Aragon is 12

We needed to get another cat for Henry. He was a gentle, kind soul and I didn’t want him to be terrorised by the two Persian thugs up the road, who fought with Sparkles, threw him off the roof and broke his hip. Being a cat, with a wonderful vet, Sparkles came through beautifully, but a car got him, later.

All of our cats have been rescued animals, Pickwick and Aragon from the SPCA (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), Sparkles was fostered, while Henry and Chocolat knocked at the door – I heard you were looking for a cat?? There are so many feral cats and unwanted domestic animals. So sad that as a society we ask, precisely the people who care about animals, enough to work at an animal shelter, to put down healthy animals, because we don’t want them anymore! So, all of our cats have been neutered, end of the line, for these five.

When we brought Aragon home in her SPCA cardboard cat box, she had a helluva lot to say. Henry looked at me with eyes like saucers – did you HEAR that? So we took the box into the garden, and opened it, out hopped Catherine of Aragon, and swore at Henry – get the f%^$%^$%^ out of my garden! Had to explain to her, that this is Henry’s garden, but, if you are nice to him, he may let you share it.

She has a little white patch on her front leg, where God was holding her still while he painted her striped coat. Henry could never understand whiskers. He was always saying to Aragon - hold still, while I chew off that loose thread. She came with a spectacular set of whiskers, like false eye lashes. Two sets, the top ones black, and the lower ones white - but Henry chewed them into a Hitler toothbrush!

Henry served Aragon with love and devotion to the end of his days, when skin cancer devoured him from the white nose. Health warning – white ears and nose don’t mix well with, isn’t the sun luverly!

Aragon used to fish in the pond, then come in, and raise her paw imperiously to Henry – wash me! I smell of POND! And like a travelling hairdresser, he would unpack his little case of brushes and potions. Cleanse, condition, blow dry and finish madam. Half an hour later she would be back, and he would do it all again.

Just after we got her, she snuck up on the Ungardener, who was dozing, uh sorry, watching TV, with his eyes shut. She patted him very gently on his bald pink head, and he shot up like a rocket, while Aragon and I giggled to ourselves. She used to come into the kitchen, and nibble the back of our ankles, when she was hungry, feed me! But she has us trained now, and her meals are served before she has to complain about slow, lousy service. Now she is much more refined, backs up to the cupboard and shimmies her tail hopefully – dinner? And when she wants a cuddle, she raises one of her front paws, and stands on three legs. I can remember a very young Clara imitating her … Most of our cats do the collapsible legs thing, when they want a cuddle, and throw themselves on their side – tickle my tummy?

Since she is a rescue cat, her birthday is, the vet says she is about so old, and we counted back. Yesterday was her birthday, and I had to explain to Chocolat, that we don’t knock little old ladies over, especially on their birthday. But she gets her own back. He was sitting in the garden, lost in thought. She was on the bridge, hidden behind a clump of grass. So she snuck out, dashed past, and HIT him. He went up in the air like a rocket and came crunching down on the gravel. WHAT was that? There’s nobody here, but grammar! I have to muffle my laughter, because cats don’t like to be laughed at, as you know, if they have you under their paw.