A Visitor

This is "White Stripe", our most frequent visiting cat. I call him White Stripe because of the white markings under his eyes. He looks like he's wearing war paint (fitting, as you may agree if you read on). He likes to come in, run up and down the climbing pole and play with the catnip mice and other toys. We're all cool with this except when he tries to eat the Caramels' food, when we draw the line. (He's out of luck most of the time because Alfie and Simba don't often leave any food!)

The other night though there were some kibbles left in the bowls. I was in the kitchen when in he sauntered, cool as you please, jumped straight up onto the work surface and started scoffing Alfie's kibbles. I said, "No" firmly, picked him up and put him gently on the floor, whereupon he turned on me and did this:

After saying "Ouch", followed by many words on the Naughty Word List and washing my hands thoroughly, I chased him towards the cat flap. There he stopped, turned and looked up at me defiantly and started to hiss and growl at me! Enter my hero Alfie, all bushed up and screeching like a banshee! He leapt at White Stripe, who beat a hasty retreat through the cat flap!

I thought we had probably seen the last of him, so imagine my surprise when I woke up on Wednesday morning to see White Stripe picking his way along my row of chests of drawers, sniffing everything and knocking the odd book onto the floor as he progressed. When he reached the wall he turned round and went all the way back, finally jumping down. He then went all round the bedroom investigating everything thoroughly, before jumping onto my dressing table, where he sat for some time looking out of the window through the holes that the Caramels have made in the net curtains to facilate their own neighbourhood watches.

I just wish I had had my camera to hand!

Alfie, who was on the bed throughout, just completely ignored him! I think it would have been a different story if he had jumped on the bed...

Incidentally, we haven't seen "Pole Cat" for ages. I think he and White Stripe might be brothers. They are both ginger and white and are about the same size and age. Pole Cat is a gentle, friendly soul, quite different in temperament, though he, too, loves the catnip mice and the climbing pole. I hope he's okay. I can't find a photo of him. I thought I'd taken some but all I can find are pics of White Stripe! Perhaps they're alter-egos of one and the same cat, like Hendrix and Bendrix!

We haven't seen "Scruffy Fluffy" lately either.

Nor "Pretty Lady", who seemed to fancy Simba (with good reason, he's a handsome and tolerant cat).

I hope they're both okay too.






:) xxx