OF CATS AND MEN

Our home is graced by the presence of two stunningly beautiful, and much loved cats, and we long ago came terms with the fact that these two divas rule the household with a rod of iron!

The older cat Twiggy is a silver grey, sleek and extremely elegant beauty, the younger, a Calico Cat named Moth is the epitome of cute, a sort of Beatrice Potter cat, with such engaging ways that my son; her chief worshiper sees to it that her lightest whim is satisfied…...at once:

These two females hate each other with a passion and cannot tolerate each others presence

under any circumstances and it is for this reason that one lives upstairs and the other down!

This is an arrangement which has many drawbacks.

For instance if Upstairs Twiggy wishes to go out into the garden she must go in to Downstairs Moths sphere of influence. Any meeting between these two results in an impromptu cats choir practice followed by some foul language from both the cats and from the human inhabitants.

Latterly the colder weather has caused Upstairs Twiggy to venture down stairs in order to sit before one of the fires, and trouble has until recently been the result of this encroachment.

Recently however the drawing room which houses one of the stoves has become “Tom Tiddler's Ground” and in this room an uneasy truce has developed.

This means that Twiggy can now access the garden when she wishes without starting a feline war!

Unfortunately the truce does not extend to the garden itself and there is still many a merry chase

when the ladies meet by chance around a corner of the house.

Matters are complicated further by the fact that our garden seems to be a Mecca for every moggie in the village, and a total of eight cats regularly visit our garden, a number of them for very anti social reasons!

One of the male cats, a handsome gentleman named Socks is usually welcomed by Moth, Twiggy however takes a dim views of his liberty taking and has been known to see him off the premises in short order..

The rest of the interlopers are cordially detested by both of our cats, and if any venture to enter the house, or are discovered in the garden mayhem ensues!

Moth, who habitually disports herself before the library fire, which she considers to be her especial property tolerates no nonsense from any other cat, and even Socks, when he visits is obliged to sit on one of the armchairs and a distance from her fire.

Twiggy's forays into the drawing room have become so frequent that we hope that Moth will become accustomed to her presence downstairs. Of course Twiggy too must learn to tolerate her rival and here is the sticking place, for Twiggy is the mistress of high dudgeon, and her temper resembles that of a Tasmanian Devil!

One thing is certain, there will be no real peace until one of the cats gives way…...hmmmmm…..I think hell may well freeze before this happy event takes place!

Time alone will tell.