RANDOM REMINDER

Press, Volume CV, Issue 30977, 5 February 1966, Page 46

RANDOM REMINDER

WHILE THE CAT’S AWAY

Christchurch Is a city of cat worshippers, and it is with no sense of discovery that the statement is made. If Christchurch is supposed to be a singularly English city, it should be full of ' seedy men and tweedy i women with dogs; but the ' cult of the cat bolds undisputed sway. We have not been cat ' fanciers ourselves, in any respect, but of recent date , we acquired one—small, indisputably handsome, and with quite winning ! ways. But with feline, feminine falseness, the i] beast departed—thia in

spite of lashings of milk and an ample supply of a highly aromatic mixture said to be found irresistible by cats. In a couple of words, it strayed. First emergency action was to search neighbouring gardens without warrant, and when that failed, oodles of the filthy food and large quantities of milk were left on an outside path. They were greatly enjoyed by a vast horde of assorted animals; but the pretty little tortoiseshell with the distinctive white boots was not among them. It was the advertisement which really caused all the

trouble, because it brought reports of the missing pet from all quarters of Christchurch and some further afield. And of course all of them had to be investigated, just in case ... At ninepence a mile an arbitrary figure settled on by many commercial firms for the compensation of staff using their own cars, the cost was approximately £4 7s. And it hardly seemed reasonable, for one small kitten. Until it was finally found, and restored to its owner. After all, a kitten, presented by a brother for a ninth birthday, has a certain appeal.