they turn into John Barrowman....

I am what I am
I am my own special creation...

...oops.

Two of the cats behind 'Smith'

Meet Smudge and Gizmo, the two cats who allow me to cadge ideas off of them.

Smudge is the grand old lady sitting in the bean bag. Yes, she is the cat with a wall obsession in the cartoon strip. She's a delightful and loving cat but with soft fur and a purr that can cause interference to FM radio, but she definitely has to be the one in charge.

She's 14 years old now. She lost her brother Cholmondeley (pronounced Chumley, and also appearing in the strip) a couple of years ago, and needed someone new to boss about, so Gizmo arrived to fill the vacancy.

Gizmo's about five and spends most of his time ridding the world of the menace of feathers and newspapers. When not chasing inanimate objects he becomes The Most Pathetic Cat In The World.

More photos later.