Do Cats hold the balance of power in Britain?
Cats, certainly, are independent. You can never tame a cat; what you can do (and what I have often done) is to make a friend of him. The pleasure of conversation with a cat is often underestimated; they have perfect manners, but never flatter. Nor is a cat spiteful, but equally he will never be slavish or subservient. He will not, as a dog might, lick the hand that beats him; if a cat dislikes you, he will just decamp and live wild, eventually perhaps moving in with someone else. Yes, a cat kills (as we do) both to eat and for sport – with the result that we get free pest control. If there were no cats, there would be rodents up to our belly-buttons. An animal which earns the little we hand out in the way of food by such a notable service is worth cultivating, personal qualities apart. Why is it that some people cannot tolerate friendly coexistence with someone who is still, essentially, a free wild animal? Seawitch – As Darwin points out, in any species which produces, in a generation
