Cat haters - look away now.

Sith

Minerva

Thank God, not one of mine.

Over the last forty years I have not been without a cat for long.

Not a pedigree among them. However, I do think the colouring, therefore the breeding should be taken note of.

Tabby females are the best. Intelligent, loving, independent and most importantly calm.

Ginger cats are very tolerant, totally laid back, and a bit stupid.

Black cats border on neurotic.

At one time we had seven cats, never to be repeated given the choice. We had four of our own all ginger. We then rescued/rehomed an abandoned tabby female who had taken up residence in an unused rabbit hutch. We then got landed with two gingers from my father in law. All lived in total harmony in a small semi detached.

When we moved to Greenbrae we had the tabby female, Katya, and two Ginger neutered toms, Toby and Jigsaw. Who continued to live in harmony until they died. Three nice shrubs mark the spot(s) of their graves.

So, for a while, we were without cats. I then got talked into getting two kittens from the Cats Protection League, where, indeed, most of my previous cats had come from. Along came Sith and Minerva. Sith is black and Min is a tabby. And then along came Puzzle, also black via my daughter who had moved into a flat which did not allow cats. Well - its been one hell of a life since then. Puzzle is one weird cat. He is a stalker. And makes Sith's life a misery. He did stalk Min for quite a while but she just ignored him. Sith does not. Puzzle has been to the vets so many times after Sith has 'had enough'. I constantly have boiled water with salt in it to bathe Puzzles wounds and still he carries on. Indeed, I have been near the point of having him rehomed as he would obviously prefer somewhere where he was the only cat. And then and then another daughter beseeches me to take on her two - yep they are black. I think this could be the third world war just about to start and I really don't think I can take it. And not sure they could either. One things for sure - I am going to be taking slashed cats to the vets almost daily.

And remember the aim is to move to a smaller place than this, smaller than the semi which housed seven cats, who all got on and what we have now dont get on. So in my retirement I may well be building a shed in the garden in whichever house we move to for me or the cats. Or a blood bank, or get the vet to move in with me, and a hell of a lot of tranquillisers.