Got the pussy blues?

I admit I am only a novice servant as I have only been in training for 17 odd years. Not long after I moved into my first flat I provided accommodation to a cat - my mum disliked them.

Teddy gave me a valuable lesson - we are only there to serve. He proved to have a temper and a tendency to car wrestle. I miss the way he would greet me home from work. However, he would tell me off if the weather was bad. I feel sad that he was deprived knowledge of yarn, I think he would have really enjoyed it.

Teddy Mark II then came into my life and she could not have been more different. She was sweet tempered and hated going outside. She became queen C when her world was invaded by two upstarts, who bounced and fought. Teddy MII was still with me when I knitted my first scarf. However, she never had the opportunity to see the path that scarf took me down. She would not have been too pleased with my obsession as knitting makes access to the lap more difficult.

The current masters, Meg and Smudge, share the house with yarn and will seek out small balls to toss around, although they are firm believers that small rodents are better. Luckily they have yet to show a desire to fish yarn out of my project bag. They do like using my working tail as dental floss, something I guard against.

Even more concerning is their love for wooden needles and hooks. They like to watch the tips of my needles and can be seen waiving their heads as they follow the flow of my needles. They also enjoy rubbing their heads and cheeks against the needle and then, ever so gently, nipping the end. Luckily they have not caused any damage to date. They are doing this less and less, I think they secretly laugh at me as I become all flustered and huffy.

Both if them have their own secret weapons (and I don’t mean claws) in getting attention. Smudge rolls around on the floor chasing her tail. This singular act of cuteness can get her the attention she craves. Meg takes the more relaxed approach of stretching herself out on cushions, making sure she looks as refined as the Queen of Sheba, although sometimes she just flops down as a ball of chocolate fluffiness. However, if I bribe them, they will generally let me get on with my knitting.

However, the joy of housing cats became totally apparent as I tried to sleep last night. It was a bit cold and I discovered I could not turn over as one of the cats had decided to sleep between my legs. Not having the heart to kick her off every time I wanted to roll over, I woke up, dragged my leg up and around my sleeping cat, repositioned myself and fell back to sleep.

I know who gets pampered in our house.