Could Horace’s life be more exhausting? Constantly expected to loll around, having his picture taken, his ears scratched, his every mew attended to – a cat can only put up with so much.

Now that winter is here (particularly with the last week of particularly chilly temperatures), the cats have been bulking up fur-wise, and are both sporting impressive manes. And I’m sure they will miss us terribly when we’re away on holidays in a few weeks. We have informed our house-sitter that when Horace bites you on the face affectionately in the wee hours of the morning, it’s because he wants you to let him under the blanket. I’m not sure it’s going to go over so well with people who aren’t his indulgent cat-parents.