How Harry Three Paws Saves Me Money

You might think that a cat with only three wheels would be a slow mover. You would be wrong. Harry Three Paws is like the Road Runner and I am like Wile E Coyote. Every single night of the year we have a running battle: I want him to come inside before dark, and he wants to stay outside. A couple of years ago Denis the Vet advised me to keep him as an indoor cat. At the time, the vet’s bills were astronomical because Denis reckoned there was another cat out to kill Harry. I did keep him inside for three weeks but I could see his life energy draining away. Harry, unlike me, is a social creature. He likes to visit his adoring public and supervise what is happening in the neighbourhood. So my compromise was to let him out during the day and to get him in at night. Clearly, Harry did not get that memo. Yesterday evening I went out to check was he around and there he was, about to jump up on a high wall. He saw me coming and sprang in the other direction. I threw my leg over the wall, thanking God for the woman that invented yoga and Tai Chi. I seized him and brought him inside. I turned my back and he disappeared. I spied him out in the back garden and gave a small scream as I ran to catch him again. He had managed to open the cat flap with The Claw. The other night, I sat on the sofa in my rain jacket, waiting to hear back from a neighbour I had texted to see if Harry was in her house. I went outside once again to look for him and the minute he saw me he jumped up on the high wall where I couldn’t reach him. Undeterred, and spurred on by new season NCIS  about to come on the telly, I leaped up on an adjoining wall and grabbed him, much to his surprise. I then had to keep him under one arm as I negotiated jumping down off the wall and trying to land in one piece. My neighbour then texted me to say that she didn’t have him and I explained the developments. “I’m getting a bit old for leaping off high walls in the dark with a three legged cat,” I said. “Think of the savings on gym membership!” she replied. Which I have to admit, I had not previously considered. So there you have it. With the money I have saved on gym membership, I am off now to buy a Wile E Coyote-type umbrella for my next nocturnal paragliding adventure with Harry Three Paws. It can only help.

Speaking of help, if you live in the USA and would like a free copy of The Tale of Harry Three Paws in return for posting a review on Amazon.com, please get in touch via the Comments section. The book has gotten good reviews on Amazon.co.uk but they are not shared on the American Amazon so that is why I need your help. Similarly, if anyone anywhere would like a review copy in exchange for posting a review on Goodreads, please get in touch. Thanks.