Big is beautiful (handsome is as handsome does)

I think the summer is over now and it feels like it's been a long one – but really it was my first, because I was born in the summer last year so I don't remember much about it. I sometimes remember my mum, and my brothers and sisters, and my first family… but I wasn't allowed in the garden so life was very different then.

I do keep an 'eye out' for another family, when I'm patrolling the gardens now, just in case something better comes along, but so far I've decided to stay with the babes. They mean well and they're not that bad most of the time.

My mum had some more brothers and sisters this summer, and the babes talked about 'getting one', but then decided it was bad timing because they would be on holiday when it was time to 'pick it up'. I think they were talking in code so I wouldn't understand, and I didn't – but I'm used to that really. I think they're getting worse as I get older.

We had quite a busy summer most of the time. They did a lot of cooking and cleaning up and had people sitting in the garden at the weekends when it was sunny and hot. After a few weeks, when the weather was cold and wet like they said it always is in August these days, they stayed inside or went out and left me on my own.

I liked it when they had people in the garden because it meant I got to play with them and stay out later. One time it was really late and they were going inside, and I realised I hadn't patrolled the gardens that evening, so I ran off to do it. I got home just as it was starting to get light – I think I might have dozed off somewhere for a while, I'm not sure – and decided to sleep with their friend who was in bed in the living room! I looked in his face to see what he was doing and he woke up and 'jumped a mile'! He told the babes it 'scared the life out of him' when he opened his eyes and saw 'this thing' looking at him! I didn't like being called a 'thing', but it was funny.

I heard she babe get up in the morning so I thought I'd go and see her, mainly because it was breakfast time. She was in the smoking room looking out of the window at the garden. It does look nice in the morning. I spend a lot of time looking out of the window at the garden. I sat next to her for a minute and looked too and then she saw me and went "Oh Forrest! Oh my goodness! There you are! Where did you come from? Where have you been? Oh my goodness!" And then she picked me up – I knew that was coming – and kept hugging me so that it made my pips squeak. She gave me my breakfast and then, instead of going out like I usually do, I decided to go back to bed. I spent nearly all that day on our bed sleeping really – I was quite worn out from the night before and my head ached and the light hurt my eyes. They said I was like a teenage boy, and it was like I had a 'hangover'. They said I looked 'very the worse for wear' and I even had bags under my eyes! (That's a stupid thing to say – even for them.) Never again!

I've had a few late nights since, but nothing like that one. I won't do that again in a hurry.

It was my birthday a few weeks so now I'm a year old. I've got so big it hurts when I go through the first catflap. Sometimes I have to stop half way to rest and the babes laugh at my bum poking out. I try to get them to open the door for me but they just say 'Forrest! Don't be so lazy!' Like THEY know what I'm thinking! They have talked about getting a bigger cat flap, or a dog flap maybe. I don't know, but I wish they'd hurry up because I'm still growing and one day I'll get stuck forever.

She babe gave me a little fuzzy mouse that rattles for my birthday and it's my best thing ever. I like pushing it under the sofa and his chest of drawers because I'm too big to fit under them, so she gets a long stick called a golf club and hooks it out, so that I can flick it back under again. The first time I flicked it under she didn't see, so I went and got her and cried so that she would know what I'd done; it took her so long to find it I got bored in the end and left her to it, but now she knows where to look so it's OK. I like it when she lies on the floor looking under things to find mousey; I usually try to help her so I put my head next to hers and look where she's looking. She needs someone to help 'cos lots of my toys are under things and he babe pretends he can't see her on the floor and he can't get on the floor to look under because of his sigh attica.

Now I'm getting older it's good, because they're giving me a bit more freedom, which I like. One weekend they went to visit some friends one night and they didn't come home! Their friend Pippa came to see me the next morning with Nancy, who is like a small version of Pippa (like me and my mum!). They thought I was 'huuuuge!' (but I know I'm just big-boned so I didn't mind) and Nancy was a bit nervous of me I think. She said 'Ooh mummy! He's giving me a look!' I felt a bit shy but I was smiling at her really, but I don't think she could tell. They were very kind and gave me my breakfast and opened my cat flap so that I could go on garden duty. Maybe I should go and live with them… I think Nancy and I could be best friends. Nancy is she babe's god son Miles's sister. One day I expect I'll know what that means.

The babes got home that evening and went to bed soon after. I think that's what you have to do if you don't come home at night.

They also went on holiday for over a week last week, and my granny came to stay! We had a lot of fun and I kept her entertained in the garden. She really laughed when I ate a little white feather and I know she told she babe on her phone! One day it rained really hard so I ran inside because I didn't like it. She laughed (why is everyone always laughing at me?) and said "Oh Forrest – you're a big baby!" Well I'm not actually. I'm a big pussy cat. But she gave me a treat to "…get over it.", so that was nice. And she told she babe on her phone.

I had a lovely time with my granny and she gave me lots of hugs. It would be nice if granddad came too – but he doesn't like London and he has to look after the garden and sheep and Spot the dog. He was born here during the war. Maybe I could help him with the garden.

One day the babes were talking about a tiny little puppy dog they saw playing with the children on their holiday and he said he knew they'd end up getting one (I thought they didn't like small dogs, but whatever). She said "No we won't!" and he said "Can you imagine the fun Forrest would have with that?" and she said "No he wouldn't, he'd just push it under the wardrobe!" She's probably not wrong.

What's new pussy cat!