cats - Smudge

Despite appearances, Smudge is an elderly Miss who lives with Kizi, her mother. (More about Kizi later in the year.) Smudge and Kizi moved in with their present owners about 8 years ago, when Smudge was 5 years old. They only wanted one cat, but Smudge and Kizi were inseparable, so they had them both.

Smudge likes to get out and about, and likes travel. Open a suitcase or set down a cardboard box and she's in, curled up, and ready to go! (And so is her mother.)

Smudge is quite assertive when strange cats appear in the garden: it's her job to 'defend the territory'. But she's terrified of dustmen, so it's a good thing that cases of itinerant dustmen taking over other people's back gardens are very rare indeed.

Mousing is another of Smudge's hobbies, although this does not always endear her to her owners. It's not unusual for cats to invite mice into their houses and play with them. It's not unusual for cats to invite mice around for a meal, on the understanding that the mouse brings the main course. But Smudge prefers mice for 'pudding', sharing her cat-food for the main course. Her owners have been known to misunderstand this simple arrangement, sometimes sending the mouse home after the main course. On these occasions, Smudge has to rush outside and take her pudding course 'al fresco'.