Tom leaves his calling card

THE EDITOR: Your centre-page spread ‘Stranger than Fiction’ by Anne Hilton may not be common knowledge, but it certainly is not strange. Domestic female cats are instinctively clean and constantly groom themselves. When outside they scratch the earth aside, place themselves perfectly on target, then cover up their waste until they are satisfied that the odour is also buried. I personally had two neutered female cats who used the shower drainage hole of their own violition. Small kittens without any training automatically use a tray of sand, dirt or litter. Neutered males can be as clean, but fully-fledged natural males certainly are not. Perhaps this is because urination serves the double function of both voiding and territorial marking, which has a distinctive scent. Tom always likes to leave his calling card!

So I would guess that Bev’s cats are neutered. While I understand the rationale, I cannot say that I think it is a right thing to do. Neutered cats of both sexes are beaten up by natural cats because they smell of neither fish nor fowl! Two teenaged cats used to wait at the gate every morning when I went out for newspapers, and come running to greet me when they recognised me coming back along the street. Unfortunately, I no longer have a single cat, courtesy of the parish poisoners. Some of the beauty has gone out of my life, but I have received so much heartache that I have been forced to forego the pleasure of their company for their own sakes also. I feel sorry for those unimaginative people who cannot appreciate the beauty, innocence and intelligence of other species. They have never really lived. I have never discovered why felines purr as gentle hands caress their fur. Is it automation, or personal appreciation?

M A KERR
Woodbrook