Mango Kitty and Mr Bigglesworth are now well into teenagehood, and with it comes the inevitable staying out late at night! They sleep all day, usually on my bed, and as soon as the day cools, they are over the fence and bounding around in the exciting unknown of the overgrown field next door. Soon they will be bringing home presents - mice, rats, little birds, lizards - for which I will have to show suitable gratitude and clean up when they aren't looking. But now we have to start the worrying - when will they be home, are they safe, will they get into a fight with the neighbouring cats, will the caracal come down from the mountain and spirit them away, will they get stuck up a gum tree and mew helplessly all night, will they raid the pigeon nest on the roof and make off with the nestlings. The possibilities are endless, as all parents know.
The rattling of the dinner plate is usually enough to bring them bounding back over the fence and up the stairs, leaping nimbly up onto the kitchen counter (the dogs will eat their food) for a quick bite. That is when we close the doors and windows and curfew is officially in place. But at the slightest chance they will take the gap and be off into the night. The neighbours must think it very strange that we would call our cats intermittently until they return, as they are, after all, nocturnal! When they eventually are under lock and key, it's playtime - just to show there are no hard feelings!
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