I don’t claim to have any specialist knowledge of cats but they are fascinating creatures, and since I have been here I have made it my business to learn as much as I can. Having come to live here 18 years ago and having bought a house that had been empty for a number of years that also backed on to an olive grove, the inevitable consequence was vermin. The local cat population, was largely made up of a rather thin,  apathetic, nervous bunch who all appeared to be totally disinterested. Now there has been a lot of research over the years into cat behaviour and the age old question regarding feral cats. 1) do we not feed them at all, then they will kill vermin because they are hungry 2) do we give them a little food so they will stay close and kill the vermin close to our house 3) feed them as much as they want Well an experiment was carried out many years ago; 3 farms were chosen and a colony of cat was introduced into each one. The first colony were not fed at all, the cats became weak, listless and unhealthy and quickly moved on to find food. The second colony were fed some food and whilst some cats went to find pastures new most stayed and the remaining cats were fairly efficient at reducing the vermin. Much to the researchers surprise the third colony were by far the most effective, this proving what some naturalists have been saying for years that cats hunt and kill for pleasure and the better fed they are the healthier they are and therefore the more efficient they become. In the early days, much to the horror of my neighbours, large bowls of food were made available for the local feline populace, this, and an energetic neutering programme made for a very efficient and effective cat patrol and vermin have been virtually eradicated from my road. A secondary consequence of this is that the cats are welcome on almost everybody’s terrace in my road as my neighbours have come to understand the benefits of a healthy cat population. In fact I have had to suffer the indignity of seeing some of the cats that I rescued, fed and had neutered abandon my terrace to spend more time on my neighbours terrace. The bowl of dry food at my house cannot compete with the tasty morsels available when their  BBQs are going!! R

What greater gift than the love of a cat.

Charles Dickens