I will describe Sweep as a cat not only with attitude but a strong sense of humour. She was Black, long furred and the dominant cat in the area but with me she was a gentle soul. Here is one tale of that humour.

The sitting-room was in semi-darkness with only one small light giving enough light not to walk into things. Bob was sitting on the sofa, head above the back so that he could hear the full effect of Mahler's 2nd playing on the Hi-Fi. Suddenly there's a thump across the back of his head. He yells, not knowing who or what has happened turns to see Sweep grinning (she had a real grin that cat) at him from the dark. She'd crept up behind the sofa, stretched up about four feet and swiped Bob's head with her paw. Claws withdrawn of course this was fun not war. Bob said it was quit a thump too.

One of her wind-ups was that when my mother came to Sunday lunch Mom would lay the table in the dining-room while I put out the meal. It would only be minutes before I would hear Mom telling Sweep to get off the table. (Sweep never went on the table any other time.) Sweep would sit there in the middle of the table and grin until I went to rescue Mom when she would jump down and walk jauntily out of the room. A job well done!

Copyright © Judith Latham
January 2, 2003