Catobatics

It’s well known that having a pet reduces your blood pressure. Less well known is the ability of three-legged cats such as Harry Three Paws to maintain flexibility in their No Spring Chicken owners – such as me, for instance. A few days ago, Harry was off form and sleeping in the garden shed, highly unusual behaviour. It meant that all I had to do to get him in before dark was scoop him up and bring him in, easy peasy.  Last night, he got up beside me on the couch – more unusual behaviour, as he normally decamps upstairs and leaves the plebs downstairs. He took about an hour of healing and would have taken more except that I was falling asleep and had to go to bed. Tilly, another tabby, was soaking up the relaxing vibes on my knee, and I had another two tabby kittens on my distant healing list. It was a Tabbyfest. This afternoon, back to normal after his healing, he was out of the shed and back up on the neighbour’s wall, out of my reach. I brought out the bottle of valerian to which he is addicted but he still wouldn’t come down. I sighed, and threw a knee up on the narrow wall, hauled myself up (all in my slippers, mind!) and balanced delicately on the wall. Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible wouldn’t have had a patch on me. At this point Harry saw the danger and turned to leg it. Or three leg it, I suppose. In a cat tackle worthy of the Irish rugby team, from my perch on the wall I leaped on top of him and seized him. Thank God all the neighbours were indoors, although they are well used to my shenanigans at trying to get Harry indoors. He came in, refused home-cooked free range chicken, and decamped upstairs, leaving the plebs downstairs. Back to business as usual. Although it’s harder to get him in, I prefer him to have his joie de vivre back. And anyway, I could do with limbering up. But watch out, Irish rugby team – Harry and I may be coming your way!