Cats go well with dogs, we find. Of all the cats and dogs we’ve had, we’ve never had a cat who isn’t the boss. In our experience, the bigger the dog, the bigger the sook. This gives our cats a terrible sense of entitlement, of course, but I’m reliably informed cats have this anyway.

Domino

Domino is our newest cat. He’s horrible. No, he really is. He is a Cat’s Cat, and sometimes a Dog’s Cat. What he is not, is a People’s Cat. Sometimes he will actively hiss and swipe at you, if he’s feeling very energetic. Usually he just ignores you, or flattens his ears and runs away. Strangely, all his hate turns to love at night, when he will twine around your legs, purr, headbutt you and try to get under the duvet. This is a terrifying experience as he is liable to turn back into Evil Domino at any time, and suddenly he will bite or try to claw his way out of whatever situation he has (willingly) put himself in. Unfortunately for Domino, he is the softest cat we’ve ever had, with a pelt like an angora rabbit. This means we pick him up a lot. He loves Tosca and follows him everywhere. His favourite place to sleep is in the tiny cubbyhole of the cat tree, even though he’s too big for it and all his feet stick out the front.

Tosca

Tosca is a ranga, but that’s not his fault. He is also the most loving cat we’ve ever had. He makes up for all Domino’s indifference with a burning love that cannot be denied. Unfortunately his love is painful, as he kneads his object of desire with his sharp sharp claws. Tosca wants to be picked up, so he can crawl up your shoulder and around your neck. There, he will claw you repeatedly in an ecstasy of adoration, and also dribble if you’re lucky. Tosca will always come when you call, which makes a change from, oh, every single other individual in the house.

Phantom

Phantom was litter-brother to Tosca, and we got them both together. Unfortunately Phantom was an adventurous cat who was also accident-prone, and was hit by a car before he was a year old. Phantom was a sleek grey cat with a placid nature, who loved to be outside, watch the birds and play with the dog. Basso loved Phantom and would spend hours playing with him and licking his head. Phantom reciprocated by biting Basso hard on the face.

Tonto

Tonto was our original cat, brought to Melbourne from the mean streets of Rotorua. He started out as a tiny grey kitten with green eyes but somehow grew into a yellow-eyed tabby. We’re pretty sure goblins stole the kitten in the night, but were happy with his replacement. Tonto was extremely placid, tolerated all dogs, and loved being outside. We think he was part Maine Coon as he was truly gigantic. He was even longer than usual if you held him upside down so that he stretched down to the floor. Unfortunately Tonto disappeared after a huge storm in Melbourne, when he was 8 years old.