I admit it. The questions that follow are transparently

anthropomorphic. Cats aren t interested in expla-

nations. They don t want to know whether neutering

will affect their personality, if acupuncture will alleviate

pain, why their teeth chatter when a bird lands on the

windowsill or why they spray the walls with urine when

the new baby is brought into their home. They re simply

interested in comfort, security, mental and physical

stimulation and, most of all, survival. Cat people, on

the other hand, are always asking vets questions. So

why should I put words in cats mouths?

The simple answer is because it is fun, but there is a

subtler reason, too; my family s relationship with our

cat, Millie, exemplifies it. My wife, Julia, had never

lived with a cat. She was raised with dogs, ardently

loved dogs and may well have married me so that

she would have in-resident veterinary assistance for her

own dog.

After Millie, a silver tabby kitten, arrived in our

home, I would come back from. work to find Julia

nestled in a corner of the sofa with a sleeping kitten on

fl