The last of my mum’s cats is Larry. All of her other cats came from The Cats’ Protection League, but Larry befriended her on his own initiative. He used to live in a skip or something, and started following my mum whenever she walked past. So she started following him, and they went on long rambles through the countryside together.

It soon became obvious that he was homeless, so she tried to adopt him. But he didn’t take well to domesticity - she tried shutting him in the house one night, and in the morning he’d destroyed the kitchen trying to get the lock off the flap. But eventually he decided that he rather liked family life, and now stays in the house quite happily.

The first time he remained inside overnight without a fuss - which I can date to the 14th June 2000 - my mum commemorated the occasion by penning the following ode, which I’m sure she won’t mind me sharing with you (um, maybe):

I知 not a hiking boy
I知 a little cuddly pet
I知 not a hiking boy
I致e hung up my hiking boots

I知 not a hiking boy
I get taken to the vet
I知 not a hiking boy
And now I致e got some roots

Larry is officially The Friendliest Cat in the World - unless you’re a dog, that is. We have to try to keep him out of the front garden, because if dogs come past he has a tendency to attack them. He doesn’t seem to have quite grasped the proper etiquette of the dog/cat relationship.

He started doing this not long after the time Bella was attacked by a dog, so we reckon she must have told him about it and this is his way of getting revenge. Or maybe it’s not.

And that, my friends, is the end of Cat Week. Normal service will be resumed tomorrow.