Dougal

This morning he allowed himself to be presented in society to a passing lady, who stroked his fur while he sat biddably in Mme's arms. Yet last time we tried this he screamed and attempted to burrow out through my chest. (I still have the scars.) Because then it was a Chinese neighbour who seems very polite and pleasant; yet we remember that poor Mr D was previously owned by a family with a very Chinese surname (so we discovered from his Council registration papers). Clearly the poor little cat has bad memories of ladies with Chinese faces.

I had not known that cats looked so carefully at human faces.... but this also explains why he was so desperate to get out of his cage at the cat foundry. He knew that he had already failed one audition and possibly mightn't get another one. Sure, he was hyperactive and had to have Velvet Paws explained to him (something his little sister still hasn't mastered); yet he has turned into a polite, charming, gentle little darling. Big darling. He hasn't grown into his paws and he's already bigger than some adult cats I have had. This at age 4 months! Perhaps he is secretly a panther. If so I hope he will be kind to us when he is huge.