Cat

Meet Cheeky.  This was our cat a great many years ago.  I mention him because of a clip on Twitter of a Turkish mayor.  He was sitting in his chair, addressing the meeting of the council when a kitten appeared climbing up upon him.  Laughter all around as the kitten rubbed itself onto his face, climbed up onto his shoulders and eventually he was seen trying to settle it on his knee.  He can control a budget and a police force but kittens are harder to deal with.  

Cheeky, back in the early 70s, would lie on me until 1:30.  Then he would wake me, force me downstairs, through the stair back door, pictured here, and stare into the gardens meaningfully.  Quite how I got the picture I canny mind.  After his study of the land he took off round the building, I went to the front stair door where he returned, but only half way in, so he could examine the darkness in the front area.  All the time he was seeing things I could not see.  Satisfied, he went back upstairs, climbed upon me as I tried to sleep, and did this night after night!

 We were given the cat as a kitten.  My brother-in-law worked in Bathgate's truck plant where the factory cat had given birth to 8 kittens.  He took one for the kids, but they were too young to appreciate the care required, and he was to violent a kitten for them.  This meant he was dumped upon us, and lived a full life.  He took to owning us, and ensuring we followed his advice.  When my young niece was living with us he took to drinking tea from her cup.  We obtained a new cup for her, but any time we had tea Cheeky also had to have one, or he gave us one of those Margaret Thatcher glares.  

This got me to thinking about the public up and down the land all obeying the dog, cat, parrot or exotic animal that owns their house.  Big or small, the creature is lord of the manor, all have to meet the animals needs and all must obey his moods.  Failure to obey can cause trouble.  

Rescue animals often require further help.  My sister was given a cat a while after her man died, this was to keep her company.  The rest of the family are afraid of it!  He does not like being touched, disturbed or you being near, but he will remind my sister re feeding and bedtime.  He also wakes her at 3 am to have his head scratched.  Reiko, is a step back from this, but both animals having been badly treated before are coming round to the new home.  It takes time but will have some degree of success.

Money is made with animals!

Around £10 Billion is spent on animals each year in the UK.  A dog costing around £500 for food, depending on how you feed it, a cat less so, at least that is what they say.  Insurance might be more for a dog, but vet fees are huge at all times, the majority of vets now being owned by US conglomerates, so prices rise.   Animals are more fun than a child, and less expensive, some say.  Girlfriends are of course more expensive...