Sunday 24 April 2016

"Keep Me"...safe - my Penhaligon's perfume pendant-protected puss!

I will be back presently with more substantial perfume posts - okay, somewhat less tangential perfume-related posts might be nearer the mark - but I have been away this weekend, and just have time to mention another rather fortuitous perfume/cat crossover, also involving Truffle's collar, as it happens!

For the kitten has been coming and going outside unsupervised for the past week now - I am gradually getting used to the feeling of not even knowing for sure whether she is in or out. She has been wearing a fabric collar (not the Gucci watch strap, sorry!) for a while now, onto the inside of which I wrote my mobile phone number with indelible marker pen.

I was conscious, however, of the fact that anyone who found her might not think to take the collar off and look on the inside, just as it might not occur to them to have her scanned for a chip, even though she has one. So I decided that the best way to make the kitten readily identifiable to the casual passer by was via a visible tag hanging off her collar.

After extensive Internet searches, I ordered three hand-stamped small tags on the Internet - well, it is always good to have a spare, and they were all so cute, and in such attractive metals and designs! Two are coming from an Etsy company in Florida that rejoices in the name of Critterbling. They are being sent first to Undina, as the company doesn't ship overseas, and she is kindly forwarding them on to me using our tried and tested mule service (aka a travelling colleague).

The other one was made in Quebec by another Etsy seller called M J Lessard, and it has just landed!





But because of the leadtimes involved with these transatlantic tags, I lit upon a cunning temporary solution, also one which would gradually accustom Truffle to wearing something around her neck. For my 50th birthday, my friend Clare gave me a perfume bottle pendant from Penhaligon's. You are supposed to commit a fragrance to the egg-shaped receptacle, from which you can refresh your chosen scent periodically using the dipper built into the screw top. (Well, me being me, obviously I never did any such thing, and the bottle remains empty to this day.)





The pendant has been worn though, most notably to my 'transcentendal meeting with Bertrand Duchaufour' on the occasion of the launch of Penhaligon's Amaranthine. Ooh, that is a genuine typo, but I rather like my new coinage...!

Now in addition to the chain the bottle hangs on, there was a tiny little rectangular tag on a separate loop. You could engrave the name of the perfume on it, I suppose, or your own name maybe. It bugged me ever so slightly, mind, because it made you tinkle when you walked. (In the auditory sense of the term, I hasten to add.)





But suddenly I spied a use for it as an improvised Truffle tag, and had the chap at Timpson's in town fetch it off the main chain and engrave my landline number on it instead! There was no room for the dialling code, but I am hoping that the chances of Truffle wandering out of the whole of Stafford are remote, though her territory is growing by the day.;)




When I got home, I slipped the tag on the kitten's collar in a trice and it hasn't bothered her in the slightest - no dangling in the food or anything else untoward. The plan is to upgrade to the slightly larger round tags when she is a little bigger and well used to the principle, though I don't foresee any problems based on how well she has adapted so far.

And here finally is a shot of her enjoying the sunshine the other day. Tagged, chipped, marked, and ready for action!



27 comments:

Tara said...

What a clever crossover temporary solution! Isn't Truffle a trooper for not being bothered by it.

No one wants to be made to tinkle when they walk. Too funny. I wonder whether that expression translates trans the Atlantic?

I was wondering about how you were coping with her explorations outdoors. Good to hear you are gradually getting used to it.

Vanessa said...

Hi Tara,

It was a win-win, I must say, and the Timpson chap did a great job of getting the tag off in the first place as well as engraving the telephone number in a confined space. Not exactly the Bible on a grain of rice, but still.

Perhaps any North American readers will let us know if 'tinkle' has the meaning we mean over there...;)

I am way more relaxed about Truffle's outdoor adventures, thanks. Still not ready to let her out at night - or when I go away - but the past couple of weeks have seen major strides in her independence.

Anonymous said...

Wow, it's not every cat who has a Penhaligon's tag.

Yes, indeed. Tinkle has exactly the same meaning(s), in Canada at least.

Those first episodes of cats exploring the outdoors are terrifying, and I don't mean for the cat. I was taking care of a friend's new rescue cats and they had just started venturing outside on the patio -- as long as a human was there too. Of course, on my watch they started slipping under the fence for a look at the neighbourhood. Then when something scared them they would come tearing back under the fence and huddle under the chair I was sitting on.
I kept worrying about where they might go when they stopped being scared. Fortunately they responded to the sound of a shaking Temptations package.

-- Lindaloo
PS
Gold star for alliteration -- five words in a row!

Undina said...

I'm not sure if I can be considered a "North American reader", but I laughed at the clarification.

Undina said...

A couple of years ago I was eyeing that pendant (online) but then I thought that it would be impossible for me to decide which perfume should get the honor...

Since Rusty is a strictly indoor cat, he doesn't have either a collar or a tag (but he has a chip!) but even if he were to go outside, I can't imagine him climbing a tree: he's too... let's call it cautious ;)
Are you not afraid that you'll spoil Truffle with that Penhaligon's jewelry and she'll refuse to wear just some tag from Etsy? :)

Unknown said...

How lovely. For a moment I got worried that you were going to use the proper pendant on Truffle. But I think you should fill it with a perfume. What about Tralala? The fact that it's discontinued makes it ever so precious :)

Asali said...

Ooh, I really like that pendant. What is the bottle made of? I don't think you should be afraid of commiting, it looks like it could be cleansed to wear another perfume.
As for Truffle, aka the penhaligon's perfume pendant protected precious purring puss, well as always she looks adorable and deserves only the best :-)

Thinkingmagpie said...

Truffle with the Penhaligon's tag, how wonderful! A proper perfumista's cat. ;) In that photo, she definitely looks like ready for action.
I also have a perfume bottle pendant - mind, mine doesn't have an excellent pedigree like yours - but I can't commit myself to a perfume either. Not surprising though. I even have a commitment issue with nicer atomizers...

Vanessa said...

Location-wise you could for sure. ;)

Vanessa said...

Hi Lindaloo,

Thanks for confirming the connotations of 'tinkle' in your part of the world.;)

I am glad I am not the only one 'having kittens' when my own kitten is first exploring the outside world. But she has been coming and going all morning and last night when I got home, so I think I have definitely turned a corner in that regard.

Truffle gets scared by cars when she ventures to the front of the house - which of course I was hoping she would never do, but of course she just jumped over the garden gate anyway. I am also hoping she won't stop being scared! Unfortunately she is often out of range to hear the Dreamies packet (my equivalent I sense).

Five words wasn't too bad I thought. A friend excelled himself yesterday when he sent a photo of a kitten advertising a vacuum cleaner with the caption:

"Musson moggie moonlighting for Miele?"

PS Have retrospectively added back in another photo of Truffle in her collar.

Vanessa said...

Hi Undina,

Like you, I have been riddled with indecision ever since I was given the pendant, but Sabine has hit upon the perfect choice of Tralala, so that is what it will be.

Funny that Rusty might be too cautious to climb a tree when I am so sure he has some Norwegian Forest cat in him - and Maine Coons are also rather adventurous kinds. Speights, whom I used to have to board, is half Maine Coon and very keen to climb the furniture when he is with me.

LOL at 'just some tag from Etsy'. Personally I think the tags are every bit as sweet - and classy - take a look when the other two arrive (they are on their way as I speak!). They have little cartoon images as well, if I remember rightly, which I am sure will appeal to Truffle. At least they do to me!

Vanessa said...

Hi Sabine,

Oh my lord, the proper pendant would weigh her down good and proper, haha. It is quite a substantial piece of jewellery even in human terms.;)

Tralala is an inspired suggestion, for the reason you mention, and another one I cannot yet mention in public, but will do in time!

Vanessa said...

Hi Asali,

It is sterling silver plate, at the very least. As you will see from the comments above, I will commit to Tralala. When that runs out, with it being discontinued, maybe the washing option could be explored.

Thanks for adding a couple more epithets to the party! I hope you like the extra pic I just slipped in.

Vanessa said...

Hi Magpie,

I hadn't thought of it in terms of her being kitted out as a perfumista's cat, but that is very apt.

I completely sympathise with your commitment issues both to the pendant and the nicer atomisers. I still haven't used my fancy Milano Travalo, would you believe? One day...

Anonymous said...

Yowza! Seven!! Seven "p" words. Vanessa has been given a run for her money.

All who long for Truffle pics than you for the extra.

-- Lindaloo

KoolKat said...

Hi, welcome to the world of cat ownership, it is one fraught with fear and stress sometimes, but so worth it!! when one of my cats was very young and in exploring mode my husband, instructed by me, went out looking for him because it had started to get dark. He (husband)had an anorak on and one of the elderly people in a nearby road thought he was a stalker and shouted that she was calling the police:) Anyway, it was all OK and kitty was home and purring all the time...probably laughing.
Liz

The Scentimentalist said...

Gorgeous! Truffle looks super regal, with her silver tag! I too have that pendant and wear it to formal dinners -- jolly handsome against a black frock! And do you have a whole bottle of Tralala? I do love that stuff. Perhaps the only vanilla hard-hitter I've ever enjoyed. And then, of course, they go and discontinue it.

Vanessa said...

Hi Scentimentalist,

Aww, Truffle will be flattered to be called regal. ;) I do remember your having that pendant as well, now you mention it. I bet it is the perfect accessory for a black outfit, though I must ask if you are you still tinkling?

I don't have a bottle of Tralala - it was fearfully expensive, as I recall - but a split, which I find I wear quite a lot, especially in this delinquent weather we are having. It will be tough when it's gone, I agree.

Vanessa said...

Hi KoolKat,

Haha, so true. Well, Truffle is actually my seventh cat, but you would never know based on how nerve-wracking I am finding it all. I can't remember how past pets got acclimatised to the outside world, as it is some 20 years ago now since the last pair, but I must have been through this scary business before!

I love your story about your husband being mistaken for a stalker - classic! Glad kitty was safe and sound all the while.

odiferess said...

Heehee! A silver collar pendant, how charming. I think I still have mine somewhere, shall I give J a matching one?

Vanessa said...

Hi Odiferess,

Another Penhaligon's pendant owner! I think you should certainly tag Joseph with something, in view of his upcoming move and all the outdoor adventures he will have where he is going...;)

Anonymous said...

I have a perfume pendant too, and even put some perfume in it once, but it was all too fiddly. It might work better with a perfume oil, or with someone with a higher tolerance for fiddliness.

A completely random question question: is there a good perfume store in Edinburgh? I'll be there next month and don't know the city well, naming only Jenner's...AnnieA

Anonymous said...

This might be useful, AnnieA. It was last up-dated in March of this year.
http://your-perfume-guide.blogspot.ca/2011/09/edinbourgh-uk.html

-- Lindaloo

Vanessa said...

Hi AnnieA,

I laughed at 'a higher tolerance for fiddliness'. Not the Penhaligon's one I take it, as that doesn't look too tricky, though I haven't bitten the bullet yet.

Oh, enjoy your trip to Edinburgh - that is where my brother (aka Sibling Bonkers) lives. I haven't explored all the perfume possibilities of the city, though Harvey Nichols is a must visit, I'd say. Lindaloo has come up with a comprehensive guide!

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the info, Lindaloo! -AnnieA

LBDDiaries said...

I love this post - and that Truffle got such a beautiful bling tag!

Vanessa said...

Hey, thanks, LBDDiaries! Truffle is happily wearing it still, and may yet graduate to the bigger versions...