Felix Domesticus

“The cat from France liked to sing and dance. But MY cat likes to hide in boxes” - Eve Sutton

There’s no changing some cats. Ahmose doesn’t worry whether the box is too small, she just stretches it to make it fit. Berenike follows in her mother’s pawsteps. That family will always let the side down. No dignity, you see. None at all. I despair, I really do.

Six months have passed since Ahmose gave birth to her two kittens. Contrary to popular custom, they have not been shuffled off to new homes. Oh, no, the little blighters are still here, tearing about chasing each other and anyone else who happens to cross their path. These days, though, they are small cats rather than kittens. My, how fast they grow up…

Bast has always been a tubby cat. Following her litter of kittens, she never quite got her figure back. A cat will always grow whiskers that allow it to get through gaps. The whiskers will grow to the width of the cat. Bast’s are magnificent. Hence the moniker she has gained…The magnificent whisker. Indeed, she is.

My mother’s human is off to the States for three weeks. So instead of leaving Sophie to her own devices in an empty house, she is being temporarily rehomed with us for the duration. Is she grateful for this? Is she doggies do dos! She immediately took up residence on the fridge and set about terrorising the host cats. From this vantage point she can observe all comings and goings through the catflap. Any cat that dares to poke a head through it gets treated to a right royal hiss. The kittens didn’t know which day of the week it was - they aren’t used to being hissed at by anyone other than Cleo, so this came as a rude shock.

And anyone who thinks that Thutmose is a miserable, cantankerous, hissy ingrate hasn’t met my mother. She even hissed at ME! Yes, ME! I’m speechless. ME!

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Some of you may recall the human childrens’ book My Cat Likes To Hide In Boxes. Of course, this is true of all cats. Put a box in the room and we will happily oblige by claiming it. Boxes are very useful; they provide a convenient vantage point and that all important impromptu bed. Every self respecting cat knows what a box is for…

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