Our neighbours moved house recently, it was quite worrying actually since the neighbours on both sides moved in the same week. We started to worry that we had done something terribly wrong, but can't think what. I'm now beginning to think that the new neighbours on one side won't stay too long, if Falstaff doesn't learn some manners. The new guy who has moved in on one side has a cat, so his garden is not good territory for our cats, whereas the lady on the other side does not own a cat, so her garden is currently up for grabs.

When the neighbours moved in, Shylock and Falstaff had not been going out long, and hadn't discovered how to leave the garden. I think they would be about 6 months old at the time, and we were being rather cautious about letting them out, especially knowing how silly they could be inside. They had been having supervised outings in the garden, and I was starting to let them out before other half came home, and also starting to retreat to the conservatory to watch, rather than staying in the garden with them. At this point they hadn't learnt to climb the fence, so I was pretty certain they would still be in the garden if I turned my back for a couple of minutes. I hadn't discovered the hole in the fence, but Shylock soon did, and Falstaff quickly followed. It wasn't difficult to find them, since they have bells on their collars, so it was just a case of following the sound of the rather excited tinkling (they were racing round their new territory playing chase). I'm not tall enough to see over the fence without standing on something, and anyway, I thought it a bit impolite to be caught peering over into next door's garden - especially if the neighbours were in. Luckily there was a small crack in the fence at the right height, so I could look though and check the boys were okay. Unfortunately as I looked through the fence, Falstaff decided to do something unmentionable in the middle of next door's lawn. As he started to squat down, I'm shouting through the fence (rather quietly) for him to stop, and for him to come here now. Falstaff of course is relying that he is a little busy at the moment, and can I wait until he's finished attending to important matters? I'm just rather glad that the neighbours are not in from work yet, and that the grass on their lawn is very long. They mowed the lawn the next day - I just hope it wasn't too messy.

The boys have now grown up a lot (10 months old now), are old enough to leave the garden and come back when called, so we've relaxed quite a lot about letting them go out. They even cope with going out into the front garden, where all the gardens are open plan (no fences between them). I happened to look out of the bedroom window on Saturday and could see Falstaff in next door's front garden, playing with something. I called to other half and we went to investigate, in case what ever he had caught could be rescued. Unfortunately the poor sparrow was no more, but he's still playing with it on next door's lawn. I didn't think this was a good idea - its not very nice to come home and discover a dead bird in your front garden if you don't own a cat, so other half was dispatched back to the house to get something to put the bird in. Just as this is happening, visitors arrive next door. They were really okay about it all, they kept saying that its what cats do, and that its just what happens in nature, I still kept apologising for my cat, when he really starts to show me up. I know he's only a cat and hasn't read any books on etiquette or good manners, but it is still rather embarrassing. He went into their house (uninvited), while I talk the visitors in the front garden (turned out the lady I was talking to is the sister of our new neighbour and both her and her sister like cats, so it's okay really), then Falstaff's behaviour gets worse. Other half had removed the bird by now, so Falstaff is bored. Then while we're all stood there chatting, he saunters over the flower bed and starts digging a hole right in front of us! I manage to chase him off into our garden before he can really embarrass me by filling the hole, and I also start apologising again for my badly mannered cat. This is the first time I've spoken to our neighbours and I want to make a good impression - my cat however has other ideas. The neighbours were very understanding, but I think I need to give Falstaff a few instructions on good manners and politeness.

Copyright © Rachel Craddock
July 19, 2004