Isn't it true that the majority of cats have the wisdom and grace to rise above any human efforts to drag them down to our level?
I may be prejudiced, but Chloe's diplomatic skills would seem to deserve publicity.
She is beautiful . . . she is beguiling . . . what's more, she has the largest, most appealing blue eyes I've ever seen. Not surprisingly, she makes many friends and, equally unsurprisingly, these kind friends bring her presents.
I have never counted Chloe's toys, but they are numerous. Those that have escaped the confines of the toy basket are scattered widely around the flat. Everywhere you look there are colourful mice, dangling spiders, assorted cat-nip toys, and balls of all sizes. But . . . and this is where Chloe's diplomacy reaches levels I would never have foreseen, each new toy is greeted with the rapturous reception of a cat who has never been given a toy before.
Each time a friend arrives bearing a gift (and I look around in embarrassment at the toys already scattered on the floor), Chloe greets it with all the excitement and joy of one who has been totally deprived of anything quite so delightfully frivolous. Not only that, if the gift isn't immediately apparent, Chloe - who clearly anticipates its arrival - rummages through the visitor's bags in search.
Once discovered, this new toy becomes the single focus of her excited attention. It is brought to me for admiration, dragged around the flat, embraced, chewed and examined in close detail. Never before, Chloe is keen to assure her kind friend, has anyone given her anything so utterly desirable. Never before has anyone understood her needs with such clarity.
And what when the visit is over? What when the generous guest finally departs?The new toy is discarded with all the rapidity that it was originally acclaimed . . . and Chloe retires beneath her blanket for a well-deserved rest!
Diplomacy, it would seem, is hard work!
