On guard

Having chased one of the neighbour’s cats off the ledge where our own cat’s food is at least four times on Friday and multiple times since, today Alina has given up any of her cosy bean bags or dog blankets to take up her position at the top of the stairs as our new guard dog, all senses alert to any slight noise from the cat flap… 

Normally, Alina is queen of the merry spaniel world and only occasionally takes it into her head to remind our own Sophie-cat that there is no competition in this house by chasing her, which lasts about a nanosecond (though long enough that Sophie always pre-empts entering the living room-cum-kitchen with a cautious look round to assess the situation and sticking to the wall as far as possible). Apparently and somewhat to my surprise, Alina’s general tolerance of what is a distinctly toffee-nosed species does not extend to the felines who aren’t accepted members of the family… hence the hectic chasing and loud growling that has taken over this house over the last few days, with a dark blur disappearing through the cat flap!

There are at least six cats in the houses immediately next to ours and in seven years, this is the first one that has had the courage to actually come in – possibly because they have two dogs in their own house. She’s a calico cat – a type often known to be extra cheeky – with a white chin and whenever I catch her sitting outside the house (and cat flap), she looks up innocently at me, licking her chops, reluctant to admit how rapidly she has just fled in the path of an irate hunting dog with flying ears… 

Meanwhile, incredibly, Sophie has been seen to sit on the upper stairs in stately fashion, observing the goings-on out of the corner of her eye while purposefully staring out of the hall window. 

Sometimes I wish they could all speak!