Category Archives: Cats

The peculiarly deceptive tendencies of ordinary household objects

Posted on January 23, 2011 by

The cat was strangely uncommunicative this morning. I was chattering away in my usual inane fashion (I think I was talking about apartheid, from memory) and she wasn’t saying a thing. I mean, she’s not exactly chatty most mornings, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats | Tagged , , , | 16 Comments

A Return to Form: Erasing the Cat

Posted on November 22, 2010 by

The other day a friend told me that my blog had become rather boring lately. He said all my posts seemed to be about books and crosswords and stupid things, when what everyone really wanted to know about was the cat. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Cats, dogs & other rare beasts | Tagged , , , | 17 Comments

An exchange of cross words (or, why there is no book review this week either)

Posted on November 16, 2010 by

I found the cat doing anagrams when I came home today. At least I assume that’s what she was doing: the scrabble tiles were scattered about her on the rug and she had a look of fierce concentration on her face. … Continue reading →

Posted in Book reviews & other bookish things, Cats, Other bookish things | Tagged , , | 19 Comments

Of curious cats and krinkletoys, cabbages and kings..

Posted on September 13, 2010 by

My last post about Fina’s shameful behaviour during an otherwise civilised dinner with friends has generated quite a few enquiries: ‘What a shocking cat – why do you keep her?’, ‘Do you not fear for your own safety?’, ‘Have you … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Cats, dogs & other rare beasts | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Friday night dinner with friends: leek and lemon risotto accompanied by general carnage

Posted on August 30, 2010 by

It’s an embarrassing thing when you invite friends over for dinner and the cat spends the entire evening mauling everything in sight. This was the first time Darrell, Sandra and family had met Seraphina Nightingale and they were initially very impressed. … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Posts I'm proudest of | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

All Cats are from La-La Land (or A Feline Perspective on Multi Personality Disorder)

Posted on July 21, 2010 by

Cats are capricious creatures. I realise this is a tautology –  that cats are renowned for being contradictory and I may as well just say, ‘cats are cats.’ So why do I make this rather obvious point, you ask?  Around … Continue reading →

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An Instructive Lesson from Charlotte Bronte, or ‘Fina Doesn’t Live Here Anymore’

Posted on July 11, 2010 by

If rereading Jane Eyre has taught me anything, it’s that the cat is mad and will have to be shut in the attic. The only problem is we don’t have an attic. I went to Richard and explained to him … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, English fiction, Posts I'm proudest of | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Initial Impressions

Posted on June 30, 2010 by

This morning, as I sat down at my computer with a mug of coffee and prepared to write my blog, the cat observed that my ingenious system of referring to individuals in my posts by their first initials in order … Continue reading →

Posted in Blogging & Writing, Cats | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Every workplace has a crazy cat lady (and this time it won’t be me.)

Posted on May 26, 2010 by

There’s a fine line between ‘delightfully whimsical’ and ‘crazy cat lady.’ I am trying not to overstep this line, although it’s hard when I have a cat that goes on regular expeditions to bring me pilgrim offerings of dead frangipani … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats | Tagged , | 2 Comments

The Rise and Fall of the Cat Empire

Posted on May 18, 2010 by

‘I think the cat’s plotting something,’ R said. This was so supremely obvious I didn’t even deign to respond. Of course the cat was plotting something- that is what cats do. It is the nature of the universe: men sow, … Continue reading →

Posted in Cats, Posts I'm proudest of | Tagged | 3 Comments